Right Brain or Left Brain?

Let’s face it:  most of the people running social media do not come from a technology background.  We’re marketers, communicators, writers, editors, designers, artists; we’re not programmers or analysts by training or education.  But in fact, over time, we’ve had to assume these career skills – so as to adapt – or die.

Today’s MediaPost Online Metrics Insider, “Why Does Marketing Have to Be So Hard?” explains that “Marketers tend to be more right-brain than left-brain. They enjoy concepts and creativity and innovation and inspiration, but not the repetitive types of analysis that tend to extract true insights from the cacophony of marketplace response.”

I’ve written before about marketing people becoming more tech savvy, and adopting the knowledge related to analytics in order to stay ahead in a field which is increasingly seeing more of a convergence of technology and creative, as well as relying on numbers to prove or validate campaigns.

Social media is no different.

At first, social media was fun:  setting up a company’s or client’s Twitter handle or Facebook page, shooting videos for YouTube, and the like.  But now that we’ve built it, has anyone come?  Our bosses and clients are now demanding ROI and validation, as we now must scramble to show some level of metrics to justify our work.
I usually advise marketers to not start from scratch:  join forces with other groups, teams, or departments in the company who are currently using some sort of metrics platform – MIS or IT, for one.

But take a look at another department you’ve usually shunned:  customer service.  The department of Customer Service, Customer Care, Contact Center, Call Center, or whatever your company calls it is rich with data, and perhaps you’re already working with them on social media tracking.  This group probably controls the CRM system, and so they would be more than happy to provide you with the insights that very few in the company actually heed.

Such folks would be thrilled to bring you into their fold, and you can build a strong bridge to capturing important feedback, necessary for providing direction for future marketing campaigns, and adding heft to your current social media efforts.

And they, in return, would love to know what’s coming down the pike in marketing and social media.  Everybody wins.