How Can You Measure the Value of Social Media Coverage?
Nowadays, there are numerous metrics to measure the success or value of PR clippings on social media. But which ones are truly meaningful, and how can they be compared and analyzed? Only through such analysis can your social media PR achieve a significant impact on future success.
The challenge in social media PR is that different platforms provide different types of engagement and KPIs, which can only be compared to a limited extent. Often, these platforms have varying reaches and target different audiences. Moreover, user activity levels are not the same across all platforms.
Therefore, we need a metric that can be applied equally across all platforms to compare performance accordingly.
The engagement rate is particularly suitable for this. It combines KPIs related to the audience with those that represent user engagement. Generally speaking:
Engagement Rate = Engagements / Reach
Can You Calculate ROI for Your Social Media PR?
Valuing social media clippings with a monetary value is not easy and is certainly not an exact science. However, there are strategies to calculate a very comparable approximation.
For example, you can research how much money you would need to spend to reach the same quality audience with a paid online ad. You can then convert these costs from the online reach to that of your social media clippings. This way, you know how much money you would have had to spend in the paid area to reach the same type of audience.
Another option is to compare it with the cost of an influencer post with a comparably good audience. Here, too, you can adjust the amount according to the reach of your clippings. This, of course, assumes that you have previously worked with influencers in this area and have experience with the associated costs.
Neither of these values provides an exact monetary value. However, media equivalence values in print and online areas are calculated similarly and are also just approximations.
Nevertheless, these methods allow you to evaluate the value of your clippings monetarily and compare the performance with other channels, such as print and online, and not just across platforms. Even if these metrics leave some room for interpretation, they significantly help you measure your PR and showcase the value of your excellent work.
Additionally, they are an excellent means of data-driven optimization of your PR across all channels. This way, you can implement your strategy even better and achieve your communication goals faster.
Do you need help defining the right metrics for your clients or your PR? Feel free to contact us anytime. We will help you find the perfect analysis setup in an individual workshop. We are happy to share our years of experience in PR analysis with you.
Sarah Amler
Digital Process & Marketing Manager
Sarah was responsible for performance marketing, social media activities and digital onboarding in our software at aclipp.