The IMC Magazine Issue 8/October 2015 | Page 5

• If you want to see a community arise around your content, you might begin to notice the number of comments given on any particular post, as well as the reblogs and references that occur to it on other social media.

Measure Those Metrics

Once you know the goal that you are trying to achieve, and the process you need to follow to get there, the next step is to actually measure the effect that you’re having. Some items to look at:

• What time of day gets you the best results? There are many common times that are generally considered good for getting lots of views. Early morning, after dinner, and first thing on the weekend can all be positive. But ultimately, what works for your business might vary, which is why it’s important to keep track of your own results and do what works for you.

• What sorts of posts have the most responses? Does your audience react positively to you sharing and commenting on industry news? Do contests prompt a big reaction? What about sharing behind-the-scenes pictures of your business? Once you know what sort of media prompts engagement with your audience, you can give them what they’re looking for.

• Remember that there are a wide variety of tools that can measure just about anything you’re looking for. If you don’t know exactly how to measure a particular feature on your site or social media account, ask other professionals in your industry. Odds are that you’re not the first one to wonder about this particular detail, and there’s something out there that can give you what you need.

Forget The Rest

This may be the hardest part.

Once you know what you’re tracking, let go of the rest. If you’ve found that it makes no difference to your sales how many comments you get on a particular post, then stop chasing comments. If your goal is to get click throughs, not shares, then don’t share something inflammatory just so that your post gets spread around. Know what your goal is, and work to achieve that. When someone else starts telling you about how they got thousands of likes or hundreds of shares, if you know that these things don’t affect your bottom line, resist the urge to compete. There are too many possible goals in social media measurement; you can’t win them all.

By taking a hand on approach to your company’s social media presence, you can make sure that your brand is precisely targeted, and reap the benefits of the Internet and our connected society in your business.

This month's guest Editorial provided by Margarita Hakobyan from MoversCorp!

CEO and founder of MoversCorp.com, an online marketplace of local moving companies and storage facilities. Business women, wife and mother of two with bachelor's degree from the University of Utah with a concentration in International Studies and a Masters Degree also from the University of Utah with a degree in International business.