According to a new Canadian survey, more than one in four advertising and marketing executives interviewed said their greatest stumbling block when it comes to social media was measuring the success of their efforts. Finding knowledgeable staff to execute social media programs was problematic for 19% of respondents.
The survey was developed by the Creative Group and conducted by an independent research firm.
Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “When it comes to implementing social media initiatives, which of the following would you consider to be the greatest challenge for your agency/firm?” Their responses:
- measuring or defining return on investment (27%);
- finding knowledgeable staff to execute social media tasks (19%)’
- gaining executive support for social media initiatives (17%); and
- finding the budget for social media initiatives (14%)
Lara Dodo, regional vice-president of the Creative Group in Canada, said, “It’s not always easy to determine which social media channels and forms of outreach via these sites are most beneficial for a business.
“Tracking a variety of metrics, like numbers of retweets or shares, can provide a more complete picture of the success of a social media campaign, but it can’t capture everything since many marketing campaigns, social media included, are designed to build brand awareness over a long timeframe.”
Finding the right people to plan, execute and monitor social media programs has its own set of challenges, she added.
“Hiring managers should look for candidates who are passionate about using social media, but more importantly, who can spot trends and identify solutions to real-world business problems, using sites like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.”
