Successful social media measurement is not just about clicks and should “remain rooted in the tenets of traditional marketing measurement,” according to a new joint industry guide.
Published by the IPA, the Market Research Society, The Marketing Society, Facebook and Twitter, the guide has been designed to help marketers and agencies assess the impact of profitability, while addressing the challenges associated with validating social media campaigns. The collaboration is to be known as #IPASocialWorks.
Having produced seven guidelines, ‘The Short Guide to Measuring Not Counting’ highlights the need for social media planning and evaluation to operate in tandem with other traditional channels to accurately gauge reach, rather than adopting a siloed approach.
It argues that the same rigour must be applied as for established marketing measurement through the use of comparable metrics, linking activity to overall objectives and a focus on the long-term results.
The seven guidelines:
1. Social is more than marcomms and is challenging organisations
2. Social is changing the way we measure- its evaluation is more than a dashboard
3. Avoid a siloed approach to social measurement
4. It is easy to overestimate the value of earned media and influencers
5. The commercial value of social will increasingly lie in the richness of its data
6. Social can learn from traditional planning
7. Even the short-term results need a long-term context
“This guide has come to fruition as a result of our unique cross-industry collaboration and acts as an important step in the evolution of social media marketing and its measurement, as it sets out the optimum approach to tap into the rich level of data provided by this growing channel,” said Stephen Maher, chairman of #IPASocialWorks.
“And as spend for social media continues to grow, this guide can act as a vital tool for businesses concerned with measuring the impact of their activity in this area, and ultimately its effect on revenue.”
The short guide is available to purchase for £25 for IPA members, and £50 for non-members. A longer specialist “expert” version of the guide aimed at agency planners is also available.
