Need more information on measurement? PR NEWS and Delahaye Medialink are hosting a one-day seminar, "Best Practices in PR Measurement" Nov. 16 at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Several of the experts quoted in this issue will expand on their thoughts and share more of their secrets in the following sessions:
- Ensuring your PR Program's a Credible Investment for your Organization
- Beyond Press Clippings: Using all Media for a Greater Grasp on your Efforts
- Are you Moving the Needle? Advanced Measurement for Optimum Results
- Proving PR's Worth to Senior Management
- New Techniques and Technologies in Measurement
- Interactive Measurement Session
Speakers will include Jack Bergen, president, Council of Public Relations Firms; Edie Fraser, CEO, Public Affairs Group; Bruce Jeffries-Fox, director of public relations research, AT&T and chairman, Institute for Public Relations Commission on Measurement and Evaluation; Tom Nicholson, director of PR and communications at Sears, and more than a dozen other of the industry's most respected practitioners.
To register, call PR NEWS Client Services at 888/707-5814 or visit www.prandmarketing.com. Ask about discounts for subscribers.
Katharine Delahaye Paine, president of Delahaye Medialink, offers tips on setting solid media measurement objectives
Setting measurable objectives is clearly the most important ingredient in the evaluation process and is always where the discussion starts. If you look at all the standard-setting organizations - IPR, ICO, IPRA, etc. - they have all published papers on how to set measurable objectives (available at delahaye.com) and they all say essentially the same thing: The objectives for a public relations department must reflect and derive from the business objectives of the organization; they must have concrete measures; and they must include a specific time frame by which the objective will occur.
A typical conversation in my workshops when we go through an exercise to design a measurement program goes like this:
Katie: What are you objectives?
Attendee:
Management is very into measurement and I need a report to show what I do.
Katie: That's good, but what is your department's overall objective?
Attendee:
Well...I suppose to get good press.
Katie: And the goal of good press?
Attendee:
Get xyz bill passed; get the message out; get into these publications.
Katie: And this is what management expects from your department?
Attendee:
Well not entirely.
And therein lies the rub. PR departments presume that they can't be measured in business goals because they are just part of a larger communications program. But I argue that you can have measurable impact on the business - through lowering turnover and recruitment costs, increasing brand preference, and improving stock price by establishing correct positioning.
More and more companies are including international communications in their measurement program, which has brought new challenges to the role of the researcher. Some of the most common mistakes include:
1. Monitoring the wrong pub list - with out of date or irrelevant publications
2. Tracking inappropriate messages that have no meaning to the local audience
3. Using a product list that doesn't jibe with market availability
4. Following irrelevant issues that don't exist in the local market
5. Having no agreement on objectives
6. Not focusing the scope enough
7. Trying to get by with too small a budget
8. Not getting buy-in from top management
9. Not including enough local detail
10. Lacking commitment to localized communications
But many companies have risen above these challenges and achieved true global, meaningful measurement. Chances are they've followed these 12 steps to guarantee success:
1. Start by understanding your audience
2. Start with baby steps
3. Get buy-in from local offices
4. Make sure everyone agrees on what the end result will DO
5. Involve measurement partners early
6. Gather clips systematically
7. Agree on relevant publications
8. Balance trade vs. business vs. mass media
9. Craft messages with local market in mind and test locally
10. Make sure everyone has electronic access
11. Deliver results in a timely manner
12. Don't compare results across geographies