THE PR PLAYBOOK

Quantifying Your Social Media Efforts

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:36:00 +0400

Leads & sales are the reigning champs of social media metrics, but they’re not the only game in town, and I’m always on the lookout for new metrics to add more depth & context to my monthly reports

If you advertise on your site and know your average CPM, then Advertising Value Equivalence (AVE), a staple amongst the PR crowd, can be equally useful when quantifying your social media efforts when the need arises.

First, the math:

Unique Visits x Pages per Visit = Page Views

Pageviews / 1000 x CPM = AVE

And now a sample calculation:

Assuming (n=1) for advertising impression per page view and an average CPM of $65.00

Network Visits x Pages/Visit = Page Views

Facebook 2,988 1.51 4,511

Twitter 1,591 1.51 2,402

LinkedIn 659 1.93 1,271

Total: 8,184

8184 / 1000 x $65 = $531.96

As always, your thoughts are highly appreciated, so feel free to drop me a line or even a new metric for that matter.

Timing!

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:04:58 +0400

Timing!

FACE-LIFT: BLOG UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:47:00 +0400

If you’re wondering why things look a little different or perhaps why I haven’t posted any new updates in a while, it’s because I’m giving The PR Playbook a major face-lift. Starting fresh with a simpler layout and a scrolling post “area.” Much work yet to be done, but your thoughts, criticisms and suggestions are highly appreciated! What would you like to see?

On the importance of making an impact through communications: ROI vs. IOI

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:34:00 +0400

As PR and Communications specialists we are constantly called on to value our efforts and justify our work in terms of Return on Investment (ROI), a language the bean counters and number crunchers of the world can understand. The two most widely established and accepted ways of doing so are: Cost per Impression (CPI) and/or Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE).

To determine CPI, take your entire communications investment for a certain campaign, divide it by the number of media penetrations or total number of audience impressions. For AVE, you simply calculate the equivalent ad value of a certain placement. This strongly suggests that a news story of a particular size has equal impact to an advertisement of the same size in that publication, however there is no factual basis for this assumption.

While these simple and elegant formulas are great for measuring costs and savings, and thus ROI, they are of little to no real value to communicators looking to ascertain the true worth of their efforts, or of a certain message or campaign. As such, if all clients care about are impressions, then agencies and consultants will give them impressions. But ask yourself this: What is an impression worth if circulation numbers are inaccurate, or if the message wasn’t understood and no attention paid to it? Absolutely nothing.

To distil PR and Communications to these two simple and outdated metrics undervalues our efforts and undermines our work as communicators. As such, I believe we must elevate our profession to the next level. Instead of ROI, let’s think about Impact of Investment (IOI). Instead of CPI and AVE, we should lay the foundation for Receptiveness, Attention and Understanding to be the key indexes of communication effectiveness with Behavioural and Attitude Change at the apex of our work structure. Now the real question is: Where do we start?

Social Media Converegence: One Ring To Rule Them All?

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:53:00 +0400

Creating and occupying my own online space, interacting with new and old friends across the globe through virtual communities, as well as personal and professional development, this is what the social web means to me. That definition, however, will vary from one person to another, as each user has their very own set of priorities, obligations and expectations.

We all differ both terms of what we’re willing to invest in social networking and the expected outcomes of our efforts, add to that countless new channels and forms of expression and you have a true recipe for creativity and individuality. In an attempt to capitalize/monopolize on the immense amount of traffic generated by social networks such as Facebook and/or Twitter, Google and Microsoft, amongst others, are trying to converge every aspect of the social web under one roof or “network.” Google Buzz being the latest example of this trend towards social media convergence.

The question I ask myself is this: Which approach better serves users, a central authority for all things social or individual networks specializing in a certain aspect of the social web? I don’t believe there’s a straight answer. We must take into consideration that there seems to be a certain level of social media fatigue amongst established users who’ve found a permanent “home” online and are no longer willing to be slaves to emerging trends or networks. Conversely, there will always be waves of new generations looking to differentiate from the past and jump on what’s new and hot.

The only thing we can be certain of is that users will choose which social network is right for them and find the best way to express themselves.

On The Importance of Issues Management: Defending Wall Street from Political Opportunism.

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:28:03 +0400

Most, if not all governments want to be re-elected, and one of the oldest and best ways to do so is by riding a wave of fervent emotion and populist sentiment back into office. Society’s current “bête noire”, the banking and financial services industry, presents itself as the ideal target for opportunistic politicians looking to earn brownie points. Need a bump in the polls? Bash big bank bonuses. Want to boost your image or credibility? Talk tough on regulation. It’s really that simple. Who cares if you delayed economic recovery in the process, at least you got that much needed bump, right?

Understandably, Wall Street’s leaders need to demonstrate to the public that it’s no longer business as usual, going beyond saying “I’m Sorry” and implementing significant change. However, much of our society depends on the strength of these institutions and the confidence the public has in them, confidence that at the moment is sorely lacking and desperately needed.

At the mercy of cherry picking politicians looking to exploit the situation in their favour, the banking and financial services industry should not be passive. Instead, these institutions and their Communications experts need to step up and become proactive, lest they they fall victim to gratuitous political threats and legislative intrusions.

In terms of issues management, they need to work on:

Identifying, monitoring, analyzing, and prioritizing the issues at hand.

Responding to their critics by turning the tables on their accusers. Reminding the public that those very same government officials, regulators and policy makers, are equally responsible for the current economic meltdown. The possible arguments being:

That they turned a blind eye towards banks, allowing them to assume assume severe unmitigated risk in the name of “Wealth” and “Prosperity”.
That they enabled the financial services industry to become “too big to fail”, as if this was a game of Monopoly™.

Deploying a comprehensive communications campaign aimed at intervening in the court of public opinion, coordinating the industry’s response, increasing their “share of voice” in the conversations between stakeholders, and building relationships with key publics.

Forming an association/lobbying group establishing mutual interests and developing a comprehensive industry-wide stance.

Communicating with government agencies and regulators to develop strategic partnerships, helping determine the most efficient and effective ways to regulate business activities and balance the interests of all stakeholders.

Put yourself in the shoes of Wall Street’s PR and Communications teams; are there any other strategies and tactics that come to mind?

Is Twitter Fluttering?

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:07:47 +0400

Twitter’s numbers are leveling off, showing a decline in the number of new visitors since August. “But the company and some analysts say that this leveling of popularity shouldn’t be viewed as a failure, because the people who use Twitter are using it more than ever.”

Which begs the following questions from:

Has Twitter reached a peak in its target audience and user base?
Is it a niche or mainstream network?
Can it identify and attract new user segments and generate growth?
How can it add value and functionality, while maintaining its greatest assets (simplicity & agillity)?
Is it a pyramid scheme type situation, driven by the constant need to attract new users to maintain its usefulness?

Fact Of The Day!

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:49:19 +0400

Did you know? The 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham cost $13,074 - more than the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud of the same year.

Job Interview Exercise.

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 03:44:21 +0400

A job interview exercise involving the creation of a strategic plan for a proposed tie-up between BMW & Cirque Du Soleil. So how do you think I did?

BMWStrategy

"No matter how long the night, day is sure to come."

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0400

“No matter how long the night, day is sure to come.”

- Congolese Proverb

McNeil, Johnson & Johnson in Trouble Again: Tylenol Crisis Part 2.

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:22:19 +0400

A new tainted pill crisis is puting McNeil and its parent company Johnson & Johnson back on the hotseat, causing an ever growing list of Tylenol products to be taken off the shelves, again. J & J’s prompt and agressive reaction to the original Tylenol crisis of 1982 was a shining example of how an organization should handle itself in the face of such a crisis. This time, however, their response has fallen short, suffering from a complete lack of urgency and failing to properly assess the extent of the damage. As a result, they’ve done little to inspire consumer confidence and even less to bolster their reputation. Maybe their response team should pick up a crisis communication textbook and revisit the original incident to see how it’s done.

Google vs. China: Who will come out on top?

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:03:57 +0400

From the Official Google Blog: “We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.”

Rant On Social Media & Purpose.

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:25:04 +0400

A new decade is unfolding right before our eyes, and with it new and exciting possibilities. In the last ten years the evolution of the Internet from simple browsing to Web 2.0 and Social Media has revolutionized the world of business communications and public relations, elevating both to a whole new level of importance. Social networking and integrated mobile platforms are now allowing PR professionals to foster more intimate and personalized relationships with their publics and media partners, as well as the ability to collect an unprecedented amount of data necessary to research, monitor, analyze and evaluate a whole range of activities and programs, and all in near real-time.

And so, it seems like every day one guru or another evangelizes the virtues of Web 2.0 and Social Media, but as PR professionals we should know better than to believe the hype. Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe the social web is an important tool in the public relations specialist’s arsenal, and like all tools it requires the knowledge and purpose to use it. The first of which is abundant, the second…sorely lacking.

Relationships....

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:27:54 +0400

Are we defined by our relationships to other people?

New visual identity. How do you like it?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:35:07 +0400

New visual identity. How do you like it?

Yours Truly Spotted @ Esquire Middle East Launch Party.

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:15:00 +0400

FOUND ON GOOGLE:

Photos of Penny and I at the Esquire Middle East launch party. All in all an incredible evening and a fantastic first issue too, well done! Many thanks to AHLAN & Masala for the coverage, Dubai’s chic elite indeed!

More pics from the event:

What's in a conversation?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:25:17 +0400

We now live in an age where blog posts, tweets, customer rankings and forum comments heavily influence brand reputation and purchasing decisions. Businesses can ill afford to ignore their publics any longer and it is absolutely essential, now more than ever, to engage your audiences and contribute to the conversation.

Thought Of The Day

Reacting to negative reviews: Excercise in futility or Necessary action?

SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE MIDDLE EAST: Digital Or Cultural Divide?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:39:36 +0400

As a Canadian who’s recently relocated to Dubai, the one thing I’ve noticed from a public relations standpoint is that the whole Web 2.0 phenomenon hasn’t exploded in the Middle East the same way it has in Europe or North America, regions where the media consuming public is much more likely to interact through social networks, read blogs or even conduct business online.

I can’t help but wonder why social media hasn’t proliferated itself as pervasively as it has in other societies, especially if you take into account that an estimated 65-70% percent of the population in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) is below the age of 30, a prime demographic typically consisting of early adopters, much more likely to be at the forefront of new trends, gadgetry and technology.

Furthermore, given the continued erosion of traditional media outlets and the increasing democratization of news and publishing, it surprises me to see that Web 2.0 and Social Networking has not been widely accepted as a strategic corporate function and therefore not playing a key role within the media mix of organizations operating throughout the region. One of the challenges facing these organizations is the lack of competent professionals with the knowledge and vision to capitalize on the opportunities that this new type of media can afford.

As of June 30/09 there were an estimated 48,000,000 internet users in the Middle East, growing at an astonishing rate of 1,360.2% in the period between 2000 and 2008. Despite these impressive facts, we do have to consider that in some areas, those who have access to the internet are a privileged minority.

So how do we explain this social media “gap” currently present in the Middle East? Is it a digital or cultural divide? What do you think?

I’ve decided to squeeze every last drop from the sponge of life!

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:57:00 +0400

I’ve decided to squeeze every last drop from the sponge of life!