It’s always interesting to see the trends and terminology that fall in and out of favour in comms over the years.
One of those is the notion of ‘vanity metrics’ – the assertion that likes and follows (for example) aren’t worth the pixels that they’re programmed on and that engagement is king. But I am inclined (in essence) to disagree.
I believe that you should love ALL your metrics and that the key to a successful social media strategy is understanding the value of each of them and aligning them with your organisational aims and objectives. In practice, this may mean that…
- Every Facebook page like will not lead to a donation but building a sizeable Facebook community of people interested in your cause might be integral to your fundraising strategy.
- Every Tweet like will not lead to taking action on a campaign you are running, but will help indicate whether your message is resonating with people, which is critical at the testing stage.
- Even if size doesn’t equal absolute success for you, far-reaching social media communities can be attractive to corporate partners, which may be key to your business development plans.
Do you love all your metrics? I’d love to hear from you.
Claire
Director, Colvine Communications
