Guest Blogger Alan Chumley

Guest Blogger  – - Alan Chumley

Folks chatting or tweeting about social media measurement love to apply cute acronyms or use alliteration to articulate their thinking or their model on how to measure social media.

Generally, I find that approach lacking.  Great for marketing hyperbole, but light on oomph and methodology.

Prime example:
I read a tweet yesterday about the Four Is:

All were ambitiously and interestingly expressed as a return on…

Insight — Interaction — Investment — or Impact.

Okay.  I am feeling the need to break my own rule and reciprocate with the Seven C’s of social media measurement:

C1.  Counting (site and search metrics–all the appropriate stuff we can and should count)
C2.  Content (analysis, that is.  quantity and quality)
C3.  Conversations (as I like to sometimes call them conversationships)
C4.  Cohesion (are folks agreeing with you – -  with each other – - or  more importantly, are they coalescing around a core theme; idea; or call to action?)
C5.  Community
C6.  Connectedness (via network analysis:  how interconnected, interrelated are the highly engaged; the key influencers; the advocates in a conversation?  How centrally located are those highly engaged; key influentialsl; band advocates?  How far and and how fast is the spread?)
7.  Conversion (Or as I like to say “the so what factor”…getting beyond the output and outtake into the output or impact zone. Here I do not strictly mean conversion to a tangible such as  sales – - it could be conversion toward any measurable MarCom or PA/issues/advocacy-based objective.  Hint on method:  have a look at Tealium or Sysomos Audience.

So how do you measure all this?

 Combine several approaches (such as content analysis, search and site metrics, network analysis, primary research), and have those approaches be flexible enough to account for – - prioritize – - weight,  different objectives and campaign types.

Your thoughts? 

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Alan Chumley has twelve years experience in corporate communication / measurement industry including senior-level, in-house corporate communications roles for leading blue chip organizations such as Bell Canada,  as the Director of Measurement  for Hill & Knowlton, and Vice President at Cormex Media Content Analysis.       

Alan holds an M.A. in communication and culture with research focusing on media effects and uses, audience analysis, reception studies and best practices in PR management and measurement.

In addition to being an adjunct instructor (of research and measurement) at two universities in Canada, Alan is a frequent industry speaker, blogger and tweeter.  

Follow Alam on Twitter @alanchumley