One of the complaints clients have about social media is the inability to measure the value of our work. I think this is bunk, as the measurement should be results - like traffic, sales, and new customers. There is, however, an argument to be made that social media threatens budgets of internal staff and also that of other vendors.
Social media projects can achieve the same results as SEO campaigns, email marketing, branding and advertising, and that threat can lead to internal political problems that aren't so easy to conquer.
The solution? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Mobile marketing just hasn't exploded the way that it was supposed to. The joke is that Mobile is like high school sex. Everybody's talking about it, few are doing it, and those who are doing it, aren't doing it well. Now, I happen to know a hot shot mobile marketing guy, and the problem isn't the platform, it's the expectations.
Mobile needs a list, just like email needs a list, just like salespeople need a list. If you want to run a social media campaign, hook up with a mobile vendor and design ways to build a cellphone list using your social media chops. The advantage is clear - the boundaries are marked, and mobile and social media go great together, from Twitter to Joopz to Utterz.
Here's your first ROI goal. Build a list of 1000 opt-in mobile customers who can be targeted by the mobile vendor. If you deliver your side, you win. And if you deliver your side, you can put it on your resume, should you ever need to explain to a social media headhunter why you're perfect for the job.
