Comments on: The Changing PR Landscape (PRSA teleseminar reactions)

By: dbradfield

dbradfield — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:24:39 +0000

Last fall there was an excellent article in Brandweek that argued ROI was becoming ROE (return on engagement). I think this is more significant for organizations that strive to measure results online. I can see return on influence being a good way for bloggers seeking ways to validate the reach and impact of their property as an advertising channel for organizations seeking niche entry points to an audience or interested market.

By: The Write Spot

The Write Spot — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:55:23 +0000

We also need to consider what the “I” in “ROI” means – is it Investment (time/money) or Influence? Social media is cheaper than traditional media, though many of us find it a time consuming – that’s a given. Instead, we need to measure how our social media efforts give us more influence. And as the example above mentioned the WSJ blog mention vs. the print edition – the blog link will have more influence over time than something in print.

By: adam christensen

adam christensen — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:07:01 +0000

Dave, nice recap. It was nice to participate on the panel with you.

The ROI question always seems to come up front and center. And that makes sense… anything unfamiliar needs to be prodded at a bit to make sure people get comfortable with it. Ultimately though, I hope it goes away. People don’t ask about the ROI of email any longer. I hope we get there with social media too. Heaven knows people can waste as much time with pointless email as they do with pointless facebook apps.

One of the challenges is that ROI is so different for each company. Every company has a different business model, corporate culture and business objectives. So ROI SHOULD be different for every company. I think the phrase you state, “what does success look like” is probably the one least asked. Because ROI should be defined based on what success you are trying to achieve. And while benchmarking another company might be helpful, it should only be a starting point. What we do at IBM might be intellectually interesting or even somewhat helpful. But in reality, it isn’t until people start discussing the unique qualities of their own business that ROI can even be thought about being measured.

Anyhow… I could go on and on. Anyhow, thanks for the recap of the call.