Hi friend – Rob here.

Let's talk about Social Effectiveness 101.

Broadly inspired by The IPA's Advanced Effectiveness Test.

But with a social spin to it, because it's god damn 2024.

Let's get into it.

🚨 Problem:

Most social reports only tell 33% of the story, because social metrics (alone) rarely translate outside the social or marketing team.

💡 Solution:

When telling an effectiveness story, build a case based on campaign, brand and commercial metrics (or a proxy for them).

⚙️ Why it works:

• It acknowledges campaign metrics as table stakes while going further to prove actual contribution back to the business.
• It blends sources so that you have a richer view of what might have worked (or not), and why (or why not).
• It gives you a simple enough story you can pack into a single executive summary (this happened, therefore this, therefore this).
• It has enough flexibility for a variety of budgets, as most organisations can't afford standard brand lift or econometrics studies.

❌ What it's not:

• A replacement for longer-term brand metrics (for that you need 3+ years of brand tracking data).
• A silver bullet (they don't exist) about all revenue that you can tie back to social activity (it's one of many factors).
• A scientific argument that is irrefutable, think of it more as a strong enough case you can take to court (the board).

🛠️ How to use it:

• Compare results to something (past results, industry benchmarks, platform benchmarks), or it's meaningless.
• If you can't afford a brand lift study through a digital platform, do it via a specialised research partner (they exist).
• Connect with the sales or ecommerce team early on to ensure tracking is in place, either online or in physical surveys.
• Consider allocating 5-10% of your production budget to measurement, especially if working with a third-party.
• Define measures and targets before briefing the work, it will save you a world of pain 6 months down the line.

☝️ Got questions?

​Shoot me a message and i'll help you out.