The challenges of social advertising
Facing new media channels and new patterns of consumer behavior, marketers often feel they are starting from ground zero when it comes to planning and executing a social marketing effort. Some of the most common concerns include budgeting, targeting, and evaluating campaigns, as well as protecting a brand.
Targeting
Social networks now reach a very broad demographic when measured on a unique user basis; but just like any media property, user composition differs significantly when measured by time spent and level of engagement, characteristics that take on even greater importance when goals include social interactions. Granular demographic, psychographic, and behavioral targeting, often available against a wide variety of attributes, is not necessarily delivering on the promise of better performance.
Creative approach, budgeting and planning
The explosion of social media has spawned a host of new marketing and advertising options. Many of these require a different approach to online media planning and buying, as well as to creative strategy and execution. Media teams are unsure how to budget for placements that may extend beyond traditional campaign time frames, and often lack creative that is appropriate for these new environments. Creative teams developing a brand experience across multiple channels may be unsure how to make a brand relevant in a social environment. New creative units often lack formal standards, may not work across multiple platforms, and can be costly to produce.
Measuring and evaluating
Performance models and measurable campaigns are no longer the sole purview of direct-response advertisers. According to the recent IBM study "The End of Advertising as We Know It," advertisers are now demanding more individual-specific and involvement-based measurements, and more than two-thirds of the global advertising industry executives interviewed expect advertising revenue to shift to impact-based models within three years. These advertisers see opportunity, but also face the related challenges of defining and adopting new metrics, determining benchmarks, and setting appropriate goals.
Protecting the brand
Many brand marketers fear that social advertising efforts could have a negative impact on their brand by giving consumers too much control, potentially allowing a negative minority to derail a brand's efforts. Others find it difficult to identify ways to engage consumers in a meaningful dialogue.
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