Connie Bensen

Marketing Sherpa recently published an article on improving Facebook measurement tactics. Adam Sutton included a number of quotes in which I was speaking in a general context beyond Facebook.

Here are the tactics and how I see them being applied to social media marketing in general across all channels:

1. Need to start with concrete goals & tactics

Before you decide on metrics, it’s imperative that you decide on the objective. In creating the strategy, then it will be necessary to outline the goals and tactics required to achieve them. The goals will be tied to business objectives and that will dictate what to measure. Simply put, it’s the percentage increase or decrease towards realizing the business objective.

2. Set benchmarks to compare channels

Everything needs to be benchmarked. If this isn’t done then it’s impossible to track the change over time. There are a number of items to benchmark per channel. Here are some to get you started: – volume of conversations – sentiment – amount of participation – number of leads (percentage that convert)

3. Connect data from the social channels to website stat’s and CRM

Having all traffic directed to your main website will make it very difficult to track the sources. If you have significant amount of traffic coming from social channels such as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn then create landing pages for each. If there isn’t enough traffic to justify that then survey those coming to your site by adding a field asking, "Where did you hear about us?".

4. Understand how many engagements convert

Social media is difficult in this aspect because engagements in social channels are about building relationships. But attribution is very important. If your social media marketing is building brand visibility and creating interest that is resulting in conversions, then you’ll want to track that. Use custom landing pages, specific coupon codes, hash tags, a distinct telephone number, etc to allow for attribution. Another tip is to make sure that your CRM denotes leads coming in from social channels.

5. Analytics data for social channels

Each channel has its own unique set of metrics. Set up metrics that make sense based on your objectives. In addition to the metrics in Facebook,YouTube, Slideshare pro account, Twitter apps also offer many.

6. Connect to business KPI’s

Tip 1 referenced the importance of a strategy. That needs to be based on a firm understanding of the business needs. Brand awareness and sentiment are important and are measureable.

7. Use metrics to improve your marketing efforts

Social media marketing is a continual process of defining and refining. Always keep in mind that the most valuable insights are the ones that you didn’t know about. When those are discovered then flexibility will be a huge asset when changes need to be made to your strategy to accommodate them.

Do you feel like you’re effectively measuring your social marketing efforts?

What are your biggest challenges?

Online community managers know that it’s not only the most gratifying career, but it can also have it’s challenges. Peer networks are the best place to support each other and share ideas with others who are most likely dealing with similar issues.

This profession is evolving and becoming mainstream which means that there are a number of professional communities emerging. Here is an overview of groups that you can join:

• Facebook group Community Manager, Advocate, and Evangelist 

Jeremiah Owyang & I kicked this off back in 2007. It is a vibrant group and there are many new people joining. There is a doc that you can add your contact info to. And there is also an informal job board.

• Community BackChannel

This is a new group that Claire Flanagan, Ted Hopton, Jamie Pappas and Megan Murray recently launched. Membership is free, but there is a process for requesting it.

• CommunityAdmins.com

These active forums are a part of Patrick O’Keefe’s iFroggy network. Patrick is the author of Managing Online Forums.

• Community RoundTable

Jim Storer & Rachel Happe are the founders of this peer network. They have built a very active community that is based on resources, research and regular activities.

• Social Business Council

I received a formal press release that the Dachis Group had launched this community. I have applied for membership & will update this post when I find out more.

Where do you hang out? and why?

The social web has put new demands on marketers and communications professionals. Digital marketing is an evolution of SEO PPC, email marketing and requires integrating web content and interactions on social channels. Web analytics and metrics now extend beyond the corporate website. And marketers are more accountable than ever for metrics, so analytics are imperative.

Online Marketing Summit does a great job of covering all these topics in one place. Last fall I sat on a panel at the event and it was the most comprehensive marketing event that I’ve attended.  It offers a broad array of expertise on digital marketing, content marketing, demand gen, SEO or web analytics The best part was that it featured local speakers which allowed for networking that extends beyond the event. I wrote an overview on a web analytics session from last year’s summit.

I’m really looking forward to the great speaker lineup at Online Marketing Summit in Minneapolis on June 7th! I always learn something new about SEO from Lee Odden. Last year, Kim Albee’s presentation on lead gen was excellent. And I look forward to Steve Woods, CTO of Eloqua, lunch keynote. I recently reread his book, Digital Body Language, and noted the many insights on database & email marketing.

If you’re just getting started in digital marketing, there are also two bootcamps available:

• Online Marketing Boot Camp June 6th
• Social Media Workshops June 8th

And what if you don’t live in the Minneapolis area? Online Marketing Summit is holding similar events around the world! Find a date and location near you.

Update: Here’s a 15% off code for my readers: MINN15

See you on June 7th!

The social web has greatly changed the search for the job seeker as well as the organization that is doing the recruiting. The interview starts long before the hiring manager meets the candidates on the day of the ‘interview’.

Over the past few weeks we have been in the process of hiring community managers. Here are some tips for those seeking this type of role.

Resume

• Your experience needs to be relevant to the position (it needs to be obvious)
• Include metrics for the impact that you had in previous positions

For example:

• Increased sales by X %
• Increased the community by X %
• Increased participation in the community by X %

Tip: Do not represent consulting as if you were an employee

Your Social Presence

• Google your name: What online presence do you have?
• LinkedIn – Some key aspects:

Do you have a complete profile that is public?

Do you have a number of references from previous employers?

Have you written references for others?

• Twitter presence – quality of tweets and a balance of followers to following

Preparation for the Interview

Research the company that you’re interviewing with. What talking points can you take with to your interview?

Research the person that you will be interviewing with. Do they have a personal blog or are on Twitter? That insight provides great conversation starters.

If your LinkedIn profile set to show  your activity, then the interviewer will see that you’ve viewed their profile.

All of the above interactions happen before the interview ever happens. They are all items that can be used to qualify candidates. If you’re applying for a social media role, take some time to ensure that your application stands out from the crowd.

If you’ve recently hired for a social media position, what additional tips would you give?