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The direct impact that social net-
works have on store sales and their
ability to facilitate purchasing contin-
ues to evolve. Social marketers tell
Simply Measured that “measuring
ROI” is clearly their top challenge
surrounding their social media
campaigns, cited by 61 percent
of respondents (securing budget
came in second with 38 percent).
In the same survey, only 9.4
percent said that they’re able to
quantify revenue driven by social.
Analysis of available surveys
does little to clarify matters. When
Gallup asked more than 18,000
consumers about the influence of
social media on their buying deci-
sions, 62 percent said they had
no influence at all. Just 5 percent
said it has a great deal of influ-
ence. E-commerce research firm
Custora, for its part, reports that
less than 2 percent of both 2014 and
2015 holiday sales can be directly
attributed to social media campaigns.
On the other hand, research from
Sprout Social suggests a staggering
75 percent of people have purchased
something because they saw it on
social media.
Ultimately, it’s foolish to
ignore the influence social
content and contacts have on
consumers’ paths to purchas-
ing, from initial discovery
to post-purchase posts and
recommendations. Even if
users aren’t heading to social
media specifically to interact
with brands, per se, friends’
referrals have been a primary
influencer on purchasing deci-
sions since before the days of
marketing metrics.
“Social media has a unique
ability to impact any stage of the
buyer’s journey, depending on
how it’s leveraged,” argue re-
searchers at Simply Measured.
Get ‘em in the door
Apr
2016
Jul
2016
Use
6
sers
ay 2016
% of respondents
Extent toWhich a Brand’s Social Media
Presence Influences US Social Media
Users’Holiday Purchase Decision, Ages
18 and Up
Source: G/O Digital
A factor,
among other
things
18.9%
Has some influence,
but not overly
important
29.1%
Irrelevant
44.7%
An Important
factor
7.4%
21%
32%
34%
40%
41%
42%
49%
57%
ation”
Source: Sprout Social
Interested in Their
Product/Service
Offered an Incentive
Friends Follow/Like
Their Content
Interested in Promotions
Interested in Their Industry
They’re Entertaining
To Communicate with Brand
Perce
Likelihood of Buying from a Brand
People Follow on Social Media
Source: Sprout Social
37.8%
NO CHANGE
3.8%
LESS LIKELY
57.5%
MORE LIKELY
Inside
Outdoor
|
Fall
2016
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