Cone Launches CSR SocialScore

Boston-based public relations and marketing agency, Cone Communications, is launching a social media and Corporate Social Responsibility product, CSR SocialScore, which serves as a real time snapshot of how a brand uses social media to inform and engage stakeholders.

Today, nearly two-thirds (62%) of global consumers use social media to engage with companies around social and environmental issues, according to the 2013 Cone Communications/Echo Global CSR Study.

"Social Media is where the CSR conversation is happening. Brands need to meet stakeholders where they are,” says Jonathan Yohannan, executive vice president of Cone’s Sustainable Business Practices group. “It is no longer enough to be an offline CSR leader. Many of the most admired CSR leaders are not showing up online to meet and engage with consumers or other stakeholders.”

CSR SocialScore helps companies equally measure their ability to “Inform” and “Engage” stakeholders:

Inform: This portion of the score looks at a company’s online CSR reporting and baseline CSR social media presence. Quantitative data is garnered through a variety of social media monitoring, research and analytics tools.

Engage: This portion of the score surveys how a company is positioning its brand as a CSR thought leader, how it is engaging with top influencers and providing open opportunities for feedback or co-creation.

The score is designed to be used as an ongoing barometer of effective CSR communication or at the beginning and end of a campaign in order to measure success and drive return.