Social Media – Are You In Or Are You Dead? (Part 4)

Establishing metrics to determine the impact of social media initiatives

If you read my four part series on social media you would agree that social media brings with it a wealth of business opportunities. The majority of businesses and the marketers who work for them are in dire need of social media specialists. Some larger companies even employ social media administrators to help them plan, design and run their social media initiatives.

We are done with the ponderous debate about whether we should consider social media initiatives. Social media is here to stay. The new topic of social media revolves around media platforms and what media channels will be best for your business. Social media presents, in many instances, uncharted territories and leaves the door open to explore and discover new opportunities and ways to improve your brand and level of customer service. Regardless of what you carry out in an effort to perfect your social media strategy, never forget to measure your success along the way.

Without proper metrics to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of your social media initiatives you will not be able to see if your efforts made an impact on whatever it was you were trying to accomplish. Business.com identified the most popular success metrics to measure the impact of social media initiatives in their 2009 social media study, and identified web site traffic as the most popular and easiest method of measuring the impact of social media.

Following is a list, in particular order, of the most popular success metrics used by companies today to measure the impact of social media:

1. Web site traffic (65% of companies could see a positive impact)
2. Engagement with prospects (43% of companies could see a positive impact)
3. Brand awareness (38% of companies could see a positive impact)
4. Engagement with customers (50% of companies could see a positive impact)
5. Revenue (54% of companies could see a positive impact)
6. Brand reputation (38% of companies could see a positive impact)
7. Prospect lead volume (55% of companies could see a positive impact)
8. Prospect lead quality (46% of companies could see a positive impact)
9. Useful product feedback (55% of companies could see a positive impact)
10. Other

The average company in this study used four different success metrics among those listed above. As expected, the success metrics listed above cluster into four major focus areas:

1. Web site traffic
2. Engagement – with prospects and customers
3. Brand impact – awareness and reputation
4. Leads – both quantity and quality

As the experience level in social media rises, so does the ability to identify and measure the impact of social media on success metrics. Bottom line, social media offers great opportunities to improve customer service, brand experience, and revenue.


Pierre Fourie is a leading marketing and advertising consultant based in Johannesburg South Africa. He is highly regarded for his expert knowledge on Digital Out Of Home (DOOH) systems and his ability to conceptualise and execute marketing / advertising strategies. Pierre was dubbed the “digital expert” on developing content strategies and promoting branding concepts for private digital advertising networks, including Planet Fitness Gyms and The More Golf Group. His background in the electronics engineering field of study, combined with more than 10 years experience as a business owner, entrepreneur and media expert is reflected on his personal blog: http://mediamarketingandsales.blogspot.com

Social Media – Are You In Or Are You Dead? (Part 2)

Social media is not just about Facebook and Twitter

Social media includes UGC (User Generated Content) web sites like Facebook and Twitter. These particular web sites pitched large tents in the social media world, but it is important to know that the phrase “social media” refers to various media channels and platforms that enable and encourage users to interact with each other and the brands they are exposed to.

A single UGC site can, for example, host a variety of media platforms and combine different media channels in order to enhance the user’s experience. UGC sites are ultimately designed to drive large amounts of traffic, hoping to accumulate large membership numbers that increases advertising interest and provide alternative revenue streams.

In order for you to conduct a business transaction you will need three things; a supplier (entity who wants to sell a product or service), a buyer (entity who has the need for your product and the means to pay for it), and obviously a product or service to sell. The marketing function of any business is to identify who the potential buyers are, what products and services they demand, how much they are willing to pay, and what information resources these potential buyers consult in order to make an informed purchasing decision.

I would recommend that you include Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Companies as part of your brand strategy for social media in order to maximise results. The next step requires some research planning, and attention to detail. Determine exactly who the players are, what media platforms you should focus on, what social media channels you should use, and what emotions and sentiments you would like to pin down.

The average company in Business.com’s 2009 social media study is currently planning, developing or running seven different social media initiatives. Over 1,900 participants in this research indicated that they work for a company involved in social media initiatives. The vast majority (92%) are directly involved in planning or managing these initiatives and spend, on average, 18% of their time in a given week on business social media activities.

Pierre Fourie is a leading marketing and advertising consultant based in Johannesburg South Africa. He is highly regarded for his expert knowledge on Digital Out Of Home (DOOH) systems and his ability to conceptualise and execute marketing / advertising strategies. Pierre was dubbed the “digital expert” on developing content strategies and promoting branding concepts for private digital advertising networks, including Planet Fitness Gyms and The More Golf Group. His background in the electronics engineering field of study, combined with more than 10 years experience as a business owner, entrepreneur and media expert is reflected on his personal blog: http://mediamarketingandsales.blogspot.com