Social Media Marketing

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c h a p t e r

6 :

SOCIAL ANALYTICS, METRICS, AND MEASUREMENT

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literally time and date stamped, signed by what is more often than not a real person and

associated with a specifi c URL that is forever discoverable, these conversations form a

robust body of information that is very useful in managing your business. This is what

social media analytics is all about.

Sentiment, Source, and Volume

As a starting point in social media analytics, among the most commonly cited metrics are

sentiment—also known as polarity—along with source and volume, measures of the origin and

overall level of the conversations you are tracking. Start with these, but then push beyond them

and understand the processes that drive what you observe.

As a starting point in social analytics, consider sentiment, source, and volume,

an example of which is shown in Figure 6.1. Sentiment is the measure of the polarity

of the conversation—positive versus negative with regard to the subject—and is use-

ful in understanding not only the immediate issue of “Do people like _____?” but also

the degree to which they feel this way. This is helpful, for example, in refi ning a brand

advocate/brand detractor-centric tactical initiative.

CONSIDERATION PURCHASE

Social Web

Volume

Social Media Listening Sentiment

Source

AWARENESS

1

Figure 6.1 Sentiment, Source, and Volume

Sentiment, Source, and Volume

As a starting point in social media analytics, among the most commonly cited metrics are

sentiment—also known as polarity—along with source and volume, measures of the origin and

overall level of the conversations you are tracking. Start with these, but then push beyond them

and understand the processes that drive what you observe.