PR is not something exact that you can measure with mathematical value and it will never be so. Yet there are certain factors that you can use for measuring the results. These Key performance indicators, also known as KPIs are incredibly important and shall also reflect the marketing mission as well as the business of the brand.
For example, do you want to know the specific value of proposition or offering that the brain aims to have?
If the press of any brand is less than standard, then the stories need to be pushed down even more. In that case, the main goal of the brand is to make sure that they are securing good placements and high rank on the media outlets. And for that to happen, SEO impact measurement is mandatory. Even though there is no thumb rule to measure the PR success accurately, here are some points to evaluate them.
1. Media Impression
This term is rendered as the calculation of the total audience that the PR has been able to reach. It is a conventional method of calculation and will give an idea as to how many people saw the ad.
While the system is in practice, the PR team will set a specific benchmark for the number of impacts it has been able to reach. The team will work in collaboration to reach that mark or even surpass it.
Advantages:
The number of unique visitors per month, also known as the UVPM is the monthly readership or viewership and it will determine the potential reach of the media. The team can also evaluate the number of people who saw it and reacted to it.
Disadvantages:
Even though this system is easy to access, yet the outlet reach does not translate to the actual number of views. This specific segment gives an idea of every potential audience out of the outlet.
2. Key Message Inclusion
The main motto of the key messages is to focus on the placement of the content rather than the hierarchy of the outlets that it shows upon. Let us take an example of a car brand that wants to send a specific message to its audience. The PR media should make sure that the placement of ads includes the message.
It is a very crucial step when the message is central to the value enhancement of the brand. The results will be different from the key included message, so the placement needs to be appropriate.
Advantages:
Measuring the number of key messages contained in media placements, or the proportion of articles that incorporate these key messages is a good way to see if these differentiators and value propositions are being promoted consistently.
Disadvantages:
As a stand-alone indicator, this KPI is useless because it ignores the overall emotion and content of the placement. For example, a brand and it’s main messaging could be mentioned in an article about a less-than-ideal topic, or within a broader profile about a competitor, and that mention would still be counted as a positive data point.
If you want to track the overall sentiment of the ad placement, then one should be considerate about the context and the relevance of the same.
3. Target Media Secured
Most PR professionals have to create a list that ranges between the top 50 publications so that they can reach the target audience of the client brand. They work together to include the placemats among the best of the lot. Now, this process has some pros and cons as well.
Advantages:
If the publications are specific, so will be the placement alignment. It will be way easier for the brand and the PR team to reach the target audience and grab that extra edge with accuracy.
Disadvantages:
There can be a problem with creating a list that is too narrow. That in turn will tempt the brands to confine themselves to the topmost national publications in an exclusive manner. They do it so that their brand awareness is major and numerous investors are waiting to fund them.
4. Share Of Voice Amidst Competition
SOV or share of voice is one of the most crucial KIP among the growth yearning CEOs out there. It will measure how much online chatter is happening about a brand and then there is a competition with the rival companies who are trying to pick up the popularity.
Advantages:
SOV gives a clear portrayal of the brand standards in terms of how much it has been able to influence its competitors. It is a very efficient metric for all the brands that are often overlooked by the top-notch media and is, therefore, a less covered topic in the articles. A good SOV percentage can help you understand whether your PR efforts are up to the mark and whether they are creating the impact that your brand needs.
Disadvantages:
SOV is a reliable measurement tool when comparing brands or thought leaders with competitors of a similar echelon (and with comparable levels of funding), but its value becomes utterly negligible when comparing a small brand’s progress against a household name with a decades-long history and a multi-billion-dollar marketing department.
5. Increase In Web Traffic And Sales Leads
If you think of long-term goals, media coverage will boost the credibility of the brand and spread awareness. It will be the perfect lead generation tool and will do well if you collaborate with other efforts of marketing. If you hire a professional PR firm or individual, to generate leads, then conversion metrics should not be your sole focus.
Advantages:
Website traffic will give you a clear indication of which of the elements are generating maximum leads. Therefore your PR team can prioritize the kinds of placements that are most effective.
Disadvantages:
Because an item exists online indefinitely and may continue to generate website traffic for months or years, this is not always an appropriate evaluation of influence. Also, most consumers don’t read an article or watch a television show and then buy anything right afterward. In actuality, media placement will be just one of the eight touchpoints needed to turn attention into purchases.
Website conversions should be utilized with caution because they do not convey a PR campaign’s long-term influence.
6. Increased SEO
Media relations can prove to be an amazing addition if a brand thinks of boosting its SEO. It will enhance online visibility and many of the top-ranking brands have high-ranking sites. When you are capable enough to earn a good media placement, they can make a better impact on SEO.
But even for that, you have to work with a professional SEO team.
Advantages:
This measuring factor is important especially if the brand has negative or no past coverage. Even if there are unwanted mentions, it will not be a problem with good SEO.
Disadvantages:
Unfortunately, most of the publications do not offer backlinks because they want to be neutral. Also, most of the brands mentioned should be interlinked so that there can be a fair comparison between individual placements and traffic conversions.
7. Social Media Engagement And Shares
Likes, shares, and comments on an article can be captured using social media impressions, just like any other post. This interaction can be used to determine how many people read a brand-related article and whether it resonated with them.
Advantages:
A viral piece can serve as a shining example of the success of a well-crafted media pitch that targets the right demographics. Brands want to be seen as relevant and intriguing by their followers on social media, and the correct media placement can assist.
Disadvantages:
Even placement in one of the most well-known news outlets does not guarantee that your story will go viral. Not everyone who enjoys an article also shares it on social media, especially in today’s world of fragmented media sources. Many platforms’ engagement is also declining.
Furthermore, not everyone who shares a piece will always have a favorable attitude, which can unintentionally promote a bad perception.
While social media continues to play an important part in brand influence, the media industry is crowded, and the criteria that contribute to a viral tweet are more complicated than whether or not an article is entertaining or influential.
If you want to create viral posts, you might want to run a separate digital marketing campaign in addition to your PR efforts.
8. Awareness Of Improved Brand
To use brand awareness as a KPI, a company should conduct surveys at the start of the campaign to see where its target audience is in terms of awareness and sentiment.
A PR team can use this information to create a target measure, such as growing brand awareness by 5% per quarter. Each quarter, additional surveys will be necessary to evaluate whether the standard has been met, as well as to use any updated findings to guide future benchmarks.
Advantages:
Measuring increased brand awareness or positive brand sentiment through market research is likely one of the most dependable, comprehensive, and detailed KPIs to utilise when determining how a PR campaign is positively affecting a brand.
Disadvantages:
Cons: This is also one of the most expensive and time-consuming methods. As a result, smaller brands or startups may rely on different indicators to assess their performance. Furthermore, it is difficult to determine if PR or marketing initiatives (assuming they are coordinated) are having the greatest positive influence.
Measuring the impact of PR on brand sentiment early in a brand’s life cycle may be an unfeasible choice due to the financial expenditure necessary. If such tools aren’t available, a qualified public relations professional can use a combination of other indicators to assess outcomes.
9. Final Note
The genuine outcomes of PR, at the end of the day, are revealed in those delicate moments… when an investor notes seeing your name in famous journals, or when a potential client recalls your contribution to their favorite industry newsletter. That’s when the magic shines through.
PR is frequently a slow burn at initiation, but it can quickly turn into ablaze. You may watch the needle creep toward an eruption of success for your brand if you use the appropriate combination of analytics.
