Whenever you’re implementing a new strategy (social media or not), it’s important to know where you currently stand so you know how far you’ve gone once you start implementing tactics. What the baseline is will depend on what you’re measuring, what your goals are, and what tactics you’re looking to implement. A baseline measurement will help you understand which tactics are working and which ones need some tweaking.
Multiple Measurements
A good baseline will include measurements for all the tactics you’re implementing. If your social media strategy includes using Twitter and Facebook, then a baseline measurement may be how many fans and followers you have, as well as how many people are currently interacting with your posts.
Baseline without a Baseline
If you’re implementing tactics which don’t have any measurement yet (because you’re just setting them up), it’s a good idea to get some sort of baseline from the measurements you do have available. If you already have a website or blog, record how much traffic it is getting, breaking it down by important sources. You may be surprised to find that you’re already getting traffic from Twitter and Facebook without having a profile because other people are talking about you.
Break it Down
Break down your baseline measurement into as many metrics as make sense. Don’t just get your overall traffic to your website and blog, take a look at the traffic and conversions on your landing pages, as well as what other sites are sending you traffic.
Helping You Understand
Getting a good baseline reading on your online presence will help you understand what parts of your strategy are working and what needs improvement. You may see an influx of traffic from your social media efforts, but they’re not converting to sales. By understanding your baseline and your important metrics, you’ll be able to identify what may be not working with your Twitter tactics (maybe you’re sending them to the home page instead of a landing page, maybe you don’t have a clear call to action, maybe your landing page needs some changes to increase conversions, etc.).
Thoughts?
(image by TinyApartmentCrafts, on Flickr)