The Importance of Measurement in Social Media

Although social media has become an increasingly constant presence in our lives, it was not considered to produce a viable “return on investment” (ROI) until recently. Because the concept of social media is still so “new” in terms of research, many professionals were skeptical that investing time and money into the medium could have a positive impact on their organization. However, the possibilities for social media measurement have grown extensively in the past few years, and continue to advance on a daily basis. Marketing and measurement on social media has its own unique set of guidelines and metrics, and knowing how to use them is essential to gain insights on opinions about their brand.

According to Cognizant, social media measurement tools can allow content creators to gauge sentiment towards an organization or post, analyze reach and awareness, raise engagement and predict future trends based on those results (Alexander, et. al.). Through collecting data from these standard measurement topics, organizations can easily recognize areas that they excel in and can improve upon. Although some channels provide more advanced insight reports than others, most networks will provide a basic reading of engagement. For example, Facebook metrics include the amount of likes, shares, comments and clicks, while Twitter metrics include replies, retweets, favorites and clicks. These networks essentially measure the same level of “engagement,” but the form is unique to each channel. Understanding the difference between the key areas on each channel can help create content that will be best received by the target audience.

Utilizing advanced measurement features can also have a profound impact on the success of a company’s social media presence. The built-in analytics features on YouTube allow users to filter insight reports based on user location, demographics and date range. The channel also includes options that manage the reach of paid videos, as well as audience retention reports (YouTube). These advanced retention reports allow the ability to see the exact point in time where a viewer replayed, fast forwarded or stopped watching altogether, which is revolutionary in measuring audience opinion of a specific video. An organization that acts on this information can potentially increase sentiment and even profit by simply adjusting the duration of their videos going forward.

Social media managers often refer to common best practices when marketing their brand on social media. As we’ve discussed previously in the semester, social media networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and even Snapchat have guidelines that have been proven to produce successful, engaging content. However, even when best practices are followed, it is equally important to measure audience reaction to ensure that your posts are reaching the target audience. For example, a post that contains all of the social media best practices may not reach a large number of viewers based on the time of day that it’s posted. Also, if an organization is not engaging in paid advertisements for their content, a great post can go unnoticed based on a low follower base. I personally manage a few social media pages for local organizations and initially had trouble developing higher reach for my posts. However, when I began engaging with Facebook’s paid advertising tools, I realized that focusing a specific audience through Facebook’s targeting tools allowed me to gain more likes and a greater reach for each post.

In addition to an organization’s built-in measurement features, external management tools can be used to measure sentiment and engagement from an outside source. Examples of these tools include Radian6 and Crimson Hexagon, which integrate with selected social media channels and provide analytical readings of their reach. These measurements allow the flexibility to pick and choose certain elements of content engagement to examine. As mentioned in the Radian6 product demo video, high level executives are often just looking for a “snapshot” of key performance indicators for a specific piece of content (YouTube). This quick summary can be sent via email, which allows professionals to quickly gauge their reach and which topics have received the most buzz.

In the digital world that we live in, most organizations must have at least some sort of presence on social media in order to remain relevant and gain profit in public opinion. Measuring the impact of an organization’s social media presence can make the difference between investing and wasting both time and money on advertising.

Works Referenced

1. Alexander, Bret, J.P. Benedict, and Mary Ermitanio. "Tracking What Matters: Best Practices and Common Pitfalls in Social Media Measurement." Cognizant 20.20 (2013).

2. YouTube Creator Hub. "YouTube Partners: Guide to Your YouTube Analytics." YouTube. Google, Inc., 30 May 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

3. SocialMediaDemo. "Radian6 Product Demo." YouTube. Google, Inc., 27 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

Module 7 Assignment: The Next Big Social Channel

In our increasingly digital world, organizations must do more than just sell their product in order to stay relevant online. To achieve virtual success, an organization must not only advertise and establish themselves as an engaging presence, but also contribute to becoming a social thought leader. An active social media presence plays a huge role in this. The rise of thought leadership has been seen across multiple platforms, but was influenced greatly by LinkedIn. This platform created a space for professionals to communicate while reflecting their own personal interests and showcasing their work. SlideShare, which is owned by LinkedIn, took this idea a step further by allowing users to upload entire presentations, letting their content speak for itself.

As mentioned in The Social Media Examiner, SlideShare is a platform where users “create, distribute and consume presentations…content marketing for target audiences. Good presentations drive page views, leads, SEO juice and often long-lasting evergreen content…Watch for SlideShare video to become YouTube for business” (King). This tool combines the professional atmosphere of LinkedIn with the basic elements of social media, which involves sharing media with each other and providing your own voice. Although the audience is somewhat niche for professionals or those interested in presentations, businesses and organizations can thrive from publishing relevant SlideShare presentations to inform and engage their user base. As suggested by King, the visual content on SlideShare has the potential to rival YouTube for business users.

Professionally, I’ve noticed many educators beginning to gravitate towards SlideShare rather than traditional PowerPoint presentations or even voiceover with audio. I work within Quinnipiac’s instructional design department, where I collaborate with faculty members to design and support the university’s online courses. One of the faculty members that I support has been embedding SlideShare presentations for his lectures throughout the semester, which I found to be very intuitive for students to view. A lecture of his from a few weeks ago, ironically discussing the elements of viral videos, gained over 9,000 views overnight. Although I shouldn’t be surprised by the “Internet of Things,” I was intrigued by the idea that even a professor’s weekly lectures had the potential to go viral. The same phenomenon was mentioned by Professor Schroder, who noticed that one of her presentations had a large number of views.

Like educators, organizations are now required to take a step beyond just informing consumers (or students) of their product or mission. The possibility of going viral can increase credibility, as well as attract followers to view upcoming materials. The fact that SlideShare has such practical applications for both education and business gives it staying power in the digital world. I’ve seen anything from high-profile conference presentations to student-led discussions on SlideShare, and each seems to find a specific target audience. Organizations can post slides about their content strategies or information about new products. Presentations for events or conferences can be shared before a presentation so that attendees can follow along, as well as online users who couldn't attend in person. As King mentioned, the SlideShare environment also lends to content being "evergreen," meaning that it can be viewed and appreciated after it is initially uploaded.

While SlideShare will not become the next Facebook or attract the teen demographic, I think it will become a necessity for professionals to promote their personal or professional work. As seen with the widespread use of LinkedIn, there is a definite audience for professionals looking to connect on social media. In a few short months, I can see professionals including links to their SlideShare accounts in portfolios or resumes, or linking to company SlideShares in any type of content marketing. This can not only lead to a new trend in education and professional events, but also in disseminating information and becoming a thought leader for organizations.


Works Referenced

1. King, Cindy. "28 Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2015 From the Pros." Social Media Examiner. Social Media Examiner, 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

Module 6 Assignment: User Generated Content

As social media consistently grows more ingrained in our daily lives, it's becoming increasingly difficult for organizations to strive without some form of social media presence. However, simply having a social media profile is not nearly enough. In order to succeed on social media, brands have to foster a digital environment where users feel engaged, interested and compelled to share. One of the most obvious - and trickiest - ways to accomplish this level of engagement is to have the users create their own content for your brand, which is known as user generated content.

When done right, user generated content can be an extremely valuable tool for organizations. While expert social media campaigns can attract attention, users also don't always relate to them or trust the brand's motives. According to a HubSpot Blogs article, "consumers are more interested in hearing the views of their peers than reading cleverly written sales messages" (Siu). A positive recommendation from another trusted user serves as free advertising for an organization, while still conveying the brand's goal and message. This effectiveness is only amplified when the campaign prompts a specific task or call to action from users. The brand can carefully craft a specific call to action that will showcase the campaign's goal, which in turn controls the content that users generate. 

For example, a 2014 Starbucks campaigns showed the value that a positive user generated campaign can add to a company. The campaign asked consumers to submit a picture of their personal doodle on a Starbucks cup, then chose the winner's design as the template for a new limited edition Starbucks cup (Siu). By giving users the impression that their opinions mattered to the company, consumers felt both engaged and personally invested in the brand and campaign. This call to action was also fun and not restrictive; any user with a cup, marker and a camera was capable of submitting.

However, a poorly planned campaign can have the complete opposite effect and actually become damaging to the brand. For example, McDonald's launched a 2012 campaign inviting users to contribute their #McDStories. According to Forbes, the campaign was "hoping that the hashtag would inspire heart-warming stories about Happy Meals. Instead, it attracted....McDonald’s detractors who turned it into a #bashtag" (Hill). Users tweeted horror stories about their McDonald's experiences, including @Alice_2112's "Hospitalized for food poisoning after eating McDonald's in 1989. Never ate there again and became a Vegetarian. Should have sued. #McDStories" (Roberts).  

Another unfortunate example is often seen when celebrities or public figures do live Q&A sessions on social media. In June 2015, Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James experienced unexpected backlash when she launched her #AskELJames Twitter session. Tweets included anything from @maybemarvellous's "would you donate some of your money to women who became victims of abuse thanks to your books? #AskELJames" to @thatswedishgirl's "My boss said no when I asked if I could kiss him and then I did anyway because no means yes right? Things at work are awkward. #AskELJames" (York).  

In both of these cases, the organizations lost control of the direction of the campaign and neglected to plan for any possible backlash. While the intention of the campaigns was to positively engage with users, the open-ended nature of these questions invited naysayers to contribute freely. As mentioned by Inbound Marketing Agents, "because [McDonald's] launched their campaign on Twitter – a platform over which they have no control – there was nothing they could do once their hashtag began to backfire" (Corbett). The Starbucks campaign was relatively controlled due to the subject matter; it's more difficult to hijack a monitored photo submission contest with such a specific audience and incentive. For both McDonald's and E.L. James, the use of the public forum made it easy for the hashtag to snowball into a mockery of the original mission.

However, these negative examples shouldn't deter organizations from launching user generated content campaigns. For example, in the case of E.L. James, her Fifty Shades of Grey series had already caused a great amount of controversy in the media - mostly related to the raunchy nature and glamorization of domestic abuse. According to Inbound Marketing Agents, a recent bad piece of press can still be fresh on users' minds, so launching a user generated campaign could actually spread double the negativity (Corbett). If organizations keep context, control and incentives in mind, then a user generated campaign can be incredibly successful and foster a personalized, engaging environment for users and consumers.  

Works Referenced

1. Siu, Eric. "10 User Generated Content Campaigns That Actually Worked." HubSpot Blogs. HubSpot, Inc., 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.
2. York, Chris. "EL James Held A Twitter Q&A And It Was An Utter Disaster." The Huffington Post UK. AOL (UK) Limited, 29 June 2015. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.
3. Hill, Kashmir. "#McDStories: When A Hashtag Becomes A Bashtag." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.
4. Roberts, Hannah. "#McFail! McDonalds' Twitter Promotion Backfires as Users Hijack #McDstories Hashtag to Share Fast Food Horror Stories." The Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.
5. Corbett, Hannah. "User Generated Content: How to Avoid the Backlash." Inbound Marketing Blog. Inbound Marketing Agents, 14 Feb. 2015. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

Module 2 Assignment: #LikeAGirl Campaign

One of my favorite recent social media campaigns is #LikeAGirl from Always, a company that sells feminine products. In the original #LikeAGirl video, teenage girls and boys were asked to “run like a girl” and “throw like a girl.” Each teen “ran” delicately with arms flailing and threw limply with one arm. The same questions were then posed to 10 – 12 year old girls, who ran furiously and threw with all of their might. The video continues to state that a girl’s confidence plummets during puberty, and Always wants to change that. The campaign, which gained over 59 million YouTube views in just over a year, aims to erase the stigma behind the phrase “like a girl” and boost confidence in adolescent girls.

This video became so popular that an abbreviated version aired during the 2015 Super Bowl, which is where I first saw it. As a consumer of media, I tend to gauge the effectiveness of social media campaigns based on how deeply the message resonated with me. There are so many campaigns out there that it’s difficult to find one that can truly make a difference. However, the concept behind #LikeAGirl immediately struck a chord with me.

Like many young girls, I struggled with self-confidence issues during my adolescent and teenage years. I hadn’t realized that the negative connotation behind “like a girl” may have had a real impact on my own view of myself. According to the Always website, “72% of girls DO feel society limits them — especially during puberty — a time when their confidence totally plummets” (Always.com). I remember vividly participating in gym class, which is historically a time where boys and girls can clearly point out their differences as they grow. I remember the boys always taking gym so seriously and seeming to be so much more physically capable of performing the activities. I realize now that the difference wasn’t that boys were more physically adept; many girls were afraid of participating to their full potential because of their lower self-esteem and fear of looking foolish.

#LikeAGirl gives real accounts of young girls who haven’t reached this low point of self-esteem yet, which is so refreshing. These girls are confident and don’t yet see a difference between the abilities of boys and girls. Through the voices of these young girls, the campaign shows that society may have a lasting effect on girls’ perceptions of themselves, and that it is in our power to stop the negative stereotype before it affects another generation.

The campaign was also effective from a statistical standpoint. According to AdWeek, studies showed that after watching the video, “76 percent of girls ages 16-24 no longer see the phrase "like a girl" as an insult, and two out of three men who watched said they would stop or think twice before using "like a girl" as an insult” (AdWeek). In addition to the information on the Always website, the #LikeAGirl campaign and hashtag has a presence on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. On Instagram alone, the hashtag has almost 400,000 posts.  

The #LikeAGirl campaign not only raises awareness about a harmful stereotype, but also uses a visible platform to highlight a necessary message. Many young girls who are around the age of puberty begin to need feminine products, so Always is able to attract new (and potentially long-term) customers each day. Because these adolescent and teenage girls need to use these products, having a positive and empowering message along with the brand can only bring positivity. If #LikeAGirl can help young girls and women to have positive images of themselves and feel pride in being a girl, then men and women of all ages will follow suit and the stereotype will eventually be completely erased.

Works Referenced

1. Always. "Always #LikeAGirl." YouTube. Google, 26 June 2014. Web. 08 Sept. 2015.
2. Griner, David, and Roo Ciambriello. "Hugely Popular 'Like a Girl' Campaign From Always Will Return as a Super Bowl Ad." AdWeek. AdWeek, 29 Jan. 2015. Web. 08 Sept. 2015.
3. "Our Epic Battle #LikeAGirl." Always. Procter & Gamble, n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2015.