Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion…

With just three weeks to go, Africa’s first social media analytics conference has attracted delegates across the business sphere from multinationals operating throughout Africa, to ad and digital agencies.

The conference, being held in Sandton on 11 and 12 February goes beyond the scope of traditional social media practices in SA, with practical insights from leading experts about how social media can change businesses and business outcomes.

More than 80% of companies in SA do little more than qualitatively analysing social media data. With advances in big data and other technological developments, companies can now look beyond the myopic perspective of social media monitors, to a new world in which companies harvest social data to provide actionable business insights.

According to Altimeter 55% of companies (globally) still only measure social media on an ad hoc basis, not tied to business outcomes. Just 5% of companies integrate or view social data with other internal and external data to provide robust insights that move businesses forward.

Although many of the technologies used for social analytics are mature and proven, adoption rates have been low due the many considerations that companies still do not have a grip on, for example, shortage of skills in data science, lack of understanding of big data and silos within corporate structures that impede the flow of information across the company.

Some of the key outcomes of the event include developing the right social media analytics strategy for achieving specific business objectives, optimising internal structures and ensuring buy-in, how social analytics is becoming key to other business functions in addition to marketing, conducting predictive analytics and key considerations in choosing appropriate technologies.

The event programme covers many social media topics and burning issues that will assist companies in developing social media strategies, from how to develop a social media plan in 90 days, local and international case studies which demonstrate how social media can answer burning business questions.

For more info, visit www.africaninfex.com