Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 10: Measurement, Evaluation, Budget, and Calendar Considerations for
Social Media
Learning Objectives:
• Explain the connections between measurement and evaluation in a social media campaign,
initiative, or role.
• Discuss and explain the main components of social media measurement outlined by AMEC.
• Describe the various techniques, metrics and tools used for social media measurement and
evaluation.
• Identify best practices and tips for conducting effective measurement and evaluation practices
for social media.
Ice Breaker Questions and Exercises:
• Do social media campaigns need a budget? Why or why not?
• Students walk into class and find out they are assigned into groups. These groups have
different budgets to them for a campaign they would need to do for the university:
o Group 1: Only has $1,000 to spend for a campaign
o Group 2: Only has $500 to spend for a campaign
o Group 3: Only has $100 to spend for a campaign
o Group 4: Has NO budget
• Allow the students to brainstorm where they would spend the money they have and why.
The budget can be used for tools, content creation, and staff. Have the students report how
they spent their budget, what were some of the challenges, and what lessons they will take
for the future.
• Assign students with a method to evaluate a social media campaign. Discuss the pros, cons,
and best practices that need to be noted for this part of the strategic social media plan.
Examples include:
o Brandwatch
o Salesforce
o Hootsuite
o Buffer
o Sprout Social
o Talkwalker
o Meltwater
o HubSpot
o Platform-Based Insights (e.g., FB, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc.)
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Areas to Cover
• Measurement (Importance, best practices, and challenges)
• Budget (Understanding social media indeed is NOT free)
• Planning is the key to success for strategic social media planners. Review templates shared by
Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Buffer.
Multimedia Resources
• Future of Advertising 2017 Keynote by Carlos Gil in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic—
YouTube http://ow.ly/MZ9z30hrush
• Let’s Talk Growth—Dennis Yu on Facebook as your PR machine by spending only $1 per day
http://ow.ly/BSBY30htyU7
• Facebook Video Ads: Dennis Yu, Logan Young & Heather Dopson—Video Marketing World—
http://ow.ly/lk6330htyWH
Additional Materials
• Hootsuite Content Calendar
Assignments and Exercises from Portfolio-Building Activities in Social Media
• Paid Media Assignment
• Social Media Budget Assignment
• Content Creation Evaluation Assignment
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapters 11 and 12: How Social Media Is Applied: Exploring Different
Specializations, Parts I and II and Case Studies
Learning Objectives
• Identify the areas in which social media can be applied.
• Discuss the key ways social care, nonprofits, health care, and international campaigns integrate
social media into their industries and practices.
• Explain the best practices and guidelines for social media to note for social care, nonprofits,
health care, and international campaigns.
Ice Breaker Questions and Exercises
• Break the class up into groups and have one specialization assigned to a group (total of eight
groups). Have the students research the specialization and what are some of the challenges and
opportunities facing the professionals working in the industry?
• Have the students rank in order their preference for each of the specializations. Which one do
they want to work in? Which one do they not want to work in? Any specialization that is NOT
listed that they want to work in and why?
• Assign students to groups and designate a country and/or region for them. Ask them to review
the main social media platforms in the country, and find a campaign that was successful and/or
not as successful in the country. Have the students prepare a short presentation to the class on
main takeaways and lessons learned.
Areas to Cover
• Discuss the different industries and areas that are covered in the textbook. Each of these
industries has different cases, challenges, and opportunities. Encourage students to pursue
outside campaigns in and outside the country of origin.
Multimedia Resources
• Key Moments | Cannes Lions 2017—YouTube http://ow.ly/C9h730hrv4y
• Beats by Dre “BE #READY”—The Shorty Awards http://ow.ly/kqjh30htzsJ
• Lego targets parents with global “Kronkiwongi” campaign as part of co-creation strategy—
Marketing Week http://ow.ly/jqFG30htzp8
• The only person to survive on our roads—Meet Graham, TAC 2016—YouTube
http://ow.ly/JWJT30htzuQ
• Google Sheep View (google sheep view http://ow.ly/4OgZ30htzw9 + Business Insider
http://ow.ly/SXJo30htzwH
• GM Uses Social Data to Increase Productivity and Sales—Featured Videos—Video Gallery | Videos
& Resources | Oracle http://ow.ly/LQ0X30htAft
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Additional Materials
• Visit the Shorty Awards, Cannes Lions, and Webby Awards websites for winners and detailed
case studies to share with students. Professional organizations like PRSA, AAA, SPJ, WOMMA,
and Digiday may have other case studies to explore and use for this section.
Assignments and Exercises from Portfolio-Building Activities in Social Media
• Social Media and Nonprofits
• Social Media and Crisis Message Assignment
• Social Media and Journalism Assignments
• Social Care Assignment
• Social Media Around the World Assignment
• Social Media and Sports Assignment