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- How We Fool Ourselves
- Focusing on one or a few metrics
- Neglecting to identify underlying actionable issues
- Failing to take the situation into account
- Purpose of Assessments
- Setting benchmarks
- Orienting management processes
- Identifying continuous improvement opportunities
- Developing a Social Media Assessment Tool
- Coordinates
- Our social media efforts help us meet our business goals
- We have the proper communication goals to support our business goals
- We are meeting our communication goals
- We have the right measures for our goals
- Our goals are aligned with one another
- Channels
- We have selected the proper platforms to meet our goals
- We have clearly defined roles for our different platforms
- Our core audiences consistently use our selected platforms
- We share the right type of content on our platforms
- We properly manage the logistics of our platforms
- Content
- Our content resonates with our core audiences
- We have the right mix of different types of content
- Our content creates a consistent brand image
- We have the right mix of in-house-created, user-generated and curated content
- Our content syncs with our goals
- Connections
- Our social media platforms logically link to one another
- Users can easily connect to our target site
- We have the right internal organizational relationships to properly manage our platforms and related content
- Our social media platforms properly link to our other communication tools
- We are connected to the right communities to achieve our goals
- Corrections
- We have in place mechanisms to quickly detect social media gaffes and identify emerging opportunities
- We avoid making the same kinds of mistakes
- We consistently and quickly correct errors
- We have informal protocols in place to regularly review performance and detect trends
- We have a formal process in place to review our strategy and performance on a quarterly or semi-annual basis
- So What?
- Do your homework by collecting relevant metrics and holding discussions with a wide range of people
- Embrace the debate
- Acknowledge the relationships between the 5 Cs
- Conclusion
- Step 1: Master Metric Language
- Audience composition
- Traffic patterns
- Engagement measures
- Community sentiment
- Step 2: Dive Deeper into the Measures and Analytics
- Platform-specific measures
- Non-platform-specific measures
- Step 3: Avoid the Metrics Minefield
- Resist being seduced by the glamour metrics
- Don’t assume that metric language transfers across platforms
- Watch out for comparisons across organizations and time
- Step 4: Match Metrics with Your Assessment Plan
- Conclusion
- Key Principles
- Analyze your audiences
- Establish the right comparison points
- Spotlight the return on investment
- Highlight connections between social media platforms, other communication tools, and events
- Focus on continuous improvement
- Main Sections of the Assessment Report
- Introduction
- Limitations
- Comparative framework
- Data and analysis
- Success stories
- Conclusions and recommendations
- Appendices
- Conclusion
- Strategic Mindset
- Strategists are always grounded by the current reality even as they envision the next steps forward
- Strategists focus on making the right tradeoffs
- Strategists cultivate synergies
- Professional Sensibilities
- Professionals are committed to a core set of values and related ethical standards
- Professionals cultivate collaborative, respectful relationships with others in their organization
- Professionals exercise good judgment
- Enthusiasts’ Zeal
- Enthusiasts have fun, within limits
- Enthusiasts devour the latest news and trends in their field
- Enthusiasts experiment
- Conclusion