Social media offers a potentially huge opportunity for marketers, both as a channel of communication with and as a source of social data on their customers to make communications more relevant. Figures from the UK DMA’s new infographic (view it here) show that while Facebook and Twitter are the most effective channels, marketers still struggle with a lack of reliable return on investment and knowledge when it comes to social media.
The barriers and opportunities marketers have when it comes to social data were debated in dedicated focus groups, from which two highlights videos have been released. The research for both was conducted as part of the Social Data Integration Report.
The survey of 111 marketers found that 61% believe Facebook is the most effective channel for paid social media marketing, with Twitter (35%) and LinkedIn (33%) some way behind. However, when it comes to organic social activity, it was Twitter that came out top (59%), followed by Facebook (42%) and LinkedIn (41%).
Social data and effective campaigns
Despite this clear understanding of the effectiveness social campaigns can have, and now making up an estimated fifth (19%) of the overall marketing budget, only half of practitioners surveyed said they see any ROI from either organic (53%) or paid (48%) social media marketing.
There was much debate during the dedicated focus groups about the results and what they might mean, more of which can be seen in the highlights videos:
· Social Data: A Missed Opportunity?
· How To Use Social Media Effectively, And The Barriers To Doing So
Ultimately, it was agreed that social media offers marketers real insights into their customers or potential customers. Marketers could and should use this to improve their messaging, but scepticism remains about ROI and whether teams have the right skills in place to use social channels effectively.