This post is the second in a series of three about the relationship between online campaigns and offline behavior.

Part II: In Search of Influence 

To figure out what people are interested in online, go straight to search data.

Just look at the CDC’s Stop Smoking Campaign. According to Google’s Rob Daiany, after the campaign launched Google registered a massive 60 percent increase in search for aids to stop smoking.

Any effective campaign directs behavior in the direction of their product. Are people searching for “nicotine patch” or “stop smoking gum” after they watch the video? Looking at search data will tell you what people find interesting, which you can use to maximize your SEO!

Once you’ve configured your search tags and have your content ready to go, let it run free on whatever social platforms you use.

After it’s been tweeted, Facebook’d and Google Plus’d, you’ll know who is spreading the word. Make sure you say hello to your influencers.

Companies often look at their influencer scores to determine content success and how the content is engaging their viewer base.

The flaw in relying on influencer scores and share data is that they aren’t always a reliable metric for success. You might have that one follower who finds it difficult to discriminate between the must-know and the actually-not-that-interesting content. They’re not just sharing your things, they’re sharing everyone’s things.

Likewise, the influencer scores do not take into account the type of user who interacts online but shares content offline. According to Daiany, this is the largest online persona. And now you’re compelled to measure online to offline engagement. The good news is that, through analytic programs, you can:

• Look at how many people clicked on the links you post or send out in email blasts;
• Capture increase around your brand-specific search terms; and
• See who interacted with your other marketing tools like scanning a QR code into their smart phone.

For now, you can’t really quantify how every person was affected by your campaign when they’re not interacting online, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a well-informed estimate.

Next up: Creating Your Strategy.