We asked what you wanted out of our new metrics section.
You answered.
Nearly 200 readers took a poll to help us shape the coverage of media metrics, which we have begun to roll out with articles on predictions, case studies, tool explainers and more.
In the process of the poll, we learned more about you, what you do, the online tools you prefer, what you want to learn more about and how we can best serve you.
The top-line findings: You want actionable advice, case studies and help deciphering the proliferating tools for media metrics.
For the sake of transparency, we wanted to share the highlights of the results here. This will help all of us get to know each other better, as well as provide a preview of what you can expect more of here in the future.
Let’s dive into the results.
Twitter and Facebook still dominate
In 2016, there continues to be a jockeying for position among upstart social networks like Pinterest, Instagram, Reddit and even newcomers like Snapchat and Peach. But what social network do you use the most? It’s still far and away Facebook and Twitter. A full 85 percent of you listed these two as your No. 1 network, with Facebook coming out slightly ahead. On those sites, you are mostly sharing news, pictures and educational resources.
The good news is you will be able to find plenty of content about metrics on Facebook and Twitter from us in the future. We will be hosting bi-weekly Twitter chats on Fridays at noon central starting Feb. 12. And if your question can’t wait, join our Facebook group on metrics and dive into the discussion.
You have a working knowledge of metrics
Based on your response, we’re not going to show you how to log into Facebook Insights or Twitter analytics. You’re past that stage. About two-thirds of you call yourself either somewhat or very knowledgeable about analytics.
That means that most of you are past the handholding instructional stage of using metrics. But you still want to learn more about how to best apply metrics. What kind of content can help both of these groups, and potentially everyone, no matter what your skill level? That brings us to the next category.
You want case studies
One of the common complaints when it comes to metrics is people don’t understand how to interpret them. What do the numbers mean? How will tools actually help you? Why should you care?
The idea of adding context around metrics came through in the survey results. What subjects interest you most in analytics? The No. 1 reply was “finding case studies on how people use them.” In addition, most people said the biggest problems with analytics coverage today is there is “not enough actionable advise” and “too many tools, not enough information about them.”
The message is loud and clear. Knowledge of analytics and metrics isn’t enough. You want to know how they apply and can be put into action for your job. We plan to help with that.
You can already find case studies as this section gets off the ground, and in the future we will share more examples of how media organizations are putting their tools to work for them.
You want to stay in touch
Nearly 80 percent of you said you already get our email newsletters or would like to subscribe. If you haven’t yet, do it now! You can subscribe to the new MetricShift newsletter and all our topics at http://mediashift.org/newsletters. We’d also love to hear from you on our Facebook group and on Twitter using #MetricShift.
Thanks to everyone who filled out our survey and congratulations to Anna Nagle who was the lucky winner of our survey giveaway prize!
Input and contributions from you make our coverage possible. We’re excited about bringing you the best on metrics, analytics and measuring impact, but we can’t do it alone. If you have an idea for an article or would like to contribute an article to support this coverage, please contact me at timcigelske@gmail.com or Alexandra Kanik, editor of MetricShift, at alexandra@rationalact.com.
Tim Cigelske (@TeecycleTim) is the associate editor of MetricShift. He has reported and written for the Associated Press, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Budget Travel, Adventure Cyclist and more. Today, he is the Director of Social Media at Marquette University as well as an adjunct professor teaching media writing and social media analytics. You may also know him as The Beer Runner blogger for DRAFT Magazine.