Measuring Success
It is important to be able to set goals and measure success against those goals for social media. This will inform overall communications strategy and help you assess whether certain platforms work better for your intended audiences than others.
Definitions
- Dashboard: A place to consolidate and quickly analyze data; spreadsheets are commonly used, and there are a variety of browser-based and downloadable software options, typically for a fee.
- Engagement/Engagement Rate: A metric used to describe the amount of interaction – likes, shares, comments – a piece of content receives.
- Follower: Refers to a person who subscribes to your account in order to receive your updates.
- Impressions: A metric used to show the number of times content associated with your page is displayed.
- Reach: A metric used to show the number of people who saw your content. Includes people who have chosen to follow your account and those who have not.
Check out our 2019 training on measuring success with analytics
- Training slides (PDF)
- Webinar video with audio
- Follower tracking spreadsheet
- Post analysis spreadsheet
Learning Tools
Many social media companies have blogs with how-tos. To educate yourself on how and what to measure, look to the experts. Here are some suggestions on where to start: