Nick Lucido: You recently joined the Edelman Digital team in Chicago, what will be your role?

Chuck Hemann: I recently joined Edelman Digital in Chicago as Vice President of Digital Analytics. The role has really three core elements to it. First is obviously helping our clients understand how their digital programs are performing (measurement). Second is helping to build and grow an analytics capability here in Chicago. Finally, to continue doing thought leadership that helps raise Edelman Digital’s exposure in the area of digital analytics, measurement, listening and collective intelligence.

NL: You made the move from Austin to Chicago, that’s quite the shift. Why Chicago and why Edelman Digital? Did you hear about Snowpacolypse?!

CH: Wait, it isn’t 75 and sunny all year in Chicago? I’ve been snowed (forgive the pun)! In all seriousness, before moving down to Austin I lived in Cleveland, Ohio. I think the temperatures are comparable, plus I have a year’s supply of argyle sweaters at the ready for the cold weather.

NL: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve seen people make when they are trying to measure social media programs?

CH: This is a very hard question to answer because nailing it down to one thing is nearly impossible, but I’ll give it a try…As with anything else, you need to remember the five Ps – proper planning prevents poor performance. Too many times we’re trying to measure social programs without any clear consensus on what we’re trying to achieve from the very beginning. We often don’t setup a framework to measure our programs, and thus are left scrambling to put together a “report card” at the end of a set period of time. Planning what you’re going to measure, how you’re going to measure it and how often will save you some headaches.

NL: On the flip side, what’s the most important thing to remember when measuring a social media program?

CH: Again, a difficult thing to pin down to just one thing, but….I think the most important thing to remember when measuring social is that the process of actually arriving at your metrics looks very much like what we’ve done in traditional PR for years. Conducting benchmark research, outlining goals, developing strategies and tactics, implementing the program and measuring is exactly the same process in social. The metrics are different, as is the frequency of reporting (most likely), but going about the process of defining your metrics? Same as it has always been.

NL: There’s been a lot of talk lately about Klout and its ability to measure influence. What are your thoughts on Klout?

CH: I’ve been pretty vocal on the topic of influence, including the role of tools in that process. I wish we had more insight into the black box that Klout uses to derive its scores, but I understand that giving away the secret sauce isn’t in its best interest. The tools aren’t necessarily my concern here. The bigger concern is taking a lazy approach to influencer identification. For example, Klout presents you information on how influential someone could be on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. What about user groups? Flickr? YouTube? Blogs? You see my point. Identifying influencers means identifying people across a variety of platforms, not just two or three.

NL: When looking for a tool to measure social media, what are some of the key considerations you need to make?

CH: Again, tough question mostly because I love Microsoft Excel and doing the analysis by hand. But, I realize I’m in the minority on that. I’m assuming this question relates to listening tools, so I’d say the key thing to really look for is capture. All of the creative UI’s in the world won’t help you if the data is incomplete.

NL: What do folks who are new to the public relations/digital realm need to know about measuring social media efforts?

CH: The best way to describe this for people who are new to social media measurement is to break the discussion into three parts. The first is measuring the platform itself. If we have a Facebook page, this is looking at impressions, likes, pageviews, etc… For Twitter it would be looking at things like followers and lists. The second is looking at how the content itself performed. This is something I’m focused on here at Edelman. How can we create a framework to measure content performance across a host of metrics, not just retweets or likes or comments. Finally, it’s measuring social media programs in conjunction with broader communications measurement. The best in class measurement approaches look at the performance of integrated communications programs.

NL: A few weeks ago Google+ launched and was called the next Facebook. Do you think it will become the next generation of social engagement?

CH: I’ve been playing with it for a couple of weeks and I have to say that I like what I see. It’s a little too early to make any predictions about whether this will be the next Facebook, or Twitter killer or the like. What does seem clear is that Google+ incorporates a lot of the best of Facebook, Twitter and other social channels. Time will tell. I’m reserving judgment until I have an opportunity to experiment more on behalf of brands.

NL: Sentiment is a topic that polarizes a lot of professionals—do you think sentiment analysis is a valuable metric?

CH: Nothing like ending on a soft ball, eh? Sentiment analysis is valuable, especially for consumer-facing brands. Automated sentiment analysis has a long way to go so for the moment the sampling method works best. Is it a replacement for offline brand perception research? Absolutely not. Would I say my campaign was a success or failure based solely on sentiment shifts? Absolutely not. If you’ve read my posts elsewhere you’ll know that I never advocate for one metric. We need a series of metrics, and if sentiment shift is one of your goals, then include it.

Disclosure: Microsoft is an Edelman client.

1. Avoid multitasking.
The lure of taking your eyes off a current project can be tempting. However, when you lose focus on something you’re working on, you can lose time. Try blocking time in your day to work on projects for a period of time before going back to your distractions. Crises and urgent requests will always trump this rule, but buckling down with just you and your to-do list once in a while can lead to some productive work sessions.

2. Limit your time on websites.
A colleague recently shared what is quickly becoming my new favorite tool: StayFocused. It’s a Google Chrome extension that lets you limit the amount of time you can spend on a website each day. If you’re guilty of staying up late in your personal time on Facebook, Tumblr or Pinterest, install this extension and limit your time on each site. If you reach your limit, the extension will automatically block you from that site.

3. Put your mobile phone in a drawer when you’re at your desk.
If you’re like me, your personal mobile phone is nearby wherever you go. It’s so easy to reach for your phone every time you hear the ping of a text message, Twitter reply or Facebook notification. However, every time you reach for your phone, you’re losing focus and missing time. Try putting your phone in a drawer and limit yourself to checking your phone infrequently. You’ll be surprised how much time you save.

4. Evaluate what tools you’re currently using and why.
I know I’m guilty of signing up for any new service when it comes out even though it doesn’t necessarily serve a relevant purpose for me (Quora, Buzz, MySpace, etc.). Once in a while, perform an informal audit on where you’re spending your time online. What’s the purpose of this tool? Are you spending too much time on it? If you find the tool set you’re using isn’t giving you anything of value, perhaps you should reevaluate why you’re spending that time on that tool.

5. Make your time online more efficient.
What Dilbert might chuckle at with irony, the most focused people say with conviction: work smarter, not harder. I think this adage is highly applicable to your time online. Here are a few suggestions on how to be more efficient with your time:

• If you follow hundreds or even thousands on Twitter, it might be hard to stay on top of your feed. If you can’t check Twitter all day, you can make lists of the accounts you’re most interested in following to easily check that content.
• Another way to make Twitter more efficient is using search tools like TwitFlink and the advanced search operators on Twitter Search to see who’s talking about specific topics.
• Block time during the day to enjoy your digital distractions and set a time limit. You’ll work more efficiently when you have a deadline for yourself.
• If you’re someone who likes to tweet articles and links on Twitter, try using Tweetdeck or Cotweet to schedule tweets in advance so you can free up time during the day.

How do you manage digital distractions?

Image Credit: Ryan Ritchie

Last month, more than 100 academics from around the globe descended upon New York City at Edelman’s fourth annual New Media Academic Summit, hosted by New York University and Syracuse University. In case you weren’t able to make it, the panels and insights are posted on the website and definitely worth checking out.

Between the panels featuring industry leaders, I participated on a panel of new professionals. Our discussion focused on what the industry is like for new professionals and how much our education prepared us for this field. Here are some of the highlights:

New methods of research

More than just new spaces for brands to execute campaigns, the new digital landscape also offers more opportunities for research and analysis of trends, conversations and opportunities. This requires more than an Excel spreadsheet. Being able to compile this data and translating this into actionable business objectives requires a refreshed research education.

Walk the walk, talk the talk

Playing on Facebook and posting on Twitter doesn’t make you a social media expert. It’s important to understand how brands are walking the walk and talking the talk online. New professionals can get this experience by not only witnessing how brands engage their stakeholders online, but by participating in this process. Some of the ways this can be done include blogging on a topic you’re passionate about, interacting with brands on Twitter and immersing yourself in online communities.

Curiosity and creativity

More than ever, the new generation of public relations professionals need to be curious about the landscape and needs to bring a strong creative background when counseling a client. As new tools and platforms rise to popularity fairly often, a sense curiosity about this landscape will drive innovation. In terms of creativity, this skill can be taught – and learned – with time and effort. You might have heard that even though PR entries were up around 30 percent at Cannes Lions, there were few PR winners, and to top it off, an ad agency won the top PR prize. I’m not here to compare the levels of creativity between advertising and public relations, but it’s important for new professionals to develop a creative sense.

The old skills are important, too

My fellow panelists also spoke to the importance of the “old skills”: a strong, journalistic writing background; business acumen to apply public relations efforts with measurable effects on the business; and a deep academic background in social sciences, marketing and finance.