SOCIAL MEDIA + YOU

How do you determine your ROI when social media effectiveness is so difficult to measure?

Prior to yesterday, I thought I had Social Media all figured out. My daily routine would consist of checking my company’s social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and engaging in any conversations that may have transpired over the past 12 hours. Then I’d scan the internet for mentions about our locations. And then actively engage in more social media conversation. But Justin Wise believes that an administrator’s engagement may be hindering (rather than helping) the organization’s cause. (What!?)

Social Media Expert Justin Wise wrote a post called, “Why Engaging in the Conversation may be a waste of time”, which was an initial blow to (me) professionals actively engaged in the social media world. His Engagement Theory states:

Engagement in social media doesn’t work like we think it does. Simply engaging people online on Facebook fan pages, Twitter and on blogs doesn’t necessarily lead to more page views. In some cases, like Facebook, the more comments there are on a particular post, the less views it gets.

So, if we’re not engaging in the conversations, what is the purpose of social media? If we aren’t being social then aren’t we just wasting our space on the internet? @JustinWise doesn’t seem to think so.

In his followup post “Engagement Theory: More Thoughts on Not Engaging the Conversation” he explains that providing content and provoking conversation may be the best thing that will ever happen to your organization. Through research they found that the most popular responses to the question, “What is most effective in engaging your online community?” were:

1. Frequently updating your content
2. Including a variety of communication types

So what does this mean? Provide content on your social media platforms that is relevant to your organization, but will encourage individuals to engage in conversation and ultimately share it. Share blog posts you’ve been reading. Share videos that you find interesting, or even create special videos for your social media audience (these are more likely to be viewed, and shared). RT influential individuals you follow and even repeat tweets if need be. Provide content and provide it often. Here’s a chart of the most effective “content types” on social media sites:

Not surprisingly, videos (which are tangible and shareable) are the most widely viewed and highly utilized posts on the Internet. 

Read the rest of Justin’s post for a more in depth study. But here are two things that really struck me as I wrestled through his thoughts:

An organization can (and must, I would argue) be social in the new 21st century. An organization must proactively set up outposts on blogs and social networks like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Vimeo. Simply put, if you don’t incorporate this into your organizational strategy, you’ll be left in the dust of those who are.

It’s important to reach people where they are. Since the majority of the population is on social media sites, it is important that your organization have a strong (and consistent) presence within those mediums.

So how do you measure your effectiveness and ROI? (these questions are directed towards the church culture, but the questions can be changed for the corporate culture… it’s all the same)

• How many people joined discipleship groups as a result of Twitter?
• How many people joined our church after being invited to do so on the Facebook fan page?
• How many more people are a part of missions trips this year after we gave each mission trip a profile on our blog?
• What does giving look like since we put a “give now” button on our main website and promoted it through Twitter?

Social media is vital to your company’s or organization’s health and success. It’s an incredible way to personally connect with your audience. But perhaps, being the best friend or “big brother” to your social media audience is the worst thing you can do in regards to your overall impact.

Provide content that is engaging, but don’t force the conversation. Don’t measure your effectiveness based on your “likes” or @replys, measure your effectiveness by “follow-throughs” in your audience. If your followers are engaging in conversation, and attending your events, and sharing your information - you know you are effective. Just because 20,000 people “like” your Facebook page, doesn’t mean they really “like” you.

How do you engage with your followers on Facebook, Twitter and your blogs? Do you think you are too involved in the conversation? Or have you found that engagement on social media sites is the best thing to happen to your organization?

Tweet me @SMplusYOU or @rachelhiguera and let me know your thoughts.