As a data-driven marketer I develop and refine campaign strategies using defined measurement practices based on the digital marketing channels utilized and the campaign goals. Campaigns using social media have new challenges for determining the most important KPIs to truly understand the extent of success a social strategy campaign can bring to a brand.
A white paper recently released by comScore provides insights into the extensive reach that a brand can have using social media. In a collaboration with Facebook, comScore developed a platform over the course of a year for measuring reach that will provide digital marketers with an added ability to develop social strategies for their brands based on quantifiable exposure of their social messaging.
Being Liked is a Means, but not an End to Social Success
As social strategies are implemented and monitored on Facebook, I know a common uncertainty for social marketing managers is what advantage does a Fan really have on their brand. An increasing Fan-base does not commonly translate into an increase in Facebook page visits, therefore, are they really Fans of the brand at all?
By analyzing the actual social behavior on Facebook statistics show that users are spending most of their time on the Newsfeed, so just because a Fan isn’t checking in on a Facebook page, doesn’t mean they don’t still ‘Like’ you. This information is important for developing a social content that will trumpet your brand in the Newsfeed more often, but not too often. Overly aggressive messaging that takes up too much of a Fan’s Newsfeed will certainly reduce a Fan-base. There is a reason it’s called a strategy. Testing timing and social messaging is essential for a successful social media campaign.
Friends of Fans are the Silver Bullet for Social Strategy
When measuring the impressions of a message on Facebook, the number of Fans a brand has is just a drop in the bucket for quantifying the actual potential exposure of the message. By segmenting website traffic there is statistical evidence to show that Fans are more likely than the average person to visit a site where they are a Facebook Fan. A Friend of a Fan is also more likely to visit than the average site visitor. This information supports the proposition that the reach of social media messaging is successfully extending to the Friends of Fans on Facebook.
These insights actually indicate that the tendency to spend Facebook time on the Newsfeed is actually beneficial to brands because it provides additional opportunity to extend the reach of social messaging to Friends of Fans. Your social media impact measurement likely just got a boost.