Managing ever-present competitive and cost pressures, corporations are tasking their PR teams to find new and improved means to measure and validate the impact of their
initiatives.
In most cases, our reaction has been to count...and count...and count again. We have created efficient means to execute tactical measurement programs.
Tactical measurement is important and has its place. Yet in too many instances, we are collectively hiding behind our clip counts. Even worse, we are constructing complex
measurement techniques that cost so much that we can no longer afford to measure.
When companies assess the impact of their PR activities, many focus strictly on tactical measurement. Tactical measurement answers the following questions:
- How many stories did we place?
- Where did we place them?
- How many speaker placements did we secure?
- How many industry awards did we win?
All of these questions are valid. Yet we tend to forget that strategic measurement is also a critical component of the measurement process. It can be defined by a single
question: How is the PR function supporting the organization's core goals and objectives? The process for tracking and crafting a response to this question need not be complex.
It should communicate, at a high level:
- What we did
- Where it fits
- How it supports organizational priorities
In most cases, these are the measurements most important to the CEO or CFO. Peter Callowhill agrees. With more than 30 years in the telecommunications industry, Callowhill
has served in diverse roles, including co-founder of Net2000 Communications, a facilities-based CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier), and CEO of NetGain Communications, a
telecom consultancy and master agency. Callowhill concedes that PR professionals can get mired in tactical measurement activities (at the expense of strategy). "I want to know
what PR programs are being executed and how those activities support our strategic business objectives," he says.
PR professionals should first ensure they have a clear understanding of corporate goals and their prioritization. An extremely simple but effective measurement template first
states the business goals, followed by PR strategies, and the results and impact delivered via each strategy. This format enables PR executives to map a direct course from a
business goal to specific public relations activities, and conversely demonstrate how these activities align and support the goals.
For example, rather than stating that the team secured 10 placements, two speaking opportunities, and four new case studies - explain how the public relations program:
- Supported the sales teams' efforts to enter a new market
- Launched a new product
- Established a significant point of differentiation from the competition.
In addition to periodic measurement exercises that communicate the impact and value of PR initiatives, communication teams should also remember to take the temperature of key
stakeholders and audiences on a regular basis. These stakeholders include the sales force, the business development and investor relations departments, customers, prospects, and
partners.
Check (every six months) on each group's key challenges, priorities, and successes. How can the PR function serve each better? If you're working in a commercial
environment, learn more about how the customers and prospects gather information to influence their decisions. What are their perceptions regarding the organization's
differentiators? Again, this check doesn't need to be elaborate. Three to five well-constructed survey questions are often enough to keep the PR program on track.
The final, logical question in assessing the impact of a PR initiative is: How do we use the knowledge we gain from our measurement exercises? While some of the tactics will
remain static - the issues, the content, and the creative element must change constantly to hold attention and effectively support the business.
Contact: Nicole Burdette manages B2B technology marketing programs for high-tech companies at O'Keeffe & Company Inc., a full-service, technology-focused agency based in
Alexandria, Va. She can be reached at [email protected].