Social Media Metrics For Dummies

Working with What You Find

After you start playing around with different basic metrics and third-party tools, you’re probably starting to notice data coming in — data that you now have to sort and understand. In fact, piles and piles of data are out there to sort and sift through. How do you know where to start digging in?

The simplest way to begin is to create a spreadsheet to track each goal you have. That way, you can track your successes and make use of data-sorting, web-saving, and annotating tools like Evernote (http://evernote.com ) and other tools like it to start sorting your incoming feeds. Use your browser bookmarks and folders to keep online tools straight.

If I have to have you choose between a document, which most folks are familiar and comfortable with, and a spreadsheet for tracking your goals, I’d tell you to go with a spreadsheet. Some people already use them extensively, and that’s great! For those of you who don’t use them yet because they seem too “math-y” or because you think you might not “do it right,” it’s high time you got comfortable with them. Using your goals is a good start.

To get started tracking your goals in spreadsheets, follow these steps:

1. Title the spreadsheet with your goal or objective for your social interaction for the coming week.

2. Make a column for each of the sites you want to engage (Twitter, Facebook, and so on).

3. Go to the ...