Can Social Media Be Measured?

[InsightsDigital]

Almost every single internet marketing related magazine and conference touts social media. Thus, I wonder about measuring success on social media. Most of the information I read on this topic is very qualitative. At least this article tires to quantify it in some way...
http://searchenginewatch.com/3634843
So how to explain social media metrics with your clients?

[InsightsDigital]

I found this useful blog from Jeremiah - formerly with Forrester - about social media measurement. http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/category/social-media-measurement/

[MktgRob]

Almost every single internet marketing related magazine and conference touts social media. Thus, I wonder about measuring success on social media. Most of the information I read on this topic is very qualitative. At least this article tires to quantify it in some way... http://searchenginewatch.com/3634843 So how to explain social media metrics with your clients?

With my clients I explain that social media is not something that is easily measured but it is not really necessary to measure it. As most of my clients are small businesses they are not really devoting alot of dollars to social media so quantifying the investment in time is a little more subjective. For the SMBs engaging in social media, it is more about the quality of the engagement rather than measuring the overall success of all engagements. The key is building a relationship online that can be translated into real business down the line.