Social media has entered into another year, and we anticipate more members in networks and more interaction as the sharing of information continues to grow. Depending on where you are with your business, social media marketing (SMM) should hold a place in your strategy. With 2011 seemingly moving towards a more postive economic output, CEOs want to see the value in SMM efforts. But what are the metrics for success?

While the number of fans and followers, along with the quantity of posts and photo tags, provides some idea of progress, these are not necessarily indicators of social media success. So how do you quantify social media efforts in a way that makes sense to clients? The following eight tips can help you determine whether you’re winning or losing the social game

Study incoming traffic on the web. If your client is on multiple social networks, it makes sense to note the traffic from all sources and determine which ones are driving the most visitors to the client’s website, how much time they spend on the site, etc.

Social media post quality. This is significant because it’s the core of the SMM effort. Posts that attract comments and start conversations are excellent indicators that your campaign is working. If a post interests your fans enough to comment and share with others, keep doing it. You’re on to something good.

Keep track of fans and followers. Do you see fans come and go and your network growing and then suddenly dropping quickly? Ask yourself what you might be doing to cause this. While you should expect a margin of “bouncing” fans and followers, your overall goal should be to grow the network at a strategic pace.

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