How unit 1 is examined
This unit covers social media basics, social media analytics (SMA) and its use in organisations and platforms, and the fundamentals of web analytics; no past questions are tagged, so every topic is short.
Introduction to Social Media, Social Media Landscape
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Definition. <mark>Social media are internet-based platforms built on Web 2.0 that let users create, share and exchange content and interact with each other.</mark>
Key points.
- Content is user-generated, so users are producers as well as consumers.
- The landscape has types: social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn), microblogs (Twitter/X), media sharing (YouTube, Instagram), blogs and forums, and messaging apps.
- Interaction is two-way and public, so conversation and sharing drive reach.
- Businesses use these platforms for branding, customer support and marketing.
Social Media Analytics & its Need
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Definition. <mark>Social media analytics is the process of collecting data from social platforms and analysing it to measure performance and support business decisions.</mark>
Key points.
- It tracks metrics such as reach, likes, shares, comments, followers and sentiment.
- It is needed to know what the audience says about a brand and to measure campaign return on investment.
- It helps find influencers, trends and the best time and type of content to post.
- It supports better decisions by replacing guesswork with data.
SMA in Small and Large Organisations
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Definition. <mark>SMA in organisations means using social data to reach customers and improve decisions, with scale and tools depending on the size of the firm.</mark>
Key points.
- Small organisations use free or cheap tools (built-in platform insights, Google Analytics) to build local awareness on a small budget.
- Large organisations use enterprise tools and dedicated analyst teams to monitor millions of conversations across many channels.
- Large firms track brand reputation, crisis alerts and competitors in real time.
- Both use SMA to understand customers, but small firms focus on engagement and large firms on strategy at scale.
Application of SMA in Different Social Media Platforms
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Definition. <mark>Each platform provides its own analytics, so SMA is applied by measuring the metrics that suit that platform's content and audience.</mark>
Key points.
- Facebook: page reach, engagement, post performance and audience demographics.
- Twitter/X: impressions, retweets, mentions, hashtag trends and follower growth.
- YouTube: views, watch time, subscribers and traffic sources.
- LinkedIn and Instagram: LinkedIn tracks professional audience and lead generation; Instagram tracks likes, saves, stories and reach.
Introduction to Web Analytics: Definition, Process, Key Terms: Site References, Keywords and Key Phrases
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Definition. <mark>Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of website data to understand and optimise web usage.</mark>
Key points.
- The process is: define goals, collect data, process it, report and analyse it, then act and improve.
- Site references (referrers) are the sources, such as search engines, other sites or direct entry, that bring visitors to the site.
- Keywords are single search words and key phrases are multi-word queries that visitors typed to reach the site.
- Tracking references and keywords shows which channels and search terms bring traffic.
Building Block Terms: Visit Characterization Terms, Content Characterization Terms, Conversion Metrics
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Definition. <mark>Building block terms are the basic measures used to describe visits, content and conversions on a website.</mark>
Key points.
- Visit characterization: visits, visitors, new and returning visitors, and visit length describe how people arrive and behave.
- Content characterization: page views, entry and exit pages, and time on page describe how content is used.
- Conversion metrics measure goal completion, such as purchase, sign-up or download.
- Conversion rate is the number of conversions divided by the number of visits, multiplied by 100.
Categories: Offsite Web, on Site Web
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Definition. <mark>Offsite web analytics measures a site's potential audience and buzz outside the site, while onsite web analytics measures visitor behaviour on the site.</mark>
Key points.
- Offsite analytics covers the size of the market, share of voice and comments about the brand across the internet.
- Onsite analytics measures how visitors behave: traffic, page views, journeys and conversions.
- Offsite shows what could be reached; onsite shows what actually happens after arrival.
- Together they give a complete picture of performance.
Web Analytics Platform, Web Analytics Evolution, Need of Web Analytics, Advantages & Limitations
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Definition. <mark>A web analytics platform is software that collects, processes and reports website visitor data, such as Google Analytics.</mark>
Key points.
- Evolution: early tools counted hits from server log files, later ones used page tags and cookies, and today's platforms give real-time, multi-channel insight.
- Need: to learn about visitors, improve the site and prove return on investment.
- Advantages: it is low cost, gives real-time data, helps target marketing and shows what to fix.
- Limitations: cookie deletion and blocking reduce accuracy, it cannot explain why users act, and it raises privacy concerns.
Last-minute revision
- Social media are Web 2.0 platforms for user-generated content and interaction.
- Types: social networks, microblogs, media sharing, blogs, messaging.
- SMA collects and analyses social data to measure performance and guide decisions.
- Small firms use free platform insights; large firms use enterprise tools and teams.
- Facebook: reach and engagement; Twitter: impressions and retweets; YouTube: watch time.
- Web analytics is measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of website data.
- Process: goals, collect, process, report, act.
- Referrers are traffic sources; keywords are single terms and key phrases are multi-word queries.
- Conversion rate = conversions / visits x 100.
- Offsite measures the wider web; onsite measures behaviour on the site.
- Limitations: cookies, privacy, and no explanation of why.
Memory hooks
- Web 2.0 = users write: content flows both ways.
- Off = outside, On = own site: offsite is the market, onsite is the visitor.
- VCC: Visit, Content, Conversion building blocks.
- Goals, Collect, Process, Report, Act: the web analytics loop.
Coverage checklist
- Introduction to Social Media, Social Media Landscape: no past questions.
- Social Media Analytics & its Need: no past questions.
- SMA in Small and Large Organisations: no past questions.
- Application of SMA in Different Social Media Platforms: no past questions.
- Introduction to Web Analytics: Definition, Process, Key Terms: Site References, Keywords and Key Phrases: no past questions.
- Building Block Terms: Visit Characterization Terms, Content Characterization Terms, Conversion Metrics: no past questions.
- Categories: Offsite Web, on Site Web: no past questions.
- Web Analytics Platform, Web Analytics Evolution, Need of Web Analytics, Advantages & Limitations: no past questions.