How do you measure the success of your brand's social media efforts? It depends on your goal.

It's tempting to simply look at your fan and follower count; however, unless your only goal is to win a popularity contest, it's not always the best way to measure success. For example, retailers don't measure the success of their store solely by the number of people that walk through the door.

It's important to differentiate activity from results. Gathering fans is an activity; whether or not those fans sign up for your newsletter or respond to your offer and buy your product is a result.

If you're having trouble measuring and analyzing results from social media, you probably didn't have measurable objectives to begin with. Once you have a clear definition of what it means to reach your goal, it's easier to understand what metrics you need to look at.

So whether your brand is already using social media, or you're just about to jump into social media, it's important to remember to approach it with a clear strategy. Figure out what you want from social media, set an attainable goal, use the medium in a way that will benefit your brand and help you reach that goal, and then measure your success.

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Nicole Griffith | Team Coordinator