Paid Social Media Advertising 2013 - Industry update and best practices by Giuseppe Riva

Paid Social Media Advertising Industry update and best practices 2013

Methodology

Executive Summary

A survey commissioned by Vizu, a Nielsen company, of more than 500 U.S. digital marketing and media professionals was conducted by Digiday in September -October 2012 on current attitudes and practices regarding paid social media advertising. Participants were contacted via email and asked to take an online survey. Participants were first asked to identify themselves as a Brand Marketer, Media Agency, or Publisher/ Social Platform. Each participant was then presented with questions about their approach to paid social media advertising specific to that classification. Results were summarized and cross-tabbed in order to identify consistencies or inconsistencies in each constituent’s viewpoints regarding paid social media advertising in 2013 and opportunities to improve the outlook. A synopsis of those results is presented in this whitepaper.

Social media has grown exponentially. One out of every 7 people in the world has a Facebook page. Nearly 4 in 5 active internet users visit social networks and blogs. Accordingly, marketers are flocking to the medium. Whereas their customers are adopting the medium with purpose, however, marketers are approaching with caution. Marketers are increasing budgets and using social media in conjunction with other advertising channels, but return on investment (ROI) continues to be a question. For this survey, we focused specifically on what marketers were doing around paid social media advertising. • Paid social media advertising is growing – three quarters of advertisers surveyed indicated that they use this channel, and 64 percent of advertisers said they were increasing their paid social media advertising budgets in 2013, though for the most part the increase is modest. • To fund this increase, advertisers are shifting budget from online and offline budgets into paid social media advertising. • Advertisers are increasingly viewing paid social media advertising as an integrated, cross-platform tactic, and are running it in conjunction with other online and offline media. • Paid social media advertising is primarily being used to support branding-related efforts. As a result of this and the increasingly cross-platform way that advertisers are using the medium, advertisers “would prefer to use the exact same metrics used in the offline medium, and additional metrics specific to the online medium” to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns. Very few media sellers, however, can actually provide this. • Metrics such as likes, pins, and click-throughs are often used to measure paid social media advertising ROI, though advertisers and agencies think sales generated and brand lift, which are brand-related and have cross-platform applicability, are the most appropriate metrics to use to determine ROI. Media sellers and agencies would do well to ensure that they are able to provide these specific metrics to attract more social advertising dollars. • Unsurprisingly, many advertisers are doubtful or unconvinced about the effectiveness of paid social media advertising, indicating that the growth of the medium is being somewhat hampered by a lack of relevant, universally employed metrics. • There is a clear opportunity to get everyone on the same page, particularly around metrics. Some of the things that advertisers and agencies said would increase their use of paid social media advertising are: ––

A clear link between social media and sales generated and/or brand lift

––

Clarity around how to measure social media ROI

––

Social media benchmarks

Media sellers and agencies who invest in building out the capabilities required to deliver these capabilities are likely to capture dollars related to social media advertising.

Introduction Social media use among consumers has exploded in recent years and shows no sign of stopping. Facebook now has 1 billion active users, or one out of every seven people in the world1. Nearly four in five active U.S. Internet users visit social networks and blogs2. Accordingly, marketers have flocked to the medium in order to stay in front of their customers.

How Advertisers and Agencies Use Social Media The term “social marketing” or “social media marketing” typically refers to two practices involving social media – the use of free tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, and paid media, such as paid ads on Facebook or sponsoring blog content. Unsurprisingly, free tools are popular – 89 percent of the advertisers we surveyed indicated that they use free social media tools. However, paid social media advertising is close behind at 75 percent. Among agencies, paid social media has overtaken the use of free tools. <Fig. 1> Social marketing, whether free or paid, is heavily used by advertisers and agencies. Every advertiser that we surveyed indicated that they did something with social media, and only 6 percent of agencies that we surveyed said that they did not do anything with social media. Though paid social media advertising is increasing, it is still a relatively new practice among advertisers. Most of the advertisers and agencies surveyed indicated that they had been using paid social media advertising for less than three years, with 20 percent indicating they had only started in the last year, demonstrating that this is still a maturing field.

Fig. 1: How Advertisers and Agencies Use Social Media

89%

71%

USE FREE TOOLS

DON’T DO ANYTHINg WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

75% Advertisers

81%

agencies

PURCHASE MEDIA AND/OR SPONSOR CONTENT

Fig. 2: Advertisers: Percentage of 2012 Online Budget Dedicated to Social Media Advertising

70% 1-10% of budget

18% 11-20% of budget

13% 21%+ of budget

This is also supported by the share of budget that marketers allocated to paid social media advertising in the last year. The majority of advertisers (70%) indicated that less than one-tenth of their overall 2012 online advertising budget was dedicated to paid social media advertising. <Fig. 2> 1

Facebook, October 2012 2 Nielsen, July 2012

Paid Social Media Advertising Budgets are Growing, at the Expense of Other Channels The majority (64%) of advertisers surveyed indicated they expect to increase their paid social media advertising budget for 2013 <Fig. 3>; however, those increases will be modest – between 1-10 percent. <Fig. 4>

Fig. 3: Advertiser Outlook for Paid Social Advertising Budgets

Fig. 4: Paid Social Ad BudgetS will grow by…

41%

34%

64%

15% 11%

Increase

Stay the Same

Decrease

1-10%

11-20%

64% of advertisers surveyed indicated they expect to increase their paid social media advertising budget for 2013.

21%+

More than two-thirds (41%) of advertisers surveyed said that “social media had its own dedicated budget,” indicating that their organization has dollars earmarked specifically for that purpose. <Fig. 5> However, most advertisers indicated that they would be increasing their 2013 paid social media advertising budget at the expense of other channels. Nearly onequarter (23%) of advertisers indicated they would be shifting budget away from online display to paid social media advertising, while 10 percent of advertisers indicated they would be shifting budget away from other online channels – namely rich media and video.

Fig. 5: Where Dollars for Social Media Advertising are Coming From 23% 41%

None, social media has its own dedicated budget

From online display

10% 39%

From other online channels

Surprisingly, 39 percent of advertisers indicated that they would be shifting some of their offline budget into online paid social media advertising, pointing to a growing consideration of paid social media as a cross-platform tactic.

From OFFLINE CHANNELS

Advertisers

Paid Social Media Advertising is an Integrated, Mostly Branding-Focused Tactic Paid social media advertising is increasingly being viewed as an integrated tactic – 66 percent of advertisers indicated that they use paid social media advertising in combination with other online advertising, and 51 percent of advertisers indicated that they run it in conjunction with offline advertising. <Fig. 6, Fig. 7> Agencies reported a similar degree of integration. Only 5 percent of advertisers responded that they “rarely” or “never” run their paid social media advertising efforts in conjunction with other online tactics, indicating a low incidence of social-only campaigns. Fig. 6: How Often Do You Run Social Ads with Online Advertising?

Fig. 7: How Often Do You Run Social Ads with Offline Advertising? Advertisers

71% 66%

agencies 51% 39%

41% 31%

18% 11%

Most or all of the time

Half of the time or less

20%

11% 5%

Rarely or never

Most or all of the time

Half of the time or less

Rarely or never

When asked which online tactics they typically run their paid social media advertising efforts in conjunction with, advertisers’ top three responses were online display (83%), online video (46%), and mobile (40%). In the offline world, advertisers’ paid social media advertising campaigns were mostly combined with print (52%), followed by TV (37%). Advertisers said that the primary purpose of their paid social media ads was branding-related (45%), such as raising awareness and influencing brand opinions, whereas only 16 percent was primarily direct-response related, such as driving product trials or site visits. <Fig. 8> In addition, when the campaign was a mix of both, a quarter (25%) of advertisers said more than half was branding-related. Brand marketers are viewing paid social media advertising as a branding tool, and more often than not are running it in conjunction with other tactics across both online and offline platforms. Agencies and social media sellers should ensure they can offer brand-relevant metrics that are applicable to the online and offline spaces to increase their share of brand advertising dollars in the paid social medium. Paid social media advertising is not being treated as a stand-alone tactic, but being as part of a set of marketing tools to influence brand opinions.

Fig. 8: PAID SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING OBJECTIVES Primarily branding related, e.g. raising awareness, inﬂuencing brand opinions Primarily direct-response related, e.g. driving product trials or site visits

45% 31% 16% 15% 25%

A mix of both--more than half is branding

A mix of both--more than half is direct-response

Advertisers

29% 14% 25%

agencies

ROI is still a Tricky Question But Cross-Platform Consistency is Preferred Advertisers are taking a more cross-platform approach with paid social media advertising, so it’s not surprising that advertisers desire metrics that can span across both online and offline mediums and allow them to measure the different tactics they employ in a consistent manner. When asked what metrics they would like to use to calculate ROI, brand marketers indicated by a wide margin that they would prefer to use the “exact same metrics used in the offline medium, and additional metrics specific to the online medium.”<Fig. 9> This is reinforced by the fact that the majority of their campaigns’ primary objective is brandingrelated, as relevant brand metrics are commonplace in the offline world but scarce in the online medium. This response also demonstrates, however, that advertisers recognize there is a unique aspect of the online medium that does not exist offline that they can use to their advantage – for example, the opportunity to validate the effectiveness of the campaign directly against the campaign audience. Unfortunately, only 11 percent of media sellers surveyed indicated they were able to provide these types of metrics. <Fig. 10> The majority of media sellers surveyed indicated they could provide metrics that were “specific to the online medium.” As only 17 percent of advertisers surveyed were interested in online-specific metrics, there is clearly a disconnect between the metrics advertisers want and what is available to them.

Fig. 9: Metrics Advertisers Would Like to Use

42%

Fig. 10: Metrics Publishers Can Provide

Advertisers

49%

PUBLISHERS

29%

17% 12%

Exact same metrics as offline media, and nothing else

Exact same metrics as offline, and some additional metrics speciﬁc to the online medium

Some of the same metrics from the offline medium, and some metrics speciﬁc to the online medium

Reflecting the fact that media sellers typically report online-specific metrics, the top two metrics advertisers and agencies said they had used to measure paid social media advertising ROI in the past were “likes/pins” and “click-throughs.” <Fig. 11> Media sellers indicated that they were using “click-throughs” and “views.” However, when asked what metric is most appropriate to measure paid social media advertising ROI, advertisers and agencies responded “brand lift” (52% and 35%, respectively) and “sales generated” (49% and 46%). Media sellers also thought that “brand lift” was the most appropriate metric to measure paid social advertising ROI (52%), in addition to “shares/reposts” (38%). There is a clear opportunity for media sellers to capture more brand dollars by offering relevant brand lift metrics. This “metrics morass,” or data overload, is preventing marketers from clearly understanding the effectiveness of their paid social media advertising campaigns. The industry is going after the low hanging fruit when it comes to ROI metrics. Likes/ pins, click-throughs, and views are online-

Metrics speciﬁc to the online medium

12%

11%

Exact same metrics as offline media, and nothing else

Exact same metrics as offline, and some additional metrics speciﬁc to the online medium

specific actions that a computer can count out. However, what the industry really wants is insight into the campaign’s impact on the audience – brand lift and sales generated. It is not a coincidence that these metrics translate to both offline and online mediums. Media buyers should ensure that they are using these relevant metrics to get an accurate assessment of campaign ROI. Unsurprisingly, the “metrics morass” has left the industry unsure of paid social media advertising’s effectiveness. Twothirds of advertisers surveyed said that paid social advertising “moves the needle when combined with other efforts, but [they are] not sure how to measure ROI” or that “it’s a promising new tactic, but its effectiveness is unknown.” <Fig. 12> Six percent of advertisers surveyed flat out said that paid social media advertising does not work. Media sellers who are able to provide relevant brand metrics, and who proactively make improvements to ensure the campaign’s effectiveness, will have the upper hand in capturing dollars from those advertisers on the fence about paid social media advertising’s effectiveness.

Some of the same metrics from the offline medium, and some metrics speciﬁc to the online medium

Metrics speciﬁc to the online medium

Fig. 11: TOP METRICS FOR SOCIAL ROI What Media Sellers Indicate They Use

Likes/pins Click-throughs Views

What Advertisers and Agencies Indicate are Most Appropriate

Sales Generated Brand Lift Shares/Reposts

Improvement Opportunity Getting on the Same Page There is a clear opportunity for increased collaboration between media buyers and sellers. Nearly all advertisers indicated that “defining the campaign’s primary advertising objective before campaign start” and “establishing the metric that will be used to measure success before campaign start” was either “very important” or “somewhat important” for a successful paid social media advertising campaign. However, the media sellers surveyed indicated that these communications were actually happening less than one-third of the time. <Fig. 13> Advertisers indicated that it was important to calculate ROI—it speaks to the metrics morass that this figure is not 100 percent— though media sellers indicated that this was actually happening less than one-third of the time. Media sellers and buyers should invest in systems that allow everyone involved in the campaign to directly collaborate around improving the campaign’s brand performance. This investment would help media buyers increase campaign ROI, and media sellers’ ability to offer such collaboration would attract more brand dollars.

Improvement (and Business) Opportunity Align Campaign Measurement around Sales and Brand Lift Speaking to the same “metrics morass” that plagues the industry, 58 percent of advertisers and 65 percent of agencies indicated that “clarity around how to measure social media ROI” would lead them to increase their use of paid social media advertising. <Fig. 14> The confusion is so prevalent that 14 percent of brands said “no one” monitored the ROI of their paid social media efforts.

Fig. 12: Media Buyer Views on Paid Social Media Advertising Effectiveness

29%

33%

27%

43%

It’s eFFective and produces measurable ROI (with ROI deFIned as metric achieved per dollar spent)

I think it moves the needle when combined with other eFForts, but I’m not sure how to measure ROI

33%

27%

It’s a promising new tactic, but its eFFectiveness is unknown

I don’t think it works

agencies

Advertisers

Fig. 13: What Advertisers Say is Important for a Successful Campaign vs. What Publishers Say Happens for Every Campaign Deﬁne campaign’s primary advertising objective before campaign start Establish metric that will be used to measure success before campaign start

98% 32%

96% 19%

Calculate ROI

Advertisers

92% 29% PUBLISHERS

Specifically, 52 percent of advertisers and 66 percent of agencies said a “clear link between social media advertising and sales” would increase their use of paid social media advertising. <Fig. 15> Roughly half of advertisers (46%) and agencies (53%) also indicated a “clear link between social media advertising and brand lift.” As noted, these are the metrics that advertisers and agencies think are the most appropriate for measuring the ROI of their paid social media advertising efforts.

Fig. 14: ROI Clarity Would Increase Paid Social Media Advertising Use

58%

Advertisers

Improvement Opportunity Social Media Benchmarks In addition to clarity around how they are doing, marketers have indicated that they would also like to understand how they’re doing in comparison to the rest of the industry. Nearly half of advertisers (44%) and agencies (48%) said that the availability of “social media benchmarks” would lead them to increase their use of paid social media advertising, as well as provide some context for their social media performance. <Fig. 16> Currently, advertisers receive benchmarks from a disparate variety of sources, ranging from internal benchmarks they keep themselves to benchmarks from their agencies and vendors. However, one-fifth (21%) of advertisers say that they do not have any social media benchmarks, leaving them in the dark as to how they compare to the rest of the industry. When evaluating partners to work with, or measurement tools to adopt, media sellers and buyers should look for the ability to compare their campaign to industry norms or to internal benchmarks.

Clarity around how to measure social media ROI

65%

agencies

Fig. 15: What Would Increase Media Buyer Use of Paid Social Media Advertising

52%

46%

66%

53% Clear link between social media advertising and Brand Lift

Clear link between social media advertising and Sales

Fig. 16: Social Media Benchmarks Would Increase Media Buyer Use of Paid Social Media Advertising

44% 48% SOCIAL MEDIA BENCHMARKS

Advertisers

agencies

CONCLUSION Marketers are increasingly viewing and using paid social media advertising as an integrated tool. Social media is no longer being viewed as its own discrete medium but instead used alongside other tactics to achieve an overall, usually brandingrelated, objective. However, there is a gap between how marketers would like to use the medium and the current reality. This gap is the most pronounced when it comes to measuring ROI. There is an opportunity for the industry to work together and get on the same page, especially around providing and using the right metrics. By addressing the “metrics morass” that plagues advertisers, agencies, and media providers alike, the industry can address the challenges highlighted and help grow the medium so that advertising spend on social media equates to consumer usage.

About VizU Vizu, a Nielsen company, brings offline advertising effectiveness metrics to the online medium. By providing the first real-time, enterprise technology platform that allows digital advertisers and their partners– publishers, ad networks, exchanges and demandside platforms – to collaborate directly around measuring and optimizing brand lift metrics, Vizu enables brands to move consumers through the purchase funnel, from building awareness to creating intent and preference. Used by over 60% of Advertising Age’s Top 100 Brand Advertisers and the majority of the 50 largest online publishers and networks, Vizu’s platform is now part of the Nielsen Brand Effect and Nielsen Campaign Ratings suites, which deliver advertising reach and resonance metrics across media. To learn more, visit www.brandlift.com.

ABOUT NIELSEN Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and related properties. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

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