Can't Measure, or Don't Measure?
The impact on customer experience from social media technologies is not un-measureable. Difficult to measure, yes, but not impossible. Recently we've finally seen data that supports using customer communities, blogs, and social networks to improve customer service and tie the improvements to bottom-line metrics. Now the question is becoming "do you measure social media ROI" rather than "can you measure social media ROI," and research suggests most companies don't.
Research published by eMarketer found that 84 percent of companies don't measure the success of their social media programs. It's not surprising that some don't, since until recently no one could really say how to measure the impact, but 84 percent is very high. It shows that despite promising research, there's still confusion around the technology.
Until marketers on the ground start measuring their social media efforts, the board room will never allocate the funds necessary to really use these tools to improve the customer experience. There are only so many companies out there willing to go out on a limb and lead the way; most of them have already embraced social media (and we've written about many who are seeing positive results from it).
Does 84 percent seem high to you? Does that reflect the current market conditions, and stem from not understanding new technology?
Related Entries
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- Mastering the Medium of the Day
