Social Media ROI: Addressing the Attribution Problem

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Social ROI: It’s the Attribution, Stupid.

Social media marketing drives conversions…you just might not know it yet.

Presented September 29, 2011 at Digital East

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@argylesocial@ericboggs

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First, Some Algebra:

• Social Media Marketing = Marketing• Marketing = Driven By Outcomes

• If A=B & B=C, then A=C.

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Social is problematic because…

• It happens in real-time.• It involves massive amounts of content.• …• It happens at the tippy-top of the funnel.• It isn’t a direct CTA channel.

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Social is problematic because…

• It happens in real-time.• It involves massive amounts of content.• …• It happens at the tippy-top of the funnel.• It isn’t a direct CTA channel.

The biggest challenge facing social media marketers is connecting the

dots from input to output.

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Conversion Trackin’ Ain’t Easy

Two Types of Marketing Channels

Intent Generating channels build consumer awareness and interest, creating an intention to purchase a product.

Intent Harvesting channels capture consumer intent to purchase and drive them to the cash register.

Two Types of Conversion Tracking

Multi-touch tracking attributes revenue to all of the channels that touched the consumer on their path through the funnel.

Last-touch tracking attributes all of the revenue for a purchase to the last channel that touched the customer prior to the sale.

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You (Probably) Under-Report Social

• Day 0: Person follows your Co on Twitter.• Day 0 – 30: Person clicks, socializes, etc.• Day 30: Person makes buying decision,

Googles your Co, clicks an ad, converts.

• You chalk up a conversion to Google.• Your social media team gets the shaft.

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For example…

Google Analytics shows 178 social media “assisted conversions” fora time period…

…but we tracked over 1,100 socially Influenced conversions for the same chunk of time.

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For example…

Google Analytics shows 178 social media “assisted conversions” forthis time period…

…but we tracked over 1,300 socially Influenced conversions for the same chunk of time.

Scenario 1: Someone gets fired.Scenario 2: Someone is a hero.

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Curation Complicates Things…

“Curation comes up when search stops doing everything people want it to do. It comes up when people realize it isn’t just about information seeking, it’s also about synchronizing a community.”

Clay Shirky

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A Delicious Slice of Argyle User Data

• Aggregated and anonymous• December 2010 through May 2011• 70k+ posts• 381 organizations; all industries, all sizes

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Balanced Curation Drives Conversions

Curators

Balanced

Promoters

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Clicks Per Post

Curators

Balanced

Promoters

0.0% 0.5% 1.0% 1.5% 2.0% 2.5% 3.0%

Click To Conversion

Curators

Balanced

Promoters

0.0% 50.0% 100.0% 150.0%

Post Conversion Rate

Sample BreakdownPromoters: link to their own site more than 50% of the time.

Balanced: link to their own site between 25% and 50% of the time.Curators: link to their own site less than 25% of the time.

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Balanced Curation Drives Conversions

Curators

Balanced

Promoters

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Clicks Per Post

Curators

Balanced

Promoters

0.0% 0.5% 1.0% 1.5% 2.0% 2.5% 3.0%

Click To Conversion

Curators

Balanced

Promoters

0.0% 50.0% 100.0% 150.0%

Post Conversion Rate

Sample Breakdown

Your curation efforts are moving the needle…you just don’t know it.

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Three Easy To-Dos:

• Aggregate your publishing efforts.• Make it a habit to share smart links.• Activate Multi-Channel Funnels in GA.

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Thank you very much.Slides at http://ar.gy/digeast

Eric Boggs@ericboggshttp://argylesocial.com