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Social Media Metrics Made Simple

LT Kaye Sweetser, PHD, APR

Emerging Media Integration CHINFO OI-54

24-25 May 2010

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Why Numbers Matter

Metric programs in Public Affairs are vital tools to identify where you are & measure how you’ve done

Metrics offer a recognizable and demonstrable way of showing effect

Trends allow you to make informed decisions

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What Measurement is Not …

Clipping service

Clip summaries

ExpensiveToo hard to do without a contractor

Meaningless

Just for show

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Not All Numbers are Created Equal

Many social metrics have little significance without considering relationship:

• Number of fans• Number of posts you put out• Word clouds

Instead you should focus social metrics on engagement & interaction:

• Number of likes, comments & impressions in Facebook• Number of @ replies or RTs in Twitter• Number of comments in Flickr, YouTube, Facebook

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But Before You Can Devise a … You Must Have

What do you want to achieve?With whom do you want to achieve it?

How does it fit into your command communication goals?How will you measure that success?

METRICMEASUREABLE OBJECTIVES

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Step 1 Create a plan: PAG, comm plan, etc. with goals and objectives

Step 2 Determine method or approach, decide what you’re looking for

Step 3 Select sample

Step 4 Implement

Step 5 Analyze

Setting Up Your Assessment Plan

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MONITOR CONVERSATIONS

Goal 1:

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Step 3 Keep track

Step 2 Use social tracking software or sites, set up RSS feeds Google, Addictomatic, Radian6, Twitter search … the more the merrier

Keep a spreadsheet to track topics and who is talking about youBONUS: use a Google form to ease input of “coding” of social mentions

Step 1 Devise search terms

Variations on your command name, commander, common misspellings,Keywords related to the command or its mission, etc.

Find Item Use Google Form to Code

Form Feeds into Spreadsheet

Make Charts from Data

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1. Log into Google Docs (http://docs.google.com) , create a form

2. Populate the form with items you want to “code,” like date, audience type, message, topics discussed, etc.

3. Form data feeds into spreadsheet that Google docs builds automatically as you create that form

4. Toggle between form and spread sheet as you build the form and check the spreadsheet

5. Start coding with the form when it is ready, use the data on the spreadsheet to make graphs

Use Google Forms for Coding

Need form ideas for your own coding?• See http://bit.ly/usncode1 for a coding form focusing on what others say about you• See http://bit.ly/usncode2 for a form focusing on how engaging you are to your stakeholders

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MONITOR REACH & REPEAT OF MESSAGEGoal 2:

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Monitor mentions

Step 1 Post it, use bit.ly for links

Step 2 Monitor how many people clicked on it

Step 3 Monitor how many people directly retweeted your message

RTs are

great – it

means no

one edited

your

message!

RTs are

great – it

means no

one edited

your

message!

Type an asterisk (*) after your bit.ly URL to see your stats on that link

Click on your @username or Retweets on the left sidebar to see how many people republished your tweet

Step 4 Keep scoreKeep a spreadsheet to track number or RTs, @ mentions and clicks for each message you tweet. BONUS: make graphs showing how successful social media is at communicating command messages

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ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS

Goal 3:

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Built-in Facebook Metrics

Click for More

Metrics

Shows Viral Effect

Impressions show how many eyeballs saw the item you posted on their feeds – that means fans, and friends of fans who interacted (creating a viral effect).

Feedback is the ratio of interaction per impression.

Insights contain admin-only metrics that chart interaction and give audience data.

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Sample Chart: Engagement by Type

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Sample Chart: Engagement by Topic

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Export Facebook

Insight data into Excel

Select Different Metrics

Select Different Metrics

Post quality compares interaction of your fans with that on sites of similar sizes. The higher the number, the better.

Demographics are broken down into active fans this week (top) and all fans (bottom) on the right. Are you hitting your targeted gender, age and geographic demographic?

Media consumption shows how much each of your multimedia products posted within Facebook are viewed.

Facebook Insights

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Matching Objectives with Metrics

Are Message Goals Met?

• Count Topical Mentions• Look at Tone by Topic• Compare Topical Mention Over Time

Are You Reaching Your Targeted Stakeholder Groups?

• Demographics of Users (Facebook Insights and your own coding)

• City, Gender or Ages of Users• Creating your own Coding Categories such as Sailor, family, etc.

•Look at Topics Mentioned by Audience Group

How Much are Command Issues/the Command Discussed?

• Count Mentions• Track Topic Trends

Match objectives with metrics, then

use the data to chart communication

course.

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For help setting your metrics program or to get more information about these processes, please contact us.

LT Kaye Sweetser, PHD, APRActing Deputy, Emerging Media Integration CHINFOKathleen.Sweetser@navy.mil(O)703-695-6915

CDR Scott McIlnay, APRDirector, Emerging Media Integration CHINFOscott.mcilnay@navy.mil(O)703-692-4718