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Social media has become the foundation for communications measurement, in part because each platform comes with its own analytics feature that communicators can use to measure an endless variety of outputs and outcomes. But it’s important to remember that only using the native analytics features will not give you a full picture.

The social trends of 2017 seem to continue into 2018. In our first look at U.S. B2C brands for 2018 we see companies generally posting fewer pieces of content, but gaining consumer engagement. The data provided to us exclusively by Shareablee shows beauty and fashion brands dominating the first quarter of 2018 in terms of consumer engagement with social posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

How many ways can data show it? Facebook is the social platform of choice for those older than 18. PiperJaffray found another way to express this thought. It asked U.S. teens to name their favorite social platform. Just 9% of them responded that it was Facebook. Nearly 50% said Snapchat was at the top of their lists.

Knowing your audience may be the first rule of communications and marketing. Part of that knowledge is understanding the type of messages your audience craves. A new study from Bain & Company collaborating with Google argues the best companies have added timing to their knowledge base. Using technology and measuring their results, they find the best time(s) to send messages to customers.

Should your brand and CEO address a social or political issue? How about one that on its face seems to have little to do with your company? Last week during an IPR conference in Washington, D.C., Southwest Airlines’ CCO Linda Rutherford discussed a mechanism the carrier uses to advise its CEO about the social and political topics he should engage with.

Ethics has become an issue for businesses, including PR. The new Global Communications Report from the Center for PR at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism finds PR pros and students certainly are concerned with ethics and the public’s perception of PR’s ethics. The respondents are less clear about what to do about it.

Communicators can never be too prepared for a crisis, especially in the age of social media. Luckily, there are dozens of tools—many of them free—your company can leverage to assist in planning for and managing crisis communications swiftly and effectively. Barry Reicherter, executive vice president and senior partner/director of insights at Finn Partners, lists three key priorities for monitoring social before, during and after a crisis and an artillery of programs for each.

Starbucks found itself in hot water that had nothing to do with brewing coffee when the manager at a downtown Philadelphia location called the police on two black men who were sitting in the shop, waiting for a colleague to show. For communicators, this crisis offers substantial takeaways about the power of social listening and the need for timely accountability.

The USPS responded to President Trump’s executive order by aligning with his frustrations and acknowledging that it has several opportunities to improve. As a case study, this statement provides communicators with a practical, tactical example of how to handle criticism and calls for reform when those calls come from the very top.

A career in PR can be many things. Usually one thing it is not is the glamorous, party-hopping profession portrayed in movies, television and novels. Sometimes PR pros are asked to represent brands whose positions on social and political issues they abhor. In other cases they’re asked to lie to protect the brand they represent. Veteran PR pro Arthur Solomon offers three questions aspiring PR pros should ponder before making their career choice.