Quantitate my Qualities & Qualitate my Quantity

What does that title even mean? In short: RESEARCH! Now to some, “research” seems like a boring, daunting, and just plain uninteresting word, let alone task. It doesn't have to be! There are two types of research (quantitative and qualitative) and when done together you gain the most valuable insights. If you are using social media marketing then you may or may not know that you can track both quantitative and qualitative data. However, it can be very difficult to track both.
 
Depending upon what is important to you in your social media goals when starting out; you should either concentrate on qualitative data of trending and buzz around your brand, or quantitative data of numbers and facts generated from your marketing. Your goals are what should determine which path to take.
 

Qualitative Data

Qualitative research is the more "fun" out of the two. This is the type of research most often undertaken by large companies who depend upon a stellar reputation to make and sustain customers. Companies who use qualitative research want to know the honest opinion about their brand and use this information to correct and maintain their image. They use customer feedback and surveys to track the type of buzz they are receiving.
 

Quantitative Data

While tracking qualitative data may be fun, the reality is that businesses are driven by the bottom line. By using hard facts such as graphs, tables, and metrics, you can track what is working and what isn’t. Numbers can tell you a lot about the success of a campaign or new release compared to other time periods. If you have any questions about what works or doesn’t work, all you have to look at is the quantitative data to give you those answers. The buzz may be great on a new product, but until you see the cold hard facts and numbers, then it isn’t truly a success. There are some interesting ways to measure quantitative data in social media. A great example is Twitter and Klout. Klout measures diversity, reach, and velocity of Twitter. These are cold hard numbers that can measure the effectiveness of a user.
 
If you are able to reach a median with measuring the appropriate qualitative data and quantitative data, then you will have a great idea of your level of success in social media. As a company or organization who wants to be competent in social media be sure you are able to measure these factors to get the best "bang for your buck"

• Growth of fans, followers, friends
• Frequency of mentions
• Engagement
• Influencers
• Reach

Now...go out a search!!!
 
 
Sources:
http://argylesocial.com/blog/2010/12/01/qualitative-vs-quantitative-measurement-in-social-media-marketing.html
http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/social-media-analytics-twitter-quantitative-qualitative-analysis