Better social media metrics

All this social media stuff is fun and is a great way to extend your social circle. But, so what? What measurable results have you achieved from your social media activities? Or have you even thought about your goals?

It’s all to easy to get caught up in the numbers hype. How many connections can I accrue on LinkedIn or how many friends can I collect on Facebook? There’s a better way to view social media.

*Note: Metrics are a set of measurements that quantify results.

1. LinkedIn.

Worthless metric

# connections

Better metrics	# profile views
	new job obtained from LI connections
	new business obtained from LI connections

How to achieve better results:

*Become active on LinkedIn Question & Answer.
*Join LinkedIn groups that interest you and become an active participant.
*Be a resource for others; make introductions, offer advice.
*Get to know your contacts with a phone call, or better yet, a face-to-face meeting.

2. Facebook.

Worthless metric

# friends

Better metrics	# comments on status updates
	# new meaningful contacts

How to achieve better results:

*Post interesting and fun status updates.
*Comment on your friends’ updates.
*Post pictures, but remember to keep it professional.
*Post links to events you’re attending.
*Post links to interesting articles.

3. Blog.

Worthless metric

# views

Better metrics	# comments
	# email subscriptions to your blog
	# RSS feed subscriptins to your blog
	how high your blog ranks in search results

How to achieve better results:

*Read and comment on other blogs in your niche.
*Invite other bloggers to do a guest post.
*Be a guest blogger.

4. Twitter.

Worthless metric

# followers

Better metrics	# times you’re mentioned by others
	# retweets of your tweets
	# new articles or events you’re aware of

How to achieve better results:

*Don’t self-promote!
*Post links to interesting articles and events.
*Generously retweet.
*Partake in the conversation!

It’s not just about the numbers, but about the relationships you make and the real results you see.