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PR Measurement
August 2010 | Volume 8 Issue 8
Measuring your organization’s PR efforts is becoming increasingly difficult as more campaigns use social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. However, there are ways to gather compelling PR metrics that don’t require you to be a social media expert or a math whiz. In this issue of CW Bulletin, our experts offer tips for measuring your next PR campaign, including how to set effective objectives and define your target audience.
Natasha Nicholson
Executive Editor
Amanda Aiello Beck
Managing Editor |
Features
SETTING OBJECTIVES
by Mark Weiner
In every business—whether the organization is large or small, for-profit or nonprofit, local or global—there is an objective. Objectives may include generating a profit, approving legislation or giving back to the community. The purpose of every public relations program is to meet or beat its objectives and contribute to the organization’s overall success.
MEASURING SOCIAL MEDIA
Katie Paine is CEO and founder of KDPaine & Partners, and the author of the book Measuring Public Relationships. In an interview with Executive Editor Natasha Nicholson for the CW Radio podcast, she talked about how social media have changed marketing and PR, and offered tips on how communicators can measure their social media efforts.
INCORPORATING A CLIENT’S GOALS
by Tara Padidar
Most PR professionals agree that measurement is critical. After all, without it, you can never truly proclaim that your efforts have been successful. However, even though there are standard methods of measurement (public impression, media hits, dollar value of coverage space, etc.), practitioners are often left grasping for ways to justify the importance of their communications to prospective and current clients.
PAINLESS MEASUREMENT TIPS
by Sean Williams
Is there any topic in communication more controversial, stress-inducing and nerve-wracking than measurement? Many communicators seem to move from calm to outright panic at the very idea: They got into this business to avoid numbers, and now someone says they have to do math!
But measurement doesn’t have to be math-whiz territory.
Columns
Exercise Your Creativity
by Suzanne Salvo
What can you do that combines creativity, physical exercise and the latest social media tools? The answer: A photo walk, and now is the perfect time to organize one. Get outside and stretch your imagination along with your legs. Photo walks are fun, informative, inspirational, and a great way to mix and mingle with friends and co-workers.
Why Haven’t We Seen the Human Face of the Oil Industry in the Gulf of Mexico?
by Kristen Sukalac
Almost as much ink has been spilled about the Deepwater Horizon debacle as oil has leaked out of the damaged well since the April explosion. Clearly the first priority in this crisis was stopping the leak, and I certainly do not underestimate the technical challenge this effort entailed. Nonetheless, I believe that the wider oil industry squandered an opportunity to offset some of the negative impact of the crisis and gain some goodwill going forward.
- “Wii Fit Media Relations,” APEX Public Relations Inc. and Nintendo of Canada Ltd.
- “Drive Away Hunger 2008,” Farm Credit Canada
- “Internal Communication Benchmarking Study,” Barclays Global Investors (BGI) and Sinickas Communications
Communication in the News
Related Resources provides additional articles and resources for understanding this month’s topic of PR measurement. You can also find some of these links alongside each corresponding feature article for quick reference. Links include:
- “Public Relations Measurement 2010: Five things to forget and five things to learn,” by Don Bartholomew
- “How Do You Measure PR?” by Jeremy Porter
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