2011 ace netc_evaluating_social_media-1

Challenges in Evaluating Social Media

Michael Lambur, Craig Wood, Anne AdrianeXtension

ACE/NETC Conference 2011

Social Media

• Social media is a means to an end• Means = conversations and interactions--

engagement• End = connecting individuals with

Extension resources• Going where the people are is less work

than trying to bring the people to you. Jill Heemstra, LPELC CoP

Evaluating Social Media

• Involvement and interaction/degree:o Google Analytics: unique visits, frequency of

visits, depth of visit, length of visit, time spent on site, traffic from social media

o Twitter: Following, followers, tweetso Facebook: Fans, profile data, wall postings,

eventso YouTube: Views, ratings, links, audiences

Evaluating Social Media

• Intimacy and influence/kind:o Comment analysiso Content analysis of the “conversation”o Evaluative questions asked in the

conversationo Links to online surveys/polls

Social Media Objectives

• Identify intent• Make it specific (number, percentage,

increase/decrease, and date)• Allow time for reflection and sense

making

Example Social Media Objectives

• Increase website traffic by XX% through social media efforts by date

• Increase enrollment in webinars by XX% by date• Increase number of retweets and @replies on

Twitter by XX% by date• Increase likes and comments with fans on Facebook

to three comments per post by date• Increase views on YouTube by XX% by date

What CoPs are doing in Social Media

Applications for Evaluating Social Media

• Google Analytics• Tweetreach• Klout• Peer Index• Lithium ScoutLabs• SAS

Google Analytics - Facebook

Google Analytics - Twitter

Tweetreach Free Last 50 Tweets

Tweetreach $20 5 days

Tweetreach Monthly Subscription

Captured other terms such as Smith Lever, Extension Agent, CoopExt.

Between February 22 and April 3, the term CESValue on Twitterwas used 1,999 times by 688 contributors reached 264,772 Twitter accounts.

Resources

• Kanter, Beth. (2010). 9 ways nonprofits can excel using social media. http://www.bethkanter.org/socialmedia-nonprofits-excel/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bethblog+%28Beth%27s+Blog%29

• Kanter, Beth. (2011). 25 SMART social media objectives. http://www.bethkanter.org/25-smart/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bethblog+%28Beth%27s+Blog%29

• Kaushik, A. (2008). Measuring online engagement: What role does web analytics play? http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2008/01

Resources

• Tweetreach. http://tweetreach.com/• Villa, J. (2009). What does engagement really mean?

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=111974&passFuseAction=PublicationsSearch.showSearchReslts&art_searched=jose%20villa&page_number=11