IAB UK Social Media Council launches framework for social media measurement.
Digital trade body partners with TMW and council members to bring greater clarity and consistency for marketers within the social media space.
The Internet Advertising Bureau’s Social Media Council (IAB SMC) has launched a framework to bring greater clarity and consistency to social media measurement in the UK. The framework, created in partnership with digital and direct marketing agency Tullo Marshall Warren (TMW) and members of the IAB SMC, has been designed to help advertisers and agencies better digest the complexities of social media measurement.
The simple framework, using the letters I, A and B as a point of reference, provides brands with an overview of the process required to effectively measure the success of their social media activity. Available for download below, it has been designed to be flexible enough to be applied across a broad spectrum of social media platforms, and give practitioners the freedom to use their own experience and expertise to choose the most appropriate KPIs for their activity.
The IAB social media measurement framework comprises the following:
I = intent. The IAB recommends that no social media activity should take place unless you have a firm intent, or set of objectives, to determine which key performance indicators (KPIs) are most relevant to measure success.
A = awareness, appreciation, action, advocacy. These are the 4 main areas within which you can set your KPIs, after your intent has been agreed. Which KPIs you choose to apply will vary according to the intent you define, the platform you’re using, the tracking you have in place and the internal expectations of various stakeholders and whether they demand hard financials as well as soft metrics. The IAB and TMW have created a list of recommended KPIs within the framework.
B = benchmark. Using the framework to create benchmarks based on your own activity, that of your immediate competitors and industry averages, you will be able to evaluate realistic success in a more consistent way, and provide a basis for future planning.
The IAB SMC expects feedback from the wider industry – including other trade bodies with a vested interest in social media – in order for the framework to evolve. They are also calling for case studies to illustrate further how the model applies in practice, and over the coming months intend to build a database of results against this framework, so brands can benchmark and forecast new initiatives.
The IAB Social Media Council Europe’s biggest group dedicated to the promotion of social media. A sub-group of the Internet Advertising Bureau, its membership comprises of site owners, creative, media and search agencies, as well as social specialists and clients. With the aim of educating the industry about the opportunities within this space, the Council is focused on collaborating on projects such as events, whitepapers, research and standardization initiatives to help advertisers make the most of the discipline. Social media is a vast space, and the council’s collective remit includes both paid-for and earned social media, as well as research and measurement.
Richard Pentin, member of the IAB Social Media Council and Group Planning Director at TMW said: “The days of whimsical experimentation have long gone. Nowadays, marketers have to justify every budget line with robust KPIs, solid business cases or definitive ROI analysis. If we genuinely want social media to be taken seriously it’s imperative we start making it much more accountable, and the IAB social media measurement framework is designed to do exactly that.”
Tony Effik, chair of the social media council and chief strategy officer at Publicis Modem said: “For the social media industry to grow significantly, we need to begin talking in a common language and working to demystify some of the processes involved for advertisers and agencies. Whilst as an industry we have not yet found that golden metric that can prove social media ROI across the board, we’re taking massive steps in bringing greater clarity, structure and standardization to social media measurement.
Social media is just one part of the mix, and this framework – showing how it can raise awareness, appreciation, advocacy and inspire a call to action - shows brands how it can fit within their overall communications strategies and bring a real benefit to their business.”
For examples of how the IAB framework can be put into practice please visit these links:
‘The IAB Social Media Measurement Framework featuring Infiniti case study’, Richard Pentin, TMW
