Measurement Steps

There are a few steps you can take to set up your social media accounts for regular assessment. Revisiting these steps at regular intervals will help to ensure you are getting the most out of your social media accounts.

Baseline data for existing accounts

If you are setting up a measurement plan for the first time, or if you have inherited an existing social media account, you should determine a baseline for your account(s) to have a basis for measurement.

• Collect data as far back as possible, but a minimum of a year is ideal
• Add the data to a dashboard for easy analysis (Excel is one example of a place to collect data)
• Make note of Follower growth rate and average Reach/Impressions and Engagement Rate

Set goals

Determine what your goals are for the next year, quarter, etc. Do you want to:

• Increase the number of followers by a certain percentage?
• Drive more traffic to your website using social media?
• Increase donations to your program or unit?
• Have conversations with your followers?

To best accomplish these and other goals, create calls-to-action. For example:

• Increase followers = “Share with your friends” or “Like and follow”
• Drive more traffic = “Click here” with web URL
• Increase donations = “Donate now” button or web URL link with appeal
• Have conversations = ask questions and respond to answers

Create and execute a plan

Plan out the promotions you want to do around specific events and throughout the year. Be sure to include the calls-to-action you’ve determined and craft messaging to reflect those actions. Paying for promoted posts may help with your reach if you don’t have a great number of followers.

Measure effectiveness

After the promotions run, collect the statistics and add them to your dashboard. Determine whether you met or exceeded your determined goal. If you did not do either, adjust your goals, expectations, or messaging for the next promotion.