Stop the vanity metric madness! How to find and implement meaningful social media metrics for your organization.

1. the vanity metric
How To Find and Implement Meaningful Social
Media Metrics For Your Organization
@alisonjherzog
madness

2. Seriously, Though,
Stop it
!
“But I grew my following by
18%-76%-1600% last year!
I’m amazing! I’m a hero!”

3. “So What?”
–Alison J. Herzog

5. Pet peeves: It’s time to go there
!
1. Using social media to heavily promote (read: push)
product on people. Guys, it’s called “social” media for a
reason.
2. Quoting data without context
3. Quoting data with no ability to answer how it ties to your
business initiatives

6. “Measure what is measurable, and make
measurable what is not so.”
–Galileo Galilei

7. What does that
mean?
What does an 18% increase in
Facebook followers mean to your
business?
!
Why do you care?

8. What is your business
about?
!
What do you want out
of social media?

9. What does your audience want of social media?
Use data to understand expectation and to evaluate what
content is successful to your business initiatives.

10. “Common sense is not so
common.”
–Voltaire

11. Real World Application
A test of one brand’s social content revealed that the audience consistently
engaged highly with content that contained one of the following elements:
1. Pragmatic Information
2. Authentic User Generated Content
3. Universal Truths
4. Positive Emotion
!
What didn’t work?
1. Overt ad copy in organic social.

12. Map out your Customer Lifecycle
Where and how does social fit?

13. Hint
It’s not typically in the purchase stage. Social is not known
as a last touch activity.

14. A Wise Man Taught Me
(And I’d be grateful if you’d choose a side. Don’t straddle the
fence.)

16. Have you considered?
• How different audiences react to content?
• Who your audience is? Or should be?
• What user behavior occurs once a user has transitioned
to your website?
• If your content is resulting in social engagement but no
further action? or
• If your content is driving action but no engagement?

17. What steps should you take?
• Set your expectations realistically!
• Educate your internal audience
• Ask questions (internally & externally)
• Research
• Listen
• Appreciate your audience by demonstrating that you
listen and care. Be human!

18. Mashable gets it. And
you’re welcome. @alisonjherzog