March 22, 2016

You can set up all kinds of social media platforms and dashboards, but how can you tell whether your social media efforts are having any impact?

No matter what tools you use (Google Analytics, Facebook Insights and more), you’ll want to track certain core data sets to see if you are accomplishing your goals.

You can always add more, but start with these basic metrics:

  • Engagement: How engaged is your audience with your content? With discussion? What are the levels of interaction and attention?
  • Impact: What impact is your social media strategy having on your readership — and in real life? Are you broadening or deepening the conversation?
  • Reach: Are social media connecting your project to the audiences you want to connect with? Is there a ripple effect on the Web?

Taken from Social Media: Strategies and Tools for News, a self-directed course by Susan Mernit at Poynter NewsU.

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Vicki Krueger has worked with The Poynter Institute for more than 20 years in roles from editor to director of interactive learning and her current…
Vicki Krueger

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