Top Tips for developing a Measurement Framework

Increasingly, clients ask us to help them construct a bespoke measurement framework for their business. This is designed to show the impact of media coverage over time, using consistent and meaningful metrics. Many organisations have realised that it’s important to measure PR outcomes, but they need help to determine what specifically should be included and how to get the right data.

Here are our top tips for developing measurement frameworks that deliver actionable insights, rather than vanity metrics.

1. Build a set of metrics that quantify how communication activity moved the needle. This is not about measuring media outputs. Counting brand mentions or articles and assessing ‘sentiment’ in published content doesn’t tell you anything of value

2. Look for evidence of how communication affects the audience which engages with media content. What matters is having a tangible impact on levels of consumer attention and behaviour. This is what influences purchase consideration, amplifies the impact of paid marketing activities or persuades consumers to stay loyal in a crisis

3. The best metrics are directly related to desired organisational outcomes. They use the language and KPIs that business leaders use in the boardroom, where success is measured in numeric terms. Speaking the language of business will elevate the PR function within the organisation

4. Select metrics that can be consistently applied across campaigns, to allow direct, like-for-like comparison. Measuring whatever you happen to have data for might not put results into context to reveal long-term progress

5. Effective measurement means quantifying things, instead of providing qualitative or implied evidence. A robust measurement framework will make use of solid statistical techniques that offer real proof of a valid relationship between earned media coverage and independent data sets (including Google search, sales revenue, share price and the results of other marketing activities)

6. ‘Reputation and awareness’ are often quoted as the primary objectives of media coverage. Organisations care about this because it has a strong impact on brand, which in turn affects commercial outcomes and organisational success. Instead of assuming that positive media coverage = positive reputation, verify the relationship between media coverage and brand tracking results

7. Adopt metrics that invite the ‘so what?’ question. There’s little point in measuring what you can’t do something about. The framework is an opportunity to interrogate data, extract actionable insights and find levers that can be pulled to increase effectiveness

8. Get your PR agency onside and – if they provide campaign metrics – insist on receiving data that fits the framework, instead of analysis of what’s been ‘delivered’. Not all coverage is equally impactful – identify what’s really working and challenge the media relations team to maximise it

9. Where the measurement framework can provide data for input to market mix modelling within the organisation, it becomes even more powerful. This is where PR teams can finally demonstrate the important contribution they make to business results

10. Lastly, don’t let anyone tell you that PR outcomes cannot be quantified. It might not always be easy, but it is worth the effort to think constructively about achievements. This will lend PR the same credibility as other elements the marketing mix, where regular and reliable data about performance is taken for granted.

If you’d like to know more about developing a Measurement Framework for your organisation, then contact us to arrange an initial chat. Get in touch via hello@metricomm.com or by using the form below, and we’ll get straight back to you!