Post 1 of 5 in a series
The following series of posts on social media analytics provide a sampling of what you should know about understanding, evaluating, selecting, implementing and managing a measurable social media program. Use this information as a resource to guide you to the solutions, consultants and agencies that will enable success within your organization.
Introduction – Social Media Marketing enables companies to talk with businesses and consumers on terms convenient to them, as part of their day to day life. If a particular social media site becomes a preferred and frequent channel of communication between the business and its audience, then the marketer has created an opportunity to have a dialogue with these prospects. The sharing aspect of these sites enables the savvy marketer to amplify their message while staying within the bounds of restrictions that must be navigated by all marketing programs.
A New Form of Communication – This amplification provides the marketer both access to a broader audience and delivers their message from a friend, colleague or respected person within the receiver’s network. This enhances the trust of the message and increases the possibility of engaging individuals within this audience. These fundamentals are the same as those provided by traditional marketing channels since the beginning of time, but offer the added benefit of increased traceability. Ultimately, the marketer is able to better attribute advertising success to the appropriate channels, content and people that influenced the results.
Each Site has a Purpose – Each Social Media site has specific strengths and purposes. When a marketing execution is correctly aligned with the goals of the strategic marketing plan and it leverages the strengths of a particular site, each site becomes a precise megaphone for the company, its products and vision. Furthermore, each site enables a company to integrate their messaging within the prospects’ daily lives and interact with them in a manner that feels comfortable and drives measurable results.
A Marketer’s Perspective – Traditionally, marketers understand the process that involves the four P’s and how a channel or site fit into the puzzle. However, the explosion of social media sites, measured in the hundreds these days, has increased the complexity of reaching the prospective audience. This forces marketers to be selective of the sites they choose and also requires additional customization of the content distributed to this intricate web.
Measurement & Analytics – Given the complexity of the channels, sites, devices, networks, content and sharing … metrics and analytics become a necessity. The high traffic social media sites are now providing their own analytical capabilities within their solutions. While this is beneficial, it creates a need to get a comprehensive picture of what is happening within and across each of these sites based on their respective strengths and capabilities. Consistency, comprehensiveness and comparability are the marketer’s friend, but are often directly opposed to the results transpiring within the details of each site.