New media requires new metrics

So you've got a Facebook page, a blog, a Twitter profile and you've posted some great videos on YouTube. Now what?

Okay, so far so good. Any direct marketer will tell you, however, that it's all bogus until you can measure its success against your own quantifiable goals. With today's social media applications, that's tricky. It's not as simple as response and conversion rates, and forget about seeing a clean ROI. But don't let that stop you!

New media requires new metrics for success. For example, your Facebook page might live by such metrics as new fans per month, or posts per day. Your blog might contain measurements on number of new followers per month or number of comments per post. Twitter can tell you the number of new followers per month if you keep a record of it as you go.

These aren't hard metrics on which you should run a small business, and definitely not by which you'd want to run a large business, but rather are directional in letting you know you're creating an impact. If you properly integrate your social media efforts and use tracking code, such as that provided by Google Analytics, you'll be able to see how each piece works together to create an experience for your customers and prospects.

Take a good look at what is important to you in reaching your goals and go from there.