Social media continues to evolve and so do the metrics used to evaluate performance. Here are some of the important metrics most social media experts recommend you consider, depending on your campaign goals and expectations:
- Clicks per social media platform. This metric indicates how much traffic is delivered to your website via social media channels, which social media channels are most effective, and whether you’re receiving “quality” visitors who spend time on your site.
- Word of mouth. This essentially measures how “viral” your content is, indicating the extent of your influence and the level at which your content is shared by others.
- Sentiment. Various technologies can give you a rough idea of how many social media mentions reflect positive, negative, or neutral discussions. They also can give you information about comments mentioning your company or products.
- Followers. The more connections you can establish with other social media users, the more likely it is that you can engage potential prospects in more detailed conversations that are relevant to their interests and needs.
- Conversions and sales. You can integrate social media metrics and website metrics to determine how effectively social media drives sales or leads to your website.
- Attention of key influencers. Key influencers are those who may have thousands of followers and connections. They can steer conversations that bring extra attention to the content you post.
To a large extent, your data will be influenced by how often you post content which can ultimately determine the value of your social media presence. It may take time to ramp up a content program, so it’s best to view your data in terms of trends instead of as isolated points in time.
