For Public Relations professionals, measuring success of each PR campaign using metrics is a key focus of their overall activities.
Here at five ways they achieve that using PR metrics.
1. Press Clippings: This serves as good means to measure overall success of PR campaigns with metrics. However, the publications should be those viewed by your target groups. When your PR campaign materials get positive and substantial amount of publications on your targeted media platforms it implies your PR campaign is raising much needed awareness - and on track to achieving set objectives.
2. Media Impressions: This is yet another means to measure impact of PR campaigns. This form of metrics works by calculating the amount of media impressions generated over a stipulated period. Public Relations professionals ascertain this by multiplying the figure of press clippings garnered by total circulation strength of the publication. For instance, if publication "x" with a circulation strength of three million mentioned your organization, it's safe to say you garnered a total of three million media impressions.
3. Content Analysis: Besides the amount of stories and media impressions generated it's important, Public Relations professionals measure the content of each publication. Things to look out for in the course of using such metrics for analysis include:
I: Is your organization being portrayed in positive light in published articles.
II: Are key messages being mentioned in the stories.
4. Web Traffic: Another veritable means of measuring success of PR campaigns with metrics is by analysing the amount of traffic your website generates before and after a public relations campaign.
5: Social Media Mentions: This is yet another form of metrics for measuring success of PR campaigns. Such measurements using social media mentions should lay emphasis on conversations about your brand or organizations before and after a campaign. If social media conversations and mentions around your brand or organization increase after kick starting a campaign in a positive light, then it implies your campaign is gaining traction.