So there you are, a PR pro updating executives on the progress of their company’s latest social media campaign. You describe the strategic messaging and execution, which has increased engagement and strengthened their web presence, but there’s only one problem…

These executives aren’t communications professionals and they don’t understand why any of this matters.

Measuring success and proving value is an age-old challenge for PR pros. Today, we’re fortunate to have many programs available that provide detailed analytics, which makes it easier for non-communications executives to understand the value and impact of our work. To help them understand the value PR pros create, keep these four tips in mind:

Validate Your Target Audience. Regardless of whether the executives understand the importance of public relations, they most likely do understand the importance of reaching the right customers. With many social media channels and analytics platforms today, we can be certain that we’re targeting the correct markets. For example, social ads with Facebook are highly-targeted and can focus upon people with very specific interests, jobs and education levels.

Similarly, social media analytics platforms can often tell you the gender, location and ideal engagement times of your followers. Making sure that your message gets across at times of peak engagement can increase the odds that the message will stick.

Use Charts and Graphs to Visualize Your Data. When discussing the progress of your campaign, you’d be wise to use visual tools because they’re easier to understand.

For example, a line graph that has been fairly constant and then sharply increases is far more impactful that simply saying, “Our engagement is up significantly this month.” The visualization makes it easier for the executives to see the difference between where they started and where they currently stand, which brings us to our next point…

Draw Comparisons. To show that you’ve made a meaningful contribution, stack your statistics up against those of when you started. One way to do this is to maintain a year-over-year chart. Where was the number of followers in February 2014 versus February 2015? If there has been a significant increase, take a look at things like website traffic and online sales. While it’s safe to say that a social media campaign is not the only factor influencing these metrics, it’s also safe to say that it has had at least some impact, which can be supported by your comparison.

Translate the Language from PR-speak to English. I can hear the executives now:

“Okay, so you’re saying we’ve increased in, uhhh… organic… impressions. And our number of unique visitors is up too? That’s great, I guess.”

The bottom line is that your analytics will have no impact if the executives don’t understand what you’re saying (click to tweet this!). Take the time to explain what these results truly mean. Remember, people won’t always speak up when they’re confused. The burden lies upon you to be clear and thorough in your explanation. You have the data at your fingertips – make the most of it by explaining what it means.

Remember these four tips when the time comes to provide a progress update of your social media initiatives. Aside from these, how else have you used social media analytics to prove value?

Jeff Adkins is a communications associate with MCCI (Mort Crim Communications, Inc.), a Detroit-based integrated marketing agency. An active member of the Detroit chapter of PRSA, Jeff enjoys connecting with fellow PR pros and seeking out new professional experiences. He’s an alumnus of Wayne State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Public Relations and was a member of the university’s PRSSA chapter. In his free time, Jeff enjoys being active outdoors and volunteers as a public relations officer with Portal Paranormal Society. Feel free to connect with him on Twitter at @jeffadkins14 and LinkedIn.