A 2013 presentation to nonprofits interested in using social media and digital communications to bolster their offline youth engagement efforts.

1. Boston | Geneva | Mumbai | San Francisco | Seattle | Washington FSG.ORGBoston | Geneva | Mumbai | San Francisco | Seattle | Washington FSG.ORG
Katelyn Mack,
Strategic
Learning and
Evaluation
May 30, 2013
Measuring Social Impact
of Social Media & Communications

2. 2 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
2 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Three Areas of Social Media Measurement
Communications
?
How do I get my
message out (to the
right people)?
Performance
Measurement
?
How do I get people to
take more action
online?
Evaluating Impact
?
How do I know that
online activity is
helping achieve our
goals?

3. 3 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
3 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Understanding What Impact Means
Educate and inform people about the
issue
Create opportunities for civic
engagement around the issue
Change policy and practice to address
(resolve) the issue
Photo captured from The Ford Foundation website.
Communications and Social
Media Are Ways to…

4. 4 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
4 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
What’s the Role of Social Media?
Desired Change
• Policy win
• Greater awareness about
an issue
• Shift in attitude
If you don’t know where you’re going any road will take you there.
- Alice in Wonderland

5. 5 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
5 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Defining “Success”
Articulate your goals
Identify indicators of success
Track changes “online” and “offline”

6. 6 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
6 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
What Will Success Look Like?
Articulate your goals Identify indicators of success
 What is the desired state?
 What problem are you
trying to solve?
 What do you hope is
different?
Make your objectives SMART
Specific
Measurable
Actionable
Realistic
Timely
#

7. 7 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
7 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
The Value of Creating a Framework for Impact

8. 8 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
8 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Social Media Measurement Typically Focuses on
Project-Level Outcomes
Reaching target audience
- # website visitors over time
- # of email subscribers
Engaging target audience
- # of comments, retweets
- # of clicks, online submissions

9. 9 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
9 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Evaluating Impact of Social Media Strategies Requires
Attention to Changes “Offline”
More civically engaged
communities
- # or type of residents or youth
engaged in solving a problem
More informed
communities
- People are more aware of the
issue
Changes in public policy
- Introduction of legislation
- Passage of legislation

10. 10 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
10 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Who Are You Aiming to Affect and How?

11. 11 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
11 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
How do I know that online activity
is helping achieve our goals?
Online
Actions
Offline
Impact
Examine the intersection of
online and offline behaviors
Track changes “online”
and “offline”

12. 12 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
12 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Create Online Environments to Track Offline Action
Project Design and
Implementation Decisions
Evaluation Questions
How have our social media
activities contributed to our
target audience (youth)
donating to food pantries?
• Tracking campaign links
• Registering users
• Sending out polls

13. 13 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
13 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
…An Example of Engagement
Project Design and
Implementation Decisions
Evaluation Questions
Who is engaging in
community action? What
issues are our target audience
being mobilized to address?
• Uploads from registered
users
• Areas for users to comment

14. 14 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
14 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Survey Your Target Audience
“Click”
How is social media
being used? By
whom?
How are attitudes
changing?
Are people acting
differently?

15. 15 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
15 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Interviews and Case Studies

16. 16 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
16 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Listen and Observe
How are they saying it?
(Sentiment)
What are people
saying?
(Thematic analysis)

17. 17 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
17 © 2013 FSG
FSG.ORG
Thank you!
Katelyn Mack
Consultant, FSG
Katelyn.Mack@fsg.org