Andre Ivanchuk

What does concrete data really say about the quality of a click. How can we measure the quality of concrete data to better understand online users within our communities?

If 500 individuals “like” a post or a page, it is simply 500 individuals who clicked the “like” button. We can assume if the number is high, then the probability of a genuine click is higher. But this does not necessarily provide us with a clear picture of the quality of the clicks and users.

I’m not sure that we can effectively track social media efforts, yet. This might be one of the reasons why companies across the globe are having a difficult time justifying cutting their ad dollars out of traditional media to fuel social media. But, if social media efforts were brought to a halt at a brand that currently utilizes online social channels, there would be a measurable dent in their bottom-line, even thought we can’t track the upfront efforts.

Looking at hard data is a classic quantitative approach. And there’s always validity with numbers. But, how do we measure the quality of the data? Certainly we can make educated interpretations of the data, but this will not give us a true understanding of the quality of our users, followers or community.

I’m a firm believer in numbers and concrete data. Numbers cannot lie. But numbers are representative of quantity, and not of quality.

(A response & dialogue to Mitch Joel’s post on The Almighty Endgame Of Marketing on Six Pixels of Separation)

We’ve been noticing major and minor brands utilizing Social Media as part of their online marketing initiatives. To include these non-traditional marketing approaches is good. The way it is executed is not good. Why would someone click the Facebook or Twitter link on a page with a “follow us” call to action?

There is nothing in it for the customer!

Simple Solution: Include incentives like

• Exclusive Deals to the Online Community
• Promotion Announcements
• New Products/Services Announcements (PR)

Give your future customers a good reason why they should invest the time and make you part of their world.

Southern Comfort had spent nearly $8 million last year on traditional marketing – TV and Print. Now, their entire budget has moved online; facebook, hulu, etc. Pretty impressive to shift funds without partiality.

What’s more interesting is what did an alcohol brand see online that attracted them enough to completely slash their traditional advert budgets in favor of the digital?

Read the full article at AdAge

Chris Brogan recently posted Quid Pro No. The situation is simple:

If I invite you to join the Facebook group for Trust Agents, it’s because I think you’ll get some value out of participating there. Say you join the group. If you now invite me to join your real estate company’s fan page after you’ve joined my book’s group, what should I do? Should I say yes because you said yes to me? But I have no interest in real estate, except for when I’m making a transaction. I was asked to join someone’s new social media application, but because I have a lot of stuff on the go, I politely declined. What I got back as a parting shot was, “Thanks. I’ll still buy your book.” It left me feeling a bit awkward. Do we expect reciprocal behavior all the time? ~ Chris Brogan

The reactions are too  familiar and typical.

The problem is that we’ve set our emotions on a throne and made them King. “Don’t offend, always reciprocate, be politically correct, neutralize the deposition, etc.” – these prerequisites govern the everyday thoughts, speech, and behaviors of so many people online and offline.  And God forbid that we not adhere to the selfish guidelines of “for every action there should be an equal reaction” within social circles – or else people start acting like a bunch of five-year-olds when their expectations are not met.

Here’s a simple solution to those who cannot accept a “no”

1. Reset your expectations - take a look at what you’re expecting of others and whether these expectations are realistic or not.
2. Stop acting like a child – just grow up! If someone does not meet your expectations, or reciprocate your kind gesture – don’t whine and pout.
3. De-throne your emotions – stop living your life though the lens of your emotions.