There was a lot of anticipation building up to this week’s #smmeasure chat on Facebook measurement and your collective minds did not disappoint in providing tips and advice.  I want to thank everyone who participated and helped spread the word.  A big thanks to Sysomos’ Community Manager Sheldon Levine @sysomos ^[2] for co-hosting the chat.

#smmeasure chat #4 recap

Last week, we discussed the value of a Twitter retweet ^[3] (RT) and how to measure its value.  This week, we focus on Facebook measurement.  Below is just a small taste of the great conversation we had.  There were so many golden nuggets to take away from the chat that this recap will not do it justice.  I recommend that you take a look at the full transcript ^[4].

Q1: How do you get fans to like your FB page and to build a quality community?

• @Dan_L:  “provide quality content and be present/responsive”
• @swonderlin:  “Present info that they like/enjoy..that way they will pass along! Ask questions!”
• @jkhalif:  “Provide relevant info about your product and services, prevent spamming, replies to comments and suggestions, etc”
• @sabrina_scott:  “The growth needs to be organic, and you have to present useful information in a fun atmosphere to keep people coming back”
• @MichaelNus:  “real trick is getting folks to come to your FB page. If they like it from whatever outside source, they will already be qualified”
• @tvo:  “We ask our Facebook friends questions about themselves and what they think about topics that are related to our programs”
• @AnthonyZanfini:  “You have to offer content of value. But it varies whether your target wants value as convos, videos, apps, promos etc.”
• @ellerich:  “Keep contest fresh on your FB page – too many start to get ppl to join and then never post anything after that”
• @goonerink:  “Let people come to you. Turning people off your product, much easier than you think.”
• @PJASchultz:  “What does fb have that othr sites dont? Pics & threaded convo Exploit it 2 make fb useful & relevant.”

Q2:  In addition to FB Insights, what additional metrics do you use to measure FB success/engagement?

• @swonderlin:  “Biggest sign of success of FB page is your fans suggesting to friends! They bring the fans in!”
• @ellerich:  “Definitely when asking a question to fans, number of responses/comments is key-nice to see a list of feedback to show up”
• @AlexConde:  “I think total fans can be too easily driven by a promotion or contest. I prefer SOME engagement (likes or comments)”
• @Maverick_PR:  “Asking questions on FB can also give additional qualitative results brands can use in planning/research”
• @amfunderburk1:  “Likes and comments mean more to me. While it’s great to have many fans, I want people to actually interact!”

Q3:  How do you measure influence on FB (courtesy of @erkramer)?

• @40deuce:  “I’d say that your most active fans will hopefully be seen as influencers as well helping to bring people to your page (sometimes)”
• @krusk:  “measure influence of page, not fans. Ask them to act on something (i.e coupon code) see how many actually do”
• @krusk:  “everyone is influential to their friends (usual FB audiences) so you really can’t compare the same way to Twitter.”
• @marketwire:  “This goes to show that trying to measure influence is useless. Instead focus on what you can actually measure and understand.”

Food for Thought

• @PJASchultz:  “Both. Ap’tly. RT @tvo: Is sm marketing or com’ity building? RT @PJASchultz: Marketers have to do whatever appeals to their audience”

Check back here every week for #smmeasure chat recaps and transcripts.  Join the Marketwire Facebook page to get #smmeasure weekly discussion topics.  If you have any questions or specific topics that you would like us to discuss in the future, please tweet @smmeasure or @marketwire.  Keep track of all of the #smmeasure chat recaps ^[5].

Join the #smmeasure LinkedIn Group to connect with others interested in social media and measurement.  I will be off next week as I relocate from Chicago to Los Angeles, but don’t let those tears start streaming down your cheeks yet!  Next week, Garry Przyklenk ^[6] will be co-hosting under @marketwire along with Sheldon @sysomos, 9:00 am PST, 11:00 am CST, 12:00 pm EST.

Until next time,
Nick

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