Sink or Swim

 

As a child living in Florida, one of the first things I learned to do was swim. A teacher showed me how I needed to move my body in order to swim and not drown. Swimming or sinking can be applied to succeeding or failing. In public relations, there are campaigns that either sink or swim. Public relations professionals want to see their campaigns survive and thrive. A failed campaign is like having a science experiment blow up. Scientists have to run tests to evaluate an experiment. Strategic communicators have to use a series of methods to measure the impact and effectiveness of their campaigns.  


 

Tracking Metrics

Public Relations metrics are vital components strategic communicators use to see if their campaigns are on track or off course. Strategic communicators want to know if their messages are making an impact for their company’s brand. PR metrics provide companies with the feedback needed to make changes if necessary. Many business executives want validation for the work of their strategic communicators. PR metrics offer company executives tangible proof that determines if their strategic communicators are an asset or a liability. Key metrics, also known as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), are measurable values strategic communicators can use to evaluate the performance of their campaigns. Some of the essential KPIs that should be in a strategic communicator’s tool belt are mentions, sentiment, web traffic, share of voice, impressions and earned backlinks.

Mentions are online references to a brand that can be found on forums, blogs and social media platforms. If I had a positive experience with a business’s product or service, I will mention the company on my social media pages. Mentions allow a strategic communicator to see how their company is being portrayed by some members of the public. A sentiment analysis helps a strategic communicator better understand the context of the raw data found when tracking their company’s mentions. “By knowing whether someone has positive, neutral or negative thoughts about your company, you can draw conclusions and apply changes based on them” (Edwards, 2021). When I worked in a restaurant, I would look at the Facebook mentions to see how my co-workers and I could better serve the customers.

Web traffic is an essential KPI because strategic communicators need to know which of their audience members are a unique user, a returning user and a referred user. Strategic communicators can also use share of voice as a KPI to learn about their company’s strengths and weaknesses by analyzing a competitor. Impressions are used as a KPI to track the number of users who shared a company’s message relative to the number of users who were able to view it. Backlinks, which are links directed to a company’s website from another company’s website. Also known as inbound links, strategic communicators can use this KPI to track the number of backlinks to their company’s website and compare it to their competitors.

Evaluating Attitude and Behavior

In addition to PR metrics, strategic communicators also need to understand how their campaign affects the attitudes and behaviors of their audience. Many strategic communicators often overlook audience perceptions and behaviors. Sometimes vanity metrics are only considered in the evaluation of a campaign. “These messages are fairly superficial, such as knowing the number of ‘likes’ in a social media campaign. They don’t tell us whether a campaign has achieved more substantial outcomes such as altering perceptions or behavior” (Somas, 2018). A campaign evaluation should focus on more than content analysis. Strategic communicators do not see the whole picture when they focus only on the number of people who see their campaign. They also need to know if their messages made an impact on their audience. Strategic communicators who see the whole picture will know their short and longer term outcomes. “In this world of cross-pollination, we recognize that modern-day communication professionals need to be mini-scientists; conducting research into how things happen and why, in order to best inform future practice” (Somas, 2018). Evaluating campaigns will help strategic communicators plan for their company’s future.

Behavioral impact is a significant PR outcome because it corresponds to the achievement of a company’s campaign. Strategic communicators should know if their campaign resulted in an increase in customers and revenue. More sales are generated when customers recommend a brand and tell their friends and family. Growth is an important factor when determining the success of a strategic communicator’s campaign. If a company does not achieve customer retention and revenue growth, then the campaign has failed. A successful campaign will increase brand awareness and create brand advocates. Loyal customers are essential to the success of a business.

Return on Investment

Return on Investment (ROI) is a significant metric used to demonstrate success for public relations because it links PR outcomes to corporate goals and revenues. But sometimes ROI is not the most reliable when it comes to measuring the total value of a PR program. “Focusing solely on ROI ignores the effects of PR on public perception and its brands. (Comcowich, 2018). Strategic communicators should not focus solely on ROI numbers because they can miss valuable qualitative insights. A PR campaign evaluation is not complete without qualitative measurements. “In order to appreciate the qualitative and extract meaning from it, managers have to think like anthropologists and jettison many of the scientific principles that underlie traditional hard science research” (Comcowich, 2018). Qualitative and quantitative measurements cannot stand alone. They are part of a complete package.

There are downsides to ROI that can affect the public perception of a brand. When measuring PR, an overemphasis on ROI can impede a company’s branding and storytelling. “Focusing too much on ROI can prompt top executives to overemphasize short-term effects at the expense of the bigger picture and long-term results” (Comcowich, 2018). Strategic communicators should resort to other performance metrics that are more practical and less challenging than ROI.

In conclusion, strategic communicators who evaluate both the quantitative and qualitative measurements in their campaigns will have a better understanding of how their company’s brand is being perceived by the public. A campaign evaluation should not focus solely on numbers. It should focus on the users behind those numbers. A business is only successful when it looks at how it can improve for its customers. Revenue should not be the only thing that matters to a company. A company directing its attention to its customers will have a lasting impact for years to come.

References:

Comcowich, W. (2018, December 3). Is Return on Investment (ROI) the Best Metric to Measure PR Success? Glean.info. https://glean.info/is-return-on-investment-roi-the-best-metric-to-measure-pr-success/?doing_wp_cron=1620614029.2016088962554931640625

Edwards, K. (2021, March 24). PR Metrics: 6 Ways To Measure Your Brand’s Success. Mediatoolkit. https://www.mediatoolkit.com/blog/pr-metrics-ways-to-measure-your-brands-success/

Somas, A. (2020, October 13). How to Effectively Evaluate Your Communication Strategy. Contentgroup. https://contentgroup.com.au/2018/10/effectively-evaluate-communication-strategy/

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