Measuring PR - a thorny issue that has been bugging the PR profession for years. This clip adds to the conversation.
What is clear is that what works for a consumer brand will not always work in the b2b world. And professional services firms add further complications.
Can PR activity be linked to a direct client or prospect action? Occasionally, yes. But a partner will often claim that it was something else - a chance meeting at a seminar or conference for example.
PRs in professional services firms must lay claim to and share their successes. Internal PR is vital.
Keep measures simple - are all teams engaging with your PR function or is it just those with the loudest voice. Is activity aligned to BD activity, perhaps targeting a specific client. If you can demonstrate this the battle is halfway won.
Align Business Goals With Communications. Providing a list of results is important, but it’s much more meaningful to tie results back to your key objectives. That means you have to start, obviously, with clear goals. What are you measuring and why? Too many PR teams “throw spaghetti at the wall” just to see what will stick. For example, thinking that any coverage is good coverage, or that any new follower is a good follower. But if the objective, for example, was to get a percent of audience to take a certain action through a news release or media article, just delivering a count of the news release pickup or articles is not enough. You’ve also got to tie back to that growth objective.
