Case studies 'to measure social media marketing success'

Social media marketing campaigns could be made more effective through case studies of other promotional strategies, it has been claimed.

Bradley Little, head of NM Incite, suggests seeking the drivers behind successful online community marketing tactics will help inform brand management drives, a move that may make operations more cost effective.

For example, a recent effort to raise awareness of Breast Cancer Awareness Month saw millions of women updating their status with variations on the same theme, a move so successful it was reported in national newspapers.

Marketing campaigns could be made more successful by examining the reasons for its impact, as some may fear social media tactics lack accountability and are hard to gauge in terms of effectiveness.

CNN recently reported this style of marketing could be most valuable for companies in sectors related to business, international news and technology, as these were the current affairs stories most shared across online communities.

Companies working in these industries may find social media marketing an ideal brand enhancement tool as consumers are already tuned in to this style of information sharing.

However, other firms could also benefit by finding marketing tool that work across sector divides and using them to their own advantage.