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Workbook measuring the impact of social media

National Geographic tracks social media traffic by categorizing referrers into 7 groups - search, social media, email, etc. Initial results showed search was the largest source at 42%. By honing in on social media, they saw visits from social media sites accounted for 8.4% of total traffic, more than doubling from the previous year. Tracking metrics like engagement showed social media visitors viewed an average of 4.2 pages per visit. National Geographic is able to analyze trends in traffic sources over time using this categorization method.

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WORKBOOK Measuring the Impact of Social Media Presented jointly by: Brian Watkins; Public Relations Manager, Social Media, Omniture Brian manages social media strategy for the Omniture Public Relations (PR) team. Sergio Balegno; Senior Analyst, MarketingSherpa Sergio’s research covers the topics of social media marketing and PR, email marketing and business technology marketing for MarketingSherpa’s Benchmark Guides and special reports. He is a frequent speaker on these topics at MarketingSherpa summits, industry conferences and online events. His 30 years of marketing experience includes roles as client-side executive, agency principal and consultant. Ted McDonald; Manager of Web Analytics, National Geographic Ted leverages his 11 years of Web analytics experience, as well as 8 years of search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) experience, to provide timely insight into National Geographic’s audience, allowing them to continually improve their user experience, return on ad spend (ROAS) and conversion rates. Ted has been using Omniture for five years and is an Omniture Certified Professional in Implementation. He previously worked with the Red Cross, ACLU, CARE, WWF, Pew, SallieMae and Christian Children’s Fund.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media INTRO Does getting started in social media seem intimidating? Are you wondering where to find a qualified resource? Do you feel social networks and media sites are difficult, if not impossible, to track? Whatever your motivation, Omniture looks forward to guiding you through the social media realm, with the best practices you need to monitor your brand online and measure the ever-evolving impact of social media. In this workbook, we present a review of recent, insightful MarketingSherpa social media research; the ways National Geographic measures and interacts with social media visitors; how to gauge and optimize on Twitter and Facebook; and how to measure social media (at both the category and subcategory level) to understand the true monetary value of social media using Omniture SiteCatalyst®, one of several robust solutions in the Omniture Online Marketing Suite. At points in the guide, you will be asked questions to help you prioritize and influence your social marketing strategy. SOCIAL MEDIA’S ROLE: FROM BUILDING YOUR BRAND TO GENERATING DEMAND Looking to MarketingSherpa’s 2009 Social Media Marketing & PR Benchmark Guide, there are several points to consider: » What’s driving social media marketing, and what are the barriers to adoption? » Which social media tactics are marketers finding most effective? » Best practices for managing your brand in the social space. » Case study on a social media strategy for boosting lead generation. Let’s explore the research and analyze the trends.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Social Media is a Level Playing Field for Companies of All Sizes Here is the data reflecting responses to the question, “Are you using some form of social media for marketing?” As you can see, social media is leveraged across the board: » 8 out of 10 companies of all sizes are using social media » Size of competitor is not a barrier » Reminiscent of the early days of the World Wide Web This level of involvement is due, for the most part, to the relatively inexpensive nature of social media. Social Media: What’s It Good for? Determining the role of social media and where it is leveraged is also key. In this case, brand reputation and awareness top the chart. Overall, the results show: » Social media is a very effective branding strategy » SEO uses social media to improve rankings and drive traffic » Lead generation effectiveness may be lower on the list, but best practices are emerging rapidly
Measuring the Impact of Social Media SEO has been a highly compatible tactic since the beginning of social media—a natural way to build links and add content that influence search engine rankings. Marketers are Budgeting and Betting on Social Media in 2009 One thing MarketingSherpa consistently looks at to determine if a tactic is established or emerging is how people are spending and planning to spend on it. In this case, there are only two tactics that reflect a rising budget. Analysis reveals the following: » Social media is benefiting from free or low-cost perception » Since social media is human capital intensive, salaries are the bulk of spending » Social media and email spend are increasing more than decreasing In addition, social media and email are beginning to integrate more, as reflected by the rise in tools offered by Internet service providers (ISPs) for sharing content from email to social networks. B2B Leads B2C in the Adoption of Social Media Marketing Traditionally, companies often wait to see if strategies worked on consumer Web sites prior to implementing them on their business Web sites. So, in comparing B2B with B2C, the results were surprising at first.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media However, the takeaways make sense, when viewed together: » B2B typically lags behind B2C in adopting new tactics » B2B is leading the adoption of top social media tactics » Reason: B2B sales and marketing efforts are driven by personal relationships The purchase process is much longer and more complicated for businesses; so, building relationships is the primary factor enabling B2B to take the lead. “Conversation” is Driving Adoption of Social Media Marketing & PR The heightened adoption of social media reflects a change from marketers talking at customers to having a conversation with them. » Your brand is no longer what you say it is, it’s what they say it is » Social media is where they—customers, prospects, journalists and other influences—are having conversations (reviewing and talking) about your brand » They’re forming and sharing opinions that will impact your brand Therefore, a social media strategy is needed to cultivate interactions and dialogue. Where Do Buyers/Influencers Get Information About Your Product? As little as two years ago, social media may not have even been considered in the flow of product information. Yet, now social media is here and shifting momentum: » Social media sites have surpassed company Web sites » They are used to find objective information about a considered purchase » Company sites still offer a valuable source of subjective information During the buying consideration process, from a home toaster to a piece of construction equipment, potential buyers are looking for product feedback from current users. Then, they turn to company Web sites as the go-to source for specifications and complete details.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Buyers Share Information and Opinions in Peer Conversations Continuing the communications flow, those buyers are then sharing information they find via social media. This cycle is based on convenience and has both pros and cons: » Web 2.0 tools enable easy sharing with friends and peers » Upside: sharing creates viral, exponential reach » Downside: negative conversations reach further In the case of negative feedback, let’s see how your fellow marketers would react. Responding to Negative Comments About Your Brand on Social Media Social media’s transparency can be amazingly beneficial, until a less-than-flattering comment is posted, and your business faces a decision about next steps. Here is some insight gained from the results above: » Large companies are more likely to monitor commentary » Small and mid-sized businesses are more likely to respond with public rebuttals » Responding can draw more attention to a comment
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Like every other customer service interaction, you must carefully weigh the potential benefit or detriment on your unique business situation before proceeding with a response. How Marketers are Responding to Negative Commentary MarketingSherpa sought out qualitative data on how marketers are addressing such commentary and received these scenarios: » “We acknowledge, admit the issue and, where possible, explain how we’re addressing it.” » “We just erase the comment from Facebook. We don’t engage critics.” » “We monitor everything but respond case by case using a set of criteria we’ve developed.” The third is likely the most rational approach, but it begs the question: What is this ‘set of criteria’ they developed? Do You Have a Policy to Manage Social Media Communications? MarketingSherpa asked marketers if they have a policy or set of criteria for social media response. The findings show several areas of opportunity: » Most don’t have a policy but do recognize the need » No standard template for social media policy » Must customize to your specific business situation If you’re looking for a template, the best route is to benchmark similar companies; however, remember that your brand, your tone and your business model will likely be different and require a customized touch. And, if you opt to involve your legal advisor, don’t fill your policy and/or responses with legalese, which will only keep customers from reading it. Tip: Be sure to involve your employees when communicating your social media policy, both new employees during orientation and existing employees who may need solid clarification. Best Practices Checklist for Writing a Social Media Policy Here are three key points to consider in establishing your policy: » Empower everyone to engage…responsibly » Define the “rules of engagement” » Moderate the good, the bad, but not the ugly
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Now, let’s delve into each point to ensure you can implement successfully. Do you have a corporate social media policy? If not, write down some basic tenets of what yours might include. If you do, how might you change it at this point? Empower everyone to engage…responsibly Give employees the choice to participate: » The more the merrier » Clarify corporate versus personal participation Encourage employees to be involved in the proper context. Define guiding principles of engagement: » To learn » To contribute Social media is not about being promotional or selling. Comply with general business conduct policies: » Same policies apply online Employees must comply with the same ethical code in the office as in the social space. Define the “rules of engagement” Be transparent but judicious: » Identify yourself and your role; be honest » Don’t violate privacy or confidentiality policies Taking a covert approach is deceiving and is likely to be harmful to your business. Write what you know about: » Contribute within your area of expertise » Be responsible for the content you provide Maintaining credibility is of the utmost importance. Add value to the conversation: » Be a thought leader and be thought provoking » It’s a conversation, so encourage comments Be prepared to engage your audience.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Be Open to the Good and Bad, not the Ugly Moderation is the act of reviewing/approving third-party content contributed to sites within your control: » Anonymous content moderation mandatory » Registered user content moderation optional This includes your own company’s blog, your Twitter account and your Facebook page. With registered users that are being open with you, you should be open to the good and the bad: » Approve content whether favorable or unfavorable Moderate only what you have to. Do so sparingly, being sure not to show bias against unfavorable information. With the ugly, you want to: » Reject the offensive, denigrating or out of context This may occur more often with anonymous or unregistered users. Critical Barriers to the Adoption and Integration of Social Media Now that we know the drivers, let’s look at the barriers to social media. Since social media is so new, it’s challenging to find experienced resources, resulting in: » Lack of knowledge being a barrier to adoption and success » Misconceptions like inability to measure return on investment (ROI) » Social media ROI metrics requiring both qualitative and quantitative measurement Tip: Don’t mandate individuals to blog or be excited by social media within your company; you will be far more successful by simply identifying people who already “get it.” Empower them to lead your social media charge.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media What are the barriers that keep your business from using social media, or not using it more effectively? Are the Most Effective Social Media Tactics also the Least Measurable? There appears to be some misunderstanding about effectiveness. There is definite confusion as to what in social media is and is not measurable: » Misconception: social media is not accurately measurable » Marketers are accustomed to quantitative metrics » Qualitative metrics are less automated and, therefore, are often overlooked For instance, blog and social network advertising is viewed as the most measurable but not highly effective; on the other hand, blogger or online journalist relationships are viewed as the most effective but not highly measurable. This is simply not the case, when you consider that it is possible to measure how a lead comes from a blog and is captured on a company Web site.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Lack of Knowledge Equals Missed Opportunities Marketers are still learning about the capabilities of social media and how to weave it into PR. Looking at just social media releases (SMRs) as an example, we see: » SMRs are effective but underutilized » 80 percent of marketers are using social media, but less than 20 percent are using SMRs » Half of B2B marketers are not sure what an SMR is Tip: Use SMR templates for news distribution, which allows you to aggregate news content in a manner that is engaging to people, like online journalists and bloggers, who want to quickly access information via social media. How is Social Media Integrated into the Marketing Mix? MarketingSherpa wanted to determine if offline tactics were being considered in social media strategy. The data shows that social media is presently tied to mainly online channels, but even that is limited: » Agencies more likely to integrate both online and offline » Integration with online tactics by simply adding a link » Tracking through buying cycle to conversion automated
Measuring the Impact of Social Media So, let’s dig a bit deeper into this perception. How Well Does Social Media Fit with Other Tactics in the Mix? By asking a similar question about potential, we see multi-channel strategies emerge. Social media is compatible with all other forms of media; it simply depends where you wish to focus: » Social media a better fit with online tactics than offline » Social media has become an integral component of SEO » Combine targeting of email with reach of social media Example: Here is a recent Dentyne campaign that integrates traditional and social media tactics. » Social media concept: Facebook ‘friend request accepted’ » Traditional media (print ad) drives traffic to YouTube video » Viral effect generates exponential reach of campaign They designed their print message to resonate with social media users, knowing that group would be more likely to act on the invitation to view the video. The genius is that it not only garners impressions in print but also results in exponentially increased exposure online through social media sharing.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC’S TRACKING AND ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA SITE VISITORS First of all, what is social media, really? Here are some definitions found on social media sites: » Wikipedia—“Social media is content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies.” » Scribd—“Social Media is a catch-all term to describe all forms of digitally-enabled, peer-to-peer environments.” » Flickr—“A group of media producers that is primarily it’s own audience.” » Yahoo! Answers—“I’m often asked what is Web 2.0, and the explanation I find easiest to give is that Web 2.0 refers to Web- based platforms that have been developed to make sharing information, communicating and working together easier.” And if you think that’s a lot, consider the other definitions you may stumble across online:
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Everyone defines social media differently. So, how can you make sense of all those definitions, and which one should you use at your organization? The answer is to accept the diversity and decide, as a company, what social media means to you. Which social media outlets are important to your company? List as many as you can think of and why they are important to you. Social Media Outlet Why Important When it comes to classifying your sources of traffic and determining what is and isn’t a social media site, don’t dwell on the little things. With so many different referrers, focus on establishing basic rules to get started. You can always make strategic adjustments later.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Categorizing Traffic Sources: Initial Results National Geographic started out simple by putting each value from their standard traffic sources report into one of seven categories. Even after this initial exercise, they could see that organic search was a big contributor at 42 percent. And here is an example of similar reporting, right from Omniture SiteCatalyst.® Instead of looking at only percent of total traffic, we can also see engagement and revenue metrics per visit for these categories.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Categorizing Traffic Sources: Honing in on Social Media So, what else does this categorization achieve? National Geographic can now easily see the increasing impact of social media on overall site traffic. In June 2009, for instance, visitors from social media sites accounted for 8.4 percent of traffic—the highest percentage ever. In addition, visitors from social media sites more than doubled since June 2008. Again using SiteCatalyst, they can compare categories of traffic to see how they perform over time. For instance, you can see social media’s influence is lessening the demand for pay-per-click ads.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Categorizing Traffic Sources: Engagement As noted previously, engagement is a revealing metric. Social media visitors are viewing an average of 4.2 pages per visit, while National Geographic email visitors are exploring an average of 13. 6 pages per visit. Tips and Tricks Start with referrer categories and key referrers Referrer categories for National Geographic: Key referrers: Organic search Google organic search Other (Web sites) Google pay-per-click ads Social media Microsoft organic search Pay-per-click ads Digg Display advertising Google images National Geographic email StumbleUpon National Geographic vanity URLs Facebook National Geographic email: photo National Geographic email: weekly news Twitter linktolearning.com Blogspot blogs Wordpress blogs
Measuring the Impact of Social Media What referrer categories and key referrers would you identify for your business? Referrer Category Key Referrers » Use key referrers to lump together subdomains and tracking codes into one value The Key Referrers Report in SiteCatalyst offers more granular reporting. It allows you to see traffic from a particular referrer over time to determine how that audience is interacting with your site. » Use additional classifications to create different ways of looking at the data » Channels—traffic from large networks like Google and Yahoo! » Media types—traffic from banners, search ads, link campaigns, etc. » Campaign types—traffic from a variety of sources, sometimes a catch-all » Promotions—traffic from specific shows (e.g., Dog Whisperer) or events (e.g., Earth Day) » Social media—traffic from Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. » Don’t go classification crazy; only classify if you need the data on a regular basis » Use a standard naming convention for all your tracking codes (e.g., Twitter, email, pay-per-click) » Classify what you can in advance » Use a single file for all your sites, if possible » Don’t feel that you have to classify all sources into every category Let’s focus, again, on just social media traffic. Can the Social Media Category be Broken Down Further?
Measuring the Impact of Social Media What should the subcategories be? Which sites belong where? Here is an example of categorization overkill: With the dozens of subcategories for just social media, the analysis would be incredibly challenging. Of course, on the flip side of the coin, underkill is also possible:
Measuring the Impact of Social Media National Geographic was looking for something in between social media in 30 minutes and social media in 30 seconds. Their “just right” option came from social media guru, Danny Sullivan: Note the five subcategories. The only changes National Geographic made were to enhance “social sharing” to “social media sharing” to denote video and photo sharing sites, and to move Twitter to the social news sites subcategory. By doing this, National Geographic quickly saw that half of all their social media traffic comes from the social news sites subcategory.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Then, with the Campaign Type Report in SiteCatalyst, National Geographic could see how visitors from these social media subcategories are interacting on their site. This is pivotal for tracking pages and revenue per visit at a more finite level, so that you can determine where to meaningfully invest future resources in social media endeavors. And here is a high-level representation: As you may recall, National Geographic’s overall social media page per visit average is 4.2. However, breaking down social media into subcategories reveals that, while social bookmarking is low at 1.7 pages per visit, social media sharing is significantly higher at 8.2 pages per visit—close to their 10 pages per visit average.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media If we look at the subcategories in a trended manner, SiteCatalyst delivers the following: It is interesting to see how they are performing on a daily basis, particularly the notable spikes in the social news and social bookmarking subcategories. What Topics Interest Social Media Visitors? More than half of the visits from the social media category are entering the National Geographic site via the news section. This is largely attributable to the fact that all of National Geographic’s news stories are distributed using an SMR template, and they often include videos and photos.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Although they may not get the same robust level of traffic, National Geographic’s channel and magazine sites also perform well in page views. Here are some examples, from photo albums to photo intrigue:
Measuring the Impact of Social Media When the album was forwarded via social media, nearly every user who visited it viewed every photo. The unique nature of this story created buzz. Even a story from 2002 can be rediscovered and virally shared with a new audience via social media.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Again, the photos draw visitors in to explore.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media This is further proven by comparing social media visits to other site visits. In fact, visitors from social media (42 percent) are twice as likely than the average visitor (21 percent) to land on a photo page of the National Geographic site. What is more notable about this trend is that social media photo submissions are mainly driven by users, specifically power users, not the company. Another phenomenon National Geographic recently discovered is that Digg users are now linking directly to a jpg or graphic, rather than the html page associated with it. This is challenging to track, without delving into miles of server logs, and it creates a pattern of “ghost” traffic that visits the site without any marketing interaction and then leaves. The long tail National Geographic reports that 18,000+ pages attracted traffic directly from social media sites year-to-date. Of those, 10 pages accounted for 20 percent of those visits, and 100 pages accounted for 60 percent of those visits.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Is National Geographic Reaching Social Media Visitors Internationally? Some of the most popular domestic social media sites are not used in the biggest countries in the world. Looking at social media from a global perspective, National Geographic verified that they captured the key sites and ensured those sites were reflected in their SiteCatalyst reporting. On average, about 31 percent of their audience is international. Social media is only slightly behind that at about 26 percent.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Increasing social media traffic leads to a parallel increase in questions about revenue potential. So, let’s look at the data related to a visit’s value. Relative Value of a Social Media Visit Delving into value, we can see the spending pattern of visitors to the National Geographic site, based on their propensity to order or subscribe online, or their value in terms of ad impressions. Comparing category to category, pay-per-click ads are far above average, being five times more likely to order than the average visitor. This makes sense since these individuals are being directed right to subscription forms or the online store. On the other hand, the average visitor is 20 times more likely to purchase than someone coming from a social media site.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Digging deeper into the social media subcategories, we see that the average visitor is 50 times more likely to order something than someone coming from either social news or social bookmarking origins. If we break this down even further, using the Key Referrers Report from SiteCatalyst, you can truly identify which site visitors are more likely to buy. This is helpful in planning online media buys. For instance, Digg is coming out with an advertising program in the next few months that will allow you to place a story within their natural results. Judging by the data in the graph above, National Geographic will likely not pursue that option. A better place to focus marketing energy may be Twitter, with visitors who are 20 times more likely than Digg visitors to place an order.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Wow, are social media visits really that worthless? In lieu of a series of bullets, National Geographic would like to draw your attention to a case study. During the holidays last year, they chose to promote a special $15/year subscription price for Facebook users. It was not at all successful in the social media realm. However, what was interesting was what happened in March. Someone took the tracking code for the promotion and placed it on deals network, resulting in thousands of orders in a single day—far exceeding the performance for the whole previous season. This was, in fact, more orders in a single day for a subscription online than any other day in 2008. One visitor may only look at a couple of pages, but if they happen to bring 1,000 friends along to visit the site, page views becomes inconsequential. INNOVATIONS IN EMERGING METRICS: SOCIAL MEDIA There are several challenges in social media optimization: » How is social media impacting brand perception? » How do you identify brand advocates and detractors? » Can customer service be improved using social networks? » How do you better listen to customers using social media (e.g., product development feedback)? So, where do you focus your time to influence people who are influential to your marketing goals?
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Why care about Twitter? The simplest answer is Twitter popularity is growing rapidly, and that’s an understatement. Yes, celebrities recently discovered it, and Twitter is quickly becoming mainstream. More importantly, consider this persuasive point made by Forrester Research: In short, Twitter is especially valuable for real-time feedback. All you have to do is listen. Here are four ways companies are leveraging Twitter: It is a fantastic way to step-in as a brand ambassador to efficiently assist your customers in interacting with your company or resolving an issue. It’s also a great mode for promoting products and establishing thought leadership.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Is your organization being represented on Twitter? What are some ways your business specifically could leverage Twitter? What information could you convey, or what issues could you address from your customers in this medium? Omniture’s integration with Twitter Using the Twitter application programming interface (API), Omniture pulls data into SiteCatalyst. Once there, you can filter tweets for specific keywords such as phrases, company or product name. You can set alerts to notify employees or stakeholders of significant changes in tweet activity; yet, they don’t have to be on Twitter Search all the time. And you can group authors by brand status to identify brand detractors and advocates. It conveniently organizes Twitter data into one location, where you can sort, analyze and act on it.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Omniture App Measurement for Facebook On May 28, 2009, Omniture announced its new Facebook App Measurement platform. Now, you can measure popularity and usage of Facebook applications (apps). This gives marketers insight into correlation between Facebook apps, site traffic and other online channels. Why the need for Facebook app measurement? In today’s environment, marketers are tasked with the following; » Effectively leveraging social media to better engage with consumers » Measuring the effectiveness of social media investments such as apps » Tracking social media user engagement and the resulting effect on conversion In addition, marketers are challenged to answer key questions, including: » What is driving viewers to Facebook apps? » How are they interacting with apps? » What kind of action or behavior is the app triggering? » How are Facebook apps impacting campaign performance? Key problems Omniture is solving » Problem: measuring investments in Facebook campaigns and ROI on Facebook apps Omniture solution: SiteCatalyst and App Measurement for Facebook empowers marketers to measure the impact of Facebook campaigns by measuring app adoption, social activity, customer loyalty and brand awareness » Problem: Uncovering the relationship between Facebook app usage and conversion via other online channels Omniture solution: SiteCatalyst and App Measurement for Facebook enables marketers to gain insight into the correlation or relationship between Facebook apps and other online channels, such as Web, mobile and video, to provide a single version of truth Net result: Measure Facebook app adoption and usage to determine social media campaign effectiveness, while better monetizing Facebook app investments.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Example: Let’s say a company called Media Universe is creating a Facebook app to allow their users to engage with content. They could run several different reports within SiteCatalyst to look at what’s working. For instance, here is an App Sections Report that shows what sections of the app are receiving the most page views. In this case, video is the most popular; so, they should optimize the app to take advantage of that interest.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Looking at an Invites Report, they can see how many people are inviting others to use the app. This provides an at-a-glance recap of how quickly the app is spreading. Moving on to an Application Conversion Funnel, they can see from in-app product searches all the way down through checkouts. This identifies how many orders are being placed and the resulting revenue being generated, thereby showing how the Facebook app is contributing to the overall marketing mix.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media Social media’s unique network created a special need for relationship reporting. In the User Segments Report above, they can segment Facebook users according to the number of friends they have. As the data shows, users with 500+ friends have a much higher level of invites and shares, while also being more engaged with the content. Tie Revenue to Social Media Activities Once you break down your social media sources, you can answer this question: Is social media impacting your bottom line? Determine how social media is contributing to your overall marketing mix, compared to tactics like direct visits and email, in order to define the appropriate level of resources and budgetary investment.
Measuring the Impact of Social Media CLOSING THOUGHTS » Social media both levels and changes the playing field » Enable conversion metrics and classifications on your referrers data » Categorize your traffic sources data offline, and upload to create custom reports » Use National Geographic’s referrer categories as a starting point » People love linking to cool photos and media » Compared to other social media sites, social news and social bookmarking sites are great for traffic but poor for engagement » Overall, visitors from social media sites are not as engaged as the average visitor » Social media visitors can, however, trigger a domino effect on other social media platforms *** For questions related to information provided by MarketingSherpa, email Sergio Balegno at sergio.balegno@marketingsherpa.com. If you would like to learn more about social media measurement, contact your Omniture Account Manager or call (866) 923-7309. For internationally-located businesses, visit Omniture.com for the office information nearest you.
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Workbook measuring the impact of social media

  • 1.
    WORKBOOK Measuring the Impactof Social Media Presented jointly by: Brian Watkins; Public Relations Manager, Social Media, Omniture Brian manages social media strategy for the Omniture Public Relations (PR) team. Sergio Balegno; Senior Analyst, MarketingSherpa Sergio’s research covers the topics of social media marketing and PR, email marketing and business technology marketing for MarketingSherpa’s Benchmark Guides and special reports. He is a frequent speaker on these topics at MarketingSherpa summits, industry conferences and online events. His 30 years of marketing experience includes roles as client-side executive, agency principal and consultant. Ted McDonald; Manager of Web Analytics, National Geographic Ted leverages his 11 years of Web analytics experience, as well as 8 years of search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) experience, to provide timely insight into National Geographic’s audience, allowing them to continually improve their user experience, return on ad spend (ROAS) and conversion rates. Ted has been using Omniture for five years and is an Omniture Certified Professional in Implementation. He previously worked with the Red Cross, ACLU, CARE, WWF, Pew, SallieMae and Christian Children’s Fund.
  • 2.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media INTRO Does getting started in social media seem intimidating? Are you wondering where to find a qualified resource? Do you feel social networks and media sites are difficult, if not impossible, to track? Whatever your motivation, Omniture looks forward to guiding you through the social media realm, with the best practices you need to monitor your brand online and measure the ever-evolving impact of social media. In this workbook, we present a review of recent, insightful MarketingSherpa social media research; the ways National Geographic measures and interacts with social media visitors; how to gauge and optimize on Twitter and Facebook; and how to measure social media (at both the category and subcategory level) to understand the true monetary value of social media using Omniture SiteCatalyst®, one of several robust solutions in the Omniture Online Marketing Suite. At points in the guide, you will be asked questions to help you prioritize and influence your social marketing strategy. SOCIAL MEDIA’S ROLE: FROM BUILDING YOUR BRAND TO GENERATING DEMAND Looking to MarketingSherpa’s 2009 Social Media Marketing & PR Benchmark Guide, there are several points to consider: » What’s driving social media marketing, and what are the barriers to adoption? » Which social media tactics are marketers finding most effective? » Best practices for managing your brand in the social space. » Case study on a social media strategy for boosting lead generation. Let’s explore the research and analyze the trends.
  • 3.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Social Media is a Level Playing Field for Companies of All Sizes Here is the data reflecting responses to the question, “Are you using some form of social media for marketing?” As you can see, social media is leveraged across the board: » 8 out of 10 companies of all sizes are using social media » Size of competitor is not a barrier » Reminiscent of the early days of the World Wide Web This level of involvement is due, for the most part, to the relatively inexpensive nature of social media. Social Media: What’s It Good for? Determining the role of social media and where it is leveraged is also key. In this case, brand reputation and awareness top the chart. Overall, the results show: » Social media is a very effective branding strategy » SEO uses social media to improve rankings and drive traffic » Lead generation effectiveness may be lower on the list, but best practices are emerging rapidly
  • 4.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media SEO has been a highly compatible tactic since the beginning of social media—a natural way to build links and add content that influence search engine rankings. Marketers are Budgeting and Betting on Social Media in 2009 One thing MarketingSherpa consistently looks at to determine if a tactic is established or emerging is how people are spending and planning to spend on it. In this case, there are only two tactics that reflect a rising budget. Analysis reveals the following: » Social media is benefiting from free or low-cost perception » Since social media is human capital intensive, salaries are the bulk of spending » Social media and email spend are increasing more than decreasing In addition, social media and email are beginning to integrate more, as reflected by the rise in tools offered by Internet service providers (ISPs) for sharing content from email to social networks. B2B Leads B2C in the Adoption of Social Media Marketing Traditionally, companies often wait to see if strategies worked on consumer Web sites prior to implementing them on their business Web sites. So, in comparing B2B with B2C, the results were surprising at first.
  • 5.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media However, the takeaways make sense, when viewed together: » B2B typically lags behind B2C in adopting new tactics » B2B is leading the adoption of top social media tactics » Reason: B2B sales and marketing efforts are driven by personal relationships The purchase process is much longer and more complicated for businesses; so, building relationships is the primary factor enabling B2B to take the lead. “Conversation” is Driving Adoption of Social Media Marketing & PR The heightened adoption of social media reflects a change from marketers talking at customers to having a conversation with them. » Your brand is no longer what you say it is, it’s what they say it is » Social media is where they—customers, prospects, journalists and other influences—are having conversations (reviewing and talking) about your brand » They’re forming and sharing opinions that will impact your brand Therefore, a social media strategy is needed to cultivate interactions and dialogue. Where Do Buyers/Influencers Get Information About Your Product? As little as two years ago, social media may not have even been considered in the flow of product information. Yet, now social media is here and shifting momentum: » Social media sites have surpassed company Web sites » They are used to find objective information about a considered purchase » Company sites still offer a valuable source of subjective information During the buying consideration process, from a home toaster to a piece of construction equipment, potential buyers are looking for product feedback from current users. Then, they turn to company Web sites as the go-to source for specifications and complete details.
  • 6.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Buyers Share Information and Opinions in Peer Conversations Continuing the communications flow, those buyers are then sharing information they find via social media. This cycle is based on convenience and has both pros and cons: » Web 2.0 tools enable easy sharing with friends and peers » Upside: sharing creates viral, exponential reach » Downside: negative conversations reach further In the case of negative feedback, let’s see how your fellow marketers would react. Responding to Negative Comments About Your Brand on Social Media Social media’s transparency can be amazingly beneficial, until a less-than-flattering comment is posted, and your business faces a decision about next steps. Here is some insight gained from the results above: » Large companies are more likely to monitor commentary » Small and mid-sized businesses are more likely to respond with public rebuttals » Responding can draw more attention to a comment
  • 7.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Like every other customer service interaction, you must carefully weigh the potential benefit or detriment on your unique business situation before proceeding with a response. How Marketers are Responding to Negative Commentary MarketingSherpa sought out qualitative data on how marketers are addressing such commentary and received these scenarios: » “We acknowledge, admit the issue and, where possible, explain how we’re addressing it.” » “We just erase the comment from Facebook. We don’t engage critics.” » “We monitor everything but respond case by case using a set of criteria we’ve developed.” The third is likely the most rational approach, but it begs the question: What is this ‘set of criteria’ they developed? Do You Have a Policy to Manage Social Media Communications? MarketingSherpa asked marketers if they have a policy or set of criteria for social media response. The findings show several areas of opportunity: » Most don’t have a policy but do recognize the need » No standard template for social media policy » Must customize to your specific business situation If you’re looking for a template, the best route is to benchmark similar companies; however, remember that your brand, your tone and your business model will likely be different and require a customized touch. And, if you opt to involve your legal advisor, don’t fill your policy and/or responses with legalese, which will only keep customers from reading it. Tip: Be sure to involve your employees when communicating your social media policy, both new employees during orientation and existing employees who may need solid clarification. Best Practices Checklist for Writing a Social Media Policy Here are three key points to consider in establishing your policy: » Empower everyone to engage…responsibly » Define the “rules of engagement” » Moderate the good, the bad, but not the ugly
  • 8.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Now, let’s delve into each point to ensure you can implement successfully. Do you have a corporate social media policy? If not, write down some basic tenets of what yours might include. If you do, how might you change it at this point? Empower everyone to engage…responsibly Give employees the choice to participate: » The more the merrier » Clarify corporate versus personal participation Encourage employees to be involved in the proper context. Define guiding principles of engagement: » To learn » To contribute Social media is not about being promotional or selling. Comply with general business conduct policies: » Same policies apply online Employees must comply with the same ethical code in the office as in the social space. Define the “rules of engagement” Be transparent but judicious: » Identify yourself and your role; be honest » Don’t violate privacy or confidentiality policies Taking a covert approach is deceiving and is likely to be harmful to your business. Write what you know about: » Contribute within your area of expertise » Be responsible for the content you provide Maintaining credibility is of the utmost importance. Add value to the conversation: » Be a thought leader and be thought provoking » It’s a conversation, so encourage comments Be prepared to engage your audience.
  • 9.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Be Open to the Good and Bad, not the Ugly Moderation is the act of reviewing/approving third-party content contributed to sites within your control: » Anonymous content moderation mandatory » Registered user content moderation optional This includes your own company’s blog, your Twitter account and your Facebook page. With registered users that are being open with you, you should be open to the good and the bad: » Approve content whether favorable or unfavorable Moderate only what you have to. Do so sparingly, being sure not to show bias against unfavorable information. With the ugly, you want to: » Reject the offensive, denigrating or out of context This may occur more often with anonymous or unregistered users. Critical Barriers to the Adoption and Integration of Social Media Now that we know the drivers, let’s look at the barriers to social media. Since social media is so new, it’s challenging to find experienced resources, resulting in: » Lack of knowledge being a barrier to adoption and success » Misconceptions like inability to measure return on investment (ROI) » Social media ROI metrics requiring both qualitative and quantitative measurement Tip: Don’t mandate individuals to blog or be excited by social media within your company; you will be far more successful by simply identifying people who already “get it.” Empower them to lead your social media charge.
  • 10.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media What are the barriers that keep your business from using social media, or not using it more effectively? Are the Most Effective Social Media Tactics also the Least Measurable? There appears to be some misunderstanding about effectiveness. There is definite confusion as to what in social media is and is not measurable: » Misconception: social media is not accurately measurable » Marketers are accustomed to quantitative metrics » Qualitative metrics are less automated and, therefore, are often overlooked For instance, blog and social network advertising is viewed as the most measurable but not highly effective; on the other hand, blogger or online journalist relationships are viewed as the most effective but not highly measurable. This is simply not the case, when you consider that it is possible to measure how a lead comes from a blog and is captured on a company Web site.
  • 11.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Lack of Knowledge Equals Missed Opportunities Marketers are still learning about the capabilities of social media and how to weave it into PR. Looking at just social media releases (SMRs) as an example, we see: » SMRs are effective but underutilized » 80 percent of marketers are using social media, but less than 20 percent are using SMRs » Half of B2B marketers are not sure what an SMR is Tip: Use SMR templates for news distribution, which allows you to aggregate news content in a manner that is engaging to people, like online journalists and bloggers, who want to quickly access information via social media. How is Social Media Integrated into the Marketing Mix? MarketingSherpa wanted to determine if offline tactics were being considered in social media strategy. The data shows that social media is presently tied to mainly online channels, but even that is limited: » Agencies more likely to integrate both online and offline » Integration with online tactics by simply adding a link » Tracking through buying cycle to conversion automated
  • 12.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media So, let’s dig a bit deeper into this perception. How Well Does Social Media Fit with Other Tactics in the Mix? By asking a similar question about potential, we see multi-channel strategies emerge. Social media is compatible with all other forms of media; it simply depends where you wish to focus: » Social media a better fit with online tactics than offline » Social media has become an integral component of SEO » Combine targeting of email with reach of social media Example: Here is a recent Dentyne campaign that integrates traditional and social media tactics. » Social media concept: Facebook ‘friend request accepted’ » Traditional media (print ad) drives traffic to YouTube video » Viral effect generates exponential reach of campaign They designed their print message to resonate with social media users, knowing that group would be more likely to act on the invitation to view the video. The genius is that it not only garners impressions in print but also results in exponentially increased exposure online through social media sharing.
  • 13.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC’S TRACKING AND ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA SITE VISITORS First of all, what is social media, really? Here are some definitions found on social media sites: » Wikipedia—“Social media is content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies.” » Scribd—“Social Media is a catch-all term to describe all forms of digitally-enabled, peer-to-peer environments.” » Flickr—“A group of media producers that is primarily it’s own audience.” » Yahoo! Answers—“I’m often asked what is Web 2.0, and the explanation I find easiest to give is that Web 2.0 refers to Web- based platforms that have been developed to make sharing information, communicating and working together easier.” And if you think that’s a lot, consider the other definitions you may stumble across online:
  • 14.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Everyone defines social media differently. So, how can you make sense of all those definitions, and which one should you use at your organization? The answer is to accept the diversity and decide, as a company, what social media means to you. Which social media outlets are important to your company? List as many as you can think of and why they are important to you. Social Media Outlet Why Important When it comes to classifying your sources of traffic and determining what is and isn’t a social media site, don’t dwell on the little things. With so many different referrers, focus on establishing basic rules to get started. You can always make strategic adjustments later.
  • 15.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Categorizing Traffic Sources: Initial Results National Geographic started out simple by putting each value from their standard traffic sources report into one of seven categories. Even after this initial exercise, they could see that organic search was a big contributor at 42 percent. And here is an example of similar reporting, right from Omniture SiteCatalyst.® Instead of looking at only percent of total traffic, we can also see engagement and revenue metrics per visit for these categories.
  • 16.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Categorizing Traffic Sources: Honing in on Social Media So, what else does this categorization achieve? National Geographic can now easily see the increasing impact of social media on overall site traffic. In June 2009, for instance, visitors from social media sites accounted for 8.4 percent of traffic—the highest percentage ever. In addition, visitors from social media sites more than doubled since June 2008. Again using SiteCatalyst, they can compare categories of traffic to see how they perform over time. For instance, you can see social media’s influence is lessening the demand for pay-per-click ads.
  • 17.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Categorizing Traffic Sources: Engagement As noted previously, engagement is a revealing metric. Social media visitors are viewing an average of 4.2 pages per visit, while National Geographic email visitors are exploring an average of 13. 6 pages per visit. Tips and Tricks Start with referrer categories and key referrers Referrer categories for National Geographic: Key referrers: Organic search Google organic search Other (Web sites) Google pay-per-click ads Social media Microsoft organic search Pay-per-click ads Digg Display advertising Google images National Geographic email StumbleUpon National Geographic vanity URLs Facebook National Geographic email: photo National Geographic email: weekly news Twitter linktolearning.com Blogspot blogs Wordpress blogs
  • 18.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media What referrer categories and key referrers would you identify for your business? Referrer Category Key Referrers » Use key referrers to lump together subdomains and tracking codes into one value The Key Referrers Report in SiteCatalyst offers more granular reporting. It allows you to see traffic from a particular referrer over time to determine how that audience is interacting with your site. » Use additional classifications to create different ways of looking at the data » Channels—traffic from large networks like Google and Yahoo! » Media types—traffic from banners, search ads, link campaigns, etc. » Campaign types—traffic from a variety of sources, sometimes a catch-all » Promotions—traffic from specific shows (e.g., Dog Whisperer) or events (e.g., Earth Day) » Social media—traffic from Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. » Don’t go classification crazy; only classify if you need the data on a regular basis » Use a standard naming convention for all your tracking codes (e.g., Twitter, email, pay-per-click) » Classify what you can in advance » Use a single file for all your sites, if possible » Don’t feel that you have to classify all sources into every category Let’s focus, again, on just social media traffic. Can the Social Media Category be Broken Down Further?
  • 19.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media What should the subcategories be? Which sites belong where? Here is an example of categorization overkill: With the dozens of subcategories for just social media, the analysis would be incredibly challenging. Of course, on the flip side of the coin, underkill is also possible:
  • 20.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media National Geographic was looking for something in between social media in 30 minutes and social media in 30 seconds. Their “just right” option came from social media guru, Danny Sullivan: Note the five subcategories. The only changes National Geographic made were to enhance “social sharing” to “social media sharing” to denote video and photo sharing sites, and to move Twitter to the social news sites subcategory. By doing this, National Geographic quickly saw that half of all their social media traffic comes from the social news sites subcategory.
  • 21.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Then, with the Campaign Type Report in SiteCatalyst, National Geographic could see how visitors from these social media subcategories are interacting on their site. This is pivotal for tracking pages and revenue per visit at a more finite level, so that you can determine where to meaningfully invest future resources in social media endeavors. And here is a high-level representation: As you may recall, National Geographic’s overall social media page per visit average is 4.2. However, breaking down social media into subcategories reveals that, while social bookmarking is low at 1.7 pages per visit, social media sharing is significantly higher at 8.2 pages per visit—close to their 10 pages per visit average.
  • 22.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media If we look at the subcategories in a trended manner, SiteCatalyst delivers the following: It is interesting to see how they are performing on a daily basis, particularly the notable spikes in the social news and social bookmarking subcategories. What Topics Interest Social Media Visitors? More than half of the visits from the social media category are entering the National Geographic site via the news section. This is largely attributable to the fact that all of National Geographic’s news stories are distributed using an SMR template, and they often include videos and photos.
  • 23.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Although they may not get the same robust level of traffic, National Geographic’s channel and magazine sites also perform well in page views. Here are some examples, from photo albums to photo intrigue:
  • 24.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media When the album was forwarded via social media, nearly every user who visited it viewed every photo. The unique nature of this story created buzz. Even a story from 2002 can be rediscovered and virally shared with a new audience via social media.
  • 25.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Again, the photos draw visitors in to explore.
  • 26.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media This is further proven by comparing social media visits to other site visits. In fact, visitors from social media (42 percent) are twice as likely than the average visitor (21 percent) to land on a photo page of the National Geographic site. What is more notable about this trend is that social media photo submissions are mainly driven by users, specifically power users, not the company. Another phenomenon National Geographic recently discovered is that Digg users are now linking directly to a jpg or graphic, rather than the html page associated with it. This is challenging to track, without delving into miles of server logs, and it creates a pattern of “ghost” traffic that visits the site without any marketing interaction and then leaves. The long tail National Geographic reports that 18,000+ pages attracted traffic directly from social media sites year-to-date. Of those, 10 pages accounted for 20 percent of those visits, and 100 pages accounted for 60 percent of those visits.
  • 27.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Is National Geographic Reaching Social Media Visitors Internationally? Some of the most popular domestic social media sites are not used in the biggest countries in the world. Looking at social media from a global perspective, National Geographic verified that they captured the key sites and ensured those sites were reflected in their SiteCatalyst reporting. On average, about 31 percent of their audience is international. Social media is only slightly behind that at about 26 percent.
  • 28.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Increasing social media traffic leads to a parallel increase in questions about revenue potential. So, let’s look at the data related to a visit’s value. Relative Value of a Social Media Visit Delving into value, we can see the spending pattern of visitors to the National Geographic site, based on their propensity to order or subscribe online, or their value in terms of ad impressions. Comparing category to category, pay-per-click ads are far above average, being five times more likely to order than the average visitor. This makes sense since these individuals are being directed right to subscription forms or the online store. On the other hand, the average visitor is 20 times more likely to purchase than someone coming from a social media site.
  • 29.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Digging deeper into the social media subcategories, we see that the average visitor is 50 times more likely to order something than someone coming from either social news or social bookmarking origins. If we break this down even further, using the Key Referrers Report from SiteCatalyst, you can truly identify which site visitors are more likely to buy. This is helpful in planning online media buys. For instance, Digg is coming out with an advertising program in the next few months that will allow you to place a story within their natural results. Judging by the data in the graph above, National Geographic will likely not pursue that option. A better place to focus marketing energy may be Twitter, with visitors who are 20 times more likely than Digg visitors to place an order.
  • 30.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Wow, are social media visits really that worthless? In lieu of a series of bullets, National Geographic would like to draw your attention to a case study. During the holidays last year, they chose to promote a special $15/year subscription price for Facebook users. It was not at all successful in the social media realm. However, what was interesting was what happened in March. Someone took the tracking code for the promotion and placed it on deals network, resulting in thousands of orders in a single day—far exceeding the performance for the whole previous season. This was, in fact, more orders in a single day for a subscription online than any other day in 2008. One visitor may only look at a couple of pages, but if they happen to bring 1,000 friends along to visit the site, page views becomes inconsequential. INNOVATIONS IN EMERGING METRICS: SOCIAL MEDIA There are several challenges in social media optimization: » How is social media impacting brand perception? » How do you identify brand advocates and detractors? » Can customer service be improved using social networks? » How do you better listen to customers using social media (e.g., product development feedback)? So, where do you focus your time to influence people who are influential to your marketing goals?
  • 31.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Why care about Twitter? The simplest answer is Twitter popularity is growing rapidly, and that’s an understatement. Yes, celebrities recently discovered it, and Twitter is quickly becoming mainstream. More importantly, consider this persuasive point made by Forrester Research: In short, Twitter is especially valuable for real-time feedback. All you have to do is listen. Here are four ways companies are leveraging Twitter: It is a fantastic way to step-in as a brand ambassador to efficiently assist your customers in interacting with your company or resolving an issue. It’s also a great mode for promoting products and establishing thought leadership.
  • 32.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Is your organization being represented on Twitter? What are some ways your business specifically could leverage Twitter? What information could you convey, or what issues could you address from your customers in this medium? Omniture’s integration with Twitter Using the Twitter application programming interface (API), Omniture pulls data into SiteCatalyst. Once there, you can filter tweets for specific keywords such as phrases, company or product name. You can set alerts to notify employees or stakeholders of significant changes in tweet activity; yet, they don’t have to be on Twitter Search all the time. And you can group authors by brand status to identify brand detractors and advocates. It conveniently organizes Twitter data into one location, where you can sort, analyze and act on it.
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    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Omniture App Measurement for Facebook On May 28, 2009, Omniture announced its new Facebook App Measurement platform. Now, you can measure popularity and usage of Facebook applications (apps). This gives marketers insight into correlation between Facebook apps, site traffic and other online channels. Why the need for Facebook app measurement? In today’s environment, marketers are tasked with the following; » Effectively leveraging social media to better engage with consumers » Measuring the effectiveness of social media investments such as apps » Tracking social media user engagement and the resulting effect on conversion In addition, marketers are challenged to answer key questions, including: » What is driving viewers to Facebook apps? » How are they interacting with apps? » What kind of action or behavior is the app triggering? » How are Facebook apps impacting campaign performance? Key problems Omniture is solving » Problem: measuring investments in Facebook campaigns and ROI on Facebook apps Omniture solution: SiteCatalyst and App Measurement for Facebook empowers marketers to measure the impact of Facebook campaigns by measuring app adoption, social activity, customer loyalty and brand awareness » Problem: Uncovering the relationship between Facebook app usage and conversion via other online channels Omniture solution: SiteCatalyst and App Measurement for Facebook enables marketers to gain insight into the correlation or relationship between Facebook apps and other online channels, such as Web, mobile and video, to provide a single version of truth Net result: Measure Facebook app adoption and usage to determine social media campaign effectiveness, while better monetizing Facebook app investments.
  • 34.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Example: Let’s say a company called Media Universe is creating a Facebook app to allow their users to engage with content. They could run several different reports within SiteCatalyst to look at what’s working. For instance, here is an App Sections Report that shows what sections of the app are receiving the most page views. In this case, video is the most popular; so, they should optimize the app to take advantage of that interest.
  • 35.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Looking at an Invites Report, they can see how many people are inviting others to use the app. This provides an at-a-glance recap of how quickly the app is spreading. Moving on to an Application Conversion Funnel, they can see from in-app product searches all the way down through checkouts. This identifies how many orders are being placed and the resulting revenue being generated, thereby showing how the Facebook app is contributing to the overall marketing mix.
  • 36.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media Social media’s unique network created a special need for relationship reporting. In the User Segments Report above, they can segment Facebook users according to the number of friends they have. As the data shows, users with 500+ friends have a much higher level of invites and shares, while also being more engaged with the content. Tie Revenue to Social Media Activities Once you break down your social media sources, you can answer this question: Is social media impacting your bottom line? Determine how social media is contributing to your overall marketing mix, compared to tactics like direct visits and email, in order to define the appropriate level of resources and budgetary investment.
  • 37.
    Measuring the Impactof Social Media CLOSING THOUGHTS » Social media both levels and changes the playing field » Enable conversion metrics and classifications on your referrers data » Categorize your traffic sources data offline, and upload to create custom reports » Use National Geographic’s referrer categories as a starting point » People love linking to cool photos and media » Compared to other social media sites, social news and social bookmarking sites are great for traffic but poor for engagement » Overall, visitors from social media sites are not as engaged as the average visitor » Social media visitors can, however, trigger a domino effect on other social media platforms *** For questions related to information provided by MarketingSherpa, email Sergio Balegno at [email protected]. If you would like to learn more about social media measurement, contact your Omniture Account Manager or call (866) 923-7309. For internationally-located businesses, visit Omniture.com for the office information nearest you.
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