{"id":16064,"date":"2024-04-22T12:22:29","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T10:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/noticias\/como-medir-la-influencia-en-redes-sociales\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T16:39:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:39:47","slug":"how-to-measure-influence-in-social-networks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/noticias\/como-medir-la-influencia-en-redes-sociales\/","title":{"rendered":"How to measure influence on social media (beyond engagement)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Social media influence is one of the most used\u2014and most misunderstood\u2014concepts in marketing and communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For years, it&#039;s been assumed that influence consists of having a large audience and generating interaction. The more followers, likes, and comments, the greater the influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the reality is much more uncomfortable: <strong>Many profiles with very high numbers have no influence on anything relevant.<\/strong>, while others, much smaller, are capable of changing conversations, positioning ideas, or even influencing decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This raises a key question: <strong>Are we really measuring influence or just its appearance?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h4>Article index<\/h4><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#lo-que-solemos-medir-y-por-que-se-queda-corto\">What the market understands by influence (and why it falls short)<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#el-error-de-fondo-confundir-visibilidad-con-influencia\">The fundamental error: confusing visibility with influence<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#que-es-realmente-la-influencia-en-redes-sociales\">What exactly is social media influence?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#por-que-el-engagement-no-mide-la-influencia-real\">Why engagement doesn&#039;t measure real influence on social media<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#como-medir-la-influencia-real-en-redes-sociales\">How to measure real influence on social media<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#1-el-impacto-que-generas-en-la-percepcion\">1. The impact you have on perception<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#2-tu-capacidad-para-generar-o-cambiar-narrativas\">2. Your ability to generate or change narratives<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#3-el-protagonismo-que-tienes-cuando-apareces\">3. The prominence you have when you appear<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#4-la-persistencia-de-tu-impacto\">4. The persistence of your impact<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#5-el-valor-que-generas\">5. The value you generate<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#influencia-superficial-vs-influencia-real\">Superficial influence vs. real influence<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#que-implica-esto-para-marcas-y-empresas\">What does this mean for brands and companies?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#la-evolucion-medir-influencia-como-impacto\">The evolution: measuring influence as impact<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#como-aborda-enigmia-la-medicion-de-la-influencia-real\">How Enigmia approaches measuring real influence on social networks<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#1-interpretacion-narrativa-del-contenido\">1. Narrative interpretation of the content<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#2-medicion-del-impacto-reputacional\">2. Measuring reputational impact<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#3-evaluacion-de-la-eficacia-y-el-valor-de-la-comunicacion\">3. Evaluation of the effectiveness and value of communication<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#que-cambia-con-este-enfoque\">What changes with this approach?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"lo-que-solemos-medir-y-por-que-se-queda-corto\">What the market understands by influence (and why it falls short)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When a brand analyzes its social media influence, it usually focuses on a <a href=\"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/news\/press-clipping-what-is\/\">fairly limited set of metrics<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>number of followers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/roymo.es\/glosario\/engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">engagement<\/a> (likes, comments, shares)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>scope and impressions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>audience growth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These metrics are useful for understanding <strong>activity and visibility<\/strong>, However, they have a structural limitation: <strong>They describe what happens, but they don&#039;t explain what causes it.<\/strong> And that&#039;s the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because influence is not about how much content is shared, but about the effect it generates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"el-error-de-fondo-confundir-visibilidad-con-influencia\">The fundamental error: confusing visibility with influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The market has built a relationship that seems logical: <a href=\"https:\/\/mailchimp.com\/es\/resources\/what-is-influencer-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More reach = more influence<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in practice, it doesn&#039;t work that way. Content can go viral, generate thousands of interactions, and disappear the next day without anything relevant having changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It does not alter perceptions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It doesn&#039;t alter the conversation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It doesn&#039;t position anyone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, other content with less visibility may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>introduce an idea that others begin to replicate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>change the focus of a debate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>to strengthen or damage a brand&#039;s image<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/news\/corporate-reputation-indicators\/\">Now that&#039;s influence!<\/a>. The key isn&#039;t volume. It&#039;s the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/news\/corporate-reputation-definition\/\">impact that remains<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"que-es-realmente-la-influencia-en-redes-sociales\">What exactly is social media influence?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If we remove the noise from superficial metrics, the influence can be understood much more accurately: <strong>To influence is to get something to change after you appear.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That change could be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>how a brand is perceived<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>how to interpret a topic<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>what is said in a conversation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>or even what decisions are made<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This implies a significant change of approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It&#039;s not about how many people see you<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>but of <strong>how much you change what others think or do<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Influence is not exposure. It is <strong>effect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"por-que-el-engagement-no-mide-la-influencia-real\">Why engagement doesn&#039;t measure real influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Engagement has become the star metric because it&#039;s easy to measure and easy to explain. But it has an obvious limitation. It measures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>reaction<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>attention<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>interaction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But it doesn&#039;t measure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>change of perception<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>positioning construction<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>reputational impact<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ability to mark conversation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A piece of content can generate thousands of interactions and have no strategic effect. <strong>It&#039;s activity, not influence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And this difference explains why many campaigns with good numbers do not generate real results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"como-medir-la-influencia-real-en-redes-sociales\">How to measure real influence on social media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"572\" src=\"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Medir-la-influencia-real-en-redes-sociales-1024x572.png\" alt=\"How to measure influence on social media (beyond engagement)\" class=\"wp-image-19150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Medir-la-influencia-real-en-redes-sociales-1024x572.png 1024w, https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Medir-la-influencia-real-en-redes-sociales-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Medir-la-influencia-real-en-redes-sociales-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Medir-la-influencia-real-en-redes-sociales-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Medir-la-influencia-real-en-redes-sociales.png 1376w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/news\/reputational-impact-report-ir\/\">Measuring the influence<\/a> It really involves a complete change of approach.<br>It&#039;s not about adding more metrics, but about looking at other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-el-impacto-que-generas-en-la-percepcion\">1. The impact you have on perception<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first question is not whether you like it, but <strong>how do you position<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do you reinforce trust?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you generate credibility?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are you introducing doubts?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Influence begins when you change the perception of an actor in the minds of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-tu-capacidad-para-generar-o-cambiar-narrativas\">2. Your ability to generate or change narratives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are profiles that participate in the conversation. And others that define it. The difference is clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>some react<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Others set the framework<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When others begin to speak in the terms you have introduced, there is real influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-el-protagonismo-que-tienes-cuando-apareces\">3. The prominence you have when you appear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Being present is not the same as being relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can appear a lot\u2026 and have no weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or appear less\u2026 and be the central actor when you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The influence has more to do with that <strong>real prominence<\/strong> than with frequency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-la-persistencia-de-tu-impacto\">4. The persistence of your impact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Virality is immediate. Influence is cumulative. Content that disappears in hours can generate noise. Content that reappears, replicates, and persists over time generates influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If what you say is still present days later, you have generated a real impact.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5-el-valor-que-generas\">5. The value you generate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Not all impact is the same. Some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>build brand<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They generate trust.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>open up opportunities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Others simply generate empty conversation. Measuring influence also involves understanding <strong>What value does what you cause have?<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"influencia-superficial-vs-influencia-real\">Superficial influence vs. real influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference between the two approaches can be summarized as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Surface influence<\/th><th>Real influence<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Followers<\/td><td>Impact on perception<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Engagement<\/td><td>Narrative ability<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Scope<\/td><td>Leadership<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Virality<\/td><td>Persistence<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Activity<\/td><td>Value generated<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"que-implica-esto-para-marcas-y-empresas\">What does this mean for brands and companies?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This change in focus is not theoretical. Many brands are investing in profiles with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>high visibility<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>high engagement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>but with a limited capacity to generate real impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This translates to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ineffective campaigns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>poor budget allocation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>difficulty in justifying results<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Because they are measuring activity well\u2026 but not influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"la-evolucion-medir-influencia-como-impacto\">The evolution: measuring influence as impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Increasingly, the measurement of influence is evolving towards models that integrate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>reputational impact<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>narrative analysis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>communicative effectiveness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>value of communication<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach allows us to understand not only how much an actor is talked about, but <strong>What effect does that conversation have, and what value does it have?<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"572\" src=\"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Influencia-Real-o-Pura-Apariencia-1024x572.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19151\" srcset=\"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Influencia-Real-o-Pura-Apariencia-1024x572.png 1024w, https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Influencia-Real-o-Pura-Apariencia-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Influencia-Real-o-Pura-Apariencia-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Influencia-Real-o-Pura-Apariencia-1536x857.png 1536w, https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Influencia-Real-o-Pura-Apariencia-2048x1143.png 2048w, https:\/\/enigmia.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Influencia-Real-o-Pura-Apariencia-18x10.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"como-aborda-enigmia-la-medicion-de-la-influencia-real\">How Enigmia approaches measuring real influence on social networks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The fundamental problem in measuring influence on social networks is not the lack of data, but the lack of a framework that allows for its correct interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enigmia starts precisely from that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of measuring activity\u2014as most tools on the market do\u2014their approach focuses on <strong>interpret the impact that this activity generates in public space<\/strong>. This implies a complete change in the logic of analysis. In practice, the Enigmia model integrates three layers that allow for a structured measurement of influence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-interpretacion-narrativa-del-contenido\">1. Narrative interpretation of the content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Each piece of content is analyzed not only for what it says, but also for <strong>the narrative that activates<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>what story is he building<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From what framework does he\/she interpret reality?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>how it positions the actor within that story<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This allows us to understand the meaning of the content before measuring it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-medicion-del-impacto-reputacional\">2. Measuring reputational impact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on that narrative, an evaluation is made <strong>what effect does it have on the actor<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>whether it strengthens or weakens its positioning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>which attributes are affected<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>what quality does that impact have?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach avoids one of the most common mistakes in the market: using sentiment or engagement as substitutes for impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-evaluacion-de-la-eficacia-y-el-valor-de-la-comunicacion\">3. Evaluation of the effectiveness and value of communication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, the model allows us to understand two key aspects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>to what extent is an actor leveraging their presence to generate impact<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What economic value does that impact have on the market?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This introduces a differential layer: not only is the influence measured, but its <strong>real capacity to generate value<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"que-cambia-con-este-enfoque\">What changes with this approach?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This model allows us to move from a measurement based on isolated metrics to a structured reading of influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of asking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How many followers does a profile have?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>how much engagement it generates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It allows us to answer much more relevant questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>what impact is it really having<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>what narratives is it building<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>how its influence evolves over time<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What value does that influence have in business terms?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>La influencia en redes sociales es uno de los conceptos m\u00e1s utilizados \u2014y peor entendidos\u2014 en marketing y comunicaci\u00f3n. Durante a\u00f1os, se ha dado por hecho que influir consiste en tener una gran audiencia y generar interacci\u00f3n. Cuantos m\u00e1s seguidores, m\u00e1s likes y m\u00e1s comentarios, mayor influencia. Sin embargo, la realidad es bastante m\u00e1s inc\u00f3moda: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,252],"tags":[261,259,260,264,262],"class_list":["post-16064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticias","category-narrativas","tag-desempeno-de-comunicacion","tag-impacto-reputacional","tag-impacto-reputacional-acumulado","tag-reputacion-corporativa","tag-valor-de-comunicacion"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16064"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19153,"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16064\/revisions\/19153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enigmia.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}