PR News Social Media Measurement Conference–Executive Summary

Oct. 2, 2012, The Grand Hyatt, New York, NY
By Scott Van Camp

 

The Nuts & Bolts of Social Media Measurement

Speakers:
Brad McCormick, Principal, 10 Louder Strategies, @darbtx
Don Bartholomew, Senior VP, Digital and Social Media Research, Ketchum, @donbart

As social media usage continues to grow, so does the need to prove the value of your efforts. With numerous platforms, metrics and new standards, social media measurement can be difficult to navigate for even the most experienced PR pro.

In this opening session, measurement experts Brad McCormick, principal at 10 Louder Strategies, and Don Bartholomew, senior VP, digital and social media research at Ketchum, explained measurement terminology, discussed newly issued social media measurement standards and revealed the key metrics needed to build a comprehensive measurement program.

The Basics: To get to the nuts and bolts of social media measurement, you have to start with the basics of social media planning, said McCormick, principal at 10 Louder Strategies. They are:

  • Goals vs. Objectives

  • Strategy vs. Tactics

  • KPI vs. ROI

These are terms often missing in social media measurement plans: Goal, objective, strategy and tactic. And the order of each is important. “Don’t put the cart before the horse,” McCormick said. He remembers these basics by misspelling “ghost” as GOST—Goals, Objectives, Strategy and Tactics.

Goals vs. Objectives: These tell you were you want to go, said McCormick. “Goal” contains GO. So which direction do you want to head in? They are 30,000-foot views of your social media programs. It’s more long term, said McCormick. “Objectives” contains “object,” something very tangible and measurable. You must have SMART objectives, said McCormick. They must be: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Timed.

Strategies vs. Tactics: These are on-the-ground, shorter-term actions, said McCormick. Tactics may change monthly, weekly, daily and even by the hour or minute. Think of a strategy as the recipe and a tactic as the ingredient. “You can have the world’s best recipe, but if the ingredients are bad, it won’t work,” said McCormick.

KPI vs. ROI: A Key Performance Indicator is a signal that you’re having an effect on your campaign goals, said McCormick. ROI (Return on Investment) is what you realize by setting strong objectives and executing sharp strategies and tactics.

Goal Setting: “Every social media program we’re doing at Ketchum is worth measuring,” said Bartholomew. So don’t let a program go out the door without measuring some level of success. Goal setting and measurable objectives are just as important in social media as they are in more traditional PR campaigns. “Don’t get caught up in eyeball metrics—focus on engagement and impact,” said Bartholomew. “Integrated measurement approaches are essential and ROI models are crucial.”

Bartholomew’s 5 Step Measurement Process:

1.    Set measurement objectives combined with business goals.

2.    Define the key metrics and KPIs necessary to access and measure performance.

3.    Define an optimum research approach to acquire the data necessary for measurement.

4.    Gather and analyze the data.

5.    Regularly report results on a dashboard that contains the most important metrics.

Business Link: It’s important to ask this question when developing a program: How are you linking to the business? Social media can link to a business through customer service and support, marketing, talent acquisition and retention, and reputation, among other business disciplines, said Bartholomew.

On Tools: People overemphasize tools, said Bartholomew. Insights are really a human endeavor and many companies don’t have right people looking at the data. That said, people are using a variety of tools. Generally those tools are channel-specific and have limitations. As you move from the listening stage, you’ll get into paid tools like Radian6 and Alterian. When you really get into social intelligence, it will take a variety of tools, both free and paid, said Bartholomew.

Prove PR's Value With Metrics That Matter to Your Organization

Speakers: 
Josh Hendler, Global Chief Technology Officer, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, @joshhendler
Katie Paine, CEO and Founder, KDPaine & Partners, @KDPaine

Whether you are reviewing your weekly social media activity or creating a quarterly report for clients, the need to generate the most meaningful metrics and present them in a clear, compelling way can't be overstated. But no two organizations are the same. In this session, Josh Hendler,  global chief technology officer, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, and Katie Paine, CEO of KDPaine & Partners, demonstrated how to develop a measurement program tied to business goals.
 

Social Measurement Challenged: Research shows that only 30% of brand marketers feel they are measuring social ROI well, said Hendler. Moreover, 84% believe no real ROI from social media. That’s a problem. Hendler said the top three social media measurement challenges are: the inability to tie social media to business outcomes; a lack of analytics expertise and/or resources; and poor tools. 

He then outlined six approaches to tracking social media impact on business objectives:

1. Anecdotal evidence

2. Integrated: Apps and sharing tools

3. Correlation: Has revenue or awareness increased since the social program started?

4. Testing: Did people who were exposed to social media take action more than those who were not?

5. Links+Tags: Tracking action through code

6. Direct Action: Measuring revenue, votes or recommendations

How Do You Get There? Hendler says to identify the end game, develop your theory, set a goal, validate and adjust and iterate, iterate, iterate—constantly reassess.

Matchmaking Metrics: Before you start measuring it’s important to match your metrics to your organization, said Hendler. Here are tips on what to consider:

  • Examine reports on effectiveness from other departments. How are channels like direct mail, TV, or events measured for ROI?

  • Speak the organization’s language. Different departments often need different metrics. What a PR manager needs is not necessarily what a CMO or head of sales needs.

  • Set up for successful reporting. Present your sample reports to business leaders. Get their feedback and buy-in. Then check in regularly to ensure your progress is noted,and their business needs are met.

  • Focus on the right information. These days, action is more important than activity. “Committed votes” is more valuable than “number of tweets.” “Shared information” is more reputable than “likes.”

Hendler’s Final Tip: Don’t kill your campaign before it even starts. Have clear business goals, and don’t be afraid of not meeting those goals. Adjust and move on from there.


To Paine, what matters most in measurement depends on the title:

  • To CMOs, ROI and customer experience metrics are more important than sales figures. ROMI (Return on Marketing Investment) will be the primary measure of their effectiveness.

  • To Chief Communicators, brand recognition, reputation and image, and relationships, matter most.

  • To the CFO, greater efficiency, lower cost of sales and a shorter sales cycle are most important.

What really matters overall? Value, said Paine. Here are some real-world examples of achieving value through social media:

  • Sodexo saved $300Kin recruitment costs via Twitter

  • In 3 months, via crowdsourcing an engineer solved a problem that Exxon spent 20 years trying to solve

  • The CEO of a hospital won a union battle through blogging

  • HSUS generated $650,000in new donations from an online photo contest

  • BestBuy realized 85% lower turnover as a result of its Blue Shirt social community

  • On Twitter (for free), a startup company got 100 great marketing ideas, women raised over $6,000 in a day and a wooden toy maker in NH got a nationwide contract

  • IBM receives more leads, sales and exposure from a $500 podcast than it does from an ad

ROI —How to calculate it:

ROI = cost savings + cost of program  – cost elimination

ROI = greater efficiency + cost of program – cost of doing something “the old way” (cost per percentage point gained)

ROI = greater revenue, improved ALP + cost of program – value of leads/sales

No Sentiment: “There’s a reason they call it ‘earned,’” said Paine. “You are what you do, not what you say. And assuming that sentiment exists, 80% of conversation online is neutral, so the majority of brands don’t evoke sentiment.

Paine’s Kick-Butt Index (KBI): You become what you measure, said Paine. The perfect KBI gets you where you want to go (achieves corporate goals); is actionable; continuously improves your processes; and is there when you need it.

Typical KPIs could include:

% share of marketplace conversation

% increase in traffic to product specific URL

% increase in downloads/requests for info vs. prior launches

% increase in reposts and comments containing a campaign message

% favorable positioning on key issues

% share of quotes

Standards Matter

Chasing fans and followers is insufficient, said Paine. The marketplace is demanding standards—a common language for clients, agencies and research firms. Paine believes social measurement can move to a higher plane once these actions are met:

  • Unify perspective/metrics across communications disciplines

  • Accelerate shift from low-level counting to higher-level value

  • Enable comparison across programs/brands/ organizations

  • Increase reliability of data and methods

  • Foster competition based on insights

The most important thing, concluded Paine: Keep moving forward by monitoring/listening, establishing rules, participating in social conversations, measuring and providing tailored content. 

 

Boost Your Facebook Engagement With Meaningful Metrics

Speakers:

Maria Baugh, Co-Owner, Butter Lane Cupcakes, @Butterlane
Pam Nelson, Co-Owner, Butter Lane Cupcakes, @Butterlane
Michael Torres, Senior Director of Communications, Tropicana/Naked (PepsiCo), @TropicanaOJ
Moderator: Tom Becktold, Senior VP Marketing, Business Wire

Facebook Insights and other metrics tools can help solve many social media mysteries, such as how users are interacting with your brand page, which Facebook posts are most successful and which types of content generate the most engagement. Maria Baugh and Pam Nelson, co-owners of Butter Lane Cupcakes, and Michael Torres, senior director of communications, Tropicana/Naked (Pepsico) told the audience how they measure their social media programs—and what metrics they use.

Facebook for Small Business: It’s been trial and error on Facebook for Butter Lane Cupcakes. The small business’ Facebook Insights numbers increased dramatically when it started posting more regularly and using photos. “Posts with great, inviting photos of cupcakes work the best,” said Maria Baugh.“As a small business, we have an advantage in that we are on the ground and constantly communicating what is going on in the shop, and having our staff take pictures,” said Pam Nelson.

Here’s what Butter Lane measures on Facebook:

  • Volume: How many people are talking about a post?

  • Reach: Potential audience size

  • Engagement

“Facebook Insights provides a lot of information. For a small business, keep doing the same things—rinse and repeat,” said Baugh.

Tropicana/Naked Targets: At Tropicana/Naked, Torres said he targets mainly moms on Facebook, and creates engagement and scale in three ways:

  1. Organic, photo-centric publishing.

  2. Targeted engagement, and no Facebook ads. “We want to engage them and keep them interested in Florida oranges,” said Torres.

  3. A customized Facebook tab—Tropicana Sweepstakes.

Photos Rule: Like Butter Lane, content that draws the most engagement is photos. “Photos far outperformed any post we had out there,” said Torres. Here’s what they accomplished with the Florida Oranges/Tropicana Sweepstakes campaign:

  • Built a highly-engaged community.

  • Unique, target-right reach was off the charts.

  • Lightweight publishing drew the highest engagement. Daily organic reach averaged 105,000 people.

  • High-value brand targets were engaged in a big way. “We weren’t really testing the wallet against marketing mix. But if you look at what people were saying, ‘I’ll go out and buy the stuff tomorrow.’” Tropicana could now show the CMO that posts were suggesting purchase intent.

Full Speed Ahead: Now Tropicana/Naked is putting Facebook to the real test. “We’re figuring out how we can make it part of the marketing mix,” says Torres. Here are his tips for using and measuring Facebook to its fullest:

  • Visit page insights regularly

  • Measure audience against all tabs

  • Track your posts

  • Optimize content publishing

  • Use rich media with succinct copy

Measure Your Success on Twitter and Tie It to Organizational Goals

Speakers:
Danielle Brigida, Manager, Social Media, National Wildlife Federation, @starfocus
Tim Haran, Senior Manager of Social Media, USANA, @timharan
Heidi Sullivan, VP of Media Research, Cision, @hksully

In the six years since its launch, Twitter has matured beyond trivial chatter to an established social information channel. But most tweets don’t survive past the first hour of tweeting, so making the most of each tweet—and measuring its impact on the bottom line—is key. In this session, Danielle Brigida, manager, social media, National Wildlife Federation, Tim Haran, senior manager of social media, USANA, and Heidi Sullivan, VP of media research, Cision, demonstrated how to define Twitter objectives and establish key performance indicators, determine the value of followers and retweets and measure conversations and engagement.

Twitter as a Monitor: Brigida uses Twitter as more of a social media monitor. “There are lots of free ways to measure Twitter,” she says. But no one tool covers all measurement. Some of the tools Brigida is using: Crowdbooster, Hootsuite, Twitter Counter, Rowfeeder and Topsy.

Twitter is not the best traffic driver for NWF but is great for engagement, said Brigida. The quarterly report sent to NWF leadership includes:

  • Website traffic referred by Twitter

  • Noteworthy follow-up and/or lessons learned

  • Qualitative and quantitative info combined in a meaningful way

Brigida’s Tips for Twitter Measurement:

  • Monitor relevant keywords

  • Track specifics and trends

  • Report back

  • Integrate Twitter with other platforms

Tracking Meaningful Conversation: “People are moving out of listen-only mode and really becoming broadcasters,” said Haran. In fact 76% of Twitter users are actively tweeting. For USANA, Twitter is difficult to measure, but the company has found ways to track meaningful messages. Those ways include:

  • Define & Analyze KPIs

  • Determine What Matters Most

  • Measure Your Twitter Efforts

  • Examine the Reach of Your Tweets 

The New Demographics of Twitter: There are growing groups of people using Twitter, said Sullivan. African-Americans; urban-suburban users; young adults; and smartphone owners all use Twitter more than other groups.

Sullivan’s tips for better social measurement:

  • Determine your share of voice: Against similar organizations or competitors, not against the whole social Web.

  • Set tangible & measurable goals with benchmarks: What are you trying to achieve? Brand Awareness? Lead generation? Thought leadership? Positive sentiment? Website traffic?

  • Set short-term goals along with your long-term goals: What will you achieve this month/quarter? How will you track your progress?

 

As You Get Started: Sullivan advised to regularly look at the demographics of Twitter users and of your own community on Twitter. Set measurable goals and benchmarks for your brand or organization, and look at Promoted Accounts to give extra juice to your campaign.

Master Class in Google Analytics

Speakers:
Justin Cutroni, Analytics Advocate, Google, @justincutroni
Alhan Keser, Chief Marketing Officer, Blue Fountain Media, @AlhanKeser

An integral part of any smart PR pro’s digital measurement arsenal, Google Analytics is an effective—and free—tool that is constantly evolving. In this session Justin Cutroni, Analytics Advocate at Google and Alhan Keser, CMO of Blue Fountain Media demonstrated how to measure specific campaigns, integrate AdWords with analytics and create integrated, custom dashboards to monitor results.

Critical to using Google Analytics, said Keser, is correctly setting the measurement platform up. “It’s important to get the basics right, then you can move on to more complex measurement later,” said Keser.

These are his 8 items to initially address with Google Analytics: 

  1. 404 pages

  2. Documents and external links

  3. Social actions

  4. Smartphone actions

  5. Tag all URLs

  6. Connect with AdWords

  7. Filter out internal visitors

  8. Filter by IP

From the Horse’s Mouth: Justin Cutroni of Google had some good “inside information.” “The best report you can run from Google Analytics is ‘Traffic Sources,’” he said. This report identifies where people on your site are coming from. An important question for any digital communicator, said Cutroni, is “Am I driving quality traffic?”

Social Is In: Social visits are now tracked by Google Analytics, said Cutroni. The company follows 450 social networks globally, and updates them regularly. “You can see your social visits versus overall visits,” he said.

Keywords: Another important measurement tactic is gaining insight from keywords. You should be optimizing for those keywords, said Cutroni. Use “Weighted Sort” for more insights.

Dashboards: Google Analytics allows you to drag and drop numbers into dashboard templates, said Cutroni. With a dashboard, you can show:

  • Financial-based analysis for Adwords.

  • Multi-channel funnels.

  • Assisted conversions from social media.

  • Data across time—traffic that generates traffic to your site that are visitors that later become conversions.

Picture Perfect: Measure the Power and Influence of Your Video Content

Speakers:
Priya Ramesh, Managing Director, Social Media Strategies, CRT/tanaka, @newpr
Stephanie Young, Social Media Specialist, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Public Affairs, @USCG

The Web—and especially the mobile Web—is getting more visual by the day. And nearly every digital PR strategist recommends integrating video into all social media platforms. But creating videos can be a drain on resources, even if the technology itself is inexpensive. Priya Ramesh, managing director, social media strategies at CRT/tanaka and Stephanie Young, social media specialist, U.S. Coast Guard, demonstrated how to measure engagement with videos and use those metrics to prove the value of your video initiatives.

Video Power: Why do we care about videos? 43% more Americans watch online video content on an average day in 2012 than a year ago (100+ million), said Ramesh. And the average viewer watched 239 videos in 2011 (up 37%). “YouTube is your best friend. YouTube is free,” she said. That’s why you must leverage it.

Here are Ramesh’s 8 Key Metrics for Video:

  1. Total Views

  2. Unique Visitors

  3. Target impressions

  4. Average view time (when did audience quit watching)

  5. Engagement Rate (comments and shares on Facebook and Twitter)

  6. Referral traffic

  7. Brand lift

  8. Sales impact

Final Tip: Think smart and be creative with your videos, said Ramesh. Visual engagement is not going away, so do something with video that will move the needle.
Vital Channel: “When we do online content, we want people know who we are,” said Young. The USCG is the third-most watched YouTube channel in the public sector category, with 11 million lifetime views. “The channel lives and breaths with content,” she said. Her tips for effective channel management and measurement include:

  • Keep looking back and checking on how your videos are performing—who is looking and where.

  • Track location of viewers. “Ours are mainly in New York, Florida and California,” said Young.

  • Track how long your videos are being.

  • Capture viewers’ attention in first 15 seconds.

  • Don’t use your channel as a repository.

  • Don’t get stuck on the mobile culture if that’s not your audience.

Keynote Presentation: Your Role in the Era of Social Influence Marketing

Mark Schaefer, author, Return on Influence, @markwschaefer

We are on the cusp of a marketing revolution—and it’s being led by you, according to luncheon keynote speaker Mark Schaefer. A marketing faculty member of Rutgers University, consultant and author, Schaefer literally wrote the book on the hot new business trend of social influence marketing. In this presentation, Schaefer described the underlying trends that have created the era of “Citizen Influencers,” new case studies of how social influence measures are being put to practical use, and how you and your company can find your own “Return On Influence.”

Does Klout Have Klout? “Is Klout a load of crap?” asked Schaefer. What is real influence and power today? The success of Klout got Schaefer interested in finding out how power and influence are created on the Web.

Content as a Weapon: Content that moves across the Web is powerful, said Schaefer. Are you igniting content on social platforms? Anyone can do it—you just need access to a high-speed Internet connection and access to publishing tools like Twitter, Facebook and WordPress. “Everyone can be a publisher,” said Schaefer. “Influence has been democratized.” And companies are starting to become content creators and movers as well.

Finding the Real Influencers: Brands are now trying to leverage influencers to further their products and services, said Schaefer. And those influencers are not necessarily the Lady Gagas of the world. “Brands are finding normal people that have thousands of followers because they write about things that groups care about,” said Schaefer. Companies are rewarding these high influencers with free stuff.

Actions to Take: Schaefer recommends three actions to be successful on social platforms: create meaningful content; surround yourself with relevant audience that cares about you; and be consistent in your audience engagement. Oh, and don’t obsess about Klout scores.


Interactive Crisis Clinic: How to Measure Your Brand Reputation During and After a Crisis

Speaker: Dallas Lawrence, Chief Global Digital Strategist, Burson-Marsteller, @DallasLawrence

Using a manufactured crisis scenario, Dallas Lawrence, chief global digital strategist at Burson-Marsteller, put conference attendees through their crisis paces. Best practices ensued.

Russian Roulette: Research shows that nearly 80% of company executives say they are 12 months or less from a crisis. Yet only a third of businesses have a crisis plan. At the same time, said Lawrence, social media is gaining prominence. Yet only a quarter of companies encourage their staff to use social media on behalf of the brand, and just a third have someone in charge of social media. To top it off, 97% of advocacy groups are active on social media. “They are in a great position to whack a company,” said Lawrence.

Here are his 12 Lesson for Crisis Response:

1: Know and Engage Key Drivers Early & Often

2: Actively Monitor Not Just Your Reputation But the Activities of Your Protaganist(s)

3: Develop Clear, Effective and Platform Appropriate Messaging

4: Own Your Brand in Social…Before Someone Else Does

5: Leverage the Power of Twitter.

6: Communicate Via People, Not Logos

7: Integration (YouTube and Twitter together, for example) is Key

8: Be Sure You Know What You Are Talking About

9: When you Blow it, Own Up to it Quickly

10: When All Else Fails, Don’t Forget Humor

11: Integrate Paid and Earned Crisis Outreach

12: Make Some Lemonade From Your Crisis

Measure Your Media Relations Efforts on Social Networks

Speakers:
Frank Strong, Director of PR, Vocus, @Frank_Strong
Evan Welsh, Director, Global Media Relations, SAP, @evwelsh 

Journalists and bloggers may say that they still prefer to hear from PR pros via e-mail, but they’ll also tell you that they are spending more and more of their time on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and blogs. Frank Strong, director of PR at Vocus and Evan Welsh, director, global media relations at SAP, showed how to create a measurement strategy to prove the value of your outreach and trust-building efforts across social media channels. 

Strong is committed to these metrics:

1. Placements

2. Share of voice

3. Referral traffic

4. Conversions

Outcomes: “We care about outcomes, not outputs,” said Strong. Strong also felt that in the future, pitching to the media will be de-emphasized. “PR will be through compelling content,” he said. So it’s best to invest now in creating that content.

Meanwhile, Welsh has a set group of media relations metrics that he monitors and reports on. He is measuring:

  • Social Media (share of voice, favorability, net impact score)

  • Traditional Media (volume, share of voice, favorability, message penetration, quote penetration)

 

Working with Bloggers: SAP actively works with the top 100 influential bloggers in their space. Welsh monitors month-to-month how much they are writing about SAP versus the competition, and adjusts his outreach accordingly.

Twitter and Journalists: SAP actively connects with journalists on Twitter, for real-time results. Welsh monitors journalists’ Twitter activity down to a personal level, citing the story of getting to know a USA Today tech reporter through their mutual love of sports.

Reporting Achievements, Results to C-Suite: Here is a sampling of metrics Welsh provides on a regular basis to leadership:

  • Global media favorability up from 55 to 60 year-over-year

  • Global message penetration 17% (Peer 1 10%)

  • Spokesperson penetration 33% (Peer 1 34%, Peer 2 21%)

  • Share of voice held at 29%

  • SAPPHIRE-specific news in May generated 378 articles and a 71 rating – two points higher than in previous year

  • Acquisition generated more than 700 articles, 69% positive, with favorability rating of 61

  • CEO visibility: Favorability 67 (previous year: 58)

  • Social media: share of voice up from 31% in CY to 48% in previous year and favorability up from 55 to 60. Favorability tied with Peer1 and ahead of all other peers

  • SAP TV: total of 132 interviews (TV and radio) broadcast – record high

Bottom Line: Welsh said that social and traditional measurement should be looked at together for a cohesive strategy. “It’s about building relationships,” he said.

Tie Social Media to Sales and Business Outcomes

Speakers:
Adam Christensen, Senior Director, Corporate Communications & Digital Strategy, Juniper Networks, @adamclyde, @JuniperNetworks
Paull Young, Director of Digital, charity: water, @paullyoung

Organizations such as Juniper Networks and charity: water have paved the way in integrating social media into the fabric of their organizations. But, more importantly, their social media initiatives are inextricably linked to brand affinity and, ultimately, sales and fundraising.

Attendees learned from Paull Young, director of digital at charity: water, and Adam Christensen, senior director, corporate communications and digital strategy at Juniper Networks, how brands and nonprofits are using Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and other platforms to move the business needle—and also how they are generating the metrics they need to prove that connection.

The most important social media tactic executed by charity: water? “We share a photo every day” said Young. The organizations most important metric is obvious: how many people are receiving clean water?

Reaching Goals: Realizing financial goals aren’t easy. For a September 2012 campaign, a goal of $1.7 million was set, said Young. “How do you take that goal and boil it down to what’s actionable today, tomorrow and months from now,” asked Young. The organization generated over 1,000 fundraising efforts to reach that goal.
 

Young’s measurement takeaways included:

  • Always be testing. Try Optimizely for easy A/B tests.

  • Use Google Analytics for conversion tracking.

  • Forget likes. Follow dollars.

  • Measurement is about process and culture, not tools.

  • The greatest analytics engine of all is the human brain.

Top Down, Bottom Up: In describing how Juniper Networks connects social value to business value, Christensen said to start with goals. “Goals flow top down, but tactics can run bottom up,” he said. Some questions to you can ask yourself to get started:

  • What would your CEO say is most valuable to him/her?

  • What is the business already measuring?

  • How can you draw clear lines between that and your tactics? How can you measure the transition?

Social Hyper-Targeting: Christensen went on to describe the “social hyper-targeting” program, which identifies key targets; establishes detailed profiles; maps engagement; and adjusts and measures engagement. The program monitors and scores the social presence of its executive team, the field marketing team and the sales team. Team members are scored both on social media activities and “live” events like meetings and presentations.

Key Takeaways: For social media measurement success, Christensen recommends the following.

1. Let the “CEO filter” be your guide

2. Play the “why game” to ladder to CEO-level goals

3. Hook into measurement systems that are already in use at your organization

Closing Keynote Presentation: Jeff Jarvis, author of Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the Way We Work and Live

Modest Proposal: Jarvis believes PR is “reversed.” It should represent the public to the company, not the company to the public. “We’re at a point where the message is dead,” said Jarvis. This is more true in advertising rather than PR, but the idea that make your living by sending messages out to people isn’t going to last very long, he said.

The Public is In Charge: The fact is, said Jarvis, people are now sending messages to companies, over the Web. He cited “Dell Hell” several years ago, when customers vehemently complained about service. In response, Michael Dell hired a dedicated company blogger and had technicians go out and solve customers’ problems. The company also created Dell Idea Storm, which let customers offer ideas.

Content vs. Sharing: Jarvis argued that organizations shouldn’t be in the content creating business. The public creates their own content about your products and/or services, and then it is shared through Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. “There is value in that. Every time something is shared, it’s a signal,” he said.

A Leg Up: Jarvis said since public relations is structured around relationships, it has a leg up in this new world of sharing information. He cautioned about meaningless metrics: “Page views have nothing to do with relationships.”