This post is the first in a series of three about the relationship between online campaigns and offline behavior.

Part I: See, Think, Do

Do online campaigns impact offline behavior?

Yes, they do. How much? We don’t really know; our analytic tools aren’t “there” yet.

When it comes time to invest in a digital or social media strategy many organizations tend to stall—they perceive that the return on investment for digital engagement is difficult to calculate, and therefore harder to justify.

Yet large corporations and two-person teams alike have a Twitter and a Facebook account, because even if we don’t necessarily understand how to calculate how many people we’ve reached, we know that digital strategies do work.

Look at your retweets, your shares and your likes. Does this number necessarily equate to the “reached” population? What about the users:

• Who look, but don’t comment?
• Who remember and share your message with friends verbally?
• Who aren’t your key influencers, but will still consider your message or product when they make decisions?

I recently attended the American Research Institute’s event on digital health campaigns and how they influence offline behavior. While I was there, I got a lot of great advice from experts in the industry.

Rob Daiany, Public Sector Account Executive at Google, revealed how his organization measures engagement: See, Think and Do.

Seeing is making sure your content is visible. According to Daiany, more than 50 percent of digital ads aren’t ever seen because they fall below the fold.

Thinking is provoking the viewer into thinking about your content, so they can remember it. Brand awareness, anyone?

Doing is the easiest. Just take a look at your profits (if that’s how you measure success); have your viewers seen, thought about, and bought what your campaign was pushing?

Stay tuned for the next blog on the power of search data and online influencers.