Lesser Known Social Strategy Metrics
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Every company, business owner, marketer, and social analytics worker has been breaking their backs over the past half of a decade and more to try to understand and justify their social media marketing strategy.
Since it is constantly evolving it is hard to peg down what the returns on time and investment look like, if it is really truly worth it, and of course what the next “big thing” will be.
Unfortunately we won’t all be striking lightning in the bottle with the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.” I honestly feel for the people in the development and marketing team at ALS and every other non profit around because the question then gets posed to everyone of them (and to find the answer!) of “How do we do another Ice Bucket Challenge?”
Traditional advertising long held the notion that you didn’t know everything that worked but you had to keep doing it.
It was okay to throw paint on the wall and know some of it was going to stick but you didn’t know which part of it would.
But as we have dived into digital advertising and social media strategy the same expectations have not held up. Now everything has to have a dollar sign attached to it measure with intense scrutiny. All advertising should actually be measured and analyzed and if it is clear it is not working should be moved on from.
However there are certain aspects of social strategy that go beyond dollars and cents. They move your business forward but don’t make the headlines within the company. Sadly they often go unnoticed to the higher ups or they are disposed of before real impact can take effect.
To connect with customers with a passionate marketing strategy social media marketing needs to stay the course and understand that not every part of it will have dollar measurements beside it. The same way traditional advertising does not.
Here are three metrics and examples that will go unnoticed but in the long run will help you win with your customers.
1) Your active response on social media when there are problems. I know someone who got bad food from their favorite neighborhood pizza place. She sent them a note on Facebook and they not only replied, but apologized and gave her a $20.00 credit towards her next purchase. The goodwill and stories that she will spread far outweigh the $20.00 credit but without an active response team it would have gone unnoticed and could have eventually led to a lost customer.
2) Content marketing that doesn’t lead to immediate sales but moves a prospect through your customer funnel. Great content marketing leads to the development of trust and a relationship and often times goes under appreciated in the business world. But it’s an opportunity to provide value upfront to people and show them who you are. If they like what you or your company is about they slowly move through the funnel towards becoming a customer. One day they do and you think it’s “random” or “word of mouth” but actually it was the content coming out of your mouth and helping them for some time that did it. My blogs would be an example in that I hope to provide value to eventually help you HERE with my Efficiency Recipe or as a consultant for a small to midsize business. That kind of trust doesn’t get created overnight.
3) The sheer act of activity over dormancy. Somebody hears about you and is looking at your website. They click on all of your “LIKE US” and “FOLLOW ME” social icons to see you are completely dormant on twitter yet you have it on the front page of your website. However if they see a somewhat active strategy it shows them you are around, in business, and alive. Just that sheer act of social activity will help start a customer relationship instead of the dormant act that might lead them away forever.
There are many more ways social strategy can lead to subliminal wins and value for prospects and customers but I hope this gets your mind working.
We want to measure anything and everything now in the digital world but while we should look at both traditional and digital/social metrics with eyeballs now there are wins that you will get that will go beyond just an attached dollar sign.
Focus on long term happiness for your customers instead of the immediate ROI on one social post and you will come out as a winner of the marathon instead of just the 40 yard dash.
Thanks for being here, reading, sharing, and caring. Both of my books are available HERE.
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Spread Good Vibes, Demand the Best from Yourself, Carpe Diem!
Mike