There is a lot of discussions going around about ROI and how businesses can measure social media. The thing about social media is that it is still too young in its inception. It needs to grow, and most importantly, it needs to stay human.
Once the human voice goes away, and people are replaced by business-speak, no one will pay as much attention to your company or brand online. I find the most effective social media messages are from real people.
What businesses should measure in 2011 is the effect. What type of people are you talking to on LinkedIn? Are they the right audience? Are you talking at them, or are you going back and forth with them, having an information exchange, sharing thoughts and ideas?
Do you follow the right voices on Twitter? Do you have tons of followers, or do you have 300 followers that have grown organically? Are you responding to messages or merely posting links on the corporate account?
I will be measuring the effect of my company’s social media efforts in 2011. I will be paying attention to the quality of conversations, not the number of followers. I will listen to my fellow social media compadres, not talk at them.
What about you?