Measurement Camp - How do you Measure Social Media?
This is the question which has been asked by many in the UK over the last year. In fact, so many were intrigued and determined to get to the bottom of it that about a year ago the 'Measurement Camp' was formed. I've attended most of them, and have seen it turn from a group of about 15 to approximately 50 over that time. It has mutated from an informal gathering in a Tea House in Soho, to members standing around beer barrels outside a pub in the heat of last summer scribbling down complex charts and diagrams, to the plush Soho offices of Hill & Knowlton - offices which have an outstanding view over the whole of London. How Social Media has climbed!
Those attending are always a mix of people from various industries - PR to marketing, Social Media freelancers to online consultants, digital agencies to representatives from companies looking to take Social Media on board.
Social Media falls between all these areas of industry and trying to pull all experiences together to create a true form of 'Social Media measurement' is a challenge.
Traditional PR and online agencies have until now had completely different methods of measuring success. Digital agencies produce hard facts and figures (such as number of page views), while the PR industry has traditionally worked by the rather broader ’exposure’ angle (targeting influential newspapers / magazines). Measuring Social Media campaigns involves both sides of this equation. Simply getting more 'hits' on a website is not enough - it is now all about engagement.
The market is demanding to know who the key influencers in the online space are and they are not necessarily the online versions of the Old Press with whom the PR world are used to working. A few bloggers in niche areas with a small number of highly influential followers can prove to be of more value for a campaign than using a general online advertising campaign hitting the masses.
Social Media is all about conversation and works on a 'pull' method (the consumer chooses whether to interact or not) rather than the traditional 'push' method (the advertiser controls what the audience sees) of old style advertising. Connecting with the right audience in the 'correct' way and creating online campaigns which will attract and build relationships with that audience does not form part of the traditional agency offering.
So the meeting of minds once a month is a help for everyone. We sometimes run through imaginary campaigns, discuss situations we have encountered and take advice from each other. Last month the general conclusion seemed to be that perhaps as there is so much we can now measure, wouldn't it be easier if we could come up with a simple 'industry standard' which others would adopt - though what would those be standards be? Rating influencers by 'authority' and online mentions by 'sentiment' is a start - and yes, that is where Quirk's BrandsEye comes in.
This month however it was suggested that maybe, as well as using new online methods of measuring success, there was no reason why old methods such as the conducting of surveys could not be used. Clients are comfortable with this. Maybe starting with clients' tried and tested measures and educating them slowly to accept and understand online solutions would be the key.
Where Social Media measurement will be in 6 months time will be interesting to see - we're really only just at the beginning.
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