A lot of organisations are on social media and are sharing significant amounts of content every day. For communicators using the new technology there is a lot of discussion about making sure the use is being evaluated. With most organisations aiming to be as lean and efficient as possible every bit of work has to bring results. Using social media needs to bring results from the investment of time.
If we start to look at the analytics that are available now it can be overwhelming. The data can provide everything from simple details about what is popular and what time of the day posts get the most views through to a move towards predictive analytics that can identify trends for you before things happen. In fact there is so much data available it could easily become a full-time job to review the analytics and keep refining and changing how you are utilising social networks. But that can’t be the right thing.
I have to feel that part of the joy of using social networks is the learning that real people do when they are using it. Things are done because they feel right, things are checked out and reviewed and yes at times it involves looking at the data available. But I don’t want to drown in a tidal wave of data.
Today I had the chance to view the possibilities for the future. It is a focused approach to analytics, knowing what you are doing and why you are doing it, and more importantly knowing what you will do with the data you recover. If we are to maximise our time it means analytics that work for you, that alert you to key information, that bring the key trends into your inbox and that mean you can act quickly.
I will keep you informed in the coming months about whether my hunt to find the best way to use analytics brings results. With the increasing pressure to do more with less, financial constraints and a growing workload it needs to come sooner rather than later.
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