A pioneer in social analytics, the company has just released its third annual “State of Social Marketing” report, which provides insights from more than 2,700 social media professionals in 111 countries—with the perspectives of both brands and agencies.

“At the end of the day, your job as a marketer—any kind of marketer—is to sell. This is true even if you are tasked with increasing brand awareness and cultivating a community on social, as three-quarters of our survey respondents are,” said Scott Fallon, vice president of Marketing at Simply Measured. “It just means that your target market is closer to the top of the funnel. As more budget is devoted to social—social spending is expected to rise to 17.3 billion by 2019 —social marketers will be pressed to make the link between engagement and conversions. Social marketers won’t stop paying attention to engagement and amplification metrics, but they will be asked to set and meet conversion goals, too.”

There is a severe gap here today: 90 percent of marketers surveyed struggle to measure ROI and/or tie social to business goals. The report positions 2017 as the year of contradictions, with social ad investment increasing, but a lack of industry-wide goal-setting, and more than half of brands saying that influencers are vital to the success of their social programs, but over 76 percent of brands saying they have no dedicated budget for influencer marketing.

Agencies, however, are pushing for results from social more than brands: 73 percent of agencies set goals for either web traffic or conversion goals, while only 57 percent of brand marketers do. This indicates that social marketers at agencies have stronger goal-setting (and achieving) baselines than social marketers within the brand environment.

“Whether brand or agency, social media is a foundational marketing strategy that—if properly tracked and analyzed—has the ability to impact the buyer’s journey at all stages in the funnel,” explains report author Lucy Hitz, head of Marketing Communications, Simply Measured. “However, marketers still find difficulty quantifying the impact of social media and are unsure of how to distribute resources to generate the most value from their social campaigns.”

To learn more, check out the full report here.

The post Simply Measured Research Points to Increase in Social Marketing’s Importance appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

We know, it sounds like something Shakespeare might say.

On the other hand, it also sounds like something your social media marketing consultant might ask, too.

And we have answers. Or at least some.

“According to a recently released Benchmark report by social analytics company Simply Measured, Twitter engagement increased by 105 percent year over year in the fourth quarter of 2014 for the Top 100 Interbrand Global Companies measured,” according to Simply Measured. “As the year progresses, businesses of all types are taking stock of such reports in order to gain insight into what methods can help them improve their social media marketing ROI.”

Could Twitter be turning the corner in terms of getting tweeters to groove on some brand marketing?

“The increased engagement rate shows that more users are not only jumping to Twitter, but also becoming more comfortable engaging with brands on the network,” suggests Jeff Bullas, an author and digital brand strategist.

“As brands continue to integrate social media strategy into their overall marketing plan, it’s a constant struggle to decide where to allocate resources,” he says.

That’s true. Oh, so true.

So, what are the current trends that suggest brands need to stay on top of Twitter?

According to Simply Media, they include increased use of “Buy Buttons,” which will allow users to make purchases while still on their feed; an increase in visuals, such as photos and videos; and also an increase in the number of ads.

Experts note that recent experimentation with promoted tweets can be helpful in attracting a wider audience base for marketers using Twitter to reach specific demographics.

“Marketing experts also suggest that the use of tools that allow businesses to directly act on the expressed interests of Tweeters is one of the best starting points for businesses that want to expand their Twitter marketing success in 2015,” says the social media analytics company. “Millions of people are on the social network expressing their interests, wants, and needs. This information makes for excellent conversation starters between Twitter users and businesses that offers products or services relevant to what target audiences have expressed the intent to purchase or engage in.”

The post What’s In Your (Marketing) Wallet? Twitter Engagement is Up and Could Be a Social Must appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

In our second quarterly customer service study, we look at how demand has grown, how the top brands are using Twitter as a customer service platform, and how they interact with consumers.

The latest research from Simply Measured shows that 30% of the Interbrand Top 100 Brands now have dedicated customer service handles.

What’s driving such strong adoption of the microblogging platform? The answer is clear – to better resolve customer issues as quickly as possible.

“With more and more consumers using Twitter to get help and make decisions, it’s important for brands to maintain an open communication channel and measure their customer service efficacy,” says Simply Measured CEO Adam Schoenfeld. “Top companies are paying attention to that and investing to respond and support their customers on Twitter.”

The post 30% of Top Brands Are Now Tweeting for Improved Customer Service appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

For some time now, Twitter and Instagram have, without question, endured a tense relationship. Unable to play nicely together, the two titans are locked in a battle for the ages.

So who is winning? A new infographic from marketing agency DNA culls some insightful data from last month’s in-depth social media study from Simply Measured. The end result? A visual representation of the epic showdown taking place.

Check it out below and weigh in with your take on who has the upper hand in social media today.

The post Twitter vs. Instagram: Who is Winning? appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.