Measurement with Angela

MyRaganTV.com has posted a new short video featuring Angela Sinickas, the reigning guru of communications measurement. (Check out her business site at www.sinicom.com) Angela discusses different approaches to measuring the impact of social media.



I think it's interesting that she recommends noting the number and type of comments posted as a metric. Not that this is unusual, but it ties neatly back to the last post on this blog. Comments on a blog, vlog or forum are a kind of virtual gasp, spurt of laughter or cynical aside at a town hall.

Her recommendation of "conversation ratio" as a metric -- comments per post -- is a good one because it brings some rigor to the effort. For communicators, it's not enough to say "We had a lot of great feedback" or "Several people commented on how much they liked the last post." Get yourself a spreadsheet and track responses to each post -- number of comments, number of new people posting comments (vs. your regulars), number of replies posted by the blogger, conversation ratio, etc. A commitment to tracking the numbers helps you see the effectiveness of your vehicles over time. If new channels fade or fail to grow after launch, it won't be because you weren't paying attention to the key metrics. It also builds your cred with other areas of the business.