SYDNEY: Marketers must avoid the hype of social media and commit to the long-term relationship they create in the medium, according to a panel at Ad:tech.
The social media panel yesterday evening (16 March) featuring Telstra's executive director of relationship marketing Karen Ganschow, Nielsen director of analytics Mark Higginson, Fox Interactive Media executive director of business development Nick Love, and Mindshare global head of social media Ciaran Norris, said marketers need to understand the objectives for social media and manage expectations about metrics in the burgeoning area.
Ganschow said: "Social media is a courtship not a one night stand. It's an ongoing relationship but in order to create relevant engagement and you must have a plan for how you engage. These relationships should be nurtured and ongoing, they shouldn't just be left at the end of the campaign."
Nielsen's Higginson said: "It's important to be clear about what you as a brand want to get out of social media. You have to remember the campaign is not the party but the invitation and you have to keep the party going. From a consumer point of view you may exit the space but the conversation hasn't stopped, you can't dip in and out – you have to keep going."
Fox Interactive Media's Love called for greater analytics and data about social media that show how it converts to other metrics.
Higginson said Nielsen will focus on ROI in social media over the next year and would work to incorporate data, such as findings from the measurement company's deal with Facebook to measure changes in consumer perceptions of brand attributes of people who see ads on Facebook.
"We're ultimately trying to stick all the metrics and data together, we're still a number of years away from that," he said. "When it comes to feeding back value of social media, clients must be educated that the metrics are still soft and to manage expectations that buzz converts to sales. We need to keep a lid on the hype."
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.