It was suggested to me recently that the term ‘PR’ lacked relevance in the digital era. It could be argued, however, that PRs are now doing what their job title always implied, maintaining relations with the public – the problem therefore not the name but the baggage it carries with it.

Of course this then opens up that classic can of worms: how to measure social relations online? How do you know if you are actually any good at maintaining relations with the public and, most importantly, how do you demonstrate this to clients and bill them accordingly?

Monitoring solutions appear to be the answer at the moment – every day it seems a new one appears in the marketplace. But there is a danger that the sheer abundance of solutions now available is going to confuse the matter even further, in the short terms at least. The real problem is not being able to measure conversation; it is agreeing on which metrics actually matter.

Many companies offering monitoring solutions are playing up its role in customer service. This is understandable. There is a history of companies using call-handling metrics in complaints departments and relating these to ROI. And analysis of total number of complaints, repeat enquiries, and speed of response give a pretty decent picture of how effective customer service is at a company compared to investment.

Engagement is another matter entirely. To be meaningful to the recipient is the ultimate aim of all brand communications online, but what is meaningful to one person is meaningless to the next. Some would argue companies should focus on their own business plan, get the product right, produce the right content and people will be engaged. This is all true but doesn’t solve the problem of how PRs can demonstrate the value of their work to clients.

Sentiment tracking is a feature on most monitoring solutions; some use humans to gauge sentiment, others algorithms. So immediately there is a disparity. The various sentiment analyses are then taken by those in the industry and used alongside a raft of other online KPIs. The truth is that most savvy professionals could find a KPI to prove their point, whatever that point happens to be at that particular time.

Data from interactions online can build up an effective picture of consumer preferences but the sheer volume of data means it is too easy to pick and choose metrics that show work in a good light and ignore those that do not. The sooner an industry standard is reached, even if it is only a working benchmark, the sooner those doing a good job of maintaining public relations online will be able to demonstrate and monetise their value to clients.

Image via opensourceway

Tags: google, hugh jordan, metrics, monitoring, social media