The Metrics of Social Media

Friday, March 06, 2009

Successful businesses recognize the importance of measuring the results of any endeavor they attempt.  Quantifiable data helps us to continue and expand upon those things we know work and reform or lay aside those that don’t. 

Measuring the success of a social media campaign is no different.  Unfortunately, the relative infancy of the technologies involved in such campaigns can make gauging success daunting and potentially frustrating, especially if you don’t know the metrics.  The folks over at Econsultancy have put together a great blog entry for those of you looking to understand this issue further. 

In addition to the basics, like number of hits to a site, or comments received on a blog, Econsultancy stresses the importance of focusing on the big picture.  Simply put, a well-run new media campaign can have a positive impact on any business, however, to fully appreciate that impact one must be capable of seeing the forest through the trees.