Evaluating the Success of Your Social Strategy

Now that we’re mid-way through February (the year is already flying by!) it’s time to evaluate the success of your social media strategy for the first month of the year.

When you’re ready to sit down and think about your social strategy, ask yourself which brand you would rather be: the brand that does things the same way because they get some interaction and follower growth, or the brand that has a vision for their communities and looks for ways to improve?

(We should all want to be the latter.)

Time stands still for no one, especially on social media. Don’t be the company that goes for status quo and just keeps following the plan without evaluating it. A forward-thinking, social brand knows the value of measurement and listening with the intent of continual improvement.

Below are things you should think about while evaluating the success of your social media strategy.

1. Engagement

Engagement is measured by the activity of your followers. You should be evaluating:

• Shared content

• Comments

• Social applause

In order to grow and develop a community around your brand, you will need to determine exactly what drives engagement. Do your part by engaging in conversations and responding in a timely manner. Your interactions will have a noticeable impact.

2. Growth

It’s easy to see if your social membership/followers are growing. Apart from the obvious numbers, here are actions to look for:

• Presence on your sites

• Bringing others to your sites

• The type of content that is bringing in people

If you’re not seeing a steady growth rate, it’s time to take a look at possible explanations. It may have to do with the platform you’re using, when and what content you post, and the value you’re offering. Be proactive. Go out and find followers who can benefit from your products and services.

3. Audience

Find out the answer to these questions:

• Who is your target audience?

• Are you reaching them with your content?

• Are they joining your sites and/or becoming customers?

You may need to access your content to be sure it’s really beneficial to them. Knowing your audience intimately will help you determine the right way to interact with your followers and keep them connected to you. It’s up to you to entice them with content that provides real value to their online experience.

Brands that care about their followers will build a strategy around their core needs. They will be able to measure their success on social media by focusing on how their audience is responding and growing.

It’s not the size or popularity of your brand that matters. Your focus on social media makes the difference and evaluating engagement, growth and audience will tell you who or what you’re focusing on. Focus on your community and the data will show you whether you’re making progress or need to make changes.

Regular evaluation of your social media strategy will set you up for success.

Are you ready to evaluate the success of your social strategy?

(Photo credit: Josep Ma. Rosell, Flickr)

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