– Experian research reveals social media is an integral part of many brands’ marketing strategies yet measurement of ROI is low
– In response to demand for better measurement, ROI and analysis, Experian launches Experian Social, a Techlightenment Alchemy Social Facebook Advertising Platform
Sydney, Australia, 8 March 2012 – Experian Hitwise data shows that Australians visited Facebook 6.2 billion times in 2011, making an average of 1.6 visits per day[1] per person to the social networking site. However, consumers are still wary of brand engagement via social media platforms.
Marketers are aligning their marketing spend with the popularity of social media channels. Fifty eight per cent of marketers anticipate the proportion of marketing budget they allocate to social media advertising and channel development will increase over the next 12 months. Yet despite this increase in spend, 40 per cent of marketers don’t have measurement tools in place around their social media strategy. These are the key findings from a report released by Experian Marketing Services titled ‘Getting the most from social – an integrated marketing approach.’
The research coincides with the launch of Experian Social, a tool to help brands optimise Facebook ads so that they reach their core audience and build a strong online community of brand advocates at the lowest possible cost. Using the tool, brands can launch multiple targeted campaigns in a matter of minutes, helping brands build valuable exposure with target audiences over a short period of time. Marketers will be able to demonstrate the effectiveness and ROI on each individual ad campaign launched. Experian Social gives marketers the insight they need to understand valuable Facebook influencers and the way in which they impact conversions. The platform will allow brands to understand, acquire and keep their customers.
Shining a light on social media brand activity and consumer trust towards their presence, the research highlights that 58 per cent of brands in Australia have a presence on social media. However, only 18 per cent of consumers rated social media as one of the top three channels they most trusted to source information about a brand or company. This compared with 25 per cent who rated Wikipedia as one of their top three most trusted channels.
“It’s understandable that consumers currently lack trust towards brand activity on social media, and this is a completely normal part of the evolution curve of any new form of marketing communication,” comments Matt Glasner, General Manager of Experian Marketing Services.”These platforms are social, designed as a way for people to communicate with friends and peers and this opportunity to engage doesn’t automatically extend to brands.”
With Australians spending an average visit time of 26.49 minutes on Facebook per session between January 2011 and December 2011, the opportunity to tap into this active audience is vast.
“To be a genuine and valued part of the conversation, brands need to be invited in and adopt a new, more social way of engaging with audiences. It can’t be part of the same marketing approaches used with other channels and brands need to think about how to engage audiences on their terms through social media channels.”
The findings highlight that marketers are facing increasing pressure to demonstrate effectiveness and ROI from their social media strategy back to the business.
Matt Glasner continues: “Without measurement and analysis tools and segmented campaigns, marketers have been challenged to find the most effective way to engage with target customers and get the cut-through they desire in social campaigns. “For several years, savvy marketers have known that Facebook is a powerful communication tool, but until now, proving its value to the business has been difficult.
“The launch of Experian Social in Australia will enable marketers to evaluate each campaign they run on Facebook, demonstrate a tangible return on investment, understand who the influencers are and develop the insights to retain and nurture their social media customer base.
“Our report shows that spend on social media is going to increase. Over the next year, we’re going to see more brands engaging with active and interested online audiences,” Glasner concludes. “By applying clever thinking and a combination of multi-channel communication, effective targeting and robust measurement tools, brands can enhance how they are communicating with customers and develop a genuine and long lasting dialogue.”
/ENDS
Notes to editors
The research is part of an in-depth whitepaper on ‘Getting the most from social – an integrated marketing approach.’ To receive a copy of the whitepaper in March, please contact experian@n2n.com.au.
Experian Marketing Services commissioned independent research with 330 Australian marketing professionals across the retail, financial services, government, technology, digital and travel industries; and 1,000 consumers across all demographics to develop an industry whitepaper on the current state of play in consumer marketing.
The independent research reveals how well marketers’ and consumers’ interests are aligned. It demonstrates where marketers in Australia are investing their dollars and which channels they value most highly in their communication. From a consumer perspective, it explores how effectively the general Australian population respond to and engage with marketing efforts.
For more information please contact:
Annie Woodhead
n2n Communications
(02) 9213 2312
awoodhead@n2n.com.au
Becca Daniel
n2nCommunications
(02) 9213 2310
bdaniel@n2n.com.au
About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 80 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.
Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2011 was US$4.2 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 41 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil.
For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.
About Techlightenment
Techlightenment, an Experian company, was founded in 2007. Techlightenment develops technology to power social media campaigns for multinational businesses and global advertising agencies.
Techlightenment products and consulting services help brands understand current customers, attract new ones and keep them longer. Clients have included GlaxoSmithKline, Universal Pictures, Paramount, Royal Bank of Scotland and Dr. Martens. Techlightenment is one of the only Facebook Preferred Developer Consultants and Advertising API Beta participants, it is also a Twitter Ads Partner. For more information, visit www.techlightenment.com.
