Measuring the Return on Investment of No Investment

May 6, 2008 | Posted by: Thea Roberti

I recently braved rush hour traffic on the San Francisco peninsula to attend a speech by measurement guru Katie Delahaye Paine on the difficulties involved with measuring the effectiveness of a social media campaign.  The trip was well worth it.  Given that I am a long-time fan (some would say devotee) of Ms. Paine’s, it was a pleasure and a privilege to finally hear her speak in person, especially on such a hot topic. Paine’s presentation was based on the premise that one of the challenges of social media measurement (and there are many) revolves around the fact that social media is free – it requires little to no investment – and thus the concept of ROI must be redefined. 
 
Paine began her speech with a quote from her father Ralph (former publisher of Fortune magazine), who once said: 

"If we can put a man in orbit, why can’t we determine the effectiveness of our communications?  The reason is simple and perhaps, therefore, a little old fashioned: people, human beings with a wide range of choice. Unpredictable, cantankerous, capricious, motivated by innumerable conflicting interests, and conflicting desires."

This is one of my favorite measurement quotes, and I think it is particularly relevant to the measurement of media tonality/sentiment – but that is perhaps the subject of a future blog post (or rant as the case may be).
 
Another quote that really captured my attention was Paine’s statement that it is easier to put your message on M&M’s than it is to get it into an A-list blog. Paine explained that in the world of social media, PR professionals are no longer the gatekeepers of messaging – spin is dead and transparency is now king.  As a measurement professional who strives every day to find ethical and objective ways to quantify and qualify the so-called spin, I say hallelujah - long live the king! 
 
Paine is scheduled to be back in the Bay Area on April 7 for the Bulldog Reporter Media Relations Summit 2008 in San Francisco.  Also check out her latest book “Measuring Public Relationships” now available via Amazon.