As PR pros know, measuring the effectiveness of social media posts can be tricky. Many measurement strategies emphasize vanity metrics like reach, impressions, shares or retweets, but those KPIs can be misleading. Just because a tweet is re-tweeted multiple times doesn’t mean users actually are clicking on the link found within. So communicators must separate quantitative and qualitative metrics—volume vs. quality—for a more complete picture, says Danielle Brigida, national social media manager at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Recently, a one-year-old post—about watching out for hummingbird nests when trimming trees—suddenly lit up the Service’s Facebook analytics. “It was so popular we decided to take some of the questions in the comments thread and create a blog post around them,” Brigida says. “Seeing an old post start circulating again, reading through those comments, wondering what content we can create is...valuable.”
The Service acted similarly when Brigida spotted recurring questions about poaching. This resulted in the creation of a new webpage.
Brigida uses quantitative data to understand not just what story to tell, but how to tell it best. For instance, she recently looked at the Service’s posts about monarch butterflies and noticed the top posts featured multiple butterflies. “It shows that’s what pulls people in,” she says.
When Brigida wants to convey her social media successes to supervisors, metrics such as shares and likes often are highlighted. But qualitative data also can be a useful tool to demonstrate the power of social media.
“Anytime I can answer a question, I put it in a ‘Power of Commenting’ folder that shows how these interactions can help,” she says. “If I can give somebody a good resource, or if they have a complaint, even just to tell them that I heard them is important.” The folder is used to help train others about social media best practices. It’s also shared with customer service and helps inform improvements on the Service’s website. Another use for it is to demonstrate to senior management the importance of a dedicated social media presence.
A common mistake organizations make with social media measurement is placing too much emphasis on eyeballs. “It’s pretty common to get wrapped up in the big numbers and not necessarily the qualitative stuff that can spark a conversation or a new piece of content,” Brigida says. “But social media isn’t just about reach, it’s really about listening.”
While having a content plan—and charting its effectiveness—is important, organizations shouldn’t be married to it. “People get very into the specifics of a content calendar and they forget the heart of this is about connection and being part of a community...so much of our job is figuring out what people need...that’s largely why we’re on social media.”
-- Jerry Ascierto is senior content manager of PR News
Note: For more from Brigida attend the PR News Social Media Boot Camp and Measurement Conference, April 20-21, Washington, D.C. For information: http://bit.ly/2mQGMjK