Social Media Metrics Secrets by John Lovett (Book Review of the Week-ish)

Many organizations have started asking the tough questions about social media:

• Who’s using this?
• How’s it working?
• What’s our ROI?

And, generally, that’s a good thing. Of course, it helps if you’re prepared to answer them.

Fortuantely, John Lovett’s “Social Media Metrics Secrets” does just that. Lovett reveals both his framework for social media measurement and, more importantly, the underlying thought-processes behind that framework. Instead of offering just a few tips or tricks, Lovett aims to provide a full toolkit and the skills to use them.

For instance, Lovett describes businesses developing what he calls “the Triple-A Mindset”, focused around:

• Audience—understanding your customers and where they spend their time online
• Activity—measuring how your customers interact with your brand, and, finally…
• Actions—doing something with your newfound knowledge

In these sections, the book really shines, providing deeper insights than you might expect from a typical “metrics” book. Lovett has given this some thought. Even better, he’s got plenty of real-world examples illustrating how you can apply this knowledge in your organization. Further demonstrating this real-world experience, he even offers sections on identifying the right people to shore up your team and crafting “…the killer job description” to attract them.

While this attention to the fundamentals demonstrates the book’s strengths, Lovett doesn’t skimp on practical “to-do’s”, either. Each chapter is filled with detailed, functional descriptions of metrics that matter, how to calculate them, and how to apply them within your organization. Lovett provides both the gory details and the overall vision showing you how those details apply. Given the book’s scope and vision, Lovett doesn’t always succeed in switching back and forth. The “virtual Network Operations Center” section of Chapter 2, for instance, loses its footing a time or two. But, this is a minor quibble. Lovett aims high. Even when he misses his exact target, he still hits something valuable.

Perhaps most impressively, Lovett describes both details and vision in a highly readable fashion. A book like this could easily slip into “tl;dr” territory. And, while I doubt you’ll curl up in front of the fire with “Social Media Metrics Secrets” and a glass of cabernet, you’re not going to beat your head against your desk trying to get through it, either.

Lovett titled this book “Social Media Metrics Secrets,” indicating exactly how foreign these ideas remain for many businesses. But as your business begins to ask the tough questions about social media, you need to know these “secrets.”

Pick up a copy for yourself and for your team. And start sharing these “secrets” with your organization. The folks asking the tough questions won’t know what hit ’em.

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