{"id":3282,"date":"2011-07-12T20:25:32","date_gmt":"2011-07-12T20:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/?p=3282"},"modified":"2011-07-12T20:25:32","modified_gmt":"2011-07-12T20:25:32","slug":"measure-what-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/2011\/07\/measure-what-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Measure What Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"More than once in recent weeks I\u2019ve participated in (or overheard out of the corner-of-an-ear) discussions on how time-consuming social media has become, what the payoff might be, and when it might be realized. And I would certainly be surprised if many of you haven’t asked some version of these same questions of yourself or others. <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Not only is the issue real; it is legitimate.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t as though any of us has either a shortage of work, or an overabundance of free time on our hands.<\/p>\n

Why are we here?\u00a0 What keeps pulling us back?\u00a0 When will the investment pay off?\u00a0 And will we recognize the payoff when it occurs?<\/p>\n

If the numbers game doesn\u2019t meet your needs \u2013 i.e. the accumulation of followers, friends and fans — the issue becomes pointed.\u00a0 Get beyond the metrics that are relatively easy to skew in a positive direction, and what is the measure for success?\u00a0 And even when it comes to the numbers aspect of direct marketing, when might it be the best investment to simply buy<\/em> connections.<\/p>\n

So\u2026what about all the time a comprehensive social media strategy requires — Is it worth it?<\/p>\n

Measuring Intangibles<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

There have been volumes written on the \u201cROI of social media.\u201d\u00a0 Virtually all discuss the idea that social is an investment in relationships.\u00a0 And relationships are tough to measure.\u00a0 They are dynamic.\u00a0 Some days they are stronger than others.\u00a0 The best weather storms and grow deep over time.\u00a0 And client loyalty initiatives notwithstanding, relationship is an intangible asset.<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

To apply a standard designed to quantify tangibles<\/em> when attempting to measure intangibles<\/em> is to ignore the fact that the two live and operate in opposite sides of the brain.\u00a0 (This is really a topic unto itself, but if you wrestle with this idea, check Chip Conley\u2019s thoughts on measuring what matters, here.<\/a><\/span>)<\/p>\n

If we are to accurately measure the value of social media we must rethink<\/em> the measurement process.\u00a0 Not retool<\/em>; simply rethink.\u00a0 Align perspective.<\/p>\n

In a presentation titled The Power of Vulnerability <\/em>(click to view<\/a><\/span>), social researcher and storyteller Brene Brown begins with this premise: in the social arena, connection is what matters most<\/em>.\u00a0 The ability to feel connected is of ultimate importance to human beings.<\/p>\n

Now\u2026if you skimmed that last paragraph, take a second to re-read.<\/p>\n

For everyone wondering about the social media explosion, or what the return on the time invested might be, the answer lies in the way we think about connecting<\/em>.\u00a0 As Brown suggests, human beings are prewired to connect, to belong, and to share.\u00a0 Social media is simply an extremely efficient way to make connection possible.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, here are four cornerstones of a productive way to connect:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Be about building.<\/strong> There are plenty for whom social media is just another numbers game.\u00a0 Gather (and solicit) enough names, create a pitch, and sell widgets.\u00a0 But if you\u2019re here to connect<\/em>, be about building something to which others are drawn \u2013 a discussion, a group, a community.<\/li>\n
  2. Give unconditionally<\/strong>.\u00a0 Agendas and expectations kill relationships.\u00a0 If you want folks to connect with what you\u2019re building, figure out how to give something of value.\u00a0 This is not to suggest that you shouldn\u2019t ever ask for something or make a \u201cpitch\u201d; it is to say that if the first thing you do with every connection is fire off a Direct Message selling your software, you may not be building lasting relationships.<\/li>\n
  3. Be personal, real, and appropriately transparent.<\/strong> Brene Brown talks about the critical nature of vulnerability.\u00a0 We won\u2019t presume that social media marketing is the venue for total transparency; but if you hope to build enduring relationships, social calls for language, tone and thesis that resonate.\u00a0 Absent a quality that is unmistakably real, your connections will be nominal.\u00a0 And of little long-term value.<\/li>\n
  4. Target smart.<\/strong> One of the greatest challenges associated with establishing rewarding connections in social media is defining with whom you wish to connect.\u00a0 There is, unfortunately, no single easy answer for this; however, begin by being selective around subject matter, individuals \/ groups you admire, and issues around which you have affinity.\u00a0 Social is an enormous pool.\u00a0 Be focused, and you\u2019ll realize valuable connections sooner rather than later.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ultimately value must be reflected on the bottom-line.\u00a0 But if connections and relationships are valued assets, short-term numbers rarely tell the whole story.\u00a0 Never underestimate the value of intangibles.\u00a0 Measure What Matters.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Eric Fletcher
    \n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    More than once in recent weeks I\u2019ve participated in (or overheard out of the corner-of-an-ear) discussions on how time-consuming social media has become, what the payoff might be, and when it might be realized. And I would certainly be surprised if many of you haven’t asked some version of these same questions of yourself or … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137,8],"tags":[360,1380,32,122,643,538,811,970,1379],"class_list":["post-3282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-posts","category-ericfletcher","tag-building","tag-connect","tag-marketing","tag-measure","tag-personal","tag-real","tag-target","tag-transparent","tag-unconditional"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3282"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3287,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3282\/revisions\/3287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}