Research Offers Ten Reasons Social Campaigns Fail

We came across an interesting article on why social media campaigns fail to live up to the expectations of travel marketers. It reported on a research study conducted on social media marketing by a German marketing organization. The results highlighted some of the top reasons social media campaigns failed, and emphasized the importance of setting goals and managing expectations right from the start. Here’s a summary of the results.

Brand Science Institute, a German think tank, recently interviewed 560 marketers representing 52 brands in 12 countries on their knowledge of social media. Their answers point to the challenges of planning and implementing social media campaigns.

The top 10 reasons why social media campaigns fail:

1. 96% of the participants said they did not share their social media experience throughout the company.
2. 89% of the participants said their companies had no social media guidelines.
3. 87% had unrealistic expectations at the start of the campaign.
4. 84% tried to gauge the success of their social media campaigns against standard media measurements.
5. 81% of companies surveyed lacked a clear social media strategy.
6. 76% said their legal departments hindered their success.
7. 76% didn’t understand they had to moderate their social media projects.
8. 73% of projects had to demonstrate a financial return after 12 months.
9. 72% thought social media must be viral. 
10. 68% didn’t understand the 90-9-1 principle.

Clearly, social media can be a powerful tool to market your destination, resort or attraction, but to get measurable results and a return on your investment, you must define expectations up front.

We recommend these tips for social media planning and measurement. What are your experiences?

For more insights on social media marketing, read the latest issue of the Wanderlust Report, “Social Media Marketing in the Year 2011.”

Sources: www.bsi.ag, 5to9branding.com