A declaration of standards and practices to guide measurement and evaluation of public relations was discussed in Barcelona in 2010 at the 2nd European Summit on Measurement, organised by the AMEC and the Institute for Public Relations to try and decide common approaches to measuring and evaluating public relations results.
 
The ‘Barcelona Declaration of Research Principles’ include:
1. Goal setting and measurement are fundamental aspects of any PR programmes
2. Media measurement requires quantity and quality – cuttings in themselves are not enough
3. Advertising Value Equivalents (AVEs) do not measure the value of PR and do not inform future activity.
4. Social media can and should be measured.
5. Measuring outcomes is preferred to measuring media results.
6. Business results can and should be measured where possible.
7. Transparency and replicability are paramount to sound measurement.

The value of social media is in the fact that is has the ability to engage a variety of audiences. In this way you can communicate, educate, inform, promote and celebrate with your prospects and clients in a regular and informal way – strengthening your business relationships.

Direct people to your Facebook, Twitter of LinkedIn pages via links on your website and watch how quickly people ‘like’ your page! Check out the Zadro Facebook Page!

Be Social Media Savvy

Social interaction on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is public and is open to interpretation by a number of different audiences.  Negative comments, spamming and competitors engaging your audience need to be considered. A social media policy should outline how these are to be dealt with and should be available for people to view on your social media sites. It is essentially your page and you do have the right to delete posts that you feel are inappropriate but be aware that this may encourage even more negative responses.

Not only is it imperative that you have an external social media policy but it is also essential to have an internal social media policy that outlines the dos and don’ts for your employees.

With the accessibility to digital technologies increasing the speed at which smart phone photos can be posted to social media sites is incredible. These photos can contain rude, inappropriate, sensitive or damaging information that an employee who takes the photo may be unaware of.

Setting out a clear internal social media policy and attaching it to your HR policy is a great way of ensuring your team is aware of their responsibilities in the digital world.

If your business needs a little push in the right direction, Zadro Communications’ Sociable selects and harnesses the correct social media tools to maximise your company’s growth. In September’s Z Connections we will focus on our social media strategy package and the value that this can bring to your business.