Summarizing Katie Paine's Cincinnati PRSA Talk
:: By Michael E. Rubin, Social Marketing Manager
Renowned media measurement expert Katie Paine came to Cincinnati to speak at a PRSA luncheon, where I was privileged to liveblog and livetweet the event. I was positively thrilled to hear her speak so passionately and forcefully about Social Media ROI because it's a topic we are asked about repeatedly by clients and prospects. KD's message was simple and direct: YES YOU CAN measure social media.
Here are three things Katie said that stuck out in particular, along with my own reaction:
1. "ROI is an economic term, not necessarily an actionable measure of success."
This is all the more reason to agree on metrics of success ahead of time. If you wait to the end, you risk not really agreeing on what constitutes success -- behaviors or sales?
2. "Research without insight is just trivia."
Exactly. There are any number of tools and services that will collect together posts and Tweets and call it "conversation." But without smart humans to sort thorugh the data and call out the actionable insights, you are just collecting an endless list of useless trivia.
3. "To change the conversation, improve your reputation. How do you improve your reputation? Listen first, then respond, and then STOP DOING STUPID THINGS."
Stupid may sound harsh, but the underlying point is entirely valid. If your brand's behavior or message is causing harm or negative conversation, stop doing it.
In summary...
This all may sound like common sense, but that's part of the point. Measuring Social Media doesn't have to be difficult, and it's certainly not voodoo. But it's also not a panacea. Measurement is directly tied to goal-setting, and if you don't agree on these outcomes before you start a campaign or engagement, you won't know what success looks like. With time and resources at such an absolute premium, this is an important lesson that bears repeating (and re-telling) time and time again.
Thanks to Katie Paine for such a terrific presentation, and to Cincinnati PRSA for the generous hospitality.
Learn More
KD Paine's blog
Download Katie's presentation
Cincinnati PRSA
Live blog post
Live Tweet feed










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