What you measure is what you get.

It has been a long time since I last moved. However, I vividly recall the move into a beautiful two bedroom rental apartment located in a Pre-war building in Manhattan. That prospective home was full of wonderful possibilities the thought of adding my individual charm and flair: The trips to hardware store, research over the internet and the collection of magazines and Sunday circulars. Tile and carpeting for the floors, paint color for the walls, window treatment and furniture.  Purchasing tools and remodeling books that I have never owned until this point.  I remember the excitement and joy that I felt.

All in an effort to complete my (do it myself) project within budget.  And achieve the main objective which, was to add character, style, warmth and comfort to each room. While, making family feel loved, friends and guest feel welcome.

Looking back, I realize through that project the importance of “What you measure is what you get”.  And the content within a social media campaign can be viewed through the lens of a design or home decorating project.  If, you envision the social media branding campaign as the beautiful Pre-war building.  And, the rooms within the apartment represent the content of the campaign.

Here’s some things to keep in mind as you are designing, implementing and plan your next campaign.

1. Determine what social media tools to include. Homepage; Twitter; Facebook; RSS feed or blog etc.
2. Determine the content and the direction the content will flow.
3. Transparency, within social media. When deciding what to measure. How will transparency change what you measure?
4. What are the key factors? While measuring the performance or effectiveness of a campaign is it the number of views to the campaigns website or home page? Is it the total number of likes or shares on the Facebook page? Re-tweets or tweets on Twitter?
5. What source will you use to measure ROI.

It is in the questions that help determine the strategic direction for an effective social media branding campaign.  The ability to create, share or exchange information within a network allows brands to reach a broader audience than traditional media.  No one could have predicted the effectiveness social media would have on the FIFA World Soccer Cup for example.  It is this expansion into an untapped marketplace that allows apparel companies like Nike and Adidas and beverage companies like Coca Cola and Starbucks to perform well using social media.

As we all know social media branding campaigns can be an effective tool for spotlighting the philanthropic efforts of an organization.  How a company is giving back to the community and environmental efforts to save the planet.

Social media is an ally and can be viewed as another tool in the toolbox for measuring customer satisfaction, price, and service. A tool to measure the necessary steps to surpass competition; or in determining what areas within the campaign require improvement.  All in all the bottom line is how we look to our audience and will their engagement produce a successful campaign response.