Google Analytics, Bit.ly, HootSuite among new tools to gauge success of social media marketing

Dozens of measurement tools have made it easier than ever to track buzz, or the online conversations and activity connected with your business. But syncing that information to sales data and vice versa isn't always as straightforward.

"There are plenty of tools out there, but it's not always clear to businesses how to measure the impact of social networks," says Harry Hoover, a partner at My Creative Team ad agency in Charlotte, N.C.

Rather than focus on Facebook fans or traffic from Twitter, he says, businesses need to keep tabs on the effect their social media campaigns have on sales, profits, and customer retention and satisfaction rates.

How to start? Determine what to measure based on your business objectives and benchmark where you're at so you have an accurate baseline. Use metrics from your monitoring tools to see how they correlate to changes in sales, better customer retention, or whatever your markers are. Find trends, if possible, and track them back to their point of origin. For example, does an increase in Web site visitors correlate with higher sales? Are the people who find your Web site from Twitter or Facebook more or less likely to click onto your product pages?

"Quantity (of followers) is not really the thing," says Mr. Hoover, a blogger at SocialMediaToday.

Then use what you've learned to make changes or improvements.

Here are some Web-based measurement tools worth looking at:

Google Analytics: Free tool to track and report on a company's Web site usage and online marketing activities.

TwitterAnalyzer: Free online tool analyzes a company's influence on Twitter, including number of daily Tweets, users who are re-Tweeting your messages and their unique reach.

HootSuite: Popular free service manages and analyzes multiple Twitter users and accounts. New iPhone app links HootSuite account to mobile phone.

Radian6: Sophisticated tool that tracks conversations about competitors and share of mentions, among other metrics. Pricing starts at $500 a month per profile and $100 a month per user.

ViralHeat: Delivers real-time data from video sites, microblogging platforms and Web sites. Prices range from $9.99 a month to $139.98 a month.

Bit.ly: Free URL shortener that tracks information such as number of clicks, traffic sources and what time clicks occur.

Scoopler: Free real-time search engine that organizes content being shared on the Internet as it happens through blogs and major social networks.

TweetMeme Analytics: Similar to Google Analytics, the app is useful if you use TweetMeme's re-Tweet buttons on your site. Prices begin at $50 per domain per month.

PostRank Analytics: Suite of tools to measure social engagement on other platforms and services. Shows messages and comments from other sites that contribute to your statistics. Prices begin at $9 a month.

Twopular: Tracks the most popular trends on Twitter at no charge.

Xinureturns: Provides a free overview of your Web site presence on popular search engines and social networks.

Omniture: Captures, stores and analyzes digital transactions from Web sites and other online channels as well as offline channels such as point-of-sale promotions and call centers. Prices vary per user.