Measurability Is Key for New Content Products

While the web provides an advertising environment with the potential for unparalleled visibility into marketing spend and ROI, tools to help agencies and advertisers make the most of the opportunity have lagged behind. Many companies are working on pieces of a solution, but few have the scale to implement products that cut across the highly fragmented online landscape and gain critical mass.

Last month Sapient, the online marketing and consulting firm, released results of a survey that suggests the rapid growth of Web 2.0 content and presentation options is only making the problem worse. “Marketers lack the tools necessary to optimize their marketing efforts across the full spectrum of digital channels,” Sapient concluded. Survey respondents were particularly interested in social media, but found those results hardest to track.

The respondents were comfortable with their ability to measure responses to email and search marketing efforts and wanted comparable accountability for spending in other channels. They also wanted reporting that provides “apples to apples” results across all channels to facilitate ROI-based spending allocations, and rapidly updated data that allows near-real-time spending adjustments to capitalize on emerging opportunities.

The takeaway for anyone managing a media site: it’s increasingly important to build measurability into new content products. Until a grand, cross-channel solution comes down from the likes of Google or Yahoo, your ability to provide metrics will directly correlate to your ability to monetize. Advertisers are demanding better measurability and for now, they’re leaving it to you to solve the problem.