You’re so vain, you probably think this blog is about you, don’t you?
Yes, I’ve misquoted Carly Simon on purpose. You see, I’m old enough to remember the days when social media was first emerging as a seemingly dark art. When first learning about how it could be used for marketing and PR purposes, the one piece of advice that stuck with me, and still resonates today, was “You don’t need to have millions of followers, they’re no use to you unless you’re Beyonce”. Now, while the reference may move from Beyonce to Taylor Swift these days (keep up with the trends, pop pickers) the sentiment still rings true.
Since the likes of Facebook and Twitter (as it was called then) were created in the 2000s, social media has evolved considerably. It’s now the cornerstone of many a PR and marketing strategy. However, despite this, many brands and businesses still treat social media as a vanity exercise (hence my opening line), focusing on numbers and superficial metrics rather than meaningful engagement and long-term brand building.
To truly harness social media to its full potential, it’s crucial to shift the focus from numbers on a spreadsheet or report, to meaningful connections and strategic value.
The pitfalls of vanity metrics
Vanity metrics are easily found via most analytics reports and include data such as the number of followers, likes, and shares. While these figures can look impressive in graphs and provide a brand with a quick ego boost, they aren’t necessarily illustrative of real success or business growth.
For instance, high follower counts and numerous likes can create the illusion of popularity. However, these metrics don’t measure the quality of engagement or the depth of connection with your audience. Thousands of ‘likes’ on a post don’t necessarily translate to increased sales, brand loyalty, or meaningful customer interactions.
Furthermore, vanity metrics can skew the understanding of a campaign’s effectiveness. A post that goes viral for the wrong reasons might garner massive engagement but fail to attract your target audience or drive business objectives. Without deeper analysis, brands can easily end up investing in strategies that don’t align with their goals.
A limited focus on quick wins is detrimental to a long-term strategy. Buying followers or creating clickbait content may boost numbers temporarily, but such tactics rarely result in long-lasting relationships or success. Authentic engagement requires consistent effort – and a genuine connection with your audience.
Once more with meaning
To truly harness the potential of social media, brands need to stop admiring their reflections and instead shift their focus from vanity metrics to meaningful engagement.
Social media should be a platform for building relationships, not just broadcasting messages (akin to shouting into an empty room). Engaging with your audience through thoughtful content, responding to comments, and participating in conversations can create a loyal community around your brand. It’s this loyalty that will then translate into repeat business and referrals.
So, instead of aiming for a massive follower count, apply the old adage of ‘quality over quantity’. Focus on attracting a relevant and engaged audience. After all, a smaller group of followers who are genuinely interested in your products or services is preferable to a larger, indifferent audience. Tailoring your content to meet the needs and interests of your target market will create deeper connections and encourage more meaningful interactions.
Scratch beneath the surface
Go beyond surface-level metrics to gather data-driven insights. Track the metrics that matter, such as conversion rates, customer retention, and sentiment analysis. Analytics tools and CRM systems are useful here in providing a clearer picture of how your social media efforts are performing.
Of course, success on social media should be measured by more than just numbers. Be sure to look at key metrics, such as engagement rate, which outlines the number of interactions relative to your audience size – providing a clearer picture of how well your content resonates with your followers. Similarly, tracking the conversion rate will reveal how many social media interactions resulted in the desired actions, such as website visits, sign-ups, or purchases.
Make social media part of your PR
To maximise the impact of social media, it should be integrated into a broader PR and marketing strategy, as well as aligned with business goals. Use your channels to showcase customer stories, behind-the-scenes content, and your brand’s journey to create a deeper connection with your audience. Whether it’s brand awareness, lead generation, customer support, or market research, every social media post should have a clear objective that aligns with your broader business strategy.
Looking beyond vanity metrics and focusing on meaningful engagement is a far more effective tactic for creating a strong social media presence. Remember, it doesn’t matter how many followers you have – it’s meaningful interactions and valuable content that really counts.