There’s nothing like a good ole pandemic to get businesses to start thinking more critically about how they operate. The constant disruption has caused many businesses to be on their toes – revising their budgets while adapting to an ever-changing “new normal”. All departmental spending is scrutinised and those which do not show direct value to the organisation, are at risk of being cut.
It is no different for the PR sector. Now more than ever PR and comms professionals must demonstrate their work in a meaningful manner. In order to defend their budgets, Communications and PR professionals have had to demonstrate the impact of their work and the value they bring towards organisational objectives. Those who succeed are the ones that can effectively show their C Suite, that they are supporting their organisational objectives with meaningful measurement.
However, many PR and comms teams have yet to embrace measurement best practices. All too often, they get caught up displaying fancy dashboards with vanity metrics and inflated AVE numbers, without knowing what impact it has on their brands. Measurement practices are often not updated, even as strategies, target audience and communications activities change. I’ve worked with some PR managers who blindly adopt the measurement strategies of their predecessors without understanding why and how those methodologies came about.
There are several barriers that make it difficult for PR teams to transform their measurement strategy. Some practitioners are unsure of how to start, while others battle internal culture dynamics. A challenge frequently cited is getting the buy-in of senior leadership, proving how important it is that PR professionals can explain and link the benefit a good measurement framework brings to commercial targets.
Do, and measure, what’s meaningful
With the increase in comms channels, social media platforms, and technological capabilities, it might be tempting for PR teams to explore everything, hoping for some positive result. However, at a time when there is a heightened focus on accountability, PR professionals must take a step back to ensure that their activities align with desired organisational outcomes. Before embarking on any tactical activity, it is important to pause and ask ourselves: “What do I want to achieve?” and “Do these activities fulfil my objective?”
Similarly, measuring all our activities will not demonstrate effectiveness. The temptation to simply count everything may seem compelling but what do these inflated numbers really say about your PR activity? Remember the number one rule in measurement and evaluation – just because you can count it, doesn’t mean it matters.
Measuring what matters requires a clear and demonstrable link between communication strategy and what is most important to the organisation.
Measurement and data should be at the core of any communications initiative. It is the starting point for planning, establishing benchmarks and setting SMART KPIs, it is the roadmap for staying on track, the canary in the mine for making required adjustments, and an endpoint for showcasing – and learning from results and insights. Only when activities and results are backed by data can we effectively tell a compelling story and educate internal stakeholders.
The roles of technology and data in getting the measurements right
Technology has played a critical role in enhancing the way we work. It has given us access to large amounts of data, and the software required to organise them. While technology has largely benefitted the media intelligence industry, it is critical that comms professionals are discerning about where their data comes from and what the technology does with it. They will need to understand where they can rely on automation and where it falls short. Over-reliance on automated charts and unverified data can lead to messy and disjointed reporting.
I’ve sat down with PR leaders who insist that a single monitoring tool is all they need to inform them of their PR performance. However, a tool alone is not going to work miracles and suddenly provide the full picture. We need to inject the expertise of media analysts and research coders, to properly verify and analyse the data according to the organisations’ objectives. Only then will you receive useful and well-informed insights to make better decisions.
As an industry, we must understand, and be able to explain exactly where technology can, and should, deliver value. And where we need expertise and critical thinking to create relevantly, trusted insights
Buckle up for changes
The ability to adapt to change is more crucial than ever. We never know what variant might come up next and how governments and consumers will react. We must recognise that what we consider to be “normal” is a moving environment, and that earlier benchmarks may no longer be applicable.
Now is the best time to act and ensure your measurement strategy measures up. Review your monitoring brief to consider the ever-changing media landscape. Ensure that you understand your target audience and what media they are consuming and how it affects their attitudes.
It is crucial that your monitoring aligns with your objectives and activities. I’ve had an experience where PR Teams produce the best social media campaigns but fail to reach out to their target audience because they fail to 1. Monitor the right sources 2. Target the right channels. These mistakes are avoidable when we constantly review were and what we’re looking at.
Data should be always available to communicators. It is unacceptable for any PR professional to concentrate just on tactics without a robust, insight-based plan that outlines how the organisation’s goals will be met.
It requires measurement that speaks to the organisation’s leadership and produces a useful report of accomplishments.
In a world where brand reputation can change in a second, access to data and understanding of the data is key. To ensure that PR professionals are getting the hang of it, time and effort must be devoted, and measurement must be looked upon as a strategic foundation for planning.
