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The number of social media tools available today may leave you wondering where the business communication payoff is. A well-crafted set of metrics can turn this wave of social media from a technological tsunami into a pipeline of successful communication. But there is a daunting range of measurement options—from web analytics and content analysis to blog searches. By selecting a set of metrics with your goal in mind, it’s possible to develop a clear plan for success.
Social media are one set of tools in a range of web-based applications for connecting people on the Internet. Blogs, wikis, forums, content sharing, social networking, social bookmarking and numerous other types of social media sites present many opportunities to reach and influence audiences. The primary purpose of these sites is to involve consumers, employees or the general public by allowing them to share content and interact with others. Social media put users at the center of this interaction, and increase the opportunities for communicators to influence their audiences.
The volume of interaction and content on these sites can be overwhelming. A Cone research study titled “2008 Business in Social Media” found that 30 percent of Americans use social media tools two or more times a week. While the use of social media is undoubtedly increasing, communicators still want to see the value that comes with a social media presence. In fact, a Forrester study, “Interactive Marketing Channels to Watch, 2008” found that 68 percent of marketers would not adopt a social media tool unless it was already proven to be effective.
Selecting metrics
Success in social media measurement starts with selecting metrics that fit your purpose, as well as the participants and type of data gathered (for example from surveys, web analytics, information systems, etc.). While social media are one new set of channels, they can have many different business applications. In fact, the flexibility of social media is one reason they have grown so rapidly.
Any social media program should have a specific set of goals. Social media can be used to educate customers, increase brand or product visibility, respond to customer concerns, improve employee collaboration, and more. Matching these goals to the appropriate metric can shed light on the impact of your social media communications.
Using social media goals to select metrics is just a first step. The perspective of social media participants can also help specify the choice of metrics. Web site owners may view the goal of their site as building a strong online community of users who share similar interests. For example, the www.penaddict.com site is both a blog and a gathering place for fans of specific brands of pens. Gather.com is an example of people using a site as a place to connect with others and share experiences. Communicators may view social media as a channel for sending messages, influencing opinions and encouraging behaviors, as is the case with Facebook pages like the one for the department store JCPenney.
We can further refine our selection of social media metrics by considering what is being measured. Behavioral metrics, such as page views, visits and unique visitors, focus on the actions of individuals, and answer the question, What did the user do while visiting the web site? The Web Analytic Association publishes an excellent set of definitions for these metrics. Outcome metrics focus on the reasons that organizations develop and maintain a social media presence.
These metrics are similar to those used with traditional media and focus on users’ perceived benefits, value and engagement. They go beyond the user’s actions and address the question of how the user benefited by visiting the web site. Experience metrics are also similar to those used for traditional media. They focus on why users participate and whether they receive the support, information and knowledge they need.
The scope of metrics
The figure above presents an efficient means of selecting metrics for specific purposes. Exercise caution about the scope of available metrics. Social media have been called the most measurable media. Social media web sites can generate a high volume of quantitative web analytic data on traffic volume, duration, page views, click-throughs, etc. This data alone may not present a full picture of a social media effort’s success. Other forms of qualitative and quantitative data about sentiment, ease of use, and benefits can help paint a rich picture of social media’s impact. For example, sentiment detection refers to the amount and placement of predetermined positive or negative words within a range of blogs. Various calculations for sentiment exist, but they all essentially amount to a content analysis of the positive tone being expressed about a product, service or brand.
It’s also important to consider the limits of social media’s “strength of signal.” The current budgets behind new media efforts are small compared to traditional media, and they cannot possibly send as strong a signal to target audiences. Also, although audiences for social media are growing rapidly, they are still limited to those who are frequent computer users. In the near future, this weaker signal will limit the ability to detect the unique impact of social media.
Identifying the opportunities for success and improvement for social media is still vital. Communicators can achieve this by selecting a subset of metrics that tells a story about why the particular social media site was used, what was achieved and what is likely to happen in the near future. No one metric can answer all these questions. But organizing a set of metrics by goals, perspectives and data type can lead to a strong basis for measuring social media success.
John Christopher, Ph.D., is president of People Information + Insights LLC. He has 15 years of experience leading organizational and communication research that supports business leaders with information and decision-making needs. Christopher serves as a trustee for the IABC Research Foundation, teaches organizational psychology as an adjunct faculty member for Baker College Online, and holds a doctorate degree in industrial organizational psychology. E-mail him at
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