Social media is the perfect stage for meeting your (potential) customers half way, building relationships and loyal customers. It provides an opportunity to receive feedback and get the answers you might not otherwise be privy to. Unfortunately, too many companies have been led to believe that just being on the platform is enough. They choose the most popular channels, post at random and maybe answer some customer questions. That’s like going deep-sea fishing with no destination in mind, no GPS, fresh water fishing poles and no bait! It could hurt your business more then help it.
Most companies should be on social media, BUT with an overarching strategy and management plan. Everything can be and should be measured. It’s the only way to know if your activities on these channels are effective. Measurement should not be an after thought, nor is it as simple as how many “likes” or “followers” you have. To truly maximize your efforts, measurement should be built in during the planning process from setting goals to creating your strategy, to choosing your platform.
SETTING GOALS
A social media channel should have a clear purpose. Setting goals determines what that purpose is, how the channel will be utilized (what activities will occur on the page), and aid in the company reaching their overarching goals. Goals should be S.M.A.R.T. such as “increase social media engagement among my Facebook audience by 20 percent within 90 days.” Want an updated twist to the old school acronym? Go for S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals, the extra “E” and “R” refer to the need to evaluate and re-do or attempt another way. Social media is a constantly evolving machine and calls for consistent assessment and changes to keep up and meet goals. The job is never complete!
CHOOSING A PLATFORM
It’s critical to choose the measurement platform that provides the data you need to assess and benchmark; to analyze whether you are on your way to meeting your goals. The right data are your key performance indicators (KPIs) in which you can pull insights during analysis. Examples of social media KPIs include engagement numbers, reach, and referrals; all depending on what your goals are. If they do not have anything to do with your goals, you don’t need the data. Deciding on a platform can be a time consuming project. There are an overwhelming number of options, but you are wise to review as many as possible/applicable to make a well-informed decision. Having your KPIs set in advance will help you determine which platform to choose. Once your team decides on a platform, stick with it. Don’t bring others into the mix or switch after just a few months. It will only make the situation increasingly more complicated.
DATA AND INSIGHTS
If you’re not going to pull insights from the data, don’t pull the data. It’s not just about how many “Likes” the Facebook page has or how many people you reached with one post. That’s a popularity contest. It’s about whether the data indicates you are reaching your goals or not. Measurement is done over time, showing monthly peeks and valleys, and compared to performance over time (let’s say, a three-month period) so you can identify trends and areas of weakness and opportunity.
TAKING ACTION
Now consider the data and your insights the tools you’ll need to actually do the job at hand! You have to turn insights into action or they’re useless. Use your findings to improve processes, thus progressing toward your goals. Determine whether efforts were successful and take follow-up actions. Don’t waste time, money and man power if it’s not working. Nobody wants to put a year or even three month’s worth of energy into a project to find out it didn’t work. And if after one month into a campaign, you see something isn’t working, take action. Make necessary changes to improve and achieve better results!
When in Doubt
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