From likes and shares, to share of voice and the dreaded AVE (Advertising Value Equivalent), the PR industry continues to struggle to find a way to measure its effectiveness. Is the communication working? How do we prove that PR works and is valuable?
Thinking about my own experience of writing and sharing content on LinkedIn and other platforms, the dopamine allure of likes is surely easy to understand. But they are ephemeral and like empty calories, do not satisfy a deeper hunger. A hunger for meaningful connections and real engagement with like-minded people who care about the same things that I do. PR has possibly got the same problem to solve. It needs to move to more meaningful metrics. How do we know if it is deepening connections and building relationships with audiences?
This got me thinking. What are the less obvious but more meaningful metrics that make me happy? Maybe a good time to also ask yourself the same question. What works (for you)? And from this maybe the larger answer will emerge.
Hmm…, what is my IMM (Inner Movement Metric)? Not such an easy question to answer.
Here are a few things that seem to resonate and move me at a deeper level.
I was at an event recently where a lot of people from my industry were present. Three different conversations and three different people spoke to me about something I had written and how it touched their lives. Those conversations strengthened the connection we had and also helped them connect with the topic I had written about. This offline engagement was facilitated by the online and that was something that moved my internal compass.
Another chance encounter with a friend led them to gift me something to read, that they thought I would enjoy. How did this friend fathom that I enjoyed this topic? Because I write about it regularly. My writing signals to the world what I care about. It helps me connect with others who care about the same things that I do. If I write to increase likes and shares, I will merely be surfing waves of trending topics. Not signaling what I care about and this will not allow me to connect with others and other content that reflects my innermost self. So another IMM that comes up is when content related to a topic u care about finds its way into my hands or inbox courtesy of the signals I send into the universe.
The other thing that has surprised me is that I enjoy reading my old posts. It’s a way for me to remind myself of who I am and what’s important to me. It also is a repository of my learning available to me at my fingertips. I am like a sponge; I absorb fast but I also like a good sponge don’t retain or hold water well. That’s just a nice way of saying I forget stuff pretty easily. So for me, another serendipitous IMM is that writing helps me decode what I have learnt, reflect on it, and create a repository of knowledge that I can tap into at any time I need. This is really meaningful and important for me.
The three IMMs that seem to matter for me are:
- Conversations that go deeper (in person or on DM not for optics and show but for a real exchange of views and ideas)
- Content exchange (when people share a book and article or a video or a course they think I will like and I can do the same because they have opened that door)
- Connecting with what is important to me (and being able to retrieve it when I feel the need, as a way to more authentic living and staying true to myself)
This real innermost movement is often not visible to the external world. However meaningful connections and deepening relationships with stakeholders are one of the key building blocks of the PR profession. The real measurable business impact often emerges from this kind of inner movement that eventually becomes visible to the external world. The search for meaning and meaningful metrics is possibly very closely linked. I would love to hear from others on what their Inner Movement Metrics are. IMM could well lead us to the doorstep of what could be the next AVE.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
A trusted coaching and communications professional, Nikhil Dey is a certified life and leadership coach (International Coach Federation - ICF). Nurturing talent and helping clients achieve their goals is what makes him happy. He loves learning from students of communication, teaching courses and guest lecturing at various educational institutions. When he is not working you will find him on the tennis court or out for long walks with his family and four legged friends.
Previously he has held senior leadership positions at Weber Shandwick and Genesis BCW.
He can be reached on twitter @deydreaming
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