Social Media ROI … Oversimplification is a “measurement menace.”

Measurement Advisor LogoMeasurement authority Katie Paine has a take no prisoners series on measurement menaces.

Her current installment calls out companies that create simplistic indexes, such as Social Chorus and their earned media value index that automatically calculates the dollar value of earned media impressions.

Katie writes:

The notion that measurement can be based on an automatically derived index is ludicrous — let alone putting a summary dollar value on it. These trumped-up “metrics” are social media snake oil. Firms [offering these types of metrics] seduce naïve marketers into putting fake numbers on their social media efforts. These bogus metrics then get passed up the food chain as if they were real measurement.

Not only will such “menacing” numbers be seen for what they are and rejected by the C-suite, they “perpetuate the notion that social media is valuable only because it’s a cheap way to get your messages out. Social media — and PR in general — has far more valuable applications. The most dramatic social media ROI numbers come from organizations that use social media for so much more than broadcasting messages, like customer service, product research, and solving problems.” Yes, she’s for turning your social media goals upside down.

Digital Metrics Field Guide Excerpt: What Did 197 Metrics, 150 Studies and 12 Expert Essays Teach Us?

Journal of Advertising Research (JAR) excerpted a bit from the Digital Metrics Field Guide. They took my final essay and added four of the contributed pieces on digital measurement today from the Viewpoints I section of the book. Those essays form a compelling narrative about the state of the art of both measurement and metrics. They take us from the need for cross-platform measurement (Nielsen), through selecting metrics (Experian Marketing Services, GfK), to measuring campaign delivery and effectiveness (comScore).

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Note: The JAR is an academic peer-reviewed journal, with four quarterly issues. More than 1 million of its articles are downloaded yearly by practitioners, researchers, students and scholars through online databases. If your company is an ARF member, your Member Ambassador receives the Journal when it is published and you can download articles from the JAR site. Companies that are not members may learn more about JAR and subscribe from this page.