Return on investment is a dirty term in the PR industry. It’s a bit like margin. The industry would rather not go there.

In almost every other area of marketing professionals are able to plan an outcome against a level of investment. And generate a healthy bottom line.

But PR is different we say. It deals with influence in the editorial world and that’s beyond the comprehension of a spreadsheet.

The PR industry’s inability to communicate in the language of the boardroom means that it has failed to gain recognition in all but a limited number of cases.

PR for too long has been a craft and not a business discipline. But that is changing. But the change is far too slow for my liking.

Here’s a cautionary tale for anyone in the PR industry. Andrew Smith has scrutinised NMA’s latest league table of UK search marketing agencies for the third year running.

“[…] search firms continue to generate very respectable profits – certainly compared with the PR sector. And search firms are making no secret of continuing their land grab for PR work. The PR sector must therefore continue to up its game in terms of the quality and value of the digital services it offers,” says Smith.

Search could have been a new revenue stream for advertising (pay per click) or PR driven editorial (organic).

But with a couple of exceptions (Golley Slater and Chime-owned VCCP) according to Smith neither discipline has moved fast enough to capture the market and a new industry has emerged.

Social media is the next battleground. Be warned.