Social Media Metrics For Dummies

Identifying Metrics Sources

Figuring out where your data is coming from is key to your success. Some incoming data will be generated by your marketing efforts, but not all. You need metrics tracking in place to capture data from the organic discovery of your brand on and offline as well.

You also need metrics in place to capture data on how your customers are finding you. Are you strong in search engine optimization? Do new people come to you from Google? What about Bing’s location-driven search? Is foursquare your main referrer? Do you get traction on Twitter? Having Google Analytics in place will capture this data even if you don’t have a specific goal or campaign running.

After you begin collecting this global data on organic discovery of your brand, you can use it to fine-tune your goals and campaigns to reach the best customers for you with the stickiest promotions. Targeted, metrics-based outreach is going to drive more sales and increase your reach.

As organic data on where people are discovering your brand and what is driving that discovery comes in, you can begin to target your message and set new goals. For example, if you find that your mom-and-pop shop gets a lot of foot traffic from Bing’s local focused search results, you know you can add in a strong geographic and mobile component to your online branding to get more traction.

To leverage local search results, use ...