Chapter 19

Top Ten Metrics for Measuring Social Media Marketing ROI

Shama Kubani

Feels good to be home! I just got back from a long speaking tour. First, I was in Nashville doing a keynote on social media for women accountants and CPAs. Then, I was in Las Vegas for a keynote at the Direct Employers Conference. I spoke about social media for recruiters. After which, I spoke at the Conquer and Grow conference. It was the shortest presentation of my life—10 minutes! Very TED-like. But, I had a blast, and was forced to really sum up my points.

Below are the main points:

Three Things to Keep in Mind When Measuring Social Media Marketing Success

1. Measure quantitatively and qualitatively: The quantitative is the numbers part of the game. Web site visitors, Twitter followers, Facebook fans, and so on. This makes for very pretty charts, and cool case studies. The qualitative is what can't be measured by numbers. It is essentially what is being said about you and your brand. Reputation management, anyone?

2. Keep in mind the nonlinear benefits of social media marketing: Small and medium-sized businesses alike have the same power afforded to bigger businesses. How? R&D. Research and development was never this quick or streamlined. The feedback you can get from an online community when done correctly can be comparable to millions of dollars worth of focus groups.

3. Build it before your need it: Social media marketing is akin to storing a box of Band-Aids in your medicine cabinet. You ...

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