Liz Miller, the VP of Programs and Operations for CMO Council teamed up with PR Newswire to lecture on listening, learning, and engaging when it comes to monitoring your social media.

"We all need to become data lovers", says Miller.  She explains that from a marketing standpoint, the real challenge is understanding the data, not only understanding social media. Miller continues to say, "If you can't measure it don't do it".  She believes the only effecting marketing is the kind that you can measure and analyze.

Some of us new to social media might be wondering, why do customers engage?  Well, people are using social media in ways that can benefit your business.  "Customers are using social media to problem solve (43%), solicit feedback, and are looking for new ways to interact with brands", says Miller.  They also feel more engaged through social media and have a stronger sense of connection with the brand.  57% of customers say they feel better served when they receive help through social media.  

The problem is that most marketers are focusing on the positive statistics instead of the ones they should be dissecting.  For example, here's a chart of what marketings tend to monitor.

- 65% Page views and registrations

- 58% Volume and origin of site traffic

- 45% Search prominence and site preference

- 37% Content downloads

Only 21% are monitoring word-of-mouth, which is a huge part of marketing for most companies along with awareness and receptivity.  Marketers should establish channels where influencers reside and target them by delivering relevant content. THEN discover page views, site traffic, and measure the findings.  Companies should start understanding the perceptions and buzz around their brands and measure the impact of these major points of inflection.  By tracking tone, sentiment and advocacy, we can learn more about our target market and connect with them indirectly.

The initial track and scope is not enough, instead, dig deeper by looking for the general buzz about your brand or product.  By starting to monitor broad terms you can zero in on the specific.  This can help you understand what is affecting your positive and negative outcome.  With the data you accumulate, track and deliver it effectively back into your company.  These are successful strategies to listen, learn, and engage with your current and future consumers.  

- Katie Evans