A much-ballyhooed Gallup study uncovered some ugly “truths” about social media, including a reputed inability to influence purchasing decisions. According to the study, 62 percent of Americans say Facebook, Twitter and their ilk have no influence on whether they purchase a product.
Although asking consumers to accurately recount the advertising methods that ultimately drove them to purchase is likely a fool’s errand, many marketers who have attempted to correlate standard social metrics to sales and other conversions have struggled to make a connection.
As a result, in many marketing shops the number of likes, shares and retweets a brand receives daily is lessening in importance. But that doesn’t mean social media offers nothing of value — advanced marketers are leveraging social data for reasons beyond direct marketing tactics.
Why Should Marketers Care About Social Data?
Consumers still talk about brands and products on social media, affording brands the opportunity to learn which elements of campaigns and brand strategies are engaging consumers and to determine consumers’ purchase intent. There are a number of reasons why social data can lead to more effective marketing campaigns. Social data:
via Beyond Likes, Shares & Retweets: More Advanced Uses Of Social Data.
