I was having a discussion with some colleagues about public relations metrics and how practitioners have used them . In short, it all boils down to two things:
First, public relations can and should bring real and tangible value to an organization. I used to have a client that always said, “you can’t spell profit without PR.”
I firmly believe communications campaigns have an important role in that process.
The second thing is that, as communicators, we have done a TERRIBLE job at conveying the real value of our work.
As communications becomes more sophisticated, so too must the way that public relations pros execute and evaluate our campaigns.
This has been an issue that the Public Relations industry has been facing for a long time.
In fact, I wrote a blog about this in November 2019 (7 Tips to Measure Your PR Campaigns) where we talked about the types of metrics we are using and the types of metrics we should be using in our campaigns.
Vanity and Action Metrics
To revisit that for a minute, there are vanity metrics and action metrics.
Vanity metrics have become the standard in many public relations campaigns. These are the superficial key performance indicators (or KPIs) that, at best, give a glimpse in to how your content is performing.
We all know and love these metrics, and they include things like reach, audience, followers, and likes. And let’s not forget the ambiguous yet often relied on advertising value equivalency.
There’s not a professional out there, or executive for that matter, that doesn’t love seeing big numbers on positive reports, and that’s exactly what these numbers show. But, while they oftentimes produce big numbers these numbers don’t necessarily show the real effect your work is having on the business or organization.
I’m not saying to toss these out, let’s definitely not do that as they can still be useful. I’m just saying don’t be fooled in to thinking they show the real value of your campaign.
Action metrics on the other hand focus on your key audiences, their behaviors and driving business results. These KPIs are tied directly to your campaign results, including social engagement, messaging resonance, audience sentiment, awareness, conversion, and website engagement, to name a few.
It’s hard to tell you which ones you should use for your campaign, or even your business, as every situation or campaign or business is going to be different. Plus, you may have very specific objectives for your business or campaign.
What we do know is that just about every department in corporate America is expected to show metrics, and communications isn’t any different.
Choosing The Right Metrics
We all have metrics we have to meet, and it’s up to us to choose the metrics that show the real value of the work being done. They should be metrics that push the bottom line of the company, or have a meaningful effect on the business.
While we love to see that our content reached hundreds of millions of people, what happened then? Did we acquire new customers, increase company or product revenue, or add value to the business?
Likes and potential reach don’t necessarily show value, so if we don’t use the right metrics we’ll never know the answer to these questions, which means we’ll never be able to show the value of the work we’re doing.
I’ll be the first to jump in and talk about the value of public relations, but until all stakeholders buy into using the right metrics for the right campaign, it’s our job to bring that value forward, which means we need to know what to measure.
In that same blog I review seven tips for finding the appropriate campaign KPIs, including:
- Focusing on business goals and metrics that show movement in driving sales, awareness, or reputation.
- Setting KPIs early and keeping your “North Star” during the campaign.
- Having primary and secondary KPIs.
- Finding the right mix of Action Metrics and Vanity Metrics.
- Focusing on what really matters so you don’t flood the space.
- Being ready to adjust as needed and allowing for contingencies.
- Keeping you stakeholders informed.
I could go on and on about how other industries are doing this more effectively, and as a result, are getting seats at the table that belong to communicators. But, I’ll save that for another blog.
The Strategic Thought
For now, regardless of what industry you’re in, whether you’re in-house counsel or at an outside agency, working on an event or a multi-national campaign, we have to start choosing the metrics that not only showcase the value we bring to our companies but elevate the public relations industry.
Yes, it’s going to be more work, but find the right metrics and make the case for ensuring you have the resources to track them, and you’ll see the value of those efforts increase along with the results of your campaigns.
I’d love to know what metrics you’re using for your campaigns and where you’ve found success, so let me know.
And if you haven’t done so, sign up for our Strategic Thoughts newsletter, and check out some additional posts!
Here’s a look at some potential KPIs from the experts at Spin Sucks – What to Include in Your PR Metrics Dashboard
Let’s Get RADD
I’ve also been discussing how you can find success following the Coronavirus crisis through the RADD approach, which is Recognize, Adapt, Develop, and Deploy. Check out our previous posts to see how you can succeed with the RADD process:
– Get RADD And Plan For Success Following Coronavirus Crisis
– Prepare for Success and Get RADD, Part 1: Recognize
– Finding Success By Getting RADD, Part 2: Adapt
– Get RADD, Part 3: Develop Plans For Success
– Deploying Your RADD Communications Plan
Here are some recent posts to help as you create your Strategic Communications campaigns:
– Tips For Managing Unethical Communications Requests
– Internal Communications During A Crisis
– A Meaningful Message, Or Pandering Without Purpose
– Pitching Media Like The Pros
– Don’t Let Perfect Be The Enemy Of Effective
– Wake Up. Kick Ass. Repeat.
– How to Create Content That Engages Audiences and Builds Brand Trust Quickly
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