Social Media Studies: Methodologies & Processes

1 | Social Conversation Audit – 2012 Daniel McKean . linkedin.com/in/danielmckeanSocial Media Conversation Audit Daniel McKean . linkedin.com/in/danielmckean

Social Media Audit StudiesProcess & Methodology

2 | Social Conversation Audit – 2012 Daniel McKean . linkedin.com/in/danielmckean

Social Media Conversation Audit Daniel McKean . linkedin.com/in/danielmckean

Basic Guiding Principle…………………………………....... 3

Framework Defined……………………………………......... 31

Discovery………………………………………………..... 32

Pre-Audit Review ………………………………………... 44

Data Model……………………………............................ 69

Data Collection ………………………..………………… 87

Quantitative Analysis .................................................. 102

Qualitative Analysis .................................................... 123

Conclusions & Recommendations .............................. 144

CONTENTS

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Social Media Conversation Audit Daniel McKean . linkedin.com/in/danielmckean 3

Basic Guiding PrincipleSocial Media Audits and Studies should seek to uncover

the hidden Business Intelligence found in quantitative

and qualitative insights for brands, products and/or

subject matters to help organizations better understand

their own social relevance, posture, influence and

business impact.It is imperative processes and methodologies are designed to track

vast amounts of social data in real-time. It’s so much than measuring

the who, what, when, where, why and how. Real “intelligence-based’

studies methodically analyze and study targeted, in-depth research to

uncover what’s most relevant for organization as it applies to business

goals across the social and digital landscape.

The following approach I have designed uses a proven seven-step

framework to build a unique custom study carefully modified to match

individual client objectives and goals. It is through this highly

customized approach, you should be able to thoroughly measure,

analyze and study the social and digital sphere of influence.

Depending on the objectives, General or Deep analyses can scale

and can be implemented via phases based on needs. I routinely

recommend conducting internal and external audits to study brands;

competitive brands; best practices; cause and effect; conversation

themes and sentiments; consumer and business trends; customer

profiles; key influencers; and more – in addition to the nuances found

within general community thoughts, opinions, preferences and biases

– all on a global basis.

Social intelligence. It’s intelligence to plan, to respond, to engage.

Intelligence to manage your own social relevance, posture, influence

and impact mapped to business ROI.

Approach every project with a unique

customizable framework. Each framework

should be designed based on individual

organizational objectives and goals to thoroughly

measure, analyze and study the social and

digital sphere of influence.

“



Social media done the right way... can accomplish so many things for a brand.



Reduce Overall Marketing Costs



Impact Organic Search Rankings



Provide Better Customer Service With Product & Service Validation

7



Humanize Brands Via Deeper

Consumer Connections



Be a Source For Subscriber & Consumer

Data Acquisition



Be a Traffic Generator For Online Properties



Reinforce Brand Loyalty & Evangelism



Connect New Business Partners



Positively Influence Perceptions and Opinions with Employees and Potential

Employees



And so much more.



The Benefits Of Practicing Social Media

Can Be Quite Extensive

16 | Social Conversation Audit – 2012 Daniel McKean . linkedin.com/in/danielmckean 16


So Why Conduct A Social Media Audit



Audits Provide The Strategic Guidance For Architecting All Campaign

Initiatives



Audits Provide The Governance For Executing Campaign Initiatives At The

Highest Levels



Audits Minimize Brand Reputation Risks Associated With All Points Of Presence

Across The Digital Landscape



Audits Deliver The Business Intelligence to Execute

Against Business Goals For Greater Business Performance



So the question remains:

Why hasn’t your brand taken the next step?



Are You Ready...



To Take Your Social Media Marketing

To The Next Level



First Consider... Not All Audits Are

Created Equal



Where Most People Go Wrong

Is With Their Focus



Social Media Results-vs.-

Business Results



Forget AboutSocial Media Goals



You Need To Think Business Goals



Studies Should AimTo Find The Actionable

Hidden Business Intelligence



To Turn Information Into Opportunities



For Realizing Your Business Goals



The Framework Which Follows Uses a

Proven Seven Step Process



The Methodology Framework

ACTIONABLE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

START DiscoveryPre-Audit

Scope Review

Data Model Test &

Validation

Quantitative Analysis

Data Collection

Qualitative Analysis

END

Conclusions & Recommendations



It Starts With ADiscovery Process

Framework Step1



What Are YourBusiness MarketingGoals



What Do You Want As A Business...



Brand Awareness

recognition, share of voice, market/mind share



Brand Image

consistent presentation of brand elements across all channels



Brand Loyalty

emotional connections, product preference, evangelism



Lead Generation

and lower cost per acquisition



Sales increased revenues and profitability



Reduced Costs

and increased Retention through improved customer service & support



Faster Innovation

and time-to-market



Your Goals Dictate Everything



Next Define theStudy’s Scope

Framework Step2



Scope Is Completely Customized



Based On Your Objectives As Defined In The Discovery Process



What Do YouNeed To Measure



Brand Awareness Network size. Network growth. Engagements. Social

shares. Change in Social shares.



Brand Sentiment Current sentiment. Shift in sentiment. Current volume.

Shift in volume.



Brand Loyalty Repeat sales (CRM). Repeat website/blog visitors.

Increase in brand advocates through positive mentions.

Increase in size and reach of advocacy networks.



Lead GenerationEffectiveness of lead social profiles. Conversion rates.

Number of incoming leads. Change in incoming leads. Most successful

content for driving leads.



SalesVolume of sales. Change in volume of sales. Sales attribution. Best performing sales resources.



Customer ServiceMoney spent on Customer Service. Change in volume of support

requests. Customer Satisfaction scores (Net Promoter Score).



What Do You Need To Study



Company ProfilesThink about business goals. What’s working? What’s

not working?



Brand Presentation Personality. Focus. Identification. Experience.

Storytelling.



BenchmarkingAlign performance to Business Goals and ROI.

Establish and/or assess benchmarks.

Measure and adjust strategies and execution based on defined KPIs.



But It's More Than Your Own Online Presence



EmployeesAssess how their activity reflects on the company. How can it help? How can it hurt?



Target Customer ProfilesThink about customer wants and needs. Analyze their

behavior. Their personas. Take note of where they spend time.



CompetitorsAssess competitors, inspirational brands, products.

What they do well, and what they do poorly.



InfrastructureEvaluate needs for internal organizational and cultural

change requirements to support strategic opportunities.



Yet Social Media Doesn't Exist In A Vacuum



You Must Also Study



The Impact, Influence & Performance Of The Digital

Ecosystem



To make sure the social media strategy and initiatives align with and support the marketing strategy in

context with overall business goals.



Website Properties

Digital Hub(s)

Blog(s)

SEO & SEM

Mobile & App Marketing

Email Marketing

Inbound Marketing

Ad Campaigns



After Scope Comes Data Modeling



Build, Test & Validate The Data

Model

Framework Step3



Use A Four Step Process To Ensure Data Integrity



STARTTool

SelectionKeyword Research

Test & Refine

NoData Sampling

TestValidation

YESValidation

YES

No

END



It Starts With A Core Data Modeling Tool



Complemented With Other Tools



To Ensure All Relevant Data Points

Are Gathered for a Valid Study



But Tools Are Just Tools



All Data Modeling Begins With Defining Keyword Sets



Keywords Drive Data Capture



It Governs All Data Collection



While...



Also Maintaining Data Integrity & Validity In The

Data Model



Keyword Sets Are Developed From Initial Planning,

Experience & Research



Tested and Re-Tested For Their Integrity



And Then Sampled To Verify a Valid Data Model



Once The Data Model Is Built



Data CollectionShould Begin

Framework Step4



It Starts With Automated Data Capture



With Filters AppliedTo Capture The Base Data

Sets



Filters May Include: Geographies . Media Type

Channel Source . Language

Brands . Products . Topics . Sentiments

Duration (Time Period)

All Based On Your Own Keyword Sets



As Data Is Collected



Data Validation Is Conducted To Re-Verify

Accuracy Of Data Collection



Data validation is the process of ensuring that the analysis to be

performed uses clean, meaningful and useful data.



A multi-step validation process ensures the highest level of confidence

in your data model and findings.



It is a step in the data collection process to build in integrity into the

statistical probability for your conclusions

in the final analysis.



But Automated Data Capture Is Not Only What You Should

Do



You Should Also Use Complementary Tools To

Augment The Core Data Sets Based on Specific Needs



Which Can Be Further Supported With Customized Manual Online and Offline

Research



Collectively, the multi-step process used with data collection ensures your study

conclusions deliver the highest levels of business intelligence.



Once Data Is CollectedTwo Types of Analysis Begins



Quantitativeand

Qualitative



Quantitative Analysis

Framework Step5



Quantitative Analysis Measures &

Benchmarks Online Presence, Performance And Trends



Based On The Study’s Scope



For Your Own [BRAND]Online Presence



And For All Other Relevant Study Constituencies And

Topics



For Brands...



Measurements Help Identify Weaknesses & Strengths To Keep Social Media Initiatives

Aligned To Business Goals



Insights Aid In Strategy Development or Refinement



Insights Bolster Better Execution & Define Best

Practices



Insights Align Social Media Performance With Digital

Ecosystem Initiatives



Insights Identify Business & Customer Behavior Trends



Insights Make Comparisons & Provide Intel On

Competitive or Market Performance



And Insights Help Steer & Provide Guidance For Qualitative Analysis



But Forget About Vanity Metrics



KPIs Should Be So Much More Than Fans, Likes, Comments

And Shares



Your Focus Needs to Be On Business ROI Measurements As Defined By Your Business

Goals



With Custom KPI Data Models For Analyzing 'What If'

Scenarios



Calculated And Analyzed Based On Industry Adopted

Computational Models & Standards



To Arrive At Metrics Which Are Meaningful



And Actionable



For Making Business Decisions To Move Your

Business Forward



Qualitative Analysis

Framework Step6



Qualitative Analysis Goes Well Beyond Monitoring &

Measuring To Find Hidden Business Intelligence



That Can Be Applied To Brand Challenges & Opportunities



Guidelines For The Analysis Are Defined In The Discovery Process Which Governs The

Focus



With Insights Derived From Quantitative Measurements

Also Providing Direction



Text Data Is Thoroughly & Contextually Analyzed

Augmented With Quantitative Insights



To Construct A Deep Understanding Of The Digital

Landscape And Brand Activities



The Process Starts With Coding Data

By Identifying Key Emerging Themes



With Data Groups Being Formed From Essential Pieces

Of Information



All Sorted By Relevance And Relationships



With Special Attention Given To Emerging Patterns



Throughout The AnalysisData Groups Are Continuously

Refined, Synthesized & Categorized Into Larger

Segments



As Data Point Connections Are Discovered, Linked

& Analyzed



Data May Be Further Distilled With Additions or Deletions



In A Continual Process Of Refining Coding And Improving Categories



Once The Data Is Coded, Grouped And

Categorized



Narratives Are Developed As Patterns Become Statistically

Valid



Which Demonstrate With Confidence Final Conclusions



Of Special Note:

When data volume is extensively large and is impractical to analyze in its entirety due to investment of time, resources, budget and/or the desired level of complexity for the study, data sampling representative of the populous may be applied to optimize data sets.



Data Sampling is a technique used to analyze a cross section of available data to Represent the Entire Data Population.

Scale & Balance is applied to maintain a statistically valid data sample.



Congratulations!

If you gotten this far, you are now ready for the final analysis stage.



Conclusions & Recommendation

s

Framework Step7



As Narratives Are Constructed From Both Quantitative and

Qualitative Research & Analysis



Facts and Figures Are Collected to Satisfy The Objectives Of The Audit

Findings



Inferences Are Then Drawn From The Findings And Are

Presented In The Conclusions



Recommendations and Courses Of Action Are

Developed In Line With The Audit Objectives



In Many Cases...



Drawn Conclusions Based On Discovered Intelligence May

Require Additional Research & Analysis



Either To Explore New Analytical Directions For

Gaining Added Insights Based On Findings



Or To Be An Ongoing Scheduled Process In The

Overall Marketing Mix As A Business Intelligence &

Measurement Tool



Social Media Audits

& Studies



Are You Ready...



To Take The Next Step.



Daniel [email protected]

Linkedin.com/in/DanielMcKean

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