Public relations is one of those industries that is difficult to define and sometimes even harder to understand. There are a significant number of tasks involved in public relations that make it difficult to pinpoint what it is.
The most succinct definition of PR is that it is a management function that executes a specific action plan that addresses the impact of an individual or organization on the public interest through its procedures and policies. Public relations also evaluates public attitudes.
The ways to do this are wide and varied. It could be as simple as writing and publishing a press release or something more complex and direct media relations. It could involve the strategic placement of articles. Public relations involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work, as well as public activities, such as community relations, crisis communications, public press conferences, and internal communications.
Because the tasks of a public relations team are so varied, it can sometimes be difficult to try to assess the effectiveness of a strategy. Where does one start? What should one focus on?
Over the years, the steps in analyzing the effectiveness of a public relations strategy have changed and been refined. It’s important to stay on top of the latest PR measurement techniques so that you can provide a clear report to your client on what you and your team are doing.
It is important to remember that public relations are measured on 3 levels:
1. Departures
2. Results
3. Business results
Outputs is the level of contact and response. Measurement often involves determining your impact on media channels. Frequency, visits, prominence, contact with readers, inquiries from journalists and the impact of the message are considerations of the results.
The best way to measure results is to assign a scoring system. Base it on the tone and scope of your target audience, as well as how well the message was delivered and whether it included an endorsement or recommendation.
Results is the term used to describe the levels of perception and behavior and deals mainly with knowledge, opinions and attitudes. When evaluating the results, the impact on the target groups is measured. This includes acknowledgment, awareness, recall, recommendations, and purchase intentions.
The best way of measuring results is to use existing material. If the company that hired you already has a follow-up survey, it’s okay to use it. Just add a couple of carefully thought-out questions to the survey to help determine if any of your public relations activities are impacting your audience’s chances. If a survey does not exist, there are resources available to create inexpensive surveys.
The commercial results refer to the added value that the public relations campaign had at the commercial level. This includes the impact of stock prices, revenue / turnover, and reputational value and market share.
The average company already has a department that measures how their sales are doing and what is potentially driving them. For PR measurement, it is possible to work with these same marketing analyzes and closely monitor any changes in the numbers before the PR strategy and during the campaign.