Cronkite
News
Project Context
Marketing analytics case study completed at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The project analyzed Facebook and Twitter performance to identify strategies for increasing audience engagement, referral traffic, and high-quality website users through data-driven social media recommendations.
This project strengthened my ability to transform social media performance data into strategic marketing insights. By analyzing audience behavior, engagement trends, and platform performance, I identified opportunities to improve content strategy and increase high-quality website traffic. The experience reinforced how data-driven decision making can optimize social media performance and support long-term audience growth.
Project Snapshot
5,501 Facebook Link Clicks
1,785 Twitter URL Clicks
1.70% Average Twitter Engagement Rate
119,482 Facebook Users Reached
Client Background
Cronkite News is a student-powered digital news organization that publishes local, national, and political journalism across multiple digital platforms. This project focused on evaluating social media performance and identifying opportunities to improve audience engagement and drive more qualified traffic to the Cronkite News website.
The Problem
Although Cronkite News maintained active Facebook and Twitter accounts, the organization needed a better understanding of which content types, platforms, and publishing strategies generated the highest-quality website visitors. The objective was to identify actionable recommendations that would increase engagement while encouraging users to visit the website and interact with news content.
Research
Audience Behavior
• Facebook audiences responded best to Link and Photo posts.
• Twitter users engaged more with concise, real-time updates.
• Platform behavior suggested different content strategies for each audience.
Key Findings
• Facebook link posts generated 5,501 link clicks
• Facebook posts reached 119,482 users
• Twitter generated 1,785 URL clicks
• Twitter maintained a 1.70% average engagement rate
Content Performance Analysis
Highest-performing content:
• Link posts
• Election coverage
• Timely news stories
• Posts with strong calls-to-action
Trend AnAlysis
Engagement increased dramatically during the November 9 midterm election coverage, demonstrating how timely, newsworthy content significantly influences audience behavior and website traffic.
Strategy
The strategy focused on maximizing audience engagement while increasing referral traffic through platform-specific content optimization.
Primary objectives included:
• Increase website traffic
• Improve social engagement
• Optimize content by platform
• Strengthen audience segmentation
• Develop repeatable content strategies
• Increase high-quality users
ExecutioN
Performance Analysis
• Facebook analytics
• Twitter analytics
• Engagement reporting
• Traffic source evaluation
• Audience segmentation
Content Strategy
Evaluated performance across:
• Link posts
• Photo posts
• Video posts
• Text posts
Trend Analysis
Measured engagement surrounding:
• Election coverage
• Breaking news
• Timely events
• Daily publishing patterns
Strategic Recommendations
Developed recommendations for:
• Platform-specific content
• Publishing cadence
• Audience targeting
• Link optimization
• Content planning
Key Insights
• Highest overall reach
• Strongest referral traffic
• Best platform for link posts
Twitter (X)
• Higher interaction with timely content
• Strong engagement despite lower reach
• Effective for breaking news
Content
• Link posts consistently outperformed all other post formats.
• Real-time events created significant traffic spikes.
• Strong calls-to-action increased website visits.
Results
The analysis identified several opportunities to improve Cronkite News' social media strategy through data-driven decision making.
Highlights included:
✔ Identified the highest-performing content format
✔ Measured referral traffic across platforms
✔ Evaluated audience behavior
✔ Developed platform-specific recommendations
✔ Created a roadmap for improving website traffic through social media
✔ Demonstrated how analytics can inform editorial and content strategy rather than relying on assumptions.
Deliverables
• Social Media Performance Audit
• Audience Analysis
• Platform Comparison
• Facebook Analytics Report
• Twitter Analytics Report
• Content Performance Analysis
• Referral Traffic Analysis
• Strategic Recommendations
• Executive Presentation
MY ROLE
• Marketing Analytics
• Social Media Strategy
• Audience Research
• Content Strategy
• Performance Reporting
• Competitive Analysis
• Data Visualization
• Platform Analytics
• Strategic Recommendations
• Presentation Design