Social Media Planning & Measurement: Proving (or not) the Value of Social Media

Beth Harte

Community Manager, MarketingProfs

@bethharte

Why Measurement is

Important

The silver bullet myth

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Are you ready for hard work?

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Politics will always exist

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Tactics without a plan...

Don’t think you need a plan?

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With a plan...

How to write a measurable

plan

The Plan:

• Goal

• Measurable Objectives

• Strategy

• Tactics

What is a goal? • What do you hope to gain by

engaging in social media?

• Does your goal fit into the overall corporate goal?

How to write a goal:

• To increase sales

• To decrease customer service expenditures

How not to write a goal:

• To increase sales AND to increase customer engagement

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Types of objectives• Output: Physical products

– Blog post, news release, e-mail, etc.

• Outtake: What a target audience takes away

– Messages, perceptions, understandings

• Outcome: Quantifiable changes in attitudes, behaviors, or opinions

– Sales, change in the number of downloads, requests, responses

Writing measurable objectivesTo be measurable, objectives MUST include:

1. A specific desire, communication or behavioral effect;

2. A designated target audience among whom the effect is to be achieved;

3. The expected level of attainment; and

4. The timeframe in which those attainments are to occur.

Measurable objectives• Output: To create a Facebook fan page and

have 15% of online public #2 join within 6 months.

• Outtake: To increase positive mentions that include key message in key industry blogs by 15% within six months.

• Outcome: To increase sales of Product X by 20% within 3 months.

• To increase sales

• To decrease customer service expenditures

• To increase sales and to increase customer engagement

• To decrease customer service expenditures and to increase customer satisfaction

How not to write an objective

Strategy• What is the approach

to achieving objectives and reaching the goal?

• Example: Establish a Facebook Fan Page to keep target audiences connected.

• Set up a Ning community to support customers of Product X.

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Tactics• What activities will be

conducted to carryout specific objectives?

• What tools will be used?

• Example:

– Set up the Facebook account

– Invite target audience via an e-mail

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A Sample Plan Outline• Goal• Objective 1 (Outcome objective)

– Strategy 1• Tactic 1• Tactic 2

• Objective 2 (Output objective)– Strategy 1

• Tactic 1– Strategy 2

• Tactic 1• Tactic 2

Sample Measurable Plan• Goal: To lose weight

• Outcome Objective: I want to lose 10 pounds by September 15th

• Strategy 1: I will go to the gym 5 times a week

– Tactic 1: Elliptical machine

– Tactic 2: Weight training

• Strategy 2: I will watch what I eat

– Tactic 1: Weight Watchers

– Tactic 2: Journal

• Measurement: I lost 8 pounds by September 15th (Objective not met)

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Sample Measurable Plan• Goal: To increase sales

• Outcome Objective: To increase sales of Product X by 20% within 3 months

• Strategy 1: To use Facebook to engage customers of product X

– Tactic 1: Create a Facebook Fan Page

– Tactic 2: Create Facebook Ads

• Strategy 2: To use Twitter to engagecustomers of product X

– Tactic 1: Conversational Tweets

– Tactic 2: Tweets with discount codes

• Measurement: An increase of sales in Product X of 25% within 6 months (Objective not met)

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Plans need to be flexible

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What to measure when it comes to social

media

Typical Measurement & Value

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Measurement Today

Traditional Marketing Funnel

Social Network Interference

New Marketing Funnel

SM Measurement of Engagement

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What to measure...• Friends, Followers, Fans• Comments/Subscribers• Tweets/Retweets• URL shortener stats• Increased web traffic• Click-thrus• Net Promoter Score• Influence • Sentiment• Brand mentions• Share of conversation

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Measurement Best Practices

• Benchmarking

• Objectives

• Return on Expenditures

• Return on Investment

BORR-ing...but necessary!

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Benchmarking

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Where did we start?

Plan #1: 15 lbs. overweight

Plan #2: $50,000 in sales

Where did we end?

Plan #1: 7 lbs. overweight (lost 8 lbs)

Plan #2: $62,500 in sales (25% increase)

Objectives• Plan #1: I want to lose 10 pounds by

September 15th

– Results: 8 pounds lost by September 15th

– Objective not met by 7 pounds

• Plan #2: To increase sales of Product X by 20% within 3 months– Results: Sales of Product X increased by 25%

in six months– Objective not met by 3 months

• Measuring Tactical Expenditures:– Gym cost

• $50/month (1 month)– Weight Watchers cost

• $400/month (1 month)– Journal cost

• $5.00– New sneakers cost

• $80.00– New gym clothes cost

• $100.00

TOTAL: $635.00/8 lbs = $79.38 per pound

ROE – Plan #1

ROE – Plan #2• Measuring Tactical Expenditures:

– Facebook• Free

– Facebook Ads• $500/month (3 months = $1,500)

– Employee’s Facebook Time • $40/hour ($40/hr * 10 hrs/wk * 12 weeks = $4,800 )

– Twitter• Free

– Employee’s Twitter Time • $40/hour ($40/hr * 10 hrs/wk * 12 weeks = $4,800 )

TOTAL: $11,100/5 sales = $2,220 per sale

ROI – What’s the R?

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ROI – What’s the I?

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ROI – Plan #2

Gain from Investment – Cost of Investment

Cost of Investment

And is always expressed in a percentage!

$12,500 - $11,100

$11,100ROI = 13%

SalesExpenditu

res

Measurement is a puzzle

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Where tools can help and where

they can’t

Tools to help measure

Tools to help measure

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Who needs to be involved

& what management

expects

Who needs to be involved• C-Suite (CMO)• Finance• Marketing Management (VP)• Marketing

Directors/Managers• Support Staff• Vendors

Speak Management’s Language

• Metrics that management wants to see:

– An increase in sales of $12,500 as benchmarked against last quarter

– Objective was not met by 3 months

– Each sale was $2,500 at an expense of $2,220

– Social Media ROI was 13%

Get Management Approval• Present your analysis

– What did you hear? What was the sentiment? What is the competition doing?

• Share your measurable plan to address findings

• Provide detailed information– Budget– Required resources, time, vendors, etc.

• Demonstrate how you will provide an ROI

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