Measuring the success of any social media venture is definitely something businesses should be doing. That’s no surprise; well at least I hope it isn’t!
Keeping sight of what constitutes success along the may be another story. What I’m getting at is there are so many ways to succeed in your social media campaigns, it is important to select what matters most at the outset. Here are a few of the ways you could measure success:
- # of comments on posts, updates or uploads.
- # of likes, diggs, retweets and shares (of the above).
- # of fans.
- # of page views (of your blog or social network site).
- Click through to your website.
- Offline media coverage (publicity).
- RSS subscriptions.
AND the list goes on.  I see a problem emerging when the temptation to dominate every imaginable metric arises. I’ll try to explain why this could get you into trouble…
Let’s say the original objective of a foray into blogging was to encourage commenting and the subsequent interaction that it creates on your posts. It may soon become temping to look at the amount of page views you’re getting and begin longing for more. Sure you want traffic but if you start focusing on chasing numbers, where does the commenting and interaction fit on the priority list? Do visitors still have the same experience when reading you blog? Maybe, but maybe not; then you could get in the poop.
Now I’m all for adapting to change, pushing the limits, and kicking social media bum. I’m just saying be careful to stick to the plan for the sake of keeping your message clear and consistent. Do this and you will have a greater chance of ticking off your initial goals without alienating your loyal followers along the way. You can always build upon your success later (sorry, that is another post altogether).
What do you think, total domination always or a more strategic approach?
