As business marketers, we feel obligated to participate in social media. But beyond the basics of setting up a Facebook page and Twitter profile, marketers are still finding ways to measure results. While some believe the intangible benefits of having a voice for your brand engaged in various social media channels is reward enough, other marketing departments need to provide the CMO and CEO with a more quantifiable answer. The best way to accomplish this is by demonstrating the value social media brings to lead generation. Not just lead quantity (volume), but lead quality (scoring) and conversion rates. But tracking …

2009 will be remembered as the year that delivered an onslaught of challenges to CMOs. Financial uncertainty and changes in consumer buying habits combined with reduced marketing budgets led to demands for greater accountability and efficiency for every marketing dollar. These trends are driving an important new responsibility for CMOs in 2010: safeguarding their brands from online scams.

The Internet ushered in a new era of performance marketing not only for online advertising, but also for traditional offline ad campaigns that are crafted to drive Web site commerce. In the latter instance, the big challenge is in being able to pinpoint exactly which offline ads are responsible for Web site hits, so that media choices and spending can be fully optimized.