One of the things that seems to be discussed heavily within the social media and public relations realm is social media analytics. How do we really know if we are getting the right stats on the followers we have on Twitter? What is the impact of the timing in responding on Facebook across brands? Can we track the level of engagement and activity for a particular account? What is the value of a “friend” on social media? Well, the answer to all of these answers is that at the moment – public relations professionals and those that are working specifically with social media analytics will say that it is hard to keep up with the technology – it seems to be changing every day.
However, while there are still challenges in providing sound analytics, it is getting better for PR professionals to use these analytics for research, monitoring engagement and dialogue among audiences, and looking more at the impact of network analysis with these emerging technologies.
So, the question is – what are some of the more reliable social media analytics? It really all depends on what you are looking for – are you looking for a paid or free service? Are you looking at monitoring a specific social media platform like Twitter? Here are some that I have used in my own research and looking at what others are saying in the online community:
- Topsy Analytics: Comparing terms that are being shared, discussed, and linked through Twitter are just some of the features that this site offers to others. Looking at these trends and mentions over a period of a few days to a few weeks – it can provide some insight into monitoring the frequency of these trends, but also look at the influence and likelihood that this link or comment will be shared with others.
- TwitSprout: This is one site that I just found out about – from Twitter actually 🙂 – it is still in the beta stages, but it does provide some insight into the daily and hourly activity for Twitter users following a particular username. In looking at the level of engagement, reaction, and activity on this particular site – it does provide a PR professional some specific insight into Twitter activity and could be used for those brands and individuals that have a significant presence on Twitter for their own reputation as well as for their business.
- Metricly: Interesting site that allows users to track site traffic and advertising sales and revenue – definitely a good resource for those who are working in social media and advertising. There are different options (some are paid), but there is an opportunity to start a free account to get some basic analytics and information for you and possibly your small business.
- Google Analytics: This feature from Google does provide users to track traffic to specific websites, where people are coming in from various links and key terms, breakdown in terms of number per day in terms of hits, etc.
These are just a few examples – but there are plenty more sites and resources available to those that are in the public relations field. What is key is to understand 1) what you want to accomplish in your research and campaign in question 2) determine what you want to measure and evaluate in your research study / campaign 3) determine the sites that would best capture the data and 4) actively be engaged in the monitoring and evaluating process.
However, metrics in social media do serve their purpose, but they should not be the only thing to look at when evaluating the conversation and dialogue emerging from the online discussions. Digital behaviors are presented in various forms other than hits on a website or number of followers – so this is key to remember when constructing a research study and campaign for public relations and social media. It is all about having a complete picture of what is emerging online and in social media.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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