Social media content developers and strategists are often tasked with the seemingly ambiguous task of increasing brand awareness. While ambiguous, this task is not impossible, and many large firms rely on in-house metrics tracking to determine their success. Smaller businesses typically turn to social media companies to manage their strategy and analytics. When determining which metrics are worth tracking, it’s imperative to have a clear business goal or objective. Call it the observer effect – you don’t know what you’re going to get until you measure it.

When Social Media was in its infancy many managers (I am guilty as well) felt, how do we limit this distraction in the workplace?  Work is a place to contribute to the organizational goals and sales, in other words, to ensure there is a return on the investments being made.  Well despite early avoidance there is no doubt that Social Media is a powerful tool and can contribute to an organization’s success.  But how do we know?  The simple answer is to calculate the return on investment from Social Media.  No matter what industry that you are involved in, it is vitally important to be able to explain simply why the agency/organization should invest in any particular tool.  Social Media is no different and social media metrics can help you do that.  The Nottawasaga Inn is using simple metrics to track their progress.   When it comes to Social Media metrics there are seemingly endless possibilities as to what you can measure.  However, the key is always to identify the business outcome you are trying to achieve.  This will drive determining what you should be measuring in order to identify if you are reaching that goal.  In Swift 6:  Measuring your social media success a number of key metrics are defined.  These range from the size of your audience to the response rate to customers.  Again the business objective should be identified and then the measurements you will track to provide information as to whether your activities are moving you towards that objective.

Timmins, Ontario is experiencing a cultural renaissance. Young entrepreneurs with lofty goals and a high tolerance for risk are spurring a revolution in this mid-sized mining town. The organization that served as the catalyst for this change – Radical Gardens. Radical Gardens (RG) is a multi-faceted company that is comprised of a Certified Organic farm, a LEAF certified farm to table restaurant, and an online market that distributes to the region.

Today’s marketing landscape is ever changing, and with it, the way we engage with our customers.  It is no longer about selling a service or a product; now it is all about the customer experience.  Companies like T by Daniel, a Brampton based tea house, strive to provide a genuinely exceptional experience for each and every person they meet.  Lovers of tea, fashion and especially people, Daniela and Renata Lewis had a vision to start something that could speak to all generations and could bring people together 1. It began when Daniel Lewis overcame a tragedy and used his new found passion for life to follow his dream with his loving wife by his side.  “From the moment a person walks into our store, our immediate goal is to wow them” says Renata Lewis, co-founder.  Their friendly staff focus on getting to know their customers, whether in person or online.