The document outlines a framework for measuring the return on investment (ROI) and key performance indicators (KPIs) for digital public relations (PR) efforts. It emphasizes defining clear goals, assessing channels and audiences, and building a dashboard to integrate analytics across media and communication disciplines. Key lessons include the challenges of data consistency, comparisons between media types, and the importance of targeted impressions.

1. Measuring ROI + KPIs for
Your Digital PR Efforts
PR News Digital PR Next Practices Summit
October 6, 2010
Tim Marklein
Executive VP, Measurement & Strategy
tmarklein@webershandwick.com
Twitter: @tmarklein
Slide 1 -- September 24, 2010

2. Audience poll
How many of you are currently
monitoring digital and social media for
your programs/clients/issues?
Slide 2 – October 6, 2010

3. Audience poll
How many of you are actively engaged
in social media channels for your
organization/client, including Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn and/or others?
Slide 3 – October 6, 2010

4. Audience poll
How many of you have clearly defined
goals for your digital and social media
engagement?
Slide 4 – October 6, 2010

5. Step 1. Define the outcome
• Start by defining clear, precise, measurable goals
• Even if you don’t think you can measure PR’s impact on
the outcome, start with the assumption that you can – and
then work backwards to figure out how to measure it
• Anecdotal evidence
• Data-based evidence
• Correlation
• Contribution
• Causation
• Read and internalize
outcomes definitions
from PRSA and IPR’s
Measurement
Commission
http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=628
Slide 5 – October 6, 2010

6. Pick an outcome,
Any outcome…
Source: Altimeter Group and Web Analytics
Slide 6 – October 6, 2010 Demystified, http://bit.ly/dldIHf

7. Step 2. Assess channels and audiences
Source: Weber Shandwick
Measurement & Strategy
practice, based on Sysomos
social media monitoring data.
Slide 7 – October 6, 2010

8. Step 3. Identify your KPIs
measures: Assess how content is accessed, shared,
adapted, amplified across various sites and media properties
measures: Assess the volume, engagement, feedback and
reach of content shared via company’s web properties
measures: Assess the paid and organic search rankings for
company content, brands and keyword associations
measures: Assess the volume, engagement, sentiment
and reach of content shared via the web
measures: Analyze volume, content, sentiment
of conversations about company/brands across sites, media
measures: Assess audience, reach and “touch
points” of company content/conversations across sites, media
• Outcome measures: Assess how the content, conversation
and community measures correlate with desired outcomes
Source: Weber Shandwick Measurement & Strategy
Slide 8 – October 6, 2010 practice, ARROW Inline Analytics framework

9. Step 4. Build your dashboard
Activities
47 Media, Blogger & Influencer Interviews
94 Facebook, YouTube, Blog & Twitter Posts
Reach
170 Earned & Social Media Placements
3.9M Earned & Social Media Impressions
Relevance
64% Earned & Social Message Penetration
27% Earned & Social Media Share
Outcomes
14% Increase in Brand Engagement (via web data)
27% Category Sales Share (source TBD)
Worth
$4.72 Earned CPM (Cost Per 1K Impressions)
$8.22 Social CPE (Cost Per Engagement)
Source: Weber Shandwick Measurement & Strategy
Slide 9 – October 6, 2010 practice, ARROW Inline Analytics framework

10. Step 5. Get “inline” with your analytics
• Old world, meet new world
• Integration of traditional, digital and social media
• Integrating WOM and other new influence patterns
• Silo #1, meet silo #2, silo #3, etc.
• Integration of PR with other communication disciplines
• Integration of PR with other marketing disciplines
• Integration across business units, products, geographies
• Measurement, meet strategy
• Integration of metrics, data sources, tools, dashboards
• Integration of data and insights into decision-making flow
Source: Weber Shandwick Measurement & Strategy
Slide 10 – October 6, 2010 practice, ARROW Inline Analytics framework

11. Lessons learned: The media “crossover” effect
Slide 11 – October 6, 2010

12. Lessons learned: It ain’t easy being inline
• Much easier to manage by channel than across channels
• Data sourcing and consistency challenges
• Differences in scale and knowledge base across media
• What’s more valuable?
• Chicago Tribune print story –or– WSJ.com online story
• Industry blog post –or– customer recommendation via Twitter
• Depends on objective, audience, message, tone, influence – not all
easily measured or compared across media channels
• Key considerations
• Total Impressions vs. Targeted Impressions – efficiency matters
• Earned CPM vs. Social CPM – very different scales, don’t equate
• Comparative Media Costs – useful to consider but inconclusive
• Engagement, CPE and Conversion – varies by channel, outlet
Slide 12 – October 6, 2010