• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, December 9, 2011

The panel and audience makes and interesting point today: social search marketing shouldn't be viewed as just a media buy, as it can also be a research channel. This echoes something that Nate Riggs, digital marketing strategist for restaurant marketing for Bob Evans, said yesterday -- essentially saying that the company's social media efforts might not always have directly measurable ROI, but are noentheless useful as a channel for measuring the effectiveness of coupons and promotions, as well as alerting management when there are issues that need to be addressed.