Here they come: all the studies, the research, the survey results offering a crystal ball look into Social Media marketing for this new year.
I’m going to list two or three of the top articles published in just the last few days from some well-regarded online sites, but, really, anyone can find them. My job in this blog is to offer a little perspective for the findings that you can capitalize on for your voice over business.
Social Media Marketing Trends for 2014
10 Social Media Marketing Trends to Watch in 2014
5 Social Media Trends for 2014: New Research
Perhaps the most surprising and refreshing bullet-point in that last article is that Social Media ROI Remains Elusive.
Really? So I’m NOT crazy.
Other than some Google Analytics, I’ve always been at a loss to determine hard numbers resulting from my social media marketing efforts.
The author: Patricia Redsicker, says: “…Start by defining clear, measurable social media goals such as brand awareness (e.g., Facebook likes), lead generation (e.g., email opt-ins or content downloads) orcustomer retention (compare cost of retaining a social media customer vs. a non–social media customer). Then develop a content strategy to achieve those goals (remember that content drives social). Focus on one or two social channels where your target audience hangs out and gradually scale as your audience and your resources grow! Soon you’ll be counted among the 34% who are seeing ROI on their social media efforts.”
I like that answer, and it’s certainly a usable strategy. But I have yet to turn up HARD numbers that answer the question I always get when I present on Social Media: “…how many VO jobs have you gotten from your social media efforts?…”
I hate that question. I hate it ’cause I don’t have an answer. I hate it, ’cause I’ve searched for an answer, and I still don’t have an answer.
Here’s why: There’s absolutely no ROI for the time it would take me to trackback the trail. That, and no one has yet reliably discovered a matrix for reliably tracing relationships, conversations and hearsay. It’s like mapping the brain. I COULD probably track back each lead, but — like I said — it would take more time than it’s worth. Too 
much depends on politics, human psychology (for EACH person), motivations, and cultural pressure.
The other thing you’ll notice in the above articles is that Pay 2 Play is serious….and I’m not talking about Voices.com or Voice123.com. I’m talking about paying for advertising space on the big social media platforms. As one of the authors says: “The free lunch is looking a touch smaller”.
The final point mentioned in these predictions — one that I’ve made over and over — is that Google+ is here to stay, and will increasingly dominate the social media discourse. Google WILL NOT STOP until it makes “+” a success. Mark my words.
Wanna join my Google+ Community for voice actors: G+ Voiceovers? Send me the URL to your Google Plus profile page, and I’ll send you an invite.
CourVO
