Measurement can be daunting for the uninitiated communicator. With giants like Google and Facebook constantly implementing updates and changes—causing digital metrics to fluctuate in value and industry acceptance almost weekly—even seasoned PR pros may find aspects of the subject contradictory and overwhelming.
Still, when it comes to social media content, there's no denying the three pillars of social metrics: engagement, reach and conversions. Prioritizing and classifying them, however, is not quite as easy as identifying these major components.
At PR News' Oct. 5 Social Media Summit in New York, Jill Hamilton, senior manager of marketing and social media with the Whitney Museum of American Art, will give attendees her full breakdown on which metrics matter and how to measure them.
Until then, here are three useful metrics that Hamilton says PR pros can glean quite a bit of insight from.
- Drop-off rates—Never let anyone tell you that a high drop-off rate is OK. It's a key indicator that your content—be it the actual media or tone voice—needs to be reexamined.
- Bounce rates—A bounce rate above 75 percent is a bright red flag that there may be some barrier at play. Often it is due to a less-than-user-friendly functionality of the landing page. No matter how wonderful a social media strategy or high a click-through rate you may have, this will foil all efforts.
- Listening—Simply put, there is no replacement for good old real-life monitoring to keep you on the cusp of what followers are saying, who they are and what they expect from the platform.
After you’ve got your data, Hamilton says it's critical to routinely circle back to your overarching institutional goals. If your primary goal is direct selling, yet you're seeing a drop in engagement rates and direct conversions, it's time to make a change.
Join PR News for the Social Media Summit on Oct. 5 in New York City, where you'll hear all about social media—think: measurement, case studies and plenty of tips to help you with your own strategy—from brands like MasterCard, GE Power & Water, TED, Walmart, Human Rights Campaign, KIND Snacks and Nissan.
Follow Mark Renfree: @MarkRenfree