5 social media measurement tools for PR pros

Quantifying the value of social media is a necessity for PR professionals.

The problem is there is no magic bullet. A few tools are generally useful when measuring social media, but there is no one tool to tell you everything you need to know. Trust me—I’ve searched for it.

Here is a list of some of my favorite tools to use when evaluating social media or PR efforts. Again, keep in mind that these are not perfect, but there’s a time and place for each.

1. Microsoft Excel. Before you go calling me a nerd, hear me out. Excel enables you to do simple things like keep track of a list of blog posts about your brand, and it enables you to perform more complicated calculations. You can easily track the volume of social media conversations over time or find the average number of comments your brand’s Facebook status updates receive. The sky really is the limit.