The single answer to every PR measurement question

People are always asking me questions about public relations measurement: “How do I do this or that or the other measurement thing?” Recently, thanks to a speaking engagement at the PR News Measurement Conference, I have come to realize that almost all of these many questions are based on a similar theme and have a similar answer.

When people ask me how to measure ROI, link PR to business goals, or measure on a limited budget, they really are all asking different versions of the same question: “How do I measure what really matters?”

And the one answer to all these questions is: Measure the business impact of your public relations efforts.

The vast majority of public relations measurement questions, problems, and difficulties can be solved with this single strategy: Measure your business impact.

Below are specific questions and answers (most of them thanks to PR News) to do with social media. For questions and answers to do with using measurement to link PR and business goals, see part 1 of this series.