Reviewed from Uncorrected Proof
Friends with Benefits is one of the few books that offers social media marketing case studies with accompanying stats. Although every company has to set their own baseline for metrics, having a reasonable idea of what to expect is critical. Much of this private info is never shared, which means it is hard for a marketer who’s new to social media to answer the boss’s question, “what do I get for this
investment in social media.”
No Starch Press has given us permission to excerpt a couple of sections of the book. This second one is an excellent list of what you should be measuring online.
Friends with Benefits: Chapter 6
What Does Success Look Like?
Once you’ve determined your objectives, what should you measure? Here are eight possibilities, starting with the most common.
-
Visitors
…Setting up [Google Analytics or WebTrends] only takes a few minutes and provides accurate, real-time data about the number of people visiting your site, what links they’re clicking, and whether or not they’re buying anything while on your site. Reviewing your web analytics is like looking over a visitor’s shoulder…
-
Incoming links
As we’ve said before, links are the currency of the Web and are essential to generating online buzz. For sophisticated web users, incoming links indicate your authority and expertise…
-
Social network activity
How many friends does your Facebook group have? How many followers does your Twitter feed have? When you add an event to Upcoming.org, do people join?…
-
Conversations and contributions
These might be comments on your blog, Facebook page, YouTube video, or Flickr photos. Alternately, you might measure how often your customers add to or modify your public wiki or Wikipedia entry…
-
References in the blogosphere
How often do other blogs mention your organization? Are you generating buzz?…
-
Views on social media sites
How many times has your video been played on YouTube? How many people have downloaded your latest podcast? Many sites allow the audience to rate your content as a way to express whether or not they find it useful and enjoyable. Are you getting the thumbs up on Digg?…
-
RSS subscribers
These folks are extremely valuable. Like newsletter subscribers, you have permission to contact them regularly, which means they’re interested in what you’re doing or selling. their actions should infuence your site content and design; they are your online focus group…
-
Social bookmarking
How often do your customers add links about your organization to services like Digg, del.icio.us, and StumbleUpon? In other words, do others find your content compelling enough to share with friends or bookmark for future reference?
Win a copy of Friends with Benefits!
Boxcar Marketing is giving away 2 copies of Friends with Benefits! Friend us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter and enter to win a free copy of Friends with Benefits. The draw will be held on December 17.
