 |
When evaluating your PR plan, measuring engagement is a step that cannot be ignored. By proving that specific engagement tactics worked (or did not work), you can show exactly where your communications goals were met, and where there is room for improvement.
In PR News' just-released PR Measurement Guidebook Vol. 6, Shalimar Blakely, founder and president of agency A Peace of PR, writes, “By engaging community, opinion or business leaders in your conversation you build alliances, obtain endorsements, increase your social network and create buzz around your campaign.”
To create a useful evaluation report that measures your PR campaign's level of engagement, Blakely recommends that you ask the following 11 questions:
-
Did you receive comments on social media posts?
-
Did you get key influencers to support your goals?
-
Did key influencers share your goals and encourage support from others?
-
Did you receive media coverage from an influential media source?
-
Did an editorial board support your plan?
-
Did you hold an event and note the number of attendees?
-
Did surveys indicate high levels of support from attendees?
-
Were attendees pleased with the event?
-
Were you able to get an opinion piece printed in the local newspaper?
-
Were you able to position your client as an expert on your topic?
-
Did you join the conversation by commenting or sharing someone else’s post (relevant to the goals of your plan)?
To learn more about social media metrics, proving PR's worth, measuring media relations efforts and more, order PR News' PR Measurement Guidebook Vol. 6.
Follow Jamar Hudson: @jamarhudson
Did you notice that the questions required yes or no answers? This is not the way to objectively measure public relations or social media. Everything should be measured against specific objectives.
Agreed. This is a very poor approach. Start with pre-set objectives and measure relative success against target. For more information google ‘AMEC’ and ‘Barcleona Principles’