Social Media Measurement Tools

In today's connected world, building a community online surrounding the company and its brands is one of the biggest priorities. Social media measurement has become a fundamental aspect that it helps in getting feedback from customers, competitors,critics and followers and thus further helps in analysis, measurement and creation of reports about company's marketing campaigns online.
The ability to affect a person's thoughts, feelings is called social influence and this is possible because of social media marketing, thus fostering brand image and awareness.

Measuring online popularity and success of a company's image and product is difficult , but it is possible because of trending social media metric measurement sites such as Hootsuite, SocialMention, Klout, Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, Google analytics, Buffer.
Return of investment of a company's efforts and also consequences of companies social media can easily be measured using these sites and thus also help in improving customer engagement also.

What does social metrics mean?
Social metrics is basically a science of monitoring the impact on social media by a company. 

Some of the elements that are monitored include 

• Reach - Measurement of size of audience
• Exposure - The popularity of a product and creation of trends
• Reviews - Reviews from existing and potential customers 
• Time spent on each site - a measure in seconds and minutes of how long a visitor     stays on a site
• Retweets - Re-publishing a tweet already posted on twitter
• Likes - Calculation of likes on a post in Facebook
• Comments - Comments received on posts in Facebook , twitter and other social media sites
• Votes - number of votes received on some blogposts and also updates
• Shares - Shares of posts in Facebook

Example of Social Media Measurement Tools

Example for Sample Metric Calculations 

5 popular Social media management tools

1. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is one of the most popular social media management tools used by businesses and people alike to connect to various social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, pintrest, google+ etc)

Image source - http://thegetsmartblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/hootsuite.jpg

Hootsuite Intro - How it works 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHHQoNCFWuw

2. Buffer

Buffer is one of the best social management tool that can be used to share content to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn simutaneously from anywhere on the web with one click.

Image source - http://practicalecommerce.com/wp-content/uploads/images/0005/7848/buffer_homepage_lightbox.png

Image Source - http://www.thedigitalfa.com/wp-content/uploads/buffer-app-screenshot.jpg

buffer Intro - How it works 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icNAXegxs0Q


3.  TweetDeck

TweetDeck is a  web and desktop solution to monitor and manage twitter feeds with powerful filters to focus. It is available for Windows and Mac desktops.

Image Source - https://cdn.burst.zone/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/tweetdeck.png


4. Social Flow

SocialFlow is a software company that increases distribution of owned and earned content across all social media platforms. The algorithms in the site analyst user behaviour and then optimize posts based on real time date. The current partners are Facebook,Twitter, Google+, Linkedin.

Image Source - http://www.socialflow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/socialflow-commandcenter1.png

5. SocialOomph

SocialOomph is a neat web tool that provides a host of free and paid productivity enhancements for social media. The functions included are for Facebook,Twitter ,Plurk and  user defined blogs.

Image source - http://www.iexpertsforum.com/ief/library/social-oomph1.jpg

Summary 

Measuring social media metrics is not completely easy as pie. Analysis and interpretation is possible and even calculation is possible with the help of the social media measurement tools.

Best Facebook Tools for Business

Do you know that Facebook now has 30 million active small business Pages worldwide?  No doubt the people have recognized -  one of the best ways to reach more people is to be on Facebook. I do not want to list the Facebook tools, such as how to create a page for your event, add nice pictures or post updates every day. Everybody got familiar with that. My goal is to add something new to information you have already had.

For example, do you know new changes was coming to Facebook as of January 1, 2015?New trends for business? I would like to share with you some of them.

1. VIDEO is more important then ever!
In 2015, video will dominate as the social media content format of choice.  Also, Facebook videos receive significantly more shares than YouTube. This makes sense because sharing and engagement are at the heart of Facebook interactions.
I think videos will succeed in 2015 because of the ease and cheap price point for marketers to create them. Research shows that people are more active with video, so just create and use it dor your business!

2. Wearable technology is clothing and accessories incorporating computer and advanced electronic technologies

In this category I would like to highlight the Google Glass
Facebook for Google Glass
What do we do with Facebook? We share quick thoughts, pictures, and videos primarily. When our glasses can snap a pic or record a video and send it to the social site of our choice in a fraction of the time, how cool will that be. What about getting your notifications and messages tight in front of your eyes as you go on doing whatever you’re doing? more info is here

There are many good ideas how to use Google Glass for events
17 Ways How to Use Google Glass at Events

Keep yourself up-to-date in the fast-changing world of technology and Social Media!

 

Facebook Group Option

Facebook Group option is the way to go for creating your own group for any event! The possibilities are endless and its a simple way to gather all your friends into one place. No need to go crazy with invitations or e-mails.

Here is a quick into on how to create a Facebook Group: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOlG1G0IKL8

You can create a Facebook group and make it private, open or closed which makes it easier for people to search your group and to block trolls.

You can upload photos from the event and have your event documents all in one spot. The only problem is...it may be hard to have people join the group without having a Facebook account.

Overall..create a group for your next event..possibilities are endless!

“Share” Your Thoughts

Facebook introduced the “share” feature in 2011 as a way for users to take a photo, status update or link and share it by reposting it on your wall, a friend’s wall, a private message or another page you administrate. There is also still a privacy option, as with any post, on who can see it.

Anybody can share anybody’s post, all you have to do is select the “share” button located right beside “like” and “comment.”

From there, you can select how you’d like to share it, with whom, and on which page you manage (if you manage multiple pages).

Once that’s done, you can see your post shared. Whether it’s on a friend’s page, your own page, or any of the other options, you will see it posted right away.

So, what’s in it for you?

There are so many pro’s to sharing a post:

• ·      You can share a public post, and avoid the thousands of comments made by complete strangers
• ·      You can share the thoughts and ideas of someone else, to someone who may be interested
• ·      It gives the opportunity for a post to go viral
• ·      Most importantly, it eliminates the need for those pesky forwarded e-mails

Happy posting! (Or should I say sharing?)

Emily Hynes

000347088

Benefits of Independent Companies Using Facebook 

Gather More Leads

Just having people Like your page isn’t enough to provide yourself with a long-term, sustainable business. Sure you can make a good living short-term off just using your Facebook page.

That’s why smart businesses gather leads in the form of email addresses — so they can contact their community outside of Facebook. Most do this through contests, giveaways & newsletters — and it’s a proven system.

Lower Your Marketing Expenses

Starting a Facebook business page costs you exactly $0.

Sure, you may pay a graphic artist to design a profile picture & cover photo — but that’s not a necessity. Simply using photographs you take of your business will work — and in some cases that’s better than a creative image from a designer.

My point is that getting rolling with a page costs you nothing until you start paying for ads to get page Likes, boosting posts & running Sponsored Stories — all of which you should be doing with your page. Facebook ads are relatively inexpensive when compared to traditional print, radio or TV ads — and are 1,000x more targeted.

Reach a Targeted Audience

Just because there are 1.19 billion Facebook users, it doesn’t mean they all want to Like your page. In fact, I wouldn’t want all of them to Like my page — because only a small percentage of them would actually engage with my posts. Targeting people who already had an interest in your page & business.

If you’re a local business, direct your ads to target customers within a 10-15 mile radius. The ads might cost you more, but the Likes & potential customers are laser targeted.

Be Mobile Ready

The vast majority of Facebook users are accessing the site via their mobile devices — many of them only with a mobile device. As this trend grows — it becomes more & more important for your business to have a presence on Facebook. The great thing about a Facebook page is Facebook does the heavy lifting for you! — optimizing your page for both desktop & mobile devices.

When people view your Facebook page on a mobile device it shows users:

• Hours of operation
• Address
• Reviews
• Phone number to call directly from the Facebook mobile app

Here is a screenshot from my iPhone 5 showing the business page for a graphic designer — Graphically Yours

Are you convinced? 

Using Instagram to Promote an Event

Instagram is an online mobile photo, video, and social networking service that currently has over 130 million monthly users. This social media service draws a younger audience than many other forms of social media, with 90% of users being under the age of 35.  

http://visual.ly/instagram-facts

Instagram can be used in many ways to promote and market events. Instagram is very useful for event marketing because pictures posted will show up in the account followers regular news feed at a regular size, the same as a picture from a friend. Unique hashtags can also be created for events that allow people to tag photos that they take at the event so that other users can find these pictures by searching for the hashtags. It is also easy to link an Instagram account to other social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook. Pictures will therefore reach a larger number of people and more will be driven to the Instagram page. If the event will have special guests or speakers who are active on instagram having them promote the event on their own account is also an effective way to reach more people.

To effectively promote an event it is also very important to have the account be active leading up to the event. This can include posting announcements, ticket and promotional information, behind the scene planning, and other pictures that will get people excited about the event. At this point it is also important to have as many other accounts (such as guest speakers, venues, attendees) post pictures so as to reach as many people as possible. During the event the account should be posting many pictures of what is happening at the event in real time, as well as encouraging others to post pictures using the appropriate hashtags. After the event the account can remain active with follow up, flashback, and thank you pictures, but will not be as active as leading up to and during the actual event.

Lavina Cocchio

Linking into Events with LinkedIn

“Your homework for tonight is to make a LinkedIn account” said my teacher during a marketing class a few years ago. Why would I want to make a LinkedIn account, it’s just another social media page that I will have to check up on...my thoughts exactly. Well, YOU’RE WRONG!! LinkedIn is not only an amazing tool to promote YOUR success (cause who doesn't like to show off right?) to important people, but it’s a great way to get your name out there and showcase your talents and skills through a digital platform. 

LinkedIn, in basic terms, is like a digital version of your resume. It’s like a business Facebook – so no selfies or drinking pictures are allowed on here! You can post a bio on yourself, you can add skills, awards and education, past and present jobs, add testimonials and referrals follow groups that you’re interested in, and you can even be endorsed by your connections which show potential employers that you’d be perfect for the job. LinkedIn is FREE for anyone…so you better make an account if you haven’t already. It’s a great way for employers to pick through to see who they want as their employee (it really happens, I've been contacted a few times for jobs)!! 

As for Event Management, what a great opportunity to get your event out there for very important people to see…cause that’s what you want, important people showing up at your events!! You can not only promote your event through LinkedIn, but if you’re a start-up or an entrepreneur, what a great platform to launch your business onto! I found this neat little video  (It might make you laugh a little) on tools to use LinkedIn with while at an event such as looking up people while you’re at an event etc. etc.

Make your LinkedIn account today! We live in a work that thrives on networking and connections and LinkedIn is a great way to make that happen.

Julia Jarusauskas

Generations Losing Interest In Facebook

When Facebook first came out, I was in my 2nd year of culinary school. Up until that point, everyone had a MySpace account but now that is long forgotten. My roommate and I signed up together for Facebook as a chance to stay connected with people from the past and from the present. I don't use it as much as I use too and I find that I am not alone in that decision.

Mark Zuckerberg’s multibillion-dollar company, which became publicly traded about 2 years ago,  admitted young people are losing interest in the ubiquitous social network, despite impressive third-quarter earnings. “We did see a decrease in teenage daily users during the quarter, especially younger teens,” Facebook’s Chief Financial Officer David Ebersam said Wednesday, according to CNN (Retrieved from www.cnn.com/losinginterest_socialmedia). Facebook’s shares had been up 15% before Ebersam’s comment reportedly spooked investors. But the executive says use among teens is stable, and Facebook’s revenue grew 60% in the past year.
 
Mobile ads now count for nearly half of all Facebook’s ad revenue. Despite that growth, the company said it wouldn’t be increasing the number of mobile ads that show up in users’ feeds. That news also caused a slight drop in shares. Research shows teens’ growing interest in other social apps like Twitter, Instagram (owned by Facebook) and Snap-chat, and a recent study found more than half of teens have avoided certain apps because they’re worried about privacy (Retrieved from www.cnn.com/losinginterest_socialmedia).

Another very interesting fact or study that I came across while researching this topic was that a lot of teens are steering away from Facebook because their parents and older relatives have gotten involved on Facebook. They feel that it is a invasion of their privacy and they feel that they have to watch what they post on Facebook. Who can't relate to that? You don't even have to be doing anything mischievous to question your post or photo. I have since grown up, sort of, from taking the college night out pictures but everyone has them and when your mother starts commenting on said pictures, you die a little of embarrassment.

Social media will continue to bring out new and improved apps and sites. I will however just stick to Facebook and Instagram. That is all social media that I need.



What do you think? Have you lost interest in Facebook? How do you feel about all the advertisements and how do you feel about those advertisers that are scanning your internet history to find things that you are interested in? I want to know! Please comment about your thoughts!

Home Decor DIY

It’s no secret that DIY has exploded. More and more people are trying new things, whether your home, your event, or you’re entire life, doing things yourself and creating new things is always fun and excited. One big stop on the DIY train is definitely Pinterest. There are so many different ideas on there, and even different categories like DIY and Home Décor. Pinterest has become like a treasure chest of creativity. Check out these amazing ideas!

For the book lover, a fantastic way to hide any of that ugly stuff on your shelf. A modem, cables, whatever it may be, you can hide it behind something like this and it because unseen. Your shelf will still look great!

Try this simple trick to update any old vases. You can use any colour, make a rainbow, and try the ombre effect with any size or shape of vase to make them new and improved. Don’t have any vases but love the look? Check out your local discount or second hand store and pick some up for cheap. Give your place a new look!

For the planners, this is a really get way to organize your week. Use something like this to plan out weekly meals. You can make it really fun and use this as a tool to stay on track of your healthy eating too.

That fall weather always leaves us with beautiful colours, falling leaves, and more importantly, twigs and branches. Use those to create something outdoorsy in your home, and take up all that empty wall space you might have!

Most importantly, use Home Décor DIY to organize your life! Try this jar idea in the bathroom for all your little things, or the kitchen for all your spices. They won’t take up counter space and keep all those tiny items you lose in one place!

Don’t forget, it’s not just about your home. Spice up any event, your office, hey – even your car! What do you think, are you up to DIY?

Emily Hynes 

000347088

A New Way To Capture Your Wedding

As you may know I am obsessed with Weddings. Styling, photography, florals and the fine little details are what consume most of my life, which we all know equals Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest accounts.

Being behind and in front of the camera for the past several years has given me a creative critiquing eye of photos and all things wedding.

It seems to me that after attending 50+ weddings during the past few years, sharing photos and video has been one big trend. I don’t just mean your regular after the wedding photos from your photographer, but actively incorporating the taking of photos with your guests throughout your wedding day.

In just a few years, I’ve seen things like putting disposable cameras at each guest table, having an interactive photobooth, and creating a wedding hashtag. Its evident that couples are looking to see their day from the eyes of their guests.

Lately I've been seeing this photo and video sharing app called WedPics. I don’t know if this is because they’re killing it in the advertising by targeting me, due my life being everything wedding related, or if it’s actually a new trend of apps, but naturally I became intrigued.

Supposedly WedPics is "the #1 photo and video sharing wedding app". WedPics is an interactive and easy way to collaborate and share wedding photos from the wedding party and guests in one app. I made an account as an upcoming bride and found some pretty neat features:

    It gives you a count down to your big day

    Customize the app and web page to suit your wedding colours or theme

    Upload related events leading up to the wedding to keep guests in the loop
(i.e. bridal shower)

    Provide accommodations, registry and wedding info

    Create albums such as Memory Lane, Engagement, Reception and Honeymoon

    Upload, save and print the collaborated photos right off the app

    Enter links to your registries

    Order app cards to insert with your invites with a code or order Photo Booth props 

Photo taken from: https://www.wedpics.com/learnmore#photoprops

The only downfall I can see is that guests need to have a WedPics account in order to share and see the photos. However, photos taken from any device, such as a digital camera can be uploaded to the WedPics account any time once the account is made. 

Here are some other free photo sharing app's to check out, to see if WedPics really is #1.

- Capsule      

- Wedding Party
- WedSocial 

Emily Bentum

000289432

Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/wedding-photo-apps_n_3519413.html

               https://wedpics.com