Measurement

With so much noise on social media these days, how can communicators determine which KPIs are the most vital for their organization? The key is to be proactive, and to leverage analytics to identify the most important signals for your brand. There are three basic questions that any communicator can use to create a simple, effective and valuable digital signals tool from scratch so you can react to any trend appropriately.

As lines between traditional and social media continue to blur, influence is everything. And it’s important to remember that influence is not always about specific platforms and prestige, but who actually has a concrete ability to influence others. By employing data to identify and rank influencers based on their reach, relevance and resonance, you can identify who are the right people to build up your brand to the right audience at the right time.

One of the biggest challenges communicators face is battling pre-conceived notions with data, especially when it comes to hard-hitting or controversial issues. Here’s the six-step process Aetna uses to infuse their storytelling with data.

Most measurement initiatives proceed in three stages: defining the goal, determining the KPIs that align with the goal and communicating the results to senior leaders. But the devil is in the details. Given the mountain of data available to communicators, moving from the first to the second step—from defining the goal to identifying specific KPIs that will help you achieve it—can be a mighty challenge. Here’s a segmentation of metrics aligned with four main business goals, including measuring brand reputation and sales leads.

When you bring hundreds of communicators together over two days for a conference on PR Measurement in Philadelphia, it gets interesting in a way the founding fathers never anticipated. “It’s like one big therapy session… Continued

Knowing your audience may be the first rule of communications and marketing. Part of that knowledge is understanding the type of messages your audience craves. A new study from Bain & Company collaborating with Google argues the best companies have added timing to their knowledge base. Using technology and measuring their results, they find the best time(s) to send messages to customers.

There’s no question that measuring the value of PR is one a communicator’s biggest challenges. Whether you’re charged with handling your brand’s media relations, social media campaigns or both, a pointed question from the C-suite lingers: “How does this tie to our bottom line?”

Employee experience has emerged as a key focus for companies seeking to improve strategy execution and financial results. What are the best ways to improve the employee experience and measure it? Institute of PR Measurement Commission member Patricia Bayerlein provides tips.

Advertisers are fed up with inconsistent reporting and lack of insights into the value of ad spending. This consistent complaint about ads extends to media coverage and social media. Most measurement firms fail to disclose how they arrive at the effectiveness of their metrics. A former communications head at UBS Canada Graeme Harris argues industry needs to devise a meaningful measurement standard.

PR News’ just-launched Data Dynamos program will shine a spotlight on under-the-radar communicators who are excelling at using data to craft new or refine existing initiatives. We present here the initial class of Data Dynamos, who will be celebrated during a luncheon ceremony at PR News’ 2018 Measurement Conference (April 17-18 in Philadelphia).