Taking Public Relations Measurement to the Next Step

Measurement Strategy

 

Examine the events, actions, strategies and tactics that drive coverage and conversations.

by Katie Delahaye Paine

Having been at this measurement stuff for some 22 years now, I find it remarkably refreshing and rewarding that more and more communications managers are actually measuring results, as opposed to just counting clips. Yes, the vast majority of folks out there are still just counting, but more and more I'm hearing people talk about taking measurement to the next level.

For me, that next level is deriving more meaning from the data. In other words, it's not enough to just look at a trend chart and say, "There's a big spike in June." You need to look at the variables that caused that big spike, or that big slump.

The variable might be the activities that a PR department or agency has undertaken, or it might be the actions or strategies of the competition, or it might be external news events that take over the news hole or the conversation. The point is that for true measurement to occur, you need to be taking these things into account.

That doesn't mean obsess over them so much you don't act. Too often I've had clients get into "Variable Paralysis," a condition in which they are so concerned with accounting for every possible variable, that they don't measure anything.

How to Pick the Right Variables

The one things we at KDP&P have learned is that variables can be specific to the market space or industry you are in. For example:

• In the non-profit sector, the ultimate goal for communications is typically to either generate donations, recruit volunteers, build membership, or spread a message. The variables we track are typically events, -- major high visibility programs or initiatives that drive media coverage and ultimately drive Web traffic and membership or donations. What's important to remember about using events as a variable is that the competition is also doing similar events and programs, and you need to account for them as well.
• In the business-to-business space, the end result may be to change positioning or reputation. Is perception changing over time? Are more of your messages getting out there? In which case the variables are more people- and product-based. What thought leaders are being quoted? What products or programs are being discussed? And are we getting into that conversation as often as the competition? So you're not just looking at the volume of coverage, but of the visibility of that coverage, how it positions your organization, and who is framing the discussion.
• In the educational marketplace variables tend to focus on news events. Whatever is hot in the traditional news cycle tends to drive actions in academia. So when a bridge collapses in Minnesota, engineering departments around the country are tapped for their expertise. Or if alternative energy becomes a major news focus, professors and universities who have published books or papers on the topic become widely quoted. So a key variable in academia is the degree to which proactive PR efforts in response to uncontrolled media events have impacted your visibility.

The point in all of this is that we all know how to monitor and count our coverage. Many of you also know how to count and monitor conversations going on amongst your customers. But now we have to look at the events, actions, strategies and tactics that are driving those conversations.