When the Future of Social report asked digital marketers to define their top social media goals, results show social media awareness is the goal reigning supreme at 76 percent. But when awareness is hardly feasible nowadays, is it smart to make this a top KPI?
IBM’s Jason Eng stated, “The more each brand focuses on awareness, the more noise we’ll have in social, and it’s already noisy.” It’s hard to create social media awareness of a campaign or brand no one can see (or hear).
In today’s overloaded social media landscape, the spray and pray method for social media awareness is not hitting the large audience marketers crave. The Future of Social saw declining numbers in reach, traffic, and engagement of social content that would generate more awareness. Why aim for social media awareness when it is a vague and, quite frankly, elusive term?
Rachel Sacks-Hoppenfeld of Anheuser-Busch Inbev recommends cutting social media awareness from marketing goals altogether. “It is highly unrealistic to gain awareness from most social channels. Social media is flooded with brands trying to rise to the surface and it is extremely rare and difficult to rise above.” Consider replacing general social media awareness with targeted advertising campaigns geared towards specific consumers and messages that break through the clutter and guarantee your brand’s voice is seen and heard.
We’re not saying that awareness isn’t important to a brand’s success; you want people to be talking about your brand and recognizing it in the digital space. But if companies continue to place emphasis on social media awareness and clouding the digital sphere with vague messaging, soon no one will be able to see anything they’re looking for.
To read the full Future of Social report in partnership with Social Fresh and Simply Measured, click here.