Toughest to track: How to measure social media success
In this Web Strategy series, we've looked at audience measurement on the Web. Now we turn to the hardest area for analytics to track: social media.
Starting from the beginning
Traditionally, businesses use return on investment as part of their planning process. It’s a calculation to see if an idea is worth doing by measuring the cost of the investment against the expected success.
But somehow, when it comes to social media, businesses have gotten ROI all wrong, says Scot Wheeler, Chicago-based senior director of marketing science at digital marketing agency Critical Mass .
He says too many businesses have approached social ROI backwards. Instead of doing the calculations before taking action, many businesses spend time or money to get Facebook or Twitter presence and then look at metrics after the fact.
Instead, metrics should be used from the beginning, along with a greater understanding of what a business can actually get out of the social Web.
You should be focused on optimizing your own internal processes, and avoid getting distracted by some particular sales/marketing tactic. For example, if you're an affiliate that relies on search arbitrage to drive/refer traffic, PPC is part of your
We specialize in insight mining, strategy development branded creative and measurable marketing promotions that embrace integrated online and offline tactics. Lorél has been directly involved in mapping and motivating consumers' brand affinity and
