SlideShare une entreprise Scribd logo
1  sur  27
Télécharger pour lire hors ligne
The Social Media ROI
Cookbook:
Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure
the Revenue Impact of Social Media
July 24, 2012




                                              By Susan Etlinger
                        With Jeremiah Owyang and Andrew Jones

                        Includes input from 66 ecosystem contributors
Executive Summary
Today, customers move constantly between the online and offline worlds, using a range of devices
— such as smartphones and tablets — that didn’t exist a few short years ago. Thousands of
applications and dozens of social media platforms collect and transmit an unprecedented amount of
structured and unstructured data1, and API changes are a fact of life. The volatility of social data and
the pace of change mean that tried-and-true measurement methods are no longer enough. Social
data is different. The old rules don’t apply.
Although many organizations have established formalized social media programs2, the vast majority
— 75% — still lack a holistic measurement strategy3. Web analytics; social media monitoring;
social platforms; and tool, application, and ecommerce providers have rushed to fill the gaps, while
analysts at brands and agencies have borrowed accepted methodologies from adjacent disciplines
to address the unique challenges and pitfalls of social data.
As social media matures, new approaches to social media measurement will emerge to provide businesses with a
greater level of insight, but the days of certainty (if ever they existed) are behind us. As George E. P. Box4, a noted
statistician, famously said, “Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful.”
In our research for this report, Altimeter Group identified six primary top-down and bottom-up approaches and
developed three case studies that illustrate how organizations measure the impact of social media on revenue. But
while these six ingredients are consistent, the emphasis each company places on them depends on the nature of
their business. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. The following pages aim to identify and describe — based on
business, product, media, and customer type — the most effective “recipes” for measuring the revenue impact of social
media that we have seen adopted to date.




   Methodology

   Altimeter Group conducted both qualitative and quantitative analyses, using a combination of online survey,
   interviews, and briefings, on the ways large organizations measure the revenue impact of social media.
   Specifically, we conducted:
            • Interviews with 38 vendors of social media technology, whose products offer some ability to
              measure the revenue impact of social media
            • Interviews with 15 brands that are currently measuring the revenue impact of social media programs
            • Interviews with three agencies
            • Interviews with four domain experts
            • Quantitative study of 71 brand and agency-side professionals on measurement experiences
              and practices




                                                 Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 1
Table of Contents

Business Pain: Organizations Struggle to Quantify Revenue Impact of Social Media ..............................................3
Problem: Industry in Transition Leaves Organizations Flying Blind ...................................................................................................3
Beyond Revenue: Improving Insight ...................................................................................................................................................7

The Six Ingredients to Measuring the Revenue Impact of Social Media ..........................................................................8
Top-Down Approaches ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Bottom-Up Approaches .............................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Case Studies ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Determining the Right Measurement Mix ...................................................................................................................................... 16

The Future of Social Media Measurement .................................................................................................................................... 21

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23

Ecosystem Input ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 24

About Us ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 26




                                                                                    Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 2
Business Pain: Organizations Struggle to Quantify Revenue Impact of
Social Media

Problem: Industry in Transition Leaves Organizations Flying Blind
Social media is no longer optional for business; it’s a fact of life. Today more than 80% of the world’s online
population uses social media, according to a recent report by comScore5. But social media poses a new series of
interpretive challenges for organizations, which can make it difficult to assess its impact on the bottom line. Altimeter
Group’s research identified the following primary barriers to measuring the revenue impact of social data:
A. Social Media Is Proliferating.
Although social media is still very new, Altimeter Group found in the research for our January 2012 report, “A Strategy
for Social Media Proliferation,” that companies average 178 corporate-owned social media accounts. This raises
serious questions:
        • Do companies know what value they are receiving from these social media properties?
        • Do they know what resources they are expending to build and support them?
        • Do they have accurate inventory of these properties?
According to the State of Social report by eConsultancy, the answer to each is a resounding “No.” In its report,
eConsultancy stated that 41% of more than 1,000 companies and agencies surveyed had “no return of investment
figure for any of the money they had spent on social channels as of October 2011.”6
B. Multiple Challenges Hinder Insight.
Fifty-six percent of brands and agencies that Altimeter Group surveyed reported “the inability to tie social media to
business outcomes” as the primary challenge to quantifying the revenue impact of social media. But other, more
granular challenges (“lack of analytics expertise and/or resources,” “poor tools,” “unreliable data,” “inconsistent
analytical approaches”) closely followed, suggesting that measurement of social media poses as much of a challenge
to organizations and processes as it does to technology.




                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 3
Figure 1: Brands See Multiple Barriers to Tying Social Media to Revenue

“Which of the following have been challenges? (Check up to three)”


                60%


                50%


                40%


                30%


                20%


                10%
                                   56%                     39%                        38%                35%                  30%

                 0%
                             Inability to tie            Lack of                 Poor tools          Inconsistent        Unreliable data
                            social media to         analytics expertise                               analytical
                           business outcomes         and/or resources                                approaches



Base: 71 respondents responsible for social media measurement in their organization

Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,”
Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012)




In addition to the 35% of survey respondents who noted “inconsistent analytical approaches” as a barrier to insight,
several organizations we interviewed highlighted the educational requirements of social data. For example, Robert
Ross, Vice President, Interactive & New Media of the American Cancer Society, commented, “We’ve found we have
to help people understand the nature of the data and how to use it and apply it. That’s a delivery challenge.”
C. Social Data is New and Different.
As outlined in the “Executive Summary,” the complexities of social data make it substantially different from what enterprises
have seen before. Following are the most commonly cited challenges of measuring the impact of social media:
           • Exists in online, offline, and across multiple screens, fragmenting data capture. Avinash Kaushik
             of Google7 has written extensively about the measurement challenges of the world we live in; specifically,
             the chasm between online and offline and the proliferation of screens through which we interact. This is a
             significant difference from the early days of the web, before smartphone and tablet devices began to grow
             in popularity.
           • Is volatile, making measurement a moving target. Even in the heyday of traditional media, the number
             of media outlets was relatively stable in comparison to the volatility of today’s social web. For example,
             from January 1, 2012 to June 5, 2012, Facebook announced the completion of 14 API changes8, while
             the Pew Research “Twitter Use 2012” report found that “the proportion of online adults who say they use
             Twitter on a “typical day” has doubled since May 2011 and has quadrupled since late 2010.”9




                                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 4
• Organizations don’t “own” social media the way they do their websites or other owned
             properties. Unlike embedded web analytics on their own website, organizations do not have the ability
             to tag and track properties on third-party platforms (such as others’ blogs, Facebook pages, or online
             communities), so they have little direct insight into customer behavior on those properties.
           • Different apps and platforms give rise to different metrics, making a holistic view challenging.
             As the old saying goes, “The trouble with standards is that there are so many to choose from.” Facebook
             metrics differ from Twitter, which differ from Tumblr, communities, and YouTube. To make matters more
             complicated, new behaviors and features yield new metrics (such as “pins” in Pinterest), and APIs of these
             third party sites are constantly being updated.
Because social media is still immature, it is tempting to think of it in terms of known quantities such as traditional/
digital media, marketing, advertising, or ecommerce. But unlike those disciplines, social media is driven from the
outside in, and it happens whether or not we plan for it. As a result, the way we measure social media must adapt to
suit the unique characteristics of the social web. The old rules do not apply.
D. Organizations Lack Confidence in Measuring Revenue Impact.
Altimeter’s research shows that only 30% of organizations claim to be “very effective” or “extremely effective” at
connecting social media to revenue generation.

Figure 2: Few Are Extremely Effective At Connecting Social Media to Revenue

“On scale of 1-5, how effective is your organization at connecting social media to revenue generation?”

             35%

             30%

             25%

             20%

             15%

             10%


               5%               17%                      24%                     30%                  16%                   14%

               0%
                                 1                        2                           3                 4                    5
                       (Not at all effective)                                                                       (Extremely effective)



Base: 71 respondents responsible for social media measurement in their organization

Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,”
Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012)




Says Ken Burbary, Chief Digital Officer at Campbell Ewald, “I feel like we’re all data chemists at this point, trying to
put a bunch of stuff into our beakers to see if it works.” Although social media has proliferated during the past few
years, there is a significant gap in the ability to articulate its value.




                                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 5
E. Organizations Are Adapting Slowly.
Although social media activity has grown dramatically within the past few years, measurement organizations generally
remain small. Sixty-three percent of brands Altimeter Group surveyed reported that they have one or two people
tasked with social media measurement, while nearly 75% reported fewer than five people in the function.



Figure 3: Social Media Measurement Organizations Still Very Small

“How many employees are dedicated                                                                               0
to social media measurement within                                           More than 20
your organization?”
                                                                                                            6%
                                                                                           13%
                                                                  11-20

                                                                                      3%
                                                               6-10
                                                                                 4%



                                                               3-5            11%




                                                                                                                         63%


                                                                                                                               1-2
Base: 71 respondents responsible for social media measurement in their organization

Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,”
Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012)




Because of the variation in company size, structure, and strategy, these numbers may not necessarily imply that
social media measurement is under-resourced. Most organizations Altimeter Group interviewed have taken a cautious
approach to resource allocation and process improvement as they learn more about the impact of social media on
the business. Says Todd Forsythe, VP Global Marketing, EMC, “We started by saying, ‘Let’s build the organizational
capabilities, dip our toes in the water.’ Now we’re increasingly becoming more programmatic.”
Others brands reported that organizational silos hinder information-sharing, particularly in light of the “inconsistent
analytical approaches” reported in Figure 1.




                                                                 Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 6
Beyond Revenue: Improving Insight

Organizations understand that revenue generation is only one benefit of social media and that its main business value
is to deepen relationships with customers and community. While only one of the brands interviewed for this report
admitted to embarking on a true ROI analysis for social media (analyzing the investment in, as well as return on, social
media), all reported that they are making a concerted effort to measure the revenue impact of social media, albeit in
various ways. Survey respondents reported overwhelmingly that the primary business impact of social media was not
revenue generation, but “insight that helped us meet customer experience goals.”
The next most-reported benefit was decision-making; 51% of respondents stated that social media measurement
“enabled us to make better informed decisions based on social data.” Ali Ardalan, Media and Analytics Strategist at
Intel, believes that social media has become a critical input to business decisions and to business cases. Ardalan
says, “Why do you do an ROI analysis? To justify why you should do this project vs. another. Why you need more
funding. You need to know the result; are you wasting money? Could you have done the same thing with 20% of
the budget?”
Wes Nichols, Co-Founder and CEO, MarketShare, agrees: “What we’re finding is that businesses will only move big
money once they understand what’s truly working. To do that they need a comprehensive view of their marketing
performance, not just the tactical channels.”

Figure 4: The Primary Business Value of Social Media: Customer Insight

“What have been the primary positive impacts of social media measurement within your organization?
(Check up to three)”

                90%

                80%

                70%

                60%

                50%

                40%

                30%

                20%
                                   84%                     51%                        35%                32%                 26%
                10%

                 0%
                              Customer/             Decision-making             Investment        Financial impacts      Organizational
                           community insight                                                                             development

Base: 69 respondents responsible for social media measurement in their organization

Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,”
Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012)



Companies that fail to quantify the hard and soft benefits of their social media programs and activities risk flying blind
into a storm. Those that start now to formulate a measurement strategy, as the companies in the following pages
have done, will be best positioned to succeed in this brave new customer-centric world.




                                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 7
The Six Ingredients to Measuring the Revenue Impact of Social Media

While we identified no “perfect” solution to measuring the revenue impact of social media, several best practices have
emerged that are bridging the gaps between what is possible today and what may be possible in the future. Altimeter
Group identified six primary ways that organizations currently measure the revenue impact of social media, which
should be used as a guideline to determine the most effective measurement mix for your business. The following are
brief descriptions; more detailed descriptions follow.

         Figure 5: Six Ways of Measuring Revenue Impact of Social Media


         Top-Down
                                   “          Anecdote
                                              Specific examples where social media was known to influence a sale or sales.



                        1. Anecdote


                                              Correlation
                                              Comparing two data sets (for example, number of likes vs. revenue) to determine whether
                                              there may be a relationship. Note that most correlations are quite simple, although companies
                                              such as MarketShare are working on far more advanced social econometric models.
                       2. Correlation



                           A   ✓              Multivariate Testing
                           B   ✓              Comparing one group exposed to social media content with another that was exposed
                               ✓              to different or no content.
                           C


                         3. Testing




         Bottom-Up

                                              Links and Tagging
                                              Links refer to short links, such as bit.ly, goo.gl, or custom links embedded into content.
                                              Tags (and cookies) refer to a piece of code that is embedded into links or URLs for the
                                              purpose of conversion attribution.
                   4. Links and Tagging



                                              Integrated
                                              Integrated refers to apps or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings with integrated analytics,
                                              such as those offered by Buddy Media, Wildfire, or Facebook apps for Timeline.


                       5. Integrated


                                              Direct Commerce
                                              Addition of an ecommerce storefront to a social platform such as Facebook; frequently
                                              referred to as “fcommerce.”

                   6. Direct Commerce




         Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue
         Impact of Social Media,” Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012)


                                                       Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 8
The chart below reflects both the immaturity of social media measurement and the resourcefulness of brands trying
to understand its impact on their business in a holistic way. Top-down approaches are as widely used as bottom-up
approaches; anecdote and correlation tied at 44% as the most popular ways to measure the revenue impact of social
media, while links were a close second with 42%.


Figure 6: Brands Blend Top-Down and Bottom-Up Measurement Approaches

“In which ways does your organization measure the revenue impact of social media?”

    50%
    45%
    40%
    35%
    30%
    25%
    20%
    15%
    10%             44%                  44%                  42%                 37%              32%                   17%         16%
     5%
     0%
                  Anecdote            Correlation            Links         TaggingÊ&Êcookies    Integrated      A/BÊorÊMutivariate   Direct
                                                                                                                     Testing
                       Ê
                                                                                      Ê

Base: 71 respondents responsible for social media measurement in their organization

Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,”
Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012)




What is important to take away from this data is that, while top-down approaches provide business context and
bottom-up approaches provide granularity, they are most valuable when viewed in context of each other. The case
studies that follow illustrate how three very different organizations orchestrate these methods to provide insights that
help drive decision-making.




                                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 9
Top-Down Approaches

                         Figure 7: Top-Down Revenue Measurement Approaches

 Type                Definition and Usage                     Considerations                       Sample Vendors
 1. Anecdote         • 
                         Examples of relationship       • 
                                                            Lightweight and practical          You can use anecdotes
                                                                                             • 

                         between social media               for some companies                 from any and all social
                         and sales; information         •
                                                            Manual
                                                            
                                                                                               media service or product
                         is often shared verbally,      •
                                                            Cannot scale
                                                            
                                                                                               vendors. This may
                         sometimes entered              •
                                                            No ability to share broadly
                                                            
                                                                                               take verbal or written
                         manually into CRM.                                                   form, depending on
                     •
                         Seen in large, often B2B
                         
                                                                                               the company. See the
                         companies with high                                                   SAP case study for an
                         consideration and long                                                example.
                         sales cycles

 2. Correlation      • 
                         Correlation refers to the      • 
                                                            Properly applied,                  Whatever tool you are
                                                                                             • 

                         ability to compare one             provides insight into the          using — web analytics,
                         data set with another to           relationship between               email service provider —
                         identify patterns. It can          social strategies/tactics          usually imported into an
                         be as simple as chart              and business outcomes              Excel spreadsheet. Tools
                         overlays comparing             •
                                                            Well accepted by the
                                                            
                                                                                               such as MarketShare
                         likes and sales to highly          industry                           and Compass Labs
                         complex econometric            •
                                                            Requires trained analysts
                                                            
                                                                                               perform more advanced
                         models that take into              who can control for                correlations. Expect this
                         account external data,             variables and interpret            to become more common
                         such as gas prices,                data to minimize                   as tools mature.
                         interest rates, jobless            irrelevancies and
                         claims, etc.                       distortion
                                                        •
                                                            Manual (therefore not
                                                            

                                                            scalable)

 3. Testing (A/B,   • 
                         In statistics, multivariate    • 
                                                            Properly applied,                  You can compare the
                                                                                             • 

    Multivariate)        testing or multi-variable          provides insight into the          performance of any social
                         testing is a technique for         relationship between               content to any other
                         testing hypotheses on              social strategies/tactics          social content, either
                         complex multi-variable             and business outcomes              within the tool itself or
                         systems, especially            •
                                                            Well accepted by digital
                                                            
                                                                                               from tool to tool. Note
                         used in testing market             marketing                          that source data may
                         perceptions.10                 •
                                                            Requires trained analysts
                                                            
                                                                                               come from a variety of
                     •
                         Used by digital marketers
                         
                                                            who can control for                tools, such as listening
                         to compare performance             variables and interpret            and monitoring, social
                         of tactics across                  data to minimize                   media management,
                         different populations;             irrelevancies and                  or any other tool with a
                         examples could include             distortion                         social data output. Some
                         news headlines, social         •
                                                            Manual (therefore not
                                                            
                                                                                               organizations download
                         content of any sort                scalable)                          data into an Excel
                         (video, image, text). Also                                            spreadsheet.11
                         used by multichannel
                         organizations with both
                         online and brick-and-
                         mortar presence.




                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 10
Bottom-Up Approaches

                       Figure 8: Bottom-Up Revenue Measurement Approaches

 Type              Definition and Usage                     Considerations                       Sample Vendors
 4.  inking and
    L              • 
                       Using a piece of code          • 
                                                          Industry standard for              Vendors below use links,
                                                                                           • 

    Tagging            (a short link, ROI tag, or         conversion attribution             tags, and/or cookies to
                       cookie) to identify the        •
                                                          Enables tracking from
                                                          
                                                                                             identify the source of
                       source of a conversion or          click to conversion                social content. While
                       sale                           •
                                                          Facilitates (measurable)
                                                          
                                                                                             revenue attribution is
                   •
                       At the simpler end: short
                       
                                                          social spreading                   a shared feature, they
                       links; at the sophisticated    •
                                                          Only work on owned
                                                          
                                                                                             represent a range of
                       end, ROI tags, such as             online properties                  services, from web
                       those available as part of     •
                                                          Don’t (always) work
                                                          
                                                                                             analytics and digital
                       web analytics solutions            across screens                     marketing optimization to
                   •
                       Broadly applicable to any
                                                     •
                                                          Don’t account for
                                                          
                                                                                             social analytics and social
                       online property in which           macroeconomic or                   ecommerce.
                       an item or service is sold         business factors (price of       Adobe Omniture
                       directly to a customer             gas, earnings, etc.)             Argyle Social
                       (direct B2C) or a piece of     •
                                                          Only works for single-
                                                          
                                                                                           Awareness Inc.
                       social content culminates          browser sessions. Links          Badgeville
                       in a desired action,               may break easily or may          Bazaarvoice
                       such as a contest entry,           not be passed through            Buddy Media (acquired by
                       white paper download,                                               Salesforce.com)
                       application submission, or                                          Campalyst
                       other desired conversion                                            Exact Target
                       action/lead                                                         Expion
                                                                                           IBM Coremetrics
                                                                                           Interpreter
                                                                                           Meltwater Buzz
                                                                                           Offerpop
                                                                                           Power Reviews (acquired
                                                                                           by Bazaarvoice)
                                                                                           Revinate
                                                                                           ShopIgniter
                                                                                           Vitrue
                                                                                           WebTrends
                                                                                           Wildfire Interactive




                                              Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 11
Type            Definition and Usage                   Considerations                     Sample Vendors
5. Integrated     Analytics integrated into a
                •                               • 
                                                     Highly measurable (if the        Argyle Social
                  social media app, widget,          conversion occurs within         Awareness, Inc.
                  SaaS solution, or service          the app)                         Buddy Media
                  installed on a social          •
                                                     Requires development or
                                                     
                                                                                      Exact Target
                  platform                           purchase                         Facebook (Apps for
                  Broadly applicable to
                • 
                                                 •
                                                     Managing complexity
                                                     
                                                                                      Timeline)
                  any online property but            (multiple apps with              Lithium
                  requires development               different analytics)             Momentfeed
                  of an application or
                                                 •
                                                     Metrics may be siloed or
                                                     
                                                                                      Moontoast
                  purchase/use of a tool/            inconsistent with other          Offerpop
                  service, such as those             metrics                          Proprietary Tools
                  listed under “Sample                                                Shopkick
                  Vendors”                                                            Webtrends
                                                                                      Wildfire Interactive

6.  irect
   D              Addition of ecommerce
                •                               • 
                                                     Broadly applicable to any        8th Bridge
   Commerce       storefront to a social             online property                  Moontoast
                  platform (typically            •
                                                     Highly measurable
                                                     
                                                                                      Offerpop
                  Facebook, “fcommerce”)         •
                                                     Limited if you don’t track
                                                     
                                                                                      ShopIgniter
                                                     full engagement                  Spiceworks




                                         Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 12
Case Studies
                                                Case Study: SAP

 Business:	 Direct and indirect sale, mixed online and offline
            	 onservative culture but with support for test-and-learn approaches
            C
 Product:	     Very high consideration, very long sales-cycle product/service
 Media: 	      Mixed paid, owned, and earned
 Customer: 	 Business customer
 The power of anecdote: Social media frees SAP sales team to focus on lower-funnel activities, improving
 productivity and close rate.

 Given SAP’s size and highly metrics-driven culture, one would expect that the company would insist only on
 quantitative metrics to evaluate the success of its social media initiatives. But SAP values both qualitative
 and quantitative measures. While it does track more granular metrics (such as numbers of white paper
 downloads or webinar sign-ups) for lead generation purposes, the company also values qualitative measures
 that contribute to institutional knowledge. Todd Wilms, Senior Director/Evangelist, Communities and Social
 Media, reports strong support for social media within SAP: “We have been extremely fortunate from a culture
 perspective,” he says.
 At SAP, one of the goals for programs groups and SAP-branded channels is to drive leads. Wilms says that
 social media has changed the point at which many sales professionals begin to engage with prospects,
 because it helps prospects to “self-qualify” by engaging with others in SAP communities early in their
 decision process.
 As a high-consideration, business-to-business product with a long sales cycle (months to years), SAP is able
 to track many of the factors that contributed to a single sale. The company has a well-developed customer
 community (which generates its own far more granular and empirical metrics) with which prospective
 customers can freely engage. Prospects self-report that they were able to answer their questions and educate
 themselves through a variety of SAP social channels before engaging directly with the SAP sales team.
 As a result, says Wilms, “Our sales people can now get involved later in the sales process; they don’t have to jump
 into the pipeline as early, which has enabled them to have deeper conversations with fewer clients. Then, when they
 do engage, they want someone to walk them through that last step of fine-tuning SAP into their organization.”




                                               Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 13
Case Study: EMC

Business:	 Direct and indirect sale, mixed online and offline
          	 Culture supports test-and-learn approaches
Product:	     Medium/high consideration
            	 Medium/long sales-cycle product/service
Media:	       Mixed paid, owned, and earned
Customer:	 Business customer
Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to prove cause and effect at EMC

EMC is taking a holistic approach to measurement, but with quantitative measures at the core. Says Keith
Paul, Chief Listener at EMC, “We’re trying to figure out the revenue impact of social. We’re building an
integration and media lab to align everything: social, advertising, search, and marketing sciences.” At the most
tactical level, this means working with marketing teams to develop consistent usage of Omniture codes and
bit.ly short links. At a strategic level, it means a shared approach to understanding the impact of social media
on revenue, as well as on other business goals.
Paul has already seen benefits to evangelizing tagging throughout the organization. Recently — using Adobe
Omniture codes and bit.ly links — he was able to prove that social media was responsible for generating
30% of the viewership for simulcast of a major product launch. Says Paul, “Web analytics is becoming more
strategic again.”
At the same time, the company has set its sights on a more ambitious goal: building an ecosystem with use
cases and tools that can eventually be used in concert with other enterprise data. Says Todd Forsythe, Vice
President, Global Marketing, “What we’re hoping we can do is connect linking and listening to action in a
streamlined way and track — on a real-time basis — the impact of social on business.”
In the longer term, this will mean more integration of “Big Data,” specifically, advanced correlations of customer
behavioral data, leads, transactions, and service experiences. While EMC is still in the process of making
measurement more programmatic and scalable, the end game, say Paul and Forsythe, is for social data to
become fully integrated into enterprise data and business strategy. Says Forsythe, “We always have taken the
approach of ‘Plant a thousand seeds, and let the flowers bloom.’”




                                             Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 14
Case Study: Eventbrite

Business:	 Mostly online; service
	          Metrics-driven, adaptive culture
Product:	     Short sales cycle
	             Low(er) consideration service
Media:	       Paid, earned, owned
Customer:	 Mixed B2B/B2C
           	 ighly social consumer and business customer
           H
Integrating social media into the product provides clarity for Eventbrite.

Eventbrite is a company in which social media — in this case, Facebook — is deeply integrated into the
product itself, making it highly measurable.
This wasn’t always the case. “When it was first built, Eventbrite was focused on SEO optimization to drive
traffic,” says Vice President of Marketing Tamara Mendelsohn. “Then in about 2008, we saw that Facebook
had popped up as a top referrer of traffic. Two things were happening: first, event organizers were creating
events and including links back to Eventbrite to buy tickets. Second, attendees, once they discovered the
event, were sharing the link either pre- or post-purchase. Those two behaviors pushed more traffic.”
Eventbrite reached out to Facebook, which opened up the event API to them. It then incorporated sharing
features into the product itself. Within a few months, Facebook was the top traffic referrer, which it remains
today. Recently, says Mendelsohn, Facebook’s mobile site (m.Facebook) began to show up in the top 10
referrers as well. While the product is integrated with Facebook, Eventbrite still must use some of the simpler
techniques, such URL tracking, to measure business outcomes. While purchases may originate in Facebook,
the transactions themselves occur on Eventbrite.
The online nature of the business, and the integration with Facebook, means that the company is able to
produce clear, quantitative metrics that demonstrate the relationship between social media and revenue. For
example, Mendelsohn says, “We can see how many shares and clicks occur and how many of the clicks
convert. And that’s how we derive a dollar amount. Our main financial metric is gross ticket sales. Our top
social metrics are total dollars driven by sharing divided by total shares, and total visits driven by sharing
divided by total shares.”
But transactions don’t tell the complete picture. Says Mendelsohn, “The transaction is the most sacred part of the
funnel, but we’re optimizing all parts of the funnel. For example, if you look at total attendee sharing, 60% of sharing
occurs after the purchase. One in 100 people who look at an event page before purchase share it, while 1 in 10
share it after purchase. And a post-purchase share drives 20% more ticket sales than a pre-purchase share.”
Ultimately, says Mendelsohn, the question is how to increase the number of shares, especially post-purchase.
“If 10% of customers are sharing after purchase,” she says, “how do we make that 20%?” While Mendelsohn
is philosophically against incenting people to share — for fear of promoting spammy behavior toward friends
— there is still a lot of room for optimization and growth as Eventbrite looks for effective and authentic ways to
optimize the relationship between social and sales.




                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 15
Determining the Right Measurement Mix

There is no universal recipe for measuring the revenue impact of social media. While social media measurement is
still nascent and organizations are still experimenting with approaches, we found that the most advanced companies
consider the following four factors to determine the appropriate measurement mix:
           • Business: the nature and structure of the business
           • Product: the nature and type of products or services offered
           • Media: type of media being used
           • Customer: the nature and type of customer(s)

Figure 9: Decision Matrix – Assessing the Measurement Mix That’s Right for You


           1. Identify Business                 2. Assess Product                    3. Factor In Your                   4. Identify
              Type                                 Type                                 Media MiX                           Customer Profile

           • Sales Channel:                     • Type:                              • Paid                              • Demographics:
             Indirect or Direct                   Product or Service                   (taggable)                          Where and Who
                                                                                                                           They Are
           • Delivery Medium:                   • Sales Cycle:                       • Owned
             Online Only or Mixed                 Short or Long                        (taggable)                        • Socialgraphics:
             Online  Offline                                                                                              Where and How
                                                • Cost/Consideration:                • Earned (not                         They Interact Online
           • Culture: Conservative                Low or High                          always taggable)
             or Experimental
                                                                                     • Shared
           • Target Market:                                                            (not always taggable)
             Business (B2B)
             or Consumer (B2C)


Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,”
Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012)




As social media matures, we will see deeper integration and industry benchmarking that will provide more guidance
for organizations of different sizes and types. For now, however, best practice measurement approaches use the
above decision criteria.
The following pages provide guidance on how to determine the measurement mix that is most appropriate for
your organization.




                                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 16
First, Identify Your Business Type.
The way your company goes to market largely drives what is possible when it comes to revenue measurement.

       If your business is …              The most appropriate primary                           Best Practices
                                                metrics are …

 Exclusively online                   • 
                                          Links and tags measure revenue             • 
                                                                                         Build in measurement at the
 (e.g., Zappos, Eventbrite)               impact at all stages of the                    beginning of every significant
                                          purchase path.                                 campaign or program.
                                            •
                                              A
                                               wareness: views, impressions         •
                                                                                         Clearly define goals and metrics
                                                                                         

                                            •
                                              C
                                               onsideration: engagement                 at all stages of the path to
                                              (re-tweets, likes, shares)                 purchase.
                                            •
                                              C
                                               onversion (downloads,                •
                                                                                         Map volume metrics (views,
                                                                                         

                                              purchases, registration,                   shares, retweets, likes, fans, etc.)
                                              transaction)                               with the appropriate stage of the
                                      •
                                          Integrated: Apps and services
                                          
                                                                                         purchase path to ensure your
                                          offer integrated metrics that you              metrics have business context.
                                          can use to better understand               •
                                                                                         Review analytics provided with
                                                                                         

                                          impact of specific content,                    apps and services you are
                                          channels, or campaigns.                        considering. The analytics should
                                                                                         be a critical purchase criterion.
                                                                                     •
                                                                                         If you are using multiple apps
                                                                                         

                                                                                         and services, correlate metrics to
                                                                                         better understand relationships.

 Multichannel                         • 
                                          Correlations will help you                 • 
                                                                                         If you are using QR codes and
 (mixed online/offline)                   understand relationships between               barcode scanning, correlate
                                          online and offline activities.                 their analytics with other online
                                      •
                                          Where practical, use mobile apps
                                          
                                                                                         sources.
                                          to bridge the online and offline           •
                                                                                         If you are using multiple apps
                                                                                         

                                          experience and collect data on                 and services as many companies
                                          in-store/offline behaviors.                    do, correlate metrics among
                                                                                         similar apps to better understand
                                                                                         relationships.




                                              Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 17
Second, Assess Your Service or Product Type.
The key criteria that drive revenue measurement strategy based upon service and product type are sales cycle
and whether the product/service is a high- or low- consideration item. The longer the path to purchase, the less
reliable clickstream data becomes, because there is generally so much elapsed time and so many variables between
awareness (the reveal of a new car, for example) and purchase (going to the dealer and buying it).
Google Analytics has a good way of looking at this challenge from a measurement standpoint. It has divided conversion
attribution into two types in their “Social Reports” products. They refer to referrals that lead to conversions immediately
as “Last Interaction Social Conversions,” compared to what they call “Assisted Social Conversions,” in which a “referral
from a social source doesn’t immediately generate a conversion, but the visitor returns later and converts.”12

     If your product/service is …                      You should …                                   Best Practices

 A lower-consideration item (event         • 
                                               Use links and tags to measure              • 
                                                                                              Build in measurement at the
 tickets, pet food) or has a short             revenue impact at all stages of                beginning of every significant
 sales cycle                                   the purchase path.                             campaign or program.
                                                 •
                                                   A
                                                    wareness: views, impressions         •
                                                                                              Clearly define goals and metrics
                                                                                              

                                                 •
                                                   C
                                                    onsideration: engagement                 based on path to purchase.
                                                   (re-tweets, likes, shares)             •
                                                                                              Map volume metrics (views,
                                                                                              

                                                 •
                                                   C
                                                    onversion (downloads,                    shares, retweets, likes, fans, etc.)
                                                   purchases, registration,                   with the appropriate stage of the
                                                   transaction)                               purchase path to ensure your
                                           •
                                               Integrated: Apps and services
                                               
                                                                                              metrics have business context.
                                               offer integrated metrics that you          •
                                                                                              Review analytics provided with
                                                                                              

                                               can use to better understand                   apps and services you are
                                               cause and effect.                              considering. The analytics should
                                                                                              be a critical purchase criterion.
                                                                                          •
                                                                                              If you are using multiple apps
                                                                                              

                                                                                              and services, correlate metrics to
                                                                                              better understand relationships.

 Longer sales cycles and higher-           • 
                                               Experiment with correlation, as            • 
                                                                                              Don’t disregard anecdote as a
 consideration items (cars, real               these items are frequently sold                tool to connect the online and
 estate)                                       through channels.                              offline worlds, especially if you are
                                           •
                                               Use linking and tagging for calls
                                               
                                                                                              able to log customer verbatims in
                                               to action such as white paper                  a CRM system. While this is not
                                               downloads, webinar registrations,              scalable, it may yield insight when
                                               dealer/agent referrals.                        you aggregate the data.




                                                   Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 18
Third, Factor In Your Media Mix.
The type of medium (Paid, Owned, Earned13) also influences your measurement method, as you can only tag online
properties that you control.

  If the media you are using is …                   You should …                                   Best Practices

 Paid                                  • 
                                           Use links and tags to measure               • 
                                                                                           Build in measurement at the
                                           revenue impact at all stages of                 beginning of every significant
                                           the online purchase path.                       campaign or program.
                                       •
                                           Print can be linked and tagged
                                                                                      •
                                                                                           Clearly define goals and metrics
                                                                                           

                                           via bar or QR codes, while                      based on path to purchase.
                                           broadcast media generally                   •
                                                                                           Map volume metrics (views,
                                                                                           

                                           cannot, and must rely on                        shares, retweets, likes, fans, etc.)
                                           conventional metrics (or use                    with the appropriate stage of the
                                           correlation, as UFC has done).                  purchase path to ensure your
                                       •
                                           A/B testing will show you which
                                           
                                                                                           metrics have business context.
                                           media perform better than others.           •
                                                                                           Start now to build connections
                                                                                           

                                                                                           between the digital and social
                                                                                           analytics teams.

 Earned                                • 
                                           Because earned media cannot                 • 
                                                                                           Map volume metrics (views,
                                           be tagged, you must use                         shares, retweets, likes, fans, etc.)
                                           correlations and trend analysis to              with the appropriate stage of the
                                           understand patterns.                            purchase path to ensure your
                                                                                           metrics have business context.

 Owned                                 • 
                                           Owned media (as available via               • 
                                                                                           See “Paid,” above.
                                           video, blog posts, social posts,
                                           microsites) can be linked and
                                           tagged, although only across the
                                           same browser.
                                       •
                                           “Jumping” between screens
                                           

                                           (phone, tablet, desktop/laptop)
                                           breaks these connections, which
                                           requires the use of other top-
                                           down methods of measurement.




                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 19
Finally, and Most Importantly, Consider Your Customer Profile.
Ultimately, the customer or consumer profile will influence what measurement is possible.

       If your customer is …                          You should …                                   Best Practices

 A business customer                     • 
                                             Look at forums, blogs, and                  • 
                                                                                             Factor in known social media
                                             communities to see where                        behaviors (Socialmetrics), as well
                                             customers congregate and what                   as behavioral and demographic
                                             you can test and learn from                     data, to help determine how best
                                             their interests, questions, and                 to engage.
                                             behaviors.                                  •
                                                                                             Test lightweight links and tags in
                                                                                             

                                                                                             forum replies (as consistent with
                                                                                             the behavior of the community)
                                                                                             to better understand interest and
                                                                                             consideration.

 A consumer                              • 
                                             The decision to use direct                  • 
                                                                                             Correlate behaviors at different
                                             ecommerce (a storefront)                        stages of the funnel as Eventbrite
                                             should be driven by the type                    has done, so you can better
                                             of relationship you have with                   understand pre-purchase and
                                             your customer base. That said,                  post-purchase sharing and
                                             the deeper the integration of                   conversion.
                                             social and commerce, the more
                                             granular the analytics.

 Highly social                           • 
                                             Correlating shares with sales               • 
                                                                                             Be mindful of the balance
                                             will provide insight into how                   between authentic and spammy
                                             and whether the online social                   behavior before incenting
                                             experience drives sales.                        customers to share.
                                         •
                                             Integrating apps and services
                                                                                        •
                                                                                             Look at referrers in your web
                                                                                             

                                             on your Facebook brand pages                    analytics to find new and trending
                                             yields deep analytics. The key                  sources of traffic (Pinterest,
                                             is to translate volume metrics to               Tumblr, others).
                                             insights and actions (i.e., people
                                             who do X tend to do Y).
                                         •
                                             A/B testing social posts against
                                             

                                             the same content elsewhere
                                             (Facebook, YouTube, your
                                             website) will provide insight into
                                             how and where people consume
                                             your content and where they go
                                             (and what they do) from there.

Finally, remember that no one set of measures can tell you everything; they all come with trade-offs. But looking at
your granular bottom-up data in context of broader trend data will deliver a more representative view of the revenue
impact of social media than either can in isolation.




                                                  Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 20
The Future of Social Media Measurement

The ways organizations used to measure web behavior in the past are no longer suited to today’s realities. The
fragmentation of the customer journey (across screens, apps and, platforms) combined with heterogeneous data
streams make it near-impossible for organizations to trace “digital breadcrumbs” from a transaction to its source.14
The challenges, as Avinash Kaushik has articulated them15, are straightforward: connecting the customer from online
to offline and connecting the customer across multiple screens. To this I would add another challenge: the need to
integrate social, enterprise, and external data for a holistic view of behavior and trends. Following are some of the
trends we should expect to see emerge in the next few years.
Mobile technologies will bridge the online and offline worlds.
Mobile Smartphone and Tablet Apps. While still relatively nascent, smartphone applications such as Shopkick and
Checkpoints, which use mobile and geolocation technology to deliver insight on in-store behavior, illustrate the
possibilities of mobile technologies to connect the dots between online and offline interactions.
Scanning and Visual Search. Whether it is QR codes, Microsoft TAG, bar codes, or eventually Google Goggles,
technologies will continue to emerge that add metadata to offline experiences and enable organizations to view the
customer experience more holistically. While we are now in a period of feverish development, eventually we will start
to see standards emerge in this area. In the meantime, however, the challenge for business will be to select vendors
that provide the most reliable and stable features and integrations and manage the new data streams these devices
create without creating undue complexity.
Emerging technologies will connect the customer across multiple screens.
Matching and Authentication. One of the greatest challenges for brands is the proliferation of browsers and screens,
from tablet devices to smartphones, laptops, desktops, and television. In fact, a recent study conducted by Boston’s
Innerscope Research found that “digital natives” switch screen 27 times per hour.16
Many web analytics vendors aim to connect the social customer using attribution algorithms, while Facebook
Connect, Klout, and apps like Empire Avenue attempt to encourage users to self-authenticate so that brands
can “know” them across social channels and platforms. Identity brokers, such as such as Gigya and Janrain and
technology startups such as Fliptop are uniquely focused on this issue, offering solutions that aim to authenticate and
connect customer identity across the social web.
The ability to authenticate identity across the social web also offers an intriguing promise — the ability to connect
transactions to social and interest graphs to better understand social influence on the path to purchase.
Data will be the true predictor of influence.
As authentication and attribution capabilities improve, the question of who influences whom will become much
clearer. Actual influence (seeing which customers, and customer types, tend to influence other customers to buy)
will overtake potential influence (algorithms that predict influence based on fans, followers, and frequency of social
activity) as a critical business metric. As a result, influence vendors will need to integrate with other transactional data
sources to validate their predictions. The winners will be those who use machine learning based on actual business
outcomes to refine their algorithms.




                                                  Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 21
Companies will integrate social, enterprise, and external data for a holistic view.
Social media should not be a data silo; it must be tied to business strategy. The challenge is to normalize social data
to the extent possible and integrate it with other enterprise data (such as business intelligence, CRM, and market
research) and external sources (such as industry and economic data) to build sophisticated econometric models that
can be used for modeling, scenario planning, and decision support.
We are already seeing movement in this area via industry consolidation (Salesforce’s acquisitions of Radian6 and
Buddy Media), Oracle’s acquisition of Collective Intellect, Involver, and Vitrue, and SAP’s partnership with NetBase,
although it will take some time to realize the full benefits of these acquisitions.
Ultimately, social data, in context of other enterprise data, will become a standard input into business decision-
making. The winning technology vendors will be those who seek to solve the whole business problem, rather than
looking at social as a silo.




                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 22
Conclusion

Social media for business is still immature, and the mechanisms by which we understand its impact are still evolving.
Even if it becomes possible to “match” the majority of people using the social web across platforms, there will always
be those who, for personal, cultural, age-related, security, or political reasons, cannot or will not be identifiable.
For that reason, most organizations should expect to use a combination of rigorous top-down and bottom-up
measurement methods for the foreseeable future, and — to solve the ROI puzzle — will need to start quantifying their
investments in social, as well as their returns from it.
Whatever ingredients you choose for your measurement mix, the important point is that the organizations that
have been most successful at understanding the financial impact of their social media programs share several
characteristics: They are customer-centric, value experimentation, accept that social media is in its infancy and, most
importantly, have the courage to learn from — and the generosity to share — their experiences.




                                                Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 23
Ecosystem Input
This report includes input from practitioners, vendors, and market influencers who were interviewed by Altimeter Group during the course of this
research. Input into this document does not represent a complete endorsement of the report by the individuals or companies listed below.

Brands (19)
American Cancer Society, Hilary Noon, VP Customer Insight and Experience
American Cancer Society, Robert Ross, Vice President, Interactive  New Media
Cisco Systems, Petra Neiger, Senior Manager, Digital and Social Media
eBay, Sudha Jamthe, Social Media Strategist
EMC, Keith Paul, Chief Listener
EMC, Maria Mariotti, Sr. Marketing Programs Manager
EMC, Todd Forsythe, VP Global Marketing
Eventbrite, Tamara Mendelsohn, VP Marketing
Hallmark, Camille Lauer, Social Media Insights Manager
IBM, Ranjun Chauhan, Digital and Social Intelligence Strategy
Intel, Ali Ardalan, Media and Analytics Strategist
SAP, Todd Wilms, Senior Director and Evangelist of Communities and Social Media
Starbucks, Alex Wheeler, VP Digital Marketing
Starbucks, Ryan Turner, Director of Global Social Media
The Coca-Cola Company, Vincenzo Piscopo, Global Director Knowledge and Insights
Thomson Reuters, Jaime Punishill, Global Head, WM Digital Distribution and Content Strategy
Ticketmaster, Kip Levin, EVP, Ecommerce
Ultimate Fighting Championship, Kristin Adams, Social Media Manager
Whirlpool, Stacy Lukasavitz, Social Data Analyst

Vendors (38)
33Across                                                                    Microstrategy
Adobe                                                                       Momentfeed
Argyle Social                                                               Moontoast
Attensity                                                                   NetBase
Awareness Inc.                                                              Networked Insights
Badgeville                                                                  Offerpop
Bazaarvoice                                                                 Power Reviews (acquired by Bazaarvoice)
Buddy Media (acquired by Salesforce.com)                                    Revinate
Campalyst                                                                   ShopIgniter
Compass Labs                                                                Shopkick
Converseon                                                                  Simply Measured
Crimson Hexagon                                                             Solariat
Exact Target                                                                Spiceworks
Expion                                                                      Topsy Labs
Fliptop                                                                     VinTank
Google                                                                      Visible Technologies
Lithium                                                                     Vitrue (acquired by Oracle)
MarketShare                                                                 Webtrends
Meltwater Buzz                                                              Wildfire Interactive

Agencies (5)
Campbell Ewald, Ken Burbary, Chief Digital Officer                          Edelman Digital, Aniz Ruda, Team Lead, Measurement  Analytics
Edelman Digital, Dave Fleet, VP                                             WCG, Chuck Hemann, Director of Analytics
Edelman Digital, David Armano, EVP


Domain Experts (4)
Matt Hixson, Co-Founder and CEO, Tellagence                                 Jim Sterne, Founder, eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit;
Marshall Kirkpatrick, CEO, Plexus Engine                                    Digital Analytics Association
Nitin Mayande, Chief Scientist, Tellagence

Acknowledgements
With thanks for support from: Jon Cifuentes, Asha Hossain, Charlene Li, Rebecca Lieb, Chris Silva, Brian Solis, Jaimy Szymanski, Christine Tran,
Alec Wagner, Alan Webber, and Susan Wu.


                                                            Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 24
End Notes
1 
     Social networking is the most popular online activity worldwide accounting for nearly 1 in every 5 minutes spent online in October 2011, and
     reaches 82% of the world’s Internet population, representing 1.2 billion users around the globe. Source: comScore: http://www.comscore.com/
     Press_Events/Presentations_Whitepapers/2011/it_is_a_social_world_top_10_need-to-knows_about_social_networking.
2    
     eConsultancy State of Social Report: http://econsultancy.com/us/reports/state-of-social.
3
      h
       ttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/multi-channel-attribution-definitions-models.
4    
     Source: Facebook Developer Blog, https://developers.facebook.com/roadmap/completed-changes.
5
     Source: Pew Research Center, “Twitter Use 2012,”1 http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Twitter-Use-2012.aspx.
                                                               
6    
     In statistics, multivariate testing or multi-variable testing is a technique for testing hypotheses on complex multi-variable systems, especially
     used in testing market perceptions. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multivariate_testing#cite_note-0.
7    
     For a good overview, see ClickZ, “A/B Testing for the Mathematically Disinclined,” http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/1704390/a-b-testing-
     mathematically-disinclined.
8    
     Source: “Capturing The Value of Social Media Using Google Analytics,” http://analytics.blogspot.com/2012/03/capturing-value-of-social-media-
     using.html.
9    
     See Jeremiah Owyang and Rebecca Lieb, “The Converged Media Imperative: How Brands Will Combine Paid, Owned and Earned Media” for
     more information. http://www.altimetergroup.com/research/reports/how-brands-must-combine-paid-owned-and-earned-media.
10   
     Altimeter Group explores these themes — The Dynamic Customer Journey, The Adaptive Organization and The Sentient World — in our
     research. For more about these research themes, listen to our webinars on the topic here: http://www.altimetergroup.com/research/research-
     themes.
11   
     See Avinash Kaushik, “Multi-Channel Attribution: Definitions, Models and a Reality Check”: http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/multi-channel-
     attribution-definitions-models.
12   
     Source: Time, Inc.: http://www.timeinc.com/pressroom/detail.php?id=releases/time_inc_study_digital_natives.php.




Open Research
This independent research report was 100% funded by Altimeter Group. This report is published under the principle
of Open Research and is intended to advance the industry at no cost. This report is intended for you to read, utilize,
and share with others; if you do so, please provide attribution to Altimeter Group.

Permissions
The Creative Commons License is Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States at
www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0.

Disclosures
Your trust is important to us, and as such, we believe in being open and transparent about our financial relationships.
With permission, we publish a list of our client base on our website. See our website to learn more:
www.altimetergroup.com/disclosure.

Disclaimer
ALTHOUGH THE INFORMATION AND DATA USED IN THIS REPORT HAVE BEEN PRODUCED AND PROCESSED FROM SOURCES BELIEVED
TO BE RELIABLE, NO WARRANTY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED IS MADE REGARDING THE COMPLETENESS, ACCURACY, ADEQUACY, OR
USE OF THE INFORMATION. THE AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS OF THE INFORMATION AND DATA SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR
ERRORS OR OMISSIONS CONTAINED HEREIN OR FOR INTERPRETATIONS THEREOF. REFERENCE HEREIN TO ANY SPECIFIC PRODUCT OR
VENDOR BY TRADE NAME, TRADEMARK, OR OTHERWISE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR IMPLY ITS ENDORSEMENT, RECOMMENDATION,
OR FAVORING BY THE AUTHORS OR CONTRIBUTORS AND SHALL NOT BE USED FOR ADVERTISING OR PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT
PURPOSES. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.


                                                             Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 25
About Us

                 Susan Etlinger, Industry Analyst
                 Susan Etlinger (@setlinger) is an Analyst with Altimeter Group, where she focuses on social media analytics
                 and strategy. Previously, Susan was a Senior Vice President at Horn Group, where she pioneered the agency’s
                 social strategy offering. Susan is a published translator and has a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric from the
                 University of California at Berkeley.


                 Jeremiah Owyang, Altimeter Partner, Digital Strategy Analyst
                 Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang) is a Partner with Altimeter Group, where he focuses on social business and
                 disruptive technologies for customer strategies. Previously, Jeremiah was a Senior Analyst at Forrester
                 Research, Director of Corporate Media Strategy at PodTech Network, and Manager of Global Web
                 Marketing at Hitachi Data Systems. He writes the Web Strategy blog (www.web-strategist.com).


                 Andrew Jones, Senior Researcher
                 Andrew Jones (@andrewjns) is a Senior Researcher at Altimeter Group, where he focuses on social
                 business strategy, including how brands can manage social media proliferation. He also follows broader
                 emerging technology trends such as mobile payments and the implications for governance and third-world
                 development. Andrew previously worked in digital marketing and served in the Peace Corps.




  Altimeter Group is a research-based advisory firm that helps companies and industries leverage disruption to
  their advantage.

  Contact Us                                                      Advisory Opportunities
  Altimeter Group                                                 Email: sales@altimetergroup.com
  1875 S. Grant Street, Suite 680
  San Mateo, CA 94402-2667
  info@altimetergroup.com
  www.altimetergroup.com


                                             Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 26

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Digital Communication Campaign Tod's
Digital Communication Campaign Tod'sDigital Communication Campaign Tod's
Digital Communication Campaign Tod'sVarun Jagger
 
Ang Pagtahak ng mga Pilipino sa Landas ng Pagsasarili
Ang Pagtahak ng mga Pilipino sa Landas ng PagsasariliAng Pagtahak ng mga Pilipino sa Landas ng Pagsasarili
Ang Pagtahak ng mga Pilipino sa Landas ng PagsasariliMAILYNVIODOR1
 
SCI8-Q4-MOD1.pdf
SCI8-Q4-MOD1.pdfSCI8-Q4-MOD1.pdf
SCI8-Q4-MOD1.pdfSirJosh2
 
Ang Proseso sa Paghahanda ng Papel na Pananaliksik.ppt
Ang Proseso sa Paghahanda ng Papel na Pananaliksik.pptAng Proseso sa Paghahanda ng Papel na Pananaliksik.ppt
Ang Proseso sa Paghahanda ng Papel na Pananaliksik.pptDionisioCabidaGaniga
 
Himagsikang amerikano
Himagsikang amerikanoHimagsikang amerikano
Himagsikang amerikanoHenny Colina
 
Kurikulum sa Panahon ng Amerikano
Kurikulum sa Panahon ng AmerikanoKurikulum sa Panahon ng Amerikano
Kurikulum sa Panahon ng AmerikanoSherryGonzaga
 
Broadcast media telebisyon
Broadcast media telebisyonBroadcast media telebisyon
Broadcast media telebisyonmaricar francia
 
Mga tanong na kailangang sagutin habang nanonood ng pelikula
Mga tanong na kailangang sagutin habang nanonood ng pelikulaMga tanong na kailangang sagutin habang nanonood ng pelikula
Mga tanong na kailangang sagutin habang nanonood ng pelikulaMaria Smith
 
KILUSANG PROPAGANDA
KILUSANG PROPAGANDAKILUSANG PROPAGANDA
KILUSANG PROPAGANDADen Zkie
 
Kasaysayan ng Wikang Filipino at ang Ortograpiyang Pambansa
Kasaysayan ng Wikang Filipino at ang Ortograpiyang PambansaKasaysayan ng Wikang Filipino at ang Ortograpiyang Pambansa
Kasaysayan ng Wikang Filipino at ang Ortograpiyang PambansaJumel Abellera
 
Modyul 18 mga ideolohiyang laganap
Modyul 18   mga ideolohiyang laganapModyul 18   mga ideolohiyang laganap
Modyul 18 mga ideolohiyang laganap南 睿
 
Teoryang humanismo
Teoryang humanismoTeoryang humanismo
Teoryang humanismoeijrem
 
Article impact of media and socio cultural factors on body image
Article impact of media and socio cultural factors on body imageArticle impact of media and socio cultural factors on body image
Article impact of media and socio cultural factors on body imagegohar Iqbal
 
Sanaysay pptx
Sanaysay pptxSanaysay pptx
Sanaysay pptxLhynYu
 

Tendances (20)

Digital Communication Campaign Tod's
Digital Communication Campaign Tod'sDigital Communication Campaign Tod's
Digital Communication Campaign Tod's
 
Ang Pagtahak ng mga Pilipino sa Landas ng Pagsasarili
Ang Pagtahak ng mga Pilipino sa Landas ng PagsasariliAng Pagtahak ng mga Pilipino sa Landas ng Pagsasarili
Ang Pagtahak ng mga Pilipino sa Landas ng Pagsasarili
 
SCI8-Q4-MOD1.pdf
SCI8-Q4-MOD1.pdfSCI8-Q4-MOD1.pdf
SCI8-Q4-MOD1.pdf
 
Ang Proseso sa Paghahanda ng Papel na Pananaliksik.ppt
Ang Proseso sa Paghahanda ng Papel na Pananaliksik.pptAng Proseso sa Paghahanda ng Papel na Pananaliksik.ppt
Ang Proseso sa Paghahanda ng Papel na Pananaliksik.ppt
 
Balarila
BalarilaBalarila
Balarila
 
Himagsikang amerikano
Himagsikang amerikanoHimagsikang amerikano
Himagsikang amerikano
 
Kurikulum sa Panahon ng Amerikano
Kurikulum sa Panahon ng AmerikanoKurikulum sa Panahon ng Amerikano
Kurikulum sa Panahon ng Amerikano
 
lakbay sanaysay.pptx
lakbay sanaysay.pptxlakbay sanaysay.pptx
lakbay sanaysay.pptx
 
Broadcast media telebisyon
Broadcast media telebisyonBroadcast media telebisyon
Broadcast media telebisyon
 
Mga tanong na kailangang sagutin habang nanonood ng pelikula
Mga tanong na kailangang sagutin habang nanonood ng pelikulaMga tanong na kailangang sagutin habang nanonood ng pelikula
Mga tanong na kailangang sagutin habang nanonood ng pelikula
 
MAGASIN (Grade 8) FILIPINO
MAGASIN (Grade 8) FILIPINOMAGASIN (Grade 8) FILIPINO
MAGASIN (Grade 8) FILIPINO
 
KILUSANG PROPAGANDA
KILUSANG PROPAGANDAKILUSANG PROPAGANDA
KILUSANG PROPAGANDA
 
Modyul 16 isyung moral tungkol sa paggawa at paggamit ng kapangyarihan
Modyul 16 isyung moral tungkol sa paggawa at paggamit ng kapangyarihanModyul 16 isyung moral tungkol sa paggawa at paggamit ng kapangyarihan
Modyul 16 isyung moral tungkol sa paggawa at paggamit ng kapangyarihan
 
chapter 1-2.docx
chapter 1-2.docxchapter 1-2.docx
chapter 1-2.docx
 
Kasaysayan ng Wikang Filipino at ang Ortograpiyang Pambansa
Kasaysayan ng Wikang Filipino at ang Ortograpiyang PambansaKasaysayan ng Wikang Filipino at ang Ortograpiyang Pambansa
Kasaysayan ng Wikang Filipino at ang Ortograpiyang Pambansa
 
Modyul 18 mga ideolohiyang laganap
Modyul 18   mga ideolohiyang laganapModyul 18   mga ideolohiyang laganap
Modyul 18 mga ideolohiyang laganap
 
Teoryang humanismo
Teoryang humanismoTeoryang humanismo
Teoryang humanismo
 
Article impact of media and socio cultural factors on body image
Article impact of media and socio cultural factors on body imageArticle impact of media and socio cultural factors on body image
Article impact of media and socio cultural factors on body image
 
Sanaysay pptx
Sanaysay pptxSanaysay pptx
Sanaysay pptx
 
Aralin 1.pptx
Aralin 1.pptxAralin 1.pptx
Aralin 1.pptx
 

Similaire à [Report] The Social Media ROI Cookbook, by Susan Etlinger

The Social Media ROI Cookbook
The Social Media ROI CookbookThe Social Media ROI Cookbook
The Social Media ROI CookbookSmomedia.ru
 
Altimeter Social ROI Report
Altimeter Social ROI ReportAltimeter Social ROI Report
Altimeter Social ROI ReportGoodbuzz Inc.
 
Altimeter Report: Social Marketing Analytics
Altimeter Report: Social Marketing AnalyticsAltimeter Report: Social Marketing Analytics
Altimeter Report: Social Marketing AnalyticsJeremiah Owyang
 
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence by Brian Solis
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence by Brian Solis[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence by Brian Solis
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence by Brian SolisBrian Solis
 
Taking Social Media From Talk To Action
Taking Social Media From Talk To ActionTaking Social Media From Talk To Action
Taking Social Media From Talk To ActionAppLeap Inc.
 
The New Conversation:Taking Social Media from Talk to Action
The New Conversation:Taking Social Media from Talk to ActionThe New Conversation:Taking Social Media from Talk to Action
The New Conversation:Taking Social Media from Talk to Actionthrillerking
 
Social media insights - What most companies & brands don't know
Social media insights - What most companies & brands don't knowSocial media insights - What most companies & brands don't know
Social media insights - What most companies & brands don't knowGeek4Green
 
Lovett & owyang social marketing analytics demystified
Lovett & owyang social marketing analytics demystifiedLovett & owyang social marketing analytics demystified
Lovett & owyang social marketing analytics demystifiedad_crystal
 
Social Marketing Analytics: A New Framework for Measuring Results in Social M...
Social Marketing Analytics: A New Framework for Measuring Results in Social M...Social Marketing Analytics: A New Framework for Measuring Results in Social M...
Social Marketing Analytics: A New Framework for Measuring Results in Social M...John Lovett
 
Next Generation Social Media: Alignment of Business Processes and Social Inte...
Next Generation Social Media: Alignment of Business Processes and Social Inte...Next Generation Social Media: Alignment of Business Processes and Social Inte...
Next Generation Social Media: Alignment of Business Processes and Social Inte...Vinay Mummigatti
 
Situation Analysis Deck - Social Media Listening & Monitoring Lanscape
Situation Analysis Deck - Social Media Listening & Monitoring LanscapeSituation Analysis Deck - Social Media Listening & Monitoring Lanscape
Situation Analysis Deck - Social Media Listening & Monitoring LanscapeGreat Minds Interactive, Inc.
 
Roots of Social Media Marketing Rise and Social Monitoring Provider Evaluation
Roots of Social Media Marketing Rise and Social Monitoring Provider EvaluationRoots of Social Media Marketing Rise and Social Monitoring Provider Evaluation
Roots of Social Media Marketing Rise and Social Monitoring Provider EvaluationTerametric
 
Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Social Media Comma...
Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Social Media Comma...Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Social Media Comma...
Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Social Media Comma...Susan Etlinger
 
[Report] Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Enterpris...
[Report] Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Enterpris...[Report] Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Enterpris...
[Report] Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Enterpris...Altimeter, a Prophet Company
 
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence, by Brian Solis
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence, by Brian Solis[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence, by Brian Solis
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence, by Brian SolisAltimeter, a Prophet Company
 

Similaire à [Report] The Social Media ROI Cookbook, by Susan Etlinger (20)

Altimeter social roi report
Altimeter social roi reportAltimeter social roi report
Altimeter social roi report
 
The Social Media ROI Cookbook
The Social Media ROI CookbookThe Social Media ROI Cookbook
The Social Media ROI Cookbook
 
Altimeter Social ROI Report
Altimeter Social ROI ReportAltimeter Social ROI Report
Altimeter Social ROI Report
 
Social ROI report
Social ROI reportSocial ROI report
Social ROI report
 
The Social Media ROI Cookbook
The Social Media ROI CookbookThe Social Media ROI Cookbook
The Social Media ROI Cookbook
 
Altimeter Report: Social Marketing Analytics
Altimeter Report: Social Marketing AnalyticsAltimeter Report: Social Marketing Analytics
Altimeter Report: Social Marketing Analytics
 
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence by Brian Solis
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence by Brian Solis[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence by Brian Solis
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence by Brian Solis
 
Taking Social Media From Talk To Action
Taking Social Media From Talk To ActionTaking Social Media From Talk To Action
Taking Social Media From Talk To Action
 
The New Conversation:Taking Social Media from Talk to Action
The New Conversation:Taking Social Media from Talk to ActionThe New Conversation:Taking Social Media from Talk to Action
The New Conversation:Taking Social Media from Talk to Action
 
Social media insights - What most companies & brands don't know
Social media insights - What most companies & brands don't knowSocial media insights - What most companies & brands don't know
Social media insights - What most companies & brands don't know
 
Lovett & owyang social marketing analytics demystified
Lovett & owyang social marketing analytics demystifiedLovett & owyang social marketing analytics demystified
Lovett & owyang social marketing analytics demystified
 
Social Marketing Analytics: A New Framework for Measuring Results in Social M...
Social Marketing Analytics: A New Framework for Measuring Results in Social M...Social Marketing Analytics: A New Framework for Measuring Results in Social M...
Social Marketing Analytics: A New Framework for Measuring Results in Social M...
 
Brian Solis
Brian SolisBrian Solis
Brian Solis
 
Next Generation Social Media: Alignment of Business Processes and Social Inte...
Next Generation Social Media: Alignment of Business Processes and Social Inte...Next Generation Social Media: Alignment of Business Processes and Social Inte...
Next Generation Social Media: Alignment of Business Processes and Social Inte...
 
Situation Analysis Deck - Social Media Listening & Monitoring Lanscape
Situation Analysis Deck - Social Media Listening & Monitoring LanscapeSituation Analysis Deck - Social Media Listening & Monitoring Lanscape
Situation Analysis Deck - Social Media Listening & Monitoring Lanscape
 
Roots of Social Media Marketing Rise and Social Monitoring Provider Evaluation
Roots of Social Media Marketing Rise and Social Monitoring Provider EvaluationRoots of Social Media Marketing Rise and Social Monitoring Provider Evaluation
Roots of Social Media Marketing Rise and Social Monitoring Provider Evaluation
 
Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Social Media Comma...
Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Social Media Comma...Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Social Media Comma...
Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Social Media Comma...
 
[Report] Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Enterpris...
[Report] Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Enterpris...[Report] Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Enterpris...
[Report] Shiny Object or Digital Intelligence Hub? Evolution of the Enterpris...
 
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence, by Brian Solis
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence, by Brian Solis[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence, by Brian Solis
[Report] The Rise of Digital Influence, by Brian Solis
 
Theriseofdigitalinfluence 120320132857 Phpapp02
Theriseofdigitalinfluence 120320132857 Phpapp02Theriseofdigitalinfluence 120320132857 Phpapp02
Theriseofdigitalinfluence 120320132857 Phpapp02
 

Plus de Altimeter, a Prophet Company

[REPORT PREVIEW] The AI Maturity Playbook: Five Pillars of Enterprise Success
[REPORT PREVIEW] The AI Maturity Playbook: Five Pillars of Enterprise Success[REPORT PREVIEW] The AI Maturity Playbook: Five Pillars of Enterprise Success
[REPORT PREVIEW] The AI Maturity Playbook: Five Pillars of Enterprise SuccessAltimeter, a Prophet Company
 
[REPORT PREVIEW] Employee Adoption of Collaboration Tools in 2018
[REPORT PREVIEW] Employee Adoption of Collaboration Tools in 2018[REPORT PREVIEW] Employee Adoption of Collaboration Tools in 2018
[REPORT PREVIEW] Employee Adoption of Collaboration Tools in 2018Altimeter, a Prophet Company
 
[REPORT PREVIEW] Smart Places: The Digital Transformation of Location
[REPORT PREVIEW] Smart Places: The Digital Transformation of Location[REPORT PREVIEW] Smart Places: The Digital Transformation of Location
[REPORT PREVIEW] Smart Places: The Digital Transformation of LocationAltimeter, a Prophet Company
 
Experience Strategy: Connecting Customer Experience to Business Strategy [REP...
Experience Strategy: Connecting Customer Experience to Business Strategy [REP...Experience Strategy: Connecting Customer Experience to Business Strategy [REP...
Experience Strategy: Connecting Customer Experience to Business Strategy [REP...Altimeter, a Prophet Company
 
[RESEARCH REPORT PREVIEW] Creating a Customer-First Web Experience
[RESEARCH REPORT PREVIEW] Creating a Customer-First Web Experience[RESEARCH REPORT PREVIEW] Creating a Customer-First Web Experience
[RESEARCH REPORT PREVIEW] Creating a Customer-First Web ExperienceAltimeter, a Prophet Company
 
The Race to 2021: The State of Autonomous Vehicles and a "Who's Who" of Indus...
The Race to 2021: The State of Autonomous Vehicles and a "Who's Who" of Indus...The Race to 2021: The State of Autonomous Vehicles and a "Who's Who" of Indus...
The Race to 2021: The State of Autonomous Vehicles and a "Who's Who" of Indus...Altimeter, a Prophet Company
 
[RESEARCH REPORT] The 2016 State of Digital Transformation
[RESEARCH REPORT] The 2016 State of Digital Transformation[RESEARCH REPORT] The 2016 State of Digital Transformation
[RESEARCH REPORT] The 2016 State of Digital TransformationAltimeter, a Prophet Company
 
Social Employee Advocacy: Tapping into the Power of an Engaged Social Workforce
Social Employee Advocacy: Tapping into the Power of an Engaged Social WorkforceSocial Employee Advocacy: Tapping into the Power of an Engaged Social Workforce
Social Employee Advocacy: Tapping into the Power of an Engaged Social WorkforceAltimeter, a Prophet Company
 

Plus de Altimeter, a Prophet Company (20)

[REPORT PREVIEW] The AI Maturity Playbook: Five Pillars of Enterprise Success
[REPORT PREVIEW] The AI Maturity Playbook: Five Pillars of Enterprise Success[REPORT PREVIEW] The AI Maturity Playbook: Five Pillars of Enterprise Success
[REPORT PREVIEW] The AI Maturity Playbook: Five Pillars of Enterprise Success
 
[REPORT PREVIEW] Employee Adoption of Collaboration Tools in 2018
[REPORT PREVIEW] Employee Adoption of Collaboration Tools in 2018[REPORT PREVIEW] Employee Adoption of Collaboration Tools in 2018
[REPORT PREVIEW] Employee Adoption of Collaboration Tools in 2018
 
[REPORT PREVIEW] Smart Places: The Digital Transformation of Location
[REPORT PREVIEW] Smart Places: The Digital Transformation of Location[REPORT PREVIEW] Smart Places: The Digital Transformation of Location
[REPORT PREVIEW] Smart Places: The Digital Transformation of Location
 
[REPORT PREVIEW] AI in the Enterprise
[REPORT PREVIEW] AI in the Enterprise[REPORT PREVIEW] AI in the Enterprise
[REPORT PREVIEW] AI in the Enterprise
 
[REPORT PREVIEW] GDPR Beyond May 25, 2018
[REPORT PREVIEW] GDPR Beyond May 25, 2018[REPORT PREVIEW] GDPR Beyond May 25, 2018
[REPORT PREVIEW] GDPR Beyond May 25, 2018
 
[REPORT PREVIEW] The Customer Experience of AI
[REPORT PREVIEW] The Customer Experience of AI[REPORT PREVIEW] The Customer Experience of AI
[REPORT PREVIEW] The Customer Experience of AI
 
Experience Strategy: Connecting Customer Experience to Business Strategy [REP...
Experience Strategy: Connecting Customer Experience to Business Strategy [REP...Experience Strategy: Connecting Customer Experience to Business Strategy [REP...
Experience Strategy: Connecting Customer Experience to Business Strategy [REP...
 
The Conversational Business [REPORT PREVIEW]
The Conversational Business [REPORT PREVIEW]The Conversational Business [REPORT PREVIEW]
The Conversational Business [REPORT PREVIEW]
 
[RESEARCH REPORT PREVIEW] Creating a Customer-First Web Experience
[RESEARCH REPORT PREVIEW] Creating a Customer-First Web Experience[RESEARCH REPORT PREVIEW] Creating a Customer-First Web Experience
[RESEARCH REPORT PREVIEW] Creating a Customer-First Web Experience
 
[REPORT PREVIEW] The Transformation of Selling
[REPORT PREVIEW] The Transformation of Selling[REPORT PREVIEW] The Transformation of Selling
[REPORT PREVIEW] The Transformation of Selling
 
[REPORT PREVIEW] The Age of AI
[REPORT PREVIEW] The Age of AI[REPORT PREVIEW] The Age of AI
[REPORT PREVIEW] The Age of AI
 
The Race to 2021: The State of Autonomous Vehicles and a "Who's Who" of Indus...
The Race to 2021: The State of Autonomous Vehicles and a "Who's Who" of Indus...The Race to 2021: The State of Autonomous Vehicles and a "Who's Who" of Indus...
The Race to 2021: The State of Autonomous Vehicles and a "Who's Who" of Indus...
 
The 2016 State of Social Business
The 2016 State of Social BusinessThe 2016 State of Social Business
The 2016 State of Social Business
 
The 2016 State of Digital Content
The 2016 State of Digital ContentThe 2016 State of Digital Content
The 2016 State of Digital Content
 
Crafting a Digital Strategy
Crafting a Digital StrategyCrafting a Digital Strategy
Crafting a Digital Strategy
 
[RESEARCH REPORT] The 2016 State of Digital Transformation
[RESEARCH REPORT] The 2016 State of Digital Transformation[RESEARCH REPORT] The 2016 State of Digital Transformation
[RESEARCH REPORT] The 2016 State of Digital Transformation
 
[NEW RESEARCH] Crafting A Digital Strategy
[NEW RESEARCH] Crafting A Digital Strategy[NEW RESEARCH] Crafting A Digital Strategy
[NEW RESEARCH] Crafting A Digital Strategy
 
The Six Stages of Digital Transformation
The Six Stages of Digital TransformationThe Six Stages of Digital Transformation
The Six Stages of Digital Transformation
 
Social Employee Advocacy: Tapping into the Power of an Engaged Social Workforce
Social Employee Advocacy: Tapping into the Power of an Engaged Social WorkforceSocial Employee Advocacy: Tapping into the Power of an Engaged Social Workforce
Social Employee Advocacy: Tapping into the Power of an Engaged Social Workforce
 
[NEW RESEARCH] Social Media Employee Advocacy
[NEW RESEARCH] Social Media Employee Advocacy [NEW RESEARCH] Social Media Employee Advocacy
[NEW RESEARCH] Social Media Employee Advocacy
 

Dernier

Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsIgniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsSafe Software
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7DianaGray10
 
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...Aggregage
 
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...Will Schroeder
 
Crea il tuo assistente AI con lo Stregatto (open source python framework)
Crea il tuo assistente AI con lo Stregatto (open source python framework)Crea il tuo assistente AI con lo Stregatto (open source python framework)
Crea il tuo assistente AI con lo Stregatto (open source python framework)Commit University
 
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDEADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDELiveplex
 
Comparing Sidecar-less Service Mesh from Cilium and Istio
Comparing Sidecar-less Service Mesh from Cilium and IstioComparing Sidecar-less Service Mesh from Cilium and Istio
Comparing Sidecar-less Service Mesh from Cilium and IstioChristian Posta
 
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a WebsiteCOMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Websitedgelyza
 
Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPA
Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPAAnypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPA
Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPAshyamraj55
 
Videogame localization & technology_ how to enhance the power of translation.pdf
Videogame localization & technology_ how to enhance the power of translation.pdfVideogame localization & technology_ how to enhance the power of translation.pdf
Videogame localization & technology_ how to enhance the power of translation.pdfinfogdgmi
 
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™Adtran
 
Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdf
Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdfMachine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdf
Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdfAijun Zhang
 
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesAI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesMd Hossain Ali
 
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity Webinar
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity WebinarAI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity Webinar
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity WebinarPrecisely
 
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBX
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBXVoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBX
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBXTarek Kalaji
 
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptx
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptxCybersecurity Workshop #1.pptx
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptxGDSC PJATK
 
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxIntroduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxMatsuo Lab
 
Building AI-Driven Apps Using Semantic Kernel.pptx
Building AI-Driven Apps Using Semantic Kernel.pptxBuilding AI-Driven Apps Using Semantic Kernel.pptx
Building AI-Driven Apps Using Semantic Kernel.pptxUdaiappa Ramachandran
 
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...UbiTrack UK
 

Dernier (20)

Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsIgniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
 
201610817 - edge part1
201610817 - edge part1201610817 - edge part1
201610817 - edge part1
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 7
 
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...
The Data Metaverse: Unpacking the Roles, Use Cases, and Tech Trends in Data a...
 
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...
Apres-Cyber - The Data Dilemma: Bridging Offensive Operations and Machine Lea...
 
Crea il tuo assistente AI con lo Stregatto (open source python framework)
Crea il tuo assistente AI con lo Stregatto (open source python framework)Crea il tuo assistente AI con lo Stregatto (open source python framework)
Crea il tuo assistente AI con lo Stregatto (open source python framework)
 
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDEADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
 
Comparing Sidecar-less Service Mesh from Cilium and Istio
Comparing Sidecar-less Service Mesh from Cilium and IstioComparing Sidecar-less Service Mesh from Cilium and Istio
Comparing Sidecar-less Service Mesh from Cilium and Istio
 
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a WebsiteCOMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
 
Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPA
Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPAAnypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPA
Anypoint Code Builder , Google Pub sub connector and MuleSoft RPA
 
Videogame localization & technology_ how to enhance the power of translation.pdf
Videogame localization & technology_ how to enhance the power of translation.pdfVideogame localization & technology_ how to enhance the power of translation.pdf
Videogame localization & technology_ how to enhance the power of translation.pdf
 
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
 
Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdf
Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdfMachine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdf
Machine Learning Model Validation (Aijun Zhang 2024).pdf
 
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesAI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
 
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity Webinar
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity WebinarAI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity Webinar
AI You Can Trust - Ensuring Success with Data Integrity Webinar
 
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBX
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBXVoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBX
VoIP Service and Marketing using Odoo and Asterisk PBX
 
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptx
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptxCybersecurity Workshop #1.pptx
Cybersecurity Workshop #1.pptx
 
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxIntroduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
 
Building AI-Driven Apps Using Semantic Kernel.pptx
Building AI-Driven Apps Using Semantic Kernel.pptxBuilding AI-Driven Apps Using Semantic Kernel.pptx
Building AI-Driven Apps Using Semantic Kernel.pptx
 
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...
UWB Technology for Enhanced Indoor and Outdoor Positioning in Physiological M...
 

[Report] The Social Media ROI Cookbook, by Susan Etlinger

  • 1. The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media July 24, 2012 By Susan Etlinger With Jeremiah Owyang and Andrew Jones Includes input from 66 ecosystem contributors
  • 2. Executive Summary Today, customers move constantly between the online and offline worlds, using a range of devices — such as smartphones and tablets — that didn’t exist a few short years ago. Thousands of applications and dozens of social media platforms collect and transmit an unprecedented amount of structured and unstructured data1, and API changes are a fact of life. The volatility of social data and the pace of change mean that tried-and-true measurement methods are no longer enough. Social data is different. The old rules don’t apply. Although many organizations have established formalized social media programs2, the vast majority — 75% — still lack a holistic measurement strategy3. Web analytics; social media monitoring; social platforms; and tool, application, and ecommerce providers have rushed to fill the gaps, while analysts at brands and agencies have borrowed accepted methodologies from adjacent disciplines to address the unique challenges and pitfalls of social data. As social media matures, new approaches to social media measurement will emerge to provide businesses with a greater level of insight, but the days of certainty (if ever they existed) are behind us. As George E. P. Box4, a noted statistician, famously said, “Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful.” In our research for this report, Altimeter Group identified six primary top-down and bottom-up approaches and developed three case studies that illustrate how organizations measure the impact of social media on revenue. But while these six ingredients are consistent, the emphasis each company places on them depends on the nature of their business. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. The following pages aim to identify and describe — based on business, product, media, and customer type — the most effective “recipes” for measuring the revenue impact of social media that we have seen adopted to date. Methodology Altimeter Group conducted both qualitative and quantitative analyses, using a combination of online survey, interviews, and briefings, on the ways large organizations measure the revenue impact of social media. Specifically, we conducted: • Interviews with 38 vendors of social media technology, whose products offer some ability to measure the revenue impact of social media • Interviews with 15 brands that are currently measuring the revenue impact of social media programs • Interviews with three agencies • Interviews with four domain experts • Quantitative study of 71 brand and agency-side professionals on measurement experiences and practices Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 1
  • 3. Table of Contents Business Pain: Organizations Struggle to Quantify Revenue Impact of Social Media ..............................................3 Problem: Industry in Transition Leaves Organizations Flying Blind ...................................................................................................3 Beyond Revenue: Improving Insight ...................................................................................................................................................7 The Six Ingredients to Measuring the Revenue Impact of Social Media ..........................................................................8 Top-Down Approaches ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Bottom-Up Approaches .............................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Case Studies ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Determining the Right Measurement Mix ...................................................................................................................................... 16 The Future of Social Media Measurement .................................................................................................................................... 21 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Ecosystem Input ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 24 About Us ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 26 Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 2
  • 4. Business Pain: Organizations Struggle to Quantify Revenue Impact of Social Media Problem: Industry in Transition Leaves Organizations Flying Blind Social media is no longer optional for business; it’s a fact of life. Today more than 80% of the world’s online population uses social media, according to a recent report by comScore5. But social media poses a new series of interpretive challenges for organizations, which can make it difficult to assess its impact on the bottom line. Altimeter Group’s research identified the following primary barriers to measuring the revenue impact of social data: A. Social Media Is Proliferating. Although social media is still very new, Altimeter Group found in the research for our January 2012 report, “A Strategy for Social Media Proliferation,” that companies average 178 corporate-owned social media accounts. This raises serious questions: • Do companies know what value they are receiving from these social media properties? • Do they know what resources they are expending to build and support them? • Do they have accurate inventory of these properties? According to the State of Social report by eConsultancy, the answer to each is a resounding “No.” In its report, eConsultancy stated that 41% of more than 1,000 companies and agencies surveyed had “no return of investment figure for any of the money they had spent on social channels as of October 2011.”6 B. Multiple Challenges Hinder Insight. Fifty-six percent of brands and agencies that Altimeter Group surveyed reported “the inability to tie social media to business outcomes” as the primary challenge to quantifying the revenue impact of social media. But other, more granular challenges (“lack of analytics expertise and/or resources,” “poor tools,” “unreliable data,” “inconsistent analytical approaches”) closely followed, suggesting that measurement of social media poses as much of a challenge to organizations and processes as it does to technology. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 3
  • 5. Figure 1: Brands See Multiple Barriers to Tying Social Media to Revenue “Which of the following have been challenges? (Check up to three)” 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 56% 39% 38% 35% 30% 0% Inability to tie Lack of Poor tools Inconsistent Unreliable data social media to analytics expertise analytical business outcomes and/or resources approaches Base: 71 respondents responsible for social media measurement in their organization Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,” Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012) In addition to the 35% of survey respondents who noted “inconsistent analytical approaches” as a barrier to insight, several organizations we interviewed highlighted the educational requirements of social data. For example, Robert Ross, Vice President, Interactive & New Media of the American Cancer Society, commented, “We’ve found we have to help people understand the nature of the data and how to use it and apply it. That’s a delivery challenge.” C. Social Data is New and Different. As outlined in the “Executive Summary,” the complexities of social data make it substantially different from what enterprises have seen before. Following are the most commonly cited challenges of measuring the impact of social media: • Exists in online, offline, and across multiple screens, fragmenting data capture. Avinash Kaushik of Google7 has written extensively about the measurement challenges of the world we live in; specifically, the chasm between online and offline and the proliferation of screens through which we interact. This is a significant difference from the early days of the web, before smartphone and tablet devices began to grow in popularity. • Is volatile, making measurement a moving target. Even in the heyday of traditional media, the number of media outlets was relatively stable in comparison to the volatility of today’s social web. For example, from January 1, 2012 to June 5, 2012, Facebook announced the completion of 14 API changes8, while the Pew Research “Twitter Use 2012” report found that “the proportion of online adults who say they use Twitter on a “typical day” has doubled since May 2011 and has quadrupled since late 2010.”9 Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 4
  • 6. • Organizations don’t “own” social media the way they do their websites or other owned properties. Unlike embedded web analytics on their own website, organizations do not have the ability to tag and track properties on third-party platforms (such as others’ blogs, Facebook pages, or online communities), so they have little direct insight into customer behavior on those properties. • Different apps and platforms give rise to different metrics, making a holistic view challenging. As the old saying goes, “The trouble with standards is that there are so many to choose from.” Facebook metrics differ from Twitter, which differ from Tumblr, communities, and YouTube. To make matters more complicated, new behaviors and features yield new metrics (such as “pins” in Pinterest), and APIs of these third party sites are constantly being updated. Because social media is still immature, it is tempting to think of it in terms of known quantities such as traditional/ digital media, marketing, advertising, or ecommerce. But unlike those disciplines, social media is driven from the outside in, and it happens whether or not we plan for it. As a result, the way we measure social media must adapt to suit the unique characteristics of the social web. The old rules do not apply. D. Organizations Lack Confidence in Measuring Revenue Impact. Altimeter’s research shows that only 30% of organizations claim to be “very effective” or “extremely effective” at connecting social media to revenue generation. Figure 2: Few Are Extremely Effective At Connecting Social Media to Revenue “On scale of 1-5, how effective is your organization at connecting social media to revenue generation?” 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 17% 24% 30% 16% 14% 0% 1 2 3 4 5 (Not at all effective) (Extremely effective) Base: 71 respondents responsible for social media measurement in their organization Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,” Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012) Says Ken Burbary, Chief Digital Officer at Campbell Ewald, “I feel like we’re all data chemists at this point, trying to put a bunch of stuff into our beakers to see if it works.” Although social media has proliferated during the past few years, there is a significant gap in the ability to articulate its value. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 5
  • 7. E. Organizations Are Adapting Slowly. Although social media activity has grown dramatically within the past few years, measurement organizations generally remain small. Sixty-three percent of brands Altimeter Group surveyed reported that they have one or two people tasked with social media measurement, while nearly 75% reported fewer than five people in the function. Figure 3: Social Media Measurement Organizations Still Very Small “How many employees are dedicated 0 to social media measurement within More than 20 your organization?” 6% 13% 11-20 3% 6-10 4% 3-5 11% 63% 1-2 Base: 71 respondents responsible for social media measurement in their organization Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,” Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012) Because of the variation in company size, structure, and strategy, these numbers may not necessarily imply that social media measurement is under-resourced. Most organizations Altimeter Group interviewed have taken a cautious approach to resource allocation and process improvement as they learn more about the impact of social media on the business. Says Todd Forsythe, VP Global Marketing, EMC, “We started by saying, ‘Let’s build the organizational capabilities, dip our toes in the water.’ Now we’re increasingly becoming more programmatic.” Others brands reported that organizational silos hinder information-sharing, particularly in light of the “inconsistent analytical approaches” reported in Figure 1. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 6
  • 8. Beyond Revenue: Improving Insight Organizations understand that revenue generation is only one benefit of social media and that its main business value is to deepen relationships with customers and community. While only one of the brands interviewed for this report admitted to embarking on a true ROI analysis for social media (analyzing the investment in, as well as return on, social media), all reported that they are making a concerted effort to measure the revenue impact of social media, albeit in various ways. Survey respondents reported overwhelmingly that the primary business impact of social media was not revenue generation, but “insight that helped us meet customer experience goals.” The next most-reported benefit was decision-making; 51% of respondents stated that social media measurement “enabled us to make better informed decisions based on social data.” Ali Ardalan, Media and Analytics Strategist at Intel, believes that social media has become a critical input to business decisions and to business cases. Ardalan says, “Why do you do an ROI analysis? To justify why you should do this project vs. another. Why you need more funding. You need to know the result; are you wasting money? Could you have done the same thing with 20% of the budget?” Wes Nichols, Co-Founder and CEO, MarketShare, agrees: “What we’re finding is that businesses will only move big money once they understand what’s truly working. To do that they need a comprehensive view of their marketing performance, not just the tactical channels.” Figure 4: The Primary Business Value of Social Media: Customer Insight “What have been the primary positive impacts of social media measurement within your organization? (Check up to three)” 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 84% 51% 35% 32% 26% 10% 0% Customer/ Decision-making Investment Financial impacts Organizational community insight development Base: 69 respondents responsible for social media measurement in their organization Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,” Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012) Companies that fail to quantify the hard and soft benefits of their social media programs and activities risk flying blind into a storm. Those that start now to formulate a measurement strategy, as the companies in the following pages have done, will be best positioned to succeed in this brave new customer-centric world. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 7
  • 9. The Six Ingredients to Measuring the Revenue Impact of Social Media While we identified no “perfect” solution to measuring the revenue impact of social media, several best practices have emerged that are bridging the gaps between what is possible today and what may be possible in the future. Altimeter Group identified six primary ways that organizations currently measure the revenue impact of social media, which should be used as a guideline to determine the most effective measurement mix for your business. The following are brief descriptions; more detailed descriptions follow. Figure 5: Six Ways of Measuring Revenue Impact of Social Media Top-Down “ Anecdote Specific examples where social media was known to influence a sale or sales. 1. Anecdote Correlation Comparing two data sets (for example, number of likes vs. revenue) to determine whether there may be a relationship. Note that most correlations are quite simple, although companies such as MarketShare are working on far more advanced social econometric models. 2. Correlation A ✓ Multivariate Testing B ✓ Comparing one group exposed to social media content with another that was exposed ✓ to different or no content. C 3. Testing Bottom-Up Links and Tagging Links refer to short links, such as bit.ly, goo.gl, or custom links embedded into content. Tags (and cookies) refer to a piece of code that is embedded into links or URLs for the purpose of conversion attribution. 4. Links and Tagging Integrated Integrated refers to apps or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings with integrated analytics, such as those offered by Buddy Media, Wildfire, or Facebook apps for Timeline. 5. Integrated Direct Commerce Addition of an ecommerce storefront to a social platform such as Facebook; frequently referred to as “fcommerce.” 6. Direct Commerce Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,” Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012) Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 8
  • 10. The chart below reflects both the immaturity of social media measurement and the resourcefulness of brands trying to understand its impact on their business in a holistic way. Top-down approaches are as widely used as bottom-up approaches; anecdote and correlation tied at 44% as the most popular ways to measure the revenue impact of social media, while links were a close second with 42%. Figure 6: Brands Blend Top-Down and Bottom-Up Measurement Approaches “In which ways does your organization measure the revenue impact of social media?” 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 44% 44% 42% 37% 32% 17% 16% 5% 0% Anecdote Correlation Links TaggingÊ&Êcookies Integrated A/BÊorÊMutivariate Direct Testing Ê Ê Base: 71 respondents responsible for social media measurement in their organization Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,” Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012) What is important to take away from this data is that, while top-down approaches provide business context and bottom-up approaches provide granularity, they are most valuable when viewed in context of each other. The case studies that follow illustrate how three very different organizations orchestrate these methods to provide insights that help drive decision-making. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 9
  • 11. Top-Down Approaches Figure 7: Top-Down Revenue Measurement Approaches Type Definition and Usage Considerations Sample Vendors 1. Anecdote • Examples of relationship • Lightweight and practical You can use anecdotes • between social media for some companies from any and all social and sales; information • Manual media service or product is often shared verbally, • Cannot scale vendors. This may sometimes entered • No ability to share broadly take verbal or written manually into CRM. form, depending on • Seen in large, often B2B the company. See the companies with high SAP case study for an consideration and long example. sales cycles 2. Correlation • Correlation refers to the • Properly applied, Whatever tool you are • ability to compare one provides insight into the using — web analytics, data set with another to relationship between email service provider — identify patterns. It can social strategies/tactics usually imported into an be as simple as chart and business outcomes Excel spreadsheet. Tools overlays comparing • Well accepted by the such as MarketShare likes and sales to highly industry and Compass Labs complex econometric • Requires trained analysts perform more advanced models that take into who can control for correlations. Expect this account external data, variables and interpret to become more common such as gas prices, data to minimize as tools mature. interest rates, jobless irrelevancies and claims, etc. distortion • Manual (therefore not scalable) 3. Testing (A/B, • In statistics, multivariate • Properly applied, You can compare the • Multivariate) testing or multi-variable provides insight into the performance of any social testing is a technique for relationship between content to any other testing hypotheses on social strategies/tactics social content, either complex multi-variable and business outcomes within the tool itself or systems, especially • Well accepted by digital from tool to tool. Note used in testing market marketing that source data may perceptions.10 • Requires trained analysts come from a variety of • Used by digital marketers who can control for tools, such as listening to compare performance variables and interpret and monitoring, social of tactics across data to minimize media management, different populations; irrelevancies and or any other tool with a examples could include distortion social data output. Some news headlines, social • Manual (therefore not organizations download content of any sort scalable) data into an Excel (video, image, text). Also spreadsheet.11 used by multichannel organizations with both online and brick-and- mortar presence. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 10
  • 12. Bottom-Up Approaches Figure 8: Bottom-Up Revenue Measurement Approaches Type Definition and Usage Considerations Sample Vendors 4. inking and L • Using a piece of code • Industry standard for Vendors below use links, • Tagging (a short link, ROI tag, or conversion attribution tags, and/or cookies to cookie) to identify the • Enables tracking from identify the source of source of a conversion or click to conversion social content. While sale • Facilitates (measurable) revenue attribution is • At the simpler end: short social spreading a shared feature, they links; at the sophisticated • Only work on owned represent a range of end, ROI tags, such as online properties services, from web those available as part of • Don’t (always) work analytics and digital web analytics solutions across screens marketing optimization to • Broadly applicable to any • Don’t account for social analytics and social online property in which macroeconomic or ecommerce. an item or service is sold business factors (price of Adobe Omniture directly to a customer gas, earnings, etc.) Argyle Social (direct B2C) or a piece of • Only works for single- Awareness Inc. social content culminates browser sessions. Links Badgeville in a desired action, may break easily or may Bazaarvoice such as a contest entry, not be passed through Buddy Media (acquired by white paper download, Salesforce.com) application submission, or Campalyst other desired conversion Exact Target action/lead Expion IBM Coremetrics Interpreter Meltwater Buzz Offerpop Power Reviews (acquired by Bazaarvoice) Revinate ShopIgniter Vitrue WebTrends Wildfire Interactive Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 11
  • 13. Type Definition and Usage Considerations Sample Vendors 5. Integrated Analytics integrated into a • • Highly measurable (if the Argyle Social social media app, widget, conversion occurs within Awareness, Inc. SaaS solution, or service the app) Buddy Media installed on a social • Requires development or Exact Target platform purchase Facebook (Apps for Broadly applicable to • • Managing complexity Timeline) any online property but (multiple apps with Lithium requires development different analytics) Momentfeed of an application or • Metrics may be siloed or Moontoast purchase/use of a tool/ inconsistent with other Offerpop service, such as those metrics Proprietary Tools listed under “Sample Shopkick Vendors” Webtrends Wildfire Interactive 6. irect D Addition of ecommerce • • Broadly applicable to any 8th Bridge Commerce storefront to a social online property Moontoast platform (typically • Highly measurable Offerpop Facebook, “fcommerce”) • Limited if you don’t track ShopIgniter full engagement Spiceworks Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 12
  • 14. Case Studies Case Study: SAP Business: Direct and indirect sale, mixed online and offline onservative culture but with support for test-and-learn approaches C Product: Very high consideration, very long sales-cycle product/service Media: Mixed paid, owned, and earned Customer: Business customer The power of anecdote: Social media frees SAP sales team to focus on lower-funnel activities, improving productivity and close rate. Given SAP’s size and highly metrics-driven culture, one would expect that the company would insist only on quantitative metrics to evaluate the success of its social media initiatives. But SAP values both qualitative and quantitative measures. While it does track more granular metrics (such as numbers of white paper downloads or webinar sign-ups) for lead generation purposes, the company also values qualitative measures that contribute to institutional knowledge. Todd Wilms, Senior Director/Evangelist, Communities and Social Media, reports strong support for social media within SAP: “We have been extremely fortunate from a culture perspective,” he says. At SAP, one of the goals for programs groups and SAP-branded channels is to drive leads. Wilms says that social media has changed the point at which many sales professionals begin to engage with prospects, because it helps prospects to “self-qualify” by engaging with others in SAP communities early in their decision process. As a high-consideration, business-to-business product with a long sales cycle (months to years), SAP is able to track many of the factors that contributed to a single sale. The company has a well-developed customer community (which generates its own far more granular and empirical metrics) with which prospective customers can freely engage. Prospects self-report that they were able to answer their questions and educate themselves through a variety of SAP social channels before engaging directly with the SAP sales team. As a result, says Wilms, “Our sales people can now get involved later in the sales process; they don’t have to jump into the pipeline as early, which has enabled them to have deeper conversations with fewer clients. Then, when they do engage, they want someone to walk them through that last step of fine-tuning SAP into their organization.” Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 13
  • 15. Case Study: EMC Business: Direct and indirect sale, mixed online and offline Culture supports test-and-learn approaches Product: Medium/high consideration Medium/long sales-cycle product/service Media: Mixed paid, owned, and earned Customer: Business customer Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to prove cause and effect at EMC EMC is taking a holistic approach to measurement, but with quantitative measures at the core. Says Keith Paul, Chief Listener at EMC, “We’re trying to figure out the revenue impact of social. We’re building an integration and media lab to align everything: social, advertising, search, and marketing sciences.” At the most tactical level, this means working with marketing teams to develop consistent usage of Omniture codes and bit.ly short links. At a strategic level, it means a shared approach to understanding the impact of social media on revenue, as well as on other business goals. Paul has already seen benefits to evangelizing tagging throughout the organization. Recently — using Adobe Omniture codes and bit.ly links — he was able to prove that social media was responsible for generating 30% of the viewership for simulcast of a major product launch. Says Paul, “Web analytics is becoming more strategic again.” At the same time, the company has set its sights on a more ambitious goal: building an ecosystem with use cases and tools that can eventually be used in concert with other enterprise data. Says Todd Forsythe, Vice President, Global Marketing, “What we’re hoping we can do is connect linking and listening to action in a streamlined way and track — on a real-time basis — the impact of social on business.” In the longer term, this will mean more integration of “Big Data,” specifically, advanced correlations of customer behavioral data, leads, transactions, and service experiences. While EMC is still in the process of making measurement more programmatic and scalable, the end game, say Paul and Forsythe, is for social data to become fully integrated into enterprise data and business strategy. Says Forsythe, “We always have taken the approach of ‘Plant a thousand seeds, and let the flowers bloom.’” Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 14
  • 16. Case Study: Eventbrite Business: Mostly online; service Metrics-driven, adaptive culture Product: Short sales cycle Low(er) consideration service Media: Paid, earned, owned Customer: Mixed B2B/B2C ighly social consumer and business customer H Integrating social media into the product provides clarity for Eventbrite. Eventbrite is a company in which social media — in this case, Facebook — is deeply integrated into the product itself, making it highly measurable. This wasn’t always the case. “When it was first built, Eventbrite was focused on SEO optimization to drive traffic,” says Vice President of Marketing Tamara Mendelsohn. “Then in about 2008, we saw that Facebook had popped up as a top referrer of traffic. Two things were happening: first, event organizers were creating events and including links back to Eventbrite to buy tickets. Second, attendees, once they discovered the event, were sharing the link either pre- or post-purchase. Those two behaviors pushed more traffic.” Eventbrite reached out to Facebook, which opened up the event API to them. It then incorporated sharing features into the product itself. Within a few months, Facebook was the top traffic referrer, which it remains today. Recently, says Mendelsohn, Facebook’s mobile site (m.Facebook) began to show up in the top 10 referrers as well. While the product is integrated with Facebook, Eventbrite still must use some of the simpler techniques, such URL tracking, to measure business outcomes. While purchases may originate in Facebook, the transactions themselves occur on Eventbrite. The online nature of the business, and the integration with Facebook, means that the company is able to produce clear, quantitative metrics that demonstrate the relationship between social media and revenue. For example, Mendelsohn says, “We can see how many shares and clicks occur and how many of the clicks convert. And that’s how we derive a dollar amount. Our main financial metric is gross ticket sales. Our top social metrics are total dollars driven by sharing divided by total shares, and total visits driven by sharing divided by total shares.” But transactions don’t tell the complete picture. Says Mendelsohn, “The transaction is the most sacred part of the funnel, but we’re optimizing all parts of the funnel. For example, if you look at total attendee sharing, 60% of sharing occurs after the purchase. One in 100 people who look at an event page before purchase share it, while 1 in 10 share it after purchase. And a post-purchase share drives 20% more ticket sales than a pre-purchase share.” Ultimately, says Mendelsohn, the question is how to increase the number of shares, especially post-purchase. “If 10% of customers are sharing after purchase,” she says, “how do we make that 20%?” While Mendelsohn is philosophically against incenting people to share — for fear of promoting spammy behavior toward friends — there is still a lot of room for optimization and growth as Eventbrite looks for effective and authentic ways to optimize the relationship between social and sales. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 15
  • 17. Determining the Right Measurement Mix There is no universal recipe for measuring the revenue impact of social media. While social media measurement is still nascent and organizations are still experimenting with approaches, we found that the most advanced companies consider the following four factors to determine the appropriate measurement mix: • Business: the nature and structure of the business • Product: the nature and type of products or services offered • Media: type of media being used • Customer: the nature and type of customer(s) Figure 9: Decision Matrix – Assessing the Measurement Mix That’s Right for You 1. Identify Business 2. Assess Product 3. Factor In Your 4. Identify Type Type Media MiX Customer Profile • Sales Channel: • Type: • Paid • Demographics: Indirect or Direct Product or Service (taggable) Where and Who They Are • Delivery Medium: • Sales Cycle: • Owned Online Only or Mixed Short or Long (taggable) • Socialgraphics: Online Offline Where and How • Cost/Consideration: • Earned (not They Interact Online • Culture: Conservative Low or High always taggable) or Experimental • Shared • Target Market: (not always taggable) Business (B2B) or Consumer (B2C) Source: “The Social Media ROI Cookbook: Six Ingredients Top Brands Use to Measure the Revenue Impact of Social Media,” Altimeter Group (July 24, 2012) As social media matures, we will see deeper integration and industry benchmarking that will provide more guidance for organizations of different sizes and types. For now, however, best practice measurement approaches use the above decision criteria. The following pages provide guidance on how to determine the measurement mix that is most appropriate for your organization. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 16
  • 18. First, Identify Your Business Type. The way your company goes to market largely drives what is possible when it comes to revenue measurement. If your business is … The most appropriate primary Best Practices metrics are … Exclusively online • Links and tags measure revenue • Build in measurement at the (e.g., Zappos, Eventbrite) impact at all stages of the beginning of every significant purchase path. campaign or program. • A wareness: views, impressions • Clearly define goals and metrics • C onsideration: engagement at all stages of the path to (re-tweets, likes, shares) purchase. • C onversion (downloads, • Map volume metrics (views, purchases, registration, shares, retweets, likes, fans, etc.) transaction) with the appropriate stage of the • Integrated: Apps and services purchase path to ensure your offer integrated metrics that you metrics have business context. can use to better understand • Review analytics provided with impact of specific content, apps and services you are channels, or campaigns. considering. The analytics should be a critical purchase criterion. • If you are using multiple apps and services, correlate metrics to better understand relationships. Multichannel • Correlations will help you • If you are using QR codes and (mixed online/offline) understand relationships between barcode scanning, correlate online and offline activities. their analytics with other online • Where practical, use mobile apps sources. to bridge the online and offline • If you are using multiple apps experience and collect data on and services as many companies in-store/offline behaviors. do, correlate metrics among similar apps to better understand relationships. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 17
  • 19. Second, Assess Your Service or Product Type. The key criteria that drive revenue measurement strategy based upon service and product type are sales cycle and whether the product/service is a high- or low- consideration item. The longer the path to purchase, the less reliable clickstream data becomes, because there is generally so much elapsed time and so many variables between awareness (the reveal of a new car, for example) and purchase (going to the dealer and buying it). Google Analytics has a good way of looking at this challenge from a measurement standpoint. It has divided conversion attribution into two types in their “Social Reports” products. They refer to referrals that lead to conversions immediately as “Last Interaction Social Conversions,” compared to what they call “Assisted Social Conversions,” in which a “referral from a social source doesn’t immediately generate a conversion, but the visitor returns later and converts.”12 If your product/service is … You should … Best Practices A lower-consideration item (event • Use links and tags to measure • Build in measurement at the tickets, pet food) or has a short revenue impact at all stages of beginning of every significant sales cycle the purchase path. campaign or program. • A wareness: views, impressions • Clearly define goals and metrics • C onsideration: engagement based on path to purchase. (re-tweets, likes, shares) • Map volume metrics (views, • C onversion (downloads, shares, retweets, likes, fans, etc.) purchases, registration, with the appropriate stage of the transaction) purchase path to ensure your • Integrated: Apps and services metrics have business context. offer integrated metrics that you • Review analytics provided with can use to better understand apps and services you are cause and effect. considering. The analytics should be a critical purchase criterion. • If you are using multiple apps and services, correlate metrics to better understand relationships. Longer sales cycles and higher- • Experiment with correlation, as • Don’t disregard anecdote as a consideration items (cars, real these items are frequently sold tool to connect the online and estate) through channels. offline worlds, especially if you are • Use linking and tagging for calls able to log customer verbatims in to action such as white paper a CRM system. While this is not downloads, webinar registrations, scalable, it may yield insight when dealer/agent referrals. you aggregate the data. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 18
  • 20. Third, Factor In Your Media Mix. The type of medium (Paid, Owned, Earned13) also influences your measurement method, as you can only tag online properties that you control. If the media you are using is … You should … Best Practices Paid • Use links and tags to measure • Build in measurement at the revenue impact at all stages of beginning of every significant the online purchase path. campaign or program. • Print can be linked and tagged • Clearly define goals and metrics via bar or QR codes, while based on path to purchase. broadcast media generally • Map volume metrics (views, cannot, and must rely on shares, retweets, likes, fans, etc.) conventional metrics (or use with the appropriate stage of the correlation, as UFC has done). purchase path to ensure your • A/B testing will show you which metrics have business context. media perform better than others. • Start now to build connections between the digital and social analytics teams. Earned • Because earned media cannot • Map volume metrics (views, be tagged, you must use shares, retweets, likes, fans, etc.) correlations and trend analysis to with the appropriate stage of the understand patterns. purchase path to ensure your metrics have business context. Owned • Owned media (as available via • See “Paid,” above. video, blog posts, social posts, microsites) can be linked and tagged, although only across the same browser. • “Jumping” between screens (phone, tablet, desktop/laptop) breaks these connections, which requires the use of other top- down methods of measurement. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 19
  • 21. Finally, and Most Importantly, Consider Your Customer Profile. Ultimately, the customer or consumer profile will influence what measurement is possible. If your customer is … You should … Best Practices A business customer • Look at forums, blogs, and • Factor in known social media communities to see where behaviors (Socialmetrics), as well customers congregate and what as behavioral and demographic you can test and learn from data, to help determine how best their interests, questions, and to engage. behaviors. • Test lightweight links and tags in forum replies (as consistent with the behavior of the community) to better understand interest and consideration. A consumer • The decision to use direct • Correlate behaviors at different ecommerce (a storefront) stages of the funnel as Eventbrite should be driven by the type has done, so you can better of relationship you have with understand pre-purchase and your customer base. That said, post-purchase sharing and the deeper the integration of conversion. social and commerce, the more granular the analytics. Highly social • Correlating shares with sales • Be mindful of the balance will provide insight into how between authentic and spammy and whether the online social behavior before incenting experience drives sales. customers to share. • Integrating apps and services • Look at referrers in your web on your Facebook brand pages analytics to find new and trending yields deep analytics. The key sources of traffic (Pinterest, is to translate volume metrics to Tumblr, others). insights and actions (i.e., people who do X tend to do Y). • A/B testing social posts against the same content elsewhere (Facebook, YouTube, your website) will provide insight into how and where people consume your content and where they go (and what they do) from there. Finally, remember that no one set of measures can tell you everything; they all come with trade-offs. But looking at your granular bottom-up data in context of broader trend data will deliver a more representative view of the revenue impact of social media than either can in isolation. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 20
  • 22. The Future of Social Media Measurement The ways organizations used to measure web behavior in the past are no longer suited to today’s realities. The fragmentation of the customer journey (across screens, apps and, platforms) combined with heterogeneous data streams make it near-impossible for organizations to trace “digital breadcrumbs” from a transaction to its source.14 The challenges, as Avinash Kaushik has articulated them15, are straightforward: connecting the customer from online to offline and connecting the customer across multiple screens. To this I would add another challenge: the need to integrate social, enterprise, and external data for a holistic view of behavior and trends. Following are some of the trends we should expect to see emerge in the next few years. Mobile technologies will bridge the online and offline worlds. Mobile Smartphone and Tablet Apps. While still relatively nascent, smartphone applications such as Shopkick and Checkpoints, which use mobile and geolocation technology to deliver insight on in-store behavior, illustrate the possibilities of mobile technologies to connect the dots between online and offline interactions. Scanning and Visual Search. Whether it is QR codes, Microsoft TAG, bar codes, or eventually Google Goggles, technologies will continue to emerge that add metadata to offline experiences and enable organizations to view the customer experience more holistically. While we are now in a period of feverish development, eventually we will start to see standards emerge in this area. In the meantime, however, the challenge for business will be to select vendors that provide the most reliable and stable features and integrations and manage the new data streams these devices create without creating undue complexity. Emerging technologies will connect the customer across multiple screens. Matching and Authentication. One of the greatest challenges for brands is the proliferation of browsers and screens, from tablet devices to smartphones, laptops, desktops, and television. In fact, a recent study conducted by Boston’s Innerscope Research found that “digital natives” switch screen 27 times per hour.16 Many web analytics vendors aim to connect the social customer using attribution algorithms, while Facebook Connect, Klout, and apps like Empire Avenue attempt to encourage users to self-authenticate so that brands can “know” them across social channels and platforms. Identity brokers, such as such as Gigya and Janrain and technology startups such as Fliptop are uniquely focused on this issue, offering solutions that aim to authenticate and connect customer identity across the social web. The ability to authenticate identity across the social web also offers an intriguing promise — the ability to connect transactions to social and interest graphs to better understand social influence on the path to purchase. Data will be the true predictor of influence. As authentication and attribution capabilities improve, the question of who influences whom will become much clearer. Actual influence (seeing which customers, and customer types, tend to influence other customers to buy) will overtake potential influence (algorithms that predict influence based on fans, followers, and frequency of social activity) as a critical business metric. As a result, influence vendors will need to integrate with other transactional data sources to validate their predictions. The winners will be those who use machine learning based on actual business outcomes to refine their algorithms. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 21
  • 23. Companies will integrate social, enterprise, and external data for a holistic view. Social media should not be a data silo; it must be tied to business strategy. The challenge is to normalize social data to the extent possible and integrate it with other enterprise data (such as business intelligence, CRM, and market research) and external sources (such as industry and economic data) to build sophisticated econometric models that can be used for modeling, scenario planning, and decision support. We are already seeing movement in this area via industry consolidation (Salesforce’s acquisitions of Radian6 and Buddy Media), Oracle’s acquisition of Collective Intellect, Involver, and Vitrue, and SAP’s partnership with NetBase, although it will take some time to realize the full benefits of these acquisitions. Ultimately, social data, in context of other enterprise data, will become a standard input into business decision- making. The winning technology vendors will be those who seek to solve the whole business problem, rather than looking at social as a silo. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 22
  • 24. Conclusion Social media for business is still immature, and the mechanisms by which we understand its impact are still evolving. Even if it becomes possible to “match” the majority of people using the social web across platforms, there will always be those who, for personal, cultural, age-related, security, or political reasons, cannot or will not be identifiable. For that reason, most organizations should expect to use a combination of rigorous top-down and bottom-up measurement methods for the foreseeable future, and — to solve the ROI puzzle — will need to start quantifying their investments in social, as well as their returns from it. Whatever ingredients you choose for your measurement mix, the important point is that the organizations that have been most successful at understanding the financial impact of their social media programs share several characteristics: They are customer-centric, value experimentation, accept that social media is in its infancy and, most importantly, have the courage to learn from — and the generosity to share — their experiences. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 23
  • 25. Ecosystem Input This report includes input from practitioners, vendors, and market influencers who were interviewed by Altimeter Group during the course of this research. Input into this document does not represent a complete endorsement of the report by the individuals or companies listed below. Brands (19) American Cancer Society, Hilary Noon, VP Customer Insight and Experience American Cancer Society, Robert Ross, Vice President, Interactive New Media Cisco Systems, Petra Neiger, Senior Manager, Digital and Social Media eBay, Sudha Jamthe, Social Media Strategist EMC, Keith Paul, Chief Listener EMC, Maria Mariotti, Sr. Marketing Programs Manager EMC, Todd Forsythe, VP Global Marketing Eventbrite, Tamara Mendelsohn, VP Marketing Hallmark, Camille Lauer, Social Media Insights Manager IBM, Ranjun Chauhan, Digital and Social Intelligence Strategy Intel, Ali Ardalan, Media and Analytics Strategist SAP, Todd Wilms, Senior Director and Evangelist of Communities and Social Media Starbucks, Alex Wheeler, VP Digital Marketing Starbucks, Ryan Turner, Director of Global Social Media The Coca-Cola Company, Vincenzo Piscopo, Global Director Knowledge and Insights Thomson Reuters, Jaime Punishill, Global Head, WM Digital Distribution and Content Strategy Ticketmaster, Kip Levin, EVP, Ecommerce Ultimate Fighting Championship, Kristin Adams, Social Media Manager Whirlpool, Stacy Lukasavitz, Social Data Analyst Vendors (38) 33Across Microstrategy Adobe Momentfeed Argyle Social Moontoast Attensity NetBase Awareness Inc. Networked Insights Badgeville Offerpop Bazaarvoice Power Reviews (acquired by Bazaarvoice) Buddy Media (acquired by Salesforce.com) Revinate Campalyst ShopIgniter Compass Labs Shopkick Converseon Simply Measured Crimson Hexagon Solariat Exact Target Spiceworks Expion Topsy Labs Fliptop VinTank Google Visible Technologies Lithium Vitrue (acquired by Oracle) MarketShare Webtrends Meltwater Buzz Wildfire Interactive Agencies (5) Campbell Ewald, Ken Burbary, Chief Digital Officer Edelman Digital, Aniz Ruda, Team Lead, Measurement Analytics Edelman Digital, Dave Fleet, VP WCG, Chuck Hemann, Director of Analytics Edelman Digital, David Armano, EVP Domain Experts (4) Matt Hixson, Co-Founder and CEO, Tellagence Jim Sterne, Founder, eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit; Marshall Kirkpatrick, CEO, Plexus Engine Digital Analytics Association Nitin Mayande, Chief Scientist, Tellagence Acknowledgements With thanks for support from: Jon Cifuentes, Asha Hossain, Charlene Li, Rebecca Lieb, Chris Silva, Brian Solis, Jaimy Szymanski, Christine Tran, Alec Wagner, Alan Webber, and Susan Wu. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 24
  • 26. End Notes 1 Social networking is the most popular online activity worldwide accounting for nearly 1 in every 5 minutes spent online in October 2011, and reaches 82% of the world’s Internet population, representing 1.2 billion users around the globe. Source: comScore: http://www.comscore.com/ Press_Events/Presentations_Whitepapers/2011/it_is_a_social_world_top_10_need-to-knows_about_social_networking. 2 eConsultancy State of Social Report: http://econsultancy.com/us/reports/state-of-social. 3 h ttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/multi-channel-attribution-definitions-models. 4 Source: Facebook Developer Blog, https://developers.facebook.com/roadmap/completed-changes. 5 Source: Pew Research Center, “Twitter Use 2012,”1 http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Twitter-Use-2012.aspx. 6 In statistics, multivariate testing or multi-variable testing is a technique for testing hypotheses on complex multi-variable systems, especially used in testing market perceptions. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multivariate_testing#cite_note-0. 7 For a good overview, see ClickZ, “A/B Testing for the Mathematically Disinclined,” http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/1704390/a-b-testing- mathematically-disinclined. 8 Source: “Capturing The Value of Social Media Using Google Analytics,” http://analytics.blogspot.com/2012/03/capturing-value-of-social-media- using.html. 9 See Jeremiah Owyang and Rebecca Lieb, “The Converged Media Imperative: How Brands Will Combine Paid, Owned and Earned Media” for more information. http://www.altimetergroup.com/research/reports/how-brands-must-combine-paid-owned-and-earned-media. 10 Altimeter Group explores these themes — The Dynamic Customer Journey, The Adaptive Organization and The Sentient World — in our research. For more about these research themes, listen to our webinars on the topic here: http://www.altimetergroup.com/research/research- themes. 11 See Avinash Kaushik, “Multi-Channel Attribution: Definitions, Models and a Reality Check”: http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/multi-channel- attribution-definitions-models. 12 Source: Time, Inc.: http://www.timeinc.com/pressroom/detail.php?id=releases/time_inc_study_digital_natives.php. Open Research This independent research report was 100% funded by Altimeter Group. This report is published under the principle of Open Research and is intended to advance the industry at no cost. This report is intended for you to read, utilize, and share with others; if you do so, please provide attribution to Altimeter Group. Permissions The Creative Commons License is Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States at www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0. Disclosures Your trust is important to us, and as such, we believe in being open and transparent about our financial relationships. With permission, we publish a list of our client base on our website. See our website to learn more: www.altimetergroup.com/disclosure. Disclaimer ALTHOUGH THE INFORMATION AND DATA USED IN THIS REPORT HAVE BEEN PRODUCED AND PROCESSED FROM SOURCES BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE, NO WARRANTY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED IS MADE REGARDING THE COMPLETENESS, ACCURACY, ADEQUACY, OR USE OF THE INFORMATION. THE AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS OF THE INFORMATION AND DATA SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS CONTAINED HEREIN OR FOR INTERPRETATIONS THEREOF. REFERENCE HEREIN TO ANY SPECIFIC PRODUCT OR VENDOR BY TRADE NAME, TRADEMARK, OR OTHERWISE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR IMPLY ITS ENDORSEMENT, RECOMMENDATION, OR FAVORING BY THE AUTHORS OR CONTRIBUTORS AND SHALL NOT BE USED FOR ADVERTISING OR PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT PURPOSES. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 25
  • 27. About Us Susan Etlinger, Industry Analyst Susan Etlinger (@setlinger) is an Analyst with Altimeter Group, where she focuses on social media analytics and strategy. Previously, Susan was a Senior Vice President at Horn Group, where she pioneered the agency’s social strategy offering. Susan is a published translator and has a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley. Jeremiah Owyang, Altimeter Partner, Digital Strategy Analyst Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang) is a Partner with Altimeter Group, where he focuses on social business and disruptive technologies for customer strategies. Previously, Jeremiah was a Senior Analyst at Forrester Research, Director of Corporate Media Strategy at PodTech Network, and Manager of Global Web Marketing at Hitachi Data Systems. He writes the Web Strategy blog (www.web-strategist.com). Andrew Jones, Senior Researcher Andrew Jones (@andrewjns) is a Senior Researcher at Altimeter Group, where he focuses on social business strategy, including how brands can manage social media proliferation. He also follows broader emerging technology trends such as mobile payments and the implications for governance and third-world development. Andrew previously worked in digital marketing and served in the Peace Corps. Altimeter Group is a research-based advisory firm that helps companies and industries leverage disruption to their advantage. Contact Us Advisory Opportunities Altimeter Group Email: sales@altimetergroup.com 1875 S. Grant Street, Suite 680 San Mateo, CA 94402-2667 info@altimetergroup.com www.altimetergroup.com Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States | © 2012 Altimeter Group | 26