What metrics do you use to track digital and social media in your media plan?

1 Reach and Frequency

Reach and frequency are two basic metrics that indicate how many people see your message and how often they see it. They help you estimate the size and exposure of your target audience, and optimize your media mix and budget. You can measure reach and frequency across different platforms, channels, and formats, such as websites, social networks, videos, podcasts, and more. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, YouTube Analytics, and others to track these metrics.

2 Engagement and Interaction

Engagement and interaction are metrics that measure how people respond to your message and interact with your brand. They show how much interest, attention, and loyalty you generate among your audience, and how well you communicate your value proposition. Engagement and interaction metrics can include likes, shares, comments, clicks, views, downloads, subscriptions, ratings, reviews, and more. You can use tools like Sprout Social, Hootsuite, BuzzSumo, and others to track these metrics.

3 Conversion and Attribution

Conversion and attribution are metrics that measure how your message leads to a desired action or outcome. They show how effective your message is in persuading your audience to take the next step in the customer journey, such as signing up, buying, referring, or renewing. Conversion and attribution metrics can include conversion rates, cost per conversion, return on ad spend, customer lifetime value, and more. You can use tools like Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, Google Tag Manager, and others to track these metrics.

4 Sentiment and Reputation

Sentiment and reputation are metrics that measure how your message affects the perception and opinion of your brand. They show how positive or negative your audience feels about your brand, and how well you manage your online reputation. Sentiment and reputation metrics can include sentiment analysis, net promoter score, online reviews, social mentions, brand awareness, and more. You can use tools like Brandwatch, Mention, SurveyMonkey, and others to track these metrics.

5 Experimentation and Optimization

Experimentation and optimization are not metrics per se, but rather methods to improve your metrics and performance. They involve testing different variations of your message, such as headlines, images, colors, formats, channels, and more, and measuring their impact on your metrics. Experimentation and optimization can help you discover what works best for your audience, and fine-tune your media plan accordingly. You can use tools like Google Optimize, Optimizely, Unbounce, and others to conduct these tests.

6 Customization and Integration

Customization and integration are also not metrics per se, but rather ways to tailor your metrics to your specific needs and goals. They involve defining your own key performance indicators (KPIs), setting your own benchmarks and targets, and combining data from different sources and platforms. Customization and integration can help you measure what matters most for your brand, and align your media plan with your overall strategy. You can use tools like Google Data Studio, Tableau, Power BI, and others to create these dashboards and reports.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?