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Our article in Contagious Magazine on Social Media Measurement. Get it!

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Advice for brand owners before running a social media marketing campaign

Social Media has definitely become the thing to discuss online and everywhere else . . . whether it’s Twitter or Social Networking there seems to be a number of people writing ‘knowledgeably’ and from an ‘expert’s’ point of view about the rise in the use of all these online channels.

The problem for a marketer, or a digital agency looking to learn more about it, is that there are so many people out there who now claim to be expert in Social Media that it’s difficult to know who really is qualified and who is ‘bluffing’. Social media is more than a ‘bolt on’ for a PR agency and it is more than just another medium for a digital agency . . . it takes time to learn how to harness it for real client benefit.

I want to offer some advice in terms of what you should look out for before setting out on a social media campaign:

1. Firstly I would suggest that any marketer who is considering following the social media route, do some proper research into which area of social media they think they’d like their brand to feature in, perhaps based on where they’ve noticed their target demographic being vocal.
2. Secondly, in extreme cases, a brand can risk losing credibility if mistakes are made in terms of social media choices. Understanding the legal and ethical frame work of social media marketing alongside experience will avert a campaign backfiring, or proving to be a wasted investment.
3. Thirdly, and I suppose I would naturally say this, but If you come directly to a Social Media specialist agency then you are going for a ‘low risk’ option. For example, we at agency:2 have been around since 2007 and have a number of tried and tested methods of implementing our clients’ strategies. These are borne out of experience and we would be able to demonstrate through real case studies and testimonials how our clients have benefited from working with us – any other specialist should have the same kind of confidence in their past working knowledge of how social media works.
4. Also, because we’ve had time to test our methods, we have also had time to build up a number of tools, methodologies and processes to track our social media effectiveness - there won’t be many social media ‘experts’ who have just joined the party who can demonstrate this level of experience or prove ROI.
5. Finally, don’t believe the hype – social media is not as new and untested as it may at times appear. It has been around for a while and, as such, it is possible to enter into a social media campaign with confidence in it as a viable alternative to or complement to traditional digital marketing methods. Your ‘expert’ or ‘specialist’ should be able to show you how social media can work in tandem with another digital avenues and give you guidance for example on how CTR’s compare, eg social media vs banners or social media vs e-mail marketing. This information is key for budget and ROI marketing planning.

In summary, social media can provide marketers with limitless opportunities to develop their product offerings, develop relationships and ultimately boost their sales. It is, however, important to take a little bit of extra time before getting started on ensuring that you’re working with the right partner.

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Social media marketing shows higher CTR than other digital marketing methods

Much has been said and written about social media, in particular about its inexorable rise and its pervasiveness in today’s digital media environment. Less practical commentary have been made about the trackability and proven effectiveness of social media, especially in the context of a direct comparison with other digital marketing methods such as e-mail marketing and banner advertising.

There are a number of ways of making these comparisons but within this piece our focus will be on click through rates for each channel and how they prove social media can engage with consumers and stand within the overcrowded digital media landscape.

I’ve worked as a client side digital marketer and as an agency head for many years, but I am more excited than ever about the opportunities that are now available to marketers. There are opportunities for brands to talk directly to their consumer audiences and learn from their consumers about their own brand perceptions. Marketers can now, in real time, respond to customers and prospects through social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and social networking forums. Consumers are undoubtedly looking for more personalised communications with their favourite brands and are increasingly dismissive of unsolicited messages. The emergent social media platforms provide an ideal way to do this.

In addition, for the past few years, digital marketers have been on a steep learning curve. Not only have they had to learn the basic functionality of these new digital channels but there is now more pressure than ever to demonstrate that digital marketing strategies are providing a measurable ROI. The declining economy and increasing consumer scepticism about marketing tactics provide the perfect environment in which social media can thrive.

But how do marketers justify social media spend within a marketing strategy without knowledge of how to measure their investment? As social media matures, agencies like ourselves who have been involved since the beginning are now able to offer research and case study proof of higher interaction with the brand using an industry standard Click through Rate (CTR) metric versus other digital channels.
Sources used: Eyeblaster/eMarketer/MarketingVox/agency:2

Statistics show that social media (CTR 7%) is twice as effective as email (CTR 3.9%) and 35 times more effective than banners (CTR 0.2%). But why are click through rates so much higher for social media?

1. Brands can find customers when they are actively looking for support, advice & solutions.

Social Media Marketing talks to users in a digital environment where they are already searching for and purchasing products. Communications are therefore, by default, highly relevant and timely.
Trends show an increase in the use of forums to get advice from other like-minded users prior to purchasing products.

2. Brands can interact with their target audience

Users spend quality time interacting within social networks and forums, this offers brands a unique opportunity to spend precious time with a captive audience.
Social media marketing is less intrusive and allows for conversation with potential clients about products of interest.
It is also more targeted as you often find that posts are written on specific forums of interest to a brand’s target group.

3. We are social beings and we like sharing ideas!

Social proofing – recommendations from trusted friends or like-minded people lead to higher interaction.
Social proofing works as proven by the incredible success of Twitter and the general rise in blogging in recent years.

In conclusion, although banner advertising and email marketing have seen a decline in the average click through rates over the last few years, I believe that click rates for social media are superior due to its conversational and more subtle tone.

We will need to find more and more sophisticated ways of measuring social media’s impact on sales. This will be critical but I’m confident that, as long as social media marketing offers real value to the target audience, then we will continue to see click rates remain higher than traditional digital marketing channels.

Joel Davis, June 2009

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MasterCard Social Media Marketing Case Study

Campaign Objectives:
MasterCard wants to be the credit card of choice for travellers. MasterCard consequently developed a branded travel site ‘BuzzWorld’. BuzzWorld offers plenty of travel tips on sight seeing, local shows, restaurants, events etc. Our task was to drive A,B,C1 travel consumers to the site. MasterCard wants visitors to spend quality time interacting on their travel portal.

Social Media Strategy:
agency:2 used their team of writers to get involved in discussions about favourite travel destinations, things to do, places to eat etc. This team became brand ambassadors for MasterCard within a variety of influential travel communities.

Method deployed:
The agency:2 team spent time on niche travel forums posting comments and answering travel related questions. (The writers always sign off with the brand name they are commenting on behalf of)

The Outcome:
How agency:2 exceeded expectations.

• During the campaign visitors from the social media posts spent on average 22 times more time on the ‘BuzzWorld’ site than from other channels
• 3 of the top 10 sources that converted on the “Find a Card” application came from our posts
• Over 4,000 travel consumers view these posts per week during the campaign period

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Our presentation from the Social Media Conference in Barcelona. Get it!

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About agency:2

agency:2 is the UK’s leading social media marketing agency.
We know that online communities are invaluable when it comes to influencing the decision making process, which is why adding valued, branded contributions to user-generated sites can be part of a lucrative and cost-effective marketing campaign.
Our campaigns not only drive traffic directly to our clients’ site, but they also contribute to the all-important organic search results. Our campaigns will quickly rank your business on the front page of Google and other key search engines.

Client Experience:
Most importantly our work delivers tangible results for our clients including Microsoft, MasterCard, Dow Jones, Park Plaza Hotels, Heart FM and The Wall Street Journal.