subject: Digital PR: set KPI's are the key to success [print this page] Digital PR: set KPI's are the key to success
Digital PR and social media are relatively new facets to many businesses' promotional arm. It is easy to interpret digital PR and social media as a somewhat woolly practice with vague outcomes and an unclear endpoint.
In reality, it is actually easy to pinpoint the specific influence of online activity, thanks to its fundamental basis around technology. It is possible to track how many unique people have visited a certain web page and analyse their user activity. Did they bounce back off a certain page quickly? Did they return several times to a specific page?
In order to assess the outcomes of digital PR and social media activity, there are many specific factors that can be measured. With the right software, most online activity can be tracked, thereby allowing you to understand how your activity has been received in the online community.
Below are just some of the factors that can be measured to assess the outcome of digital PR and social media activity:
Page impressions, unique visitors and returning visitors
Page rank in Google for certain keywords
Following, community building, levels of engagement
Sentiment analysis whether the response to your brand is positive or negative
Coverage is your brand being talked about in the right places online
Many clients are wary of venturing into digital PR because they are unsure of the specific benefits to their company or brand.
In order to meet their requirements it is vital to establish their exact objectives. Does their CEO want to be established as a figurehead for the company? Do they want to promote a new product or service?
Once these objectives are clearly outlined you can work out exactly how you will meet their bottom line. In your proposal you should explain how in practice you will deliver the results they want. This will involve committing to certain definite actions. Will you update and monitor their Facebook page daily? Will you create and manage a company blog?
Now the objectives and actions are set, you can work out Key Performance Indicators against which your client can measure you.
If you work in this systematic way you are accountable to your client, which is something most clients will demand when they're paying for a service.
