How Do You Measure Your Company's Public Relations Impact?

Many companies -- big and small -- view public relations the same way a person suffering from a head cold views the curative potential of a bowl of hot chicken soup.

Will it help? Who knows? But it can't hurt.

Executives remain unclear of their organizations' PR effectiveness because they don't engage tools to measure PR program impact on desired audiences. But they soldier on anyway because they consider "getting good PR" a desirable objective.

Typically, PR programs use press releases, media interviews, newsletters, seminars and a wide variety of other communications vehicles to deliver positive messages to key audiences via print, broadcast and digital media.

Measuring your PR program's effectiveness enables you to gauge return on investment and determine if your messages are reaching target audiences. You can save time and money by applying measurement information to refocus your PR campaigns as needed.

Measurement techniques usually start and -- unfortunately -- end after totaling "hits" such as how many column inches or broadcast minutes your story gained in the press, on radio and TV and across the Internet. You also want to know your exposure -- calculated by totaling all readers, viewers and listeners you've reached. You compare the cost of this total to the same exposure achieved through paid advertising.

Many companies stop the measurement process after totaling their media hits and calculating exposure. They fail to take this next very important step: An assessment of their PR program's impact on desired audiences. You can make such an assessment by applying a number of simple techniques.

PR program impact measurement tools you can use

• Perception surveys. By asking a cross section of individuals important to you to give you their perception of your organization and its services/products, you can benchmark awareness among key audiences. You'd repeat this exercise to update perception information after completing different PR campaigns.
• Opinion polls. Adroit pollsters use smart polling to determine subtle opinion and perception changes. They can go beneath people’s superficial opinions to detect not just what they’re feeling, but why.
• Focus groups. You can pull together a focus group relatively quickly to gather at least grass-roots opinions. Such groups do have limitations regarding their input. Be sure to use competent researchers who know how to recruit group members and can manage the group's discussion fairly and dispassionately.
• Media content analysis. The media's opinion won't necessarily track the same as public opinion. You should evaluate media and Internet coverage for content including message pickup, reach and frequency. Compare this information to your program objectives.
• Consultative audits. These audits are highly managed and targeted one-on-one conversations with key opinion leaders. Your aim is to determine how people important to you feel about your company and why they feel that way. The consultative audit is most effective when you're seeking input from highly expert but hard-to-reach individuals such as investment analysts, CEOs, members of editorial boards and government policy advisors.

All organizations want to make and save money, and that's what measuring PR can help you do. Measuring PR can increase your communications efficiency and your ability to reach the right people with the right messages. It can also help you build credibility and a positive reputation.

By measuring your PR impact, you can determine your public relations program's effectiveness and make sure the money you spend on PR is spent wisely.