FINDING VALUE - TAKING PART IN THE CONVERSATION / BY PHIL GUEST

It's fair to say that we now understand the value of opening up conversations with an audience rather than simply pushing a message. But whilst there may be a shift in the approach of the message delivery, measurement tools have failed to adapt and so it often becomes a case of trying to apply an old measurement model to a new approach.

The advertising industry created the concept that value is judged by viewings or exposure, whether that's how many saw a TV commercial, a billboard, newspaper ad or web impression. Whether online or offline this general consensus remains at the forefront of many marketers' minds when measuring the success of a campaign. However, it is an obvious assessment that the media landscape has changed drastically, with social media the driving and overriding force behind this.

As a result, many brands now set out to involve a social media strategy in their marketing approach, but in reality this is often done out of a want to be 'seen' rather than fully understanding the benefits. Some brands are still scared of social media activity and as a result do not fully understand how success can be measured. Stakeholders demand results and a measurement metric they understand, which leads marketing departments to rely on old fashioned, familiar measurement techniques. This conflicts with the very nature of social media engagement. This is where the problem lies.

Social media has shifted the balance of power where audience influence now prevails. Online social communities mean engagement, largely through conversation, has become the currency of modern marketing. Research amongst the teenage Habbo community has highlighted that if content is engaging it is often welcomed. This approach is far less overt than traditional marketing: the brand becomes the content, the audience becomes the advocate. Intelligent brands realise that this is a fertile ground which can prove powerful in terms of driving awareness and action.

This kind of activity is not successfully measured by page impressions or click through rates but requires a more qualitative approach where brands can react and build on related conversations amongst it's audience. Whilst this represents a real shift in terms of metrics, it gives a far more valuable reflection of how successful a marketing or advertising campaign has been. It also provides insight which should be used to fuel further outreach so that marketing activity is integrated and accepted within a community. This is a strong position for a brand to be in and one which offers long term gain.