Page 164 - Social Media Marketing

c h a p t e r 6: SOCI A L A NA LY T ICS, M ET R ICS, A N D M EASU R EM EN T ■literally time and date stamped, signed by what is more often than not a real person and
associated with a specific URL that is forever discoverable, these conversations form a
robust body of information that is very useful in managing your business. This is what
social media analytics is all about.

Sentiment, Source, and Volume

As a starting point in social media analytics, among the most commonly cited metrics are
sentiment—also known as polarity—along with source and volume, measures of the origin and
overall level of the conversations you are tracking. Start with these, but then push beyond them
and understand the processes that drive what you observe.

As a starting point in social analytics, consider sentiment, source, and volume,
an example of which is shown in Figure 6.1. Sentiment is the measure of the polarity
142 of the conversation—positive versus negative with regard to the subject—and is use-
ful in understanding not only the immediate issue of “Do people like _____?” but also
the degree to which they feel this way. This is helpful, for example, in refining a brand
advocate/brand detractor-centric tactical initiative.

Volume

1 Social Media Listening Sentiment

AWARENESS CONSIDERATION PURCHASE

Source Social Web

Figure 6.1 Sentiment, Source, and Volume