Fan numbers are not effective in accounting for the success of a campaign.

Companies and marketing managers realize that increasing fans and followers is not what matters on social networks. The challenge remains how to measure success beyond counting these metrics.

According to data from the survey “2011 Social Marketing Survey”, conducted last August by Chief Marketing, only 26% of marketers saw the increase in followers as a goal in social media.The most popular goals include directing traffic to a website (66%), the generation of sales or potential customers (48%), and identify and address the fans of the brand (47%).

So, what have sellers been doing to achieve these goals on social media? The most popular tactic among respondents includes a social participation button in emails or on a company website for 69% of respondents. In addition, 59% offered unique content for their fans and followers. 58% had a “like” button on Facebook “and 54% shared videos on social networks.

Although the objectives and tactics used by salespeople focus on commitment, measurement tactics still focus on numbers. Chief Marketer has revealed that 60% of respondents counted the number of friends, followers and “likes” as the main method of measuring success in social media marketing. In addition, 39% highlighted the exchange, transfer, retweets and publication of branded content, while 35% said they track potential customers on social networks.

The way in which marketers measure their success in social networks does not quite coincide with their goals for them, according to the study. The data indicate that only 13% of respondents thought they were very effective for measuring campaigns, while 47% said something effective, 28% not very effective and 12% nothing.

As for the specific tactics they use, it is possible to measure the consumer’s commitment to the content by tracking the activity that consumers share. By monitoring the brand and activity of CRM you can see the impact on it. These tactics can give ideas on how to evaluate social media marketing efforts, without counting only the number of fans.