How to Measure Success on Social Media

There is very little point in using social media if one isn't going to measure it. This also means that one shouldn't just measure one's social media just for the sake of having metrics. One needs to actually look and analyze the metrics one gets from measuring one's social media. One needs to learn what is successful on the social media sites. There are five main points that one can use to measure one's success on social media sites.
The first point is to have set social media goals. Before someone starts to look at every post for metrics, one needs to establish social media goals for the business. One needs to figure out what one is trying to accomplish with one's social media. One also needs to decide what channels one wants to use to interact with one's audience. Some social media sites will work better for some than others. One needs to also decide what one wants from one's audience, likes, shares, clicks and/or purchases. All of those can be attacked by doing different things on one's social media, so it's important to decide what one wants to do because it would be a waste of time to try and get comments by posting things that would lead to purchases.
The second point is to make metrics to measure the goals. Different metrics are needed depending on one's goals. For example, if one is trying to measure awareness, one would use metrics like volume, reach, exposure, and amplification. One would want to see how far the post has spread. It important to decide what one is going to measure because one doesn't want to take the time to measure something that doesn't have anything to do with one's social media goals.
The third point is to actually start measuring. Many social media sites allow one to measure posts in real-time. So one can have reliable metrics and the most recent metrics as well. Measurement will take some time, so don't necessarily rush it, let the analytics do its thing and gather enough data for one to actually use and find helpful.
The fourth point is to report on one's results. One should use the first set of measurements as a baseline for future measurements. One should set up a schedule for reporting on the findings from measurements one had gathered from one's social media. Having the results will only improve one's future posts.
The final point is to adjust and repeat. Just having the results isn't enough to improve one's social media. If one wants to have success on social media, one needs to use the results one has gathered and fix what went wrong and continue and improve what went right.
Social media is a powerful tool for any business. Social media can only be successful if one takes the time to measure one's social media and take the time to read over all the measurements.