Social media data tracking for authors in 4 easy steps<\/h2>\nBy Laura Laing<\/strong><\/h3>\nSometimes social media can feel like a shot in the dark. Is anyone listening? Are status updates and tweets helping with book sales? Tracking your promotional statistics and book sales can help you uncover a brilliant social media plan\u2014by determining what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
And spreadsheets are the perfect medium. Here\u2019s how you can harness the power of spreadsheets to wrangle your social media book promotion plan.<\/p>\n
Step 1: Choose your stats<\/h2>\n
You can use this process to track any statistics, but since we\u2019re looking the relationship between social media efforts and book sales, here\u2019s a good list:<\/p>\n
\n- Facebook: likes and shares<\/li>\n
- Twitter: retweets and favorites<\/li>\n
- Google+: +1s and shares<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You\u2019ll also want to track your book\u2019s sales.<\/p>\n
Step 2: Build your spreadsheet<\/h2>\n
In case you\u2019ve never used a spreadsheet before, let me start with a simple explanation. Spreadsheets are very much like tables with rows and columns. But there\u2019s one big difference: In a spreadsheet, you can include formulas that will automatically calculate a value you need.<\/p>\n
First, let\u2019s look at the columns and rows. Rows run horizontally, while columns run vertically. All of the rows must be related to one another, while all of the columns have their own relationship.<\/p>\n
In this scenario, you\u2019re tracking social media stats and book sales by date. In the spreadsheet below, I\u2019ve assigned dates to the rows and the media stats and book sales to the columns. (If you wanted, you could switch it.)<\/p>\n
![\"spreadsheet](\"https:\/\/buildbookbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/spreadsheet-1.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nStep 3: Track your data<\/h2>\n
Each of the little boxes in the spreadsheet is called a cell. It\u2019s important to notice that each cell belongs to one row and one column. So, if you check your Facebook likes for status updates written the week of March 1, the number 15 goes in the cell that corresponds with the \u201cFacebook status updates\u201d column and the \u201cMarch 1\u201d row.<\/p>\n
![\"spreadsheet](\"https:\/\/buildbookbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/spreadsheet-2.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nYou should also track book sales each week, in a separate column. (I\u2019ve skipped a column so that I can easily see which are social media stats and which are book sales.)<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re more advanced with spreadsheets, you can also add formulas that will automatically calculate when you add new data. In this way, you can include running totals in your spreadsheet, like this:<\/p>\n
![\"spreadsheet](\"https:\/\/buildbookbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/spreadsheet-3.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFor more information about including formulas in a spreadsheet, read my article, “Spreadsheets 101: How to Use Formulas<\/a>.”<\/p>\nStep 4: Analyze your results<\/h2>\n
Now that you\u2019ve got all of your data, what does it mean? First, you can begin to notice trends. Based on this data, it seems that Google+ is where you\u2019d want to put your best efforts. (That\u2019s where you\u2019re getting your most interaction.) In addition, when a Facebook status update is performing well, it does well on Twitter and Google+. And there is clearly a correlation between social media interaction and book sales.<\/p>\n
You can dig even deeper with these stats. First, look at the tweets and status updates that did not perform as well as others. What could you do to up their success? Also, consider how your other promotional and marketing efforts might have affected social media interactivity\u2014and therefore book sales. For example, if you spoke at a live event on January 22 and sold 10 books there, your spike in book sales that week had nothing to do with social media.<\/p>\n
In fact, this data is merely a window into a much richer understanding of how well your publicity and marketing efforts are doing\u2014but it\u2019s a terrific place to start. And as you continue tracking these stats, you will discover other statistics that can help you hone in on your best promotional endeavors ever!<\/p>\n
What are you tracking or monitoring so that you can measure the effectiveness of your book marketing?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Laura](\"https:\/\/buildbookbuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Laura-Laing-195x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/em>Today’s guest blogger is my friend Laura Laing, a freelance writer and the author of <\/em>Math for Writers: Tell a Better Story, Get Published, Make More Money<\/a>. Visit her website to\u00a0check out her full virtual book tour roster<\/a> and sign up for a free, live teleseminar just for writers who need math.<\/em><\/p>\nSocial media data tracking for authors in 4 easy steps<\/h3>\n
By Laura Laing<\/strong><\/p>\nSometimes social media can feel like a shot in the dark. Is anyone listening? Are status updates and tweets helping with book sales? Tracking your promotional statistics and book sales can help you uncover a brilliant social media plan\u2014by determining what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
And spreadsheets are the perfect medium. Here\u2019s how you can harness the power of spreadsheets to wrangle your social media book promotion plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,12],"tags":[99,422,423,424],"class_list":["post-5630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-columns","category-tools","tag-laura-laing","tag-math-for-writers","tag-social-media-data-tracking","tag-spreadsheet"],"yoast_head":"\n
Social media data tracking for authors in 4 easy steps - Build Book Buzz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Math whiz Laura Laing shows us how easy it is to use social media data tracking to evaluate the effectiveness of our book marketing efforts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sandra.oddjar.com\/social-media-data-tracking-for-authors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Social media data tracking for authors in 4 easy steps - Build Book Buzz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Math whiz Laura Laing shows us how easy it is to use social media data tracking to evaluate the effectiveness of our book marketing efforts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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Sometimes social media can feel like a shot in the dark. Is anyone listening? Are status updates and tweets helping with book sales? Tracking your promotional statistics and book sales can help you uncover a brilliant social media plan\u2014by determining what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
And spreadsheets are the perfect medium. Here\u2019s how you can harness the power of spreadsheets to wrangle your social media book promotion plan.<\/p>\n
Step 1: Choose your stats<\/h2>\n
You can use this process to track any statistics, but since we\u2019re looking the relationship between social media efforts and book sales, here\u2019s a good list:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Facebook: likes and shares<\/li>\n
- Twitter: retweets and favorites<\/li>\n
- Google+: +1s and shares<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You\u2019ll also want to track your book\u2019s sales.<\/p>\n
Step 2: Build your spreadsheet<\/h2>\n
In case you\u2019ve never used a spreadsheet before, let me start with a simple explanation. Spreadsheets are very much like tables with rows and columns. But there\u2019s one big difference: In a spreadsheet, you can include formulas that will automatically calculate a value you need.<\/p>\n
First, let\u2019s look at the columns and rows. Rows run horizontally, while columns run vertically. All of the rows must be related to one another, while all of the columns have their own relationship.<\/p>\n
In this scenario, you\u2019re tracking social media stats and book sales by date. In the spreadsheet below, I\u2019ve assigned dates to the rows and the media stats and book sales to the columns. (If you wanted, you could switch it.)<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nStep 3: Track your data<\/h2>\n
Each of the little boxes in the spreadsheet is called a cell. It\u2019s important to notice that each cell belongs to one row and one column. So, if you check your Facebook likes for status updates written the week of March 1, the number 15 goes in the cell that corresponds with the \u201cFacebook status updates\u201d column and the \u201cMarch 1\u201d row.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nYou should also track book sales each week, in a separate column. (I\u2019ve skipped a column so that I can easily see which are social media stats and which are book sales.)<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re more advanced with spreadsheets, you can also add formulas that will automatically calculate when you add new data. In this way, you can include running totals in your spreadsheet, like this:<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFor more information about including formulas in a spreadsheet, read my article, “Spreadsheets 101: How to Use Formulas<\/a>.”<\/p>\n
Step 4: Analyze your results<\/h2>\n
Now that you\u2019ve got all of your data, what does it mean? First, you can begin to notice trends. Based on this data, it seems that Google+ is where you\u2019d want to put your best efforts. (That\u2019s where you\u2019re getting your most interaction.) In addition, when a Facebook status update is performing well, it does well on Twitter and Google+. And there is clearly a correlation between social media interaction and book sales.<\/p>\n
You can dig even deeper with these stats. First, look at the tweets and status updates that did not perform as well as others. What could you do to up their success? Also, consider how your other promotional and marketing efforts might have affected social media interactivity\u2014and therefore book sales. For example, if you spoke at a live event on January 22 and sold 10 books there, your spike in book sales that week had nothing to do with social media.<\/p>\n
In fact, this data is merely a window into a much richer understanding of how well your publicity and marketing efforts are doing\u2014but it\u2019s a terrific place to start. And as you continue tracking these stats, you will discover other statistics that can help you hone in on your best promotional endeavors ever!<\/p>\n
What are you tracking or monitoring so that you can measure the effectiveness of your book marketing?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/em>Today’s guest blogger is my friend Laura Laing, a freelance writer and the author of <\/em>Math for Writers: Tell a Better Story, Get Published, Make More Money<\/a>. Visit her website to\u00a0check out her full virtual book tour roster<\/a> and sign up for a free, live teleseminar just for writers who need math.<\/em><\/p>\nSocial media data tracking for authors in 4 easy steps<\/h3>\n
By Laura Laing<\/strong><\/p>\n
Sometimes social media can feel like a shot in the dark. Is anyone listening? Are status updates and tweets helping with book sales? Tracking your promotional statistics and book sales can help you uncover a brilliant social media plan\u2014by determining what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
And spreadsheets are the perfect medium. Here\u2019s how you can harness the power of spreadsheets to wrangle your social media book promotion plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,12],"tags":[99,422,423,424],"class_list":["post-5630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-columns","category-tools","tag-laura-laing","tag-math-for-writers","tag-social-media-data-tracking","tag-spreadsheet"],"yoast_head":"\n
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