We need more data?

It's just not fair is it? The more marketing spend that flows to online channels the more people want to know what its doing for their business. Furthermore they aren't satisfied with clicks and conversion, they all want 'engagement'. How ungrateful can people be?!

Now we all get this; when people are truly engaged with your brand, it’s highly likely they will be loyal customers too. And to get them highly engaged, you need to create valuable content and utility that your customers need or want to interact with.

Its about at this point when you trip up. How you actually measure engagement is another entirely different matter. There’s just not a single agreed way to define, measure, and extract value from online engagement. The dichotomy is that everyone says, and by and large its true that there are more metrics and dashboards online than you can shake a stick at when it comes to the online world.

Engagement (and to be honest I hate that term...it's overdone) unlocks how people feel about brands. So as I try and grapple with these concepts for our clients I am starting with these three dimensions that I would like to pull together:

Interest: Unique visits, page views and time spent
Sharing: Reviews, pass alongs
Advocacy: Sentiment, Likelihood to recommend

Also we have to grapple with the fact that these actions take place in real and virtual worlds, and needs to be aligned with the brands business objectives

We know its not simple, but its important - so if you think you can help and are looking for collaboration opportunities you know where I am. If you think we are missing something we are also up for the education

Thanks