Evaluating Public Relations (part 3 of 3)
MEDIA MEASUREMENT ISSUES:
When using media placement, coverage and utilization as a measurement for either output or outcome objectives there are key elements that must be tracked and acknowledged.
In regards to using Ad Value or Gross Rating Points, professionals should only use this measure to evaluate share of impressions and share of discussion as compared to competitors/peers in market.
Editorial coverage is proven to more directly correlate and influence with public opinion. Therefore should carry more weight than Ad Value or GRP.
When using media measures, quantity vs. quality plays a significant role in tracking perception and action shifts.
Quantitative media measures are documenting:
- Column inches
- Impressions/Frequency
- Focus on target demographic
These measures indicate share of discussion and can support objectives intended to reach specific targets.
Qualitative media measures are ranking:
- Positive/Negative Tone
- Placement
- Use of Message
- Trend Analysis
- Tiered media values
These measures indicate perceived value and should correlate with community/target perception and not corporate values.
Evaluating Public Relations (part 2 of 3)
USING OUTPUT VS. OUTCOME:
Output objectives can be used as interim benchmarks or “bookmarks” to support outcome-based measures. Output measures are grounded in whether or not the task/tactic was accomplished utilizing the tools of budget, material quality, timeliness, effective use of media relationships and evaluating whether opportunities were missed. Successful implementation of these objectives will help to prove the effectiveness of the PR professional’s operations.
Outcome objectives are used with an established benchmark. Benchmarks can be established w/available data, using available mechanisms to generate data through statistics and Before & After studies are often very useful. Outcome objectives utilize tactics with specific calls to action. Successful implementation of these objectives will demonstrate tangible results that can most likely be tracked statistically.
Evaluating Public Relations (part 1 of 3)
Throughout my career, I’ve gathered a great deal of information from various sources about how to establish goals and set objectives. It feeds my need to have my work in all areas really mean something. So I think this is a great launching point for a discussion on how to evaluate public relations efforts. Having a map comes in handy when you’re taking any journey.
MEASUREMENT GOALS:
- Measure strategically for tangible results that prove impact
- Measure in financial terms the impact of efforts on:
1. Reputation,
2. Bottom line and
3. Ability to conduct business
ESTABLISHING MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES:
Acknowledging the difference in Output and Outcome-based objectives is critical for successful objective implementation. Output objectives are essentially to-do list objectives based on getting the job done and media placement. Outcome objectives are based more in strategic tactics used to achieve desired results. Outcome objectives can be broken down further into attitudinal and behavior objectives, which are measured differently.
In order to be measurable, all objectives must have:
1. Defined audience focus
2. Defined measurement tactic
3. Time component
4. Acknowledged achievability
For evaluation and tracking, objectives should be classified in one of six categories:
1. Reputation/Awareness
2. Sales/Action
3. Recall Awareness/Decision Support
4. Recruiting/Retention
5. Investment Perception
6. Persuasion/Issue Management
Try a Random Idea
It’s been a while since I cracked open the old Creative Whack Pack. It’s a great tool to inspire your thinking whether you’re working on a new article for your newsletter or brainstorming a new marketing idea. Today’s draw of the cards led me to “Try A Random Idea”. The challenge was to open any book at random, put your finger down on a word and consider how that word relates to what you’re doing. What random ideas can you try?
I think this is a great way to shake out the cobwebs when it comes to communicating, especially if you find yourself in a bit of a communications rut. I know that it is so easy to fall into doing the same old thing whether it’s corresponding with your customers, writing the company newsletter or even blogging. The idea of choosing a random word can really work - even if you do what I did, and land on the word “the”.
At first I was tempted to flip pages and do this again, until I found a better, more stimulating word. But that wouldn’t be really exercising my brain and my creative muscle now would it? Think about “the“. How can you incorporate that into what you’re communicating about your company, cause or self? For me, it made me start listing out ways I can focus on being “THE” PR Chick in my professional community. What are some simple steps that would propel me into top-of-mind awareness in my field? Got ‘em. Okay, next. What about my clients? “THE” All About You Recovery Salon. What will it take to position them as “THE” place to go when you’ve got cancer recovery needs. It brought me back to thinking about their brand flywheel we developed and focusing on the personality traits that make this team amazing.
And of course, I love etymologies, the roots of words and their evolutionary development. So I hopped over to webster.com to check out “the” and lo and behold, you’ve got to scroll down the page to get everything on this seemingly simple word. So that got me thinking about the breadth and depth of the projects I have on hand. This simple word has now encouraged me to take a step back from each project I have on my plate and consider whether or not the work I have planned really communicates the diversity, uniqueness and intrinsic value associated with each client, product and project.
The power of “the”- a Random Idea that has really stirred up my creative juices.
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Vibrant Resource: It isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last, that I highly recommend Roger vonOech’s “Creative Whack Pack” or just about anything from Creative Think.
Vibrant Challenge: Try this exercise today. Then mark your calendar or set a reminder for 30 days from now. Do it again and see how it helps. Let me know how it works out for you!
Customer Care… or don’t
You know, 6 years ago I saw this crusty old magnet on my husband’s bachelor pad refrigerator and had a chuckle over it. At the time he and friends were on the front lines in an incredibly high-volume call center in a high-tension industry. The quote on this magnet, “If we don’t take care of the customer, maybe they’ll stop bugging us,” was probably just a macabre daydream at the time, because in all actuality, he cared a great deal about his job. So much so, that now, he’s in management fighting the good fight against representative apathy and burn out.
Seeing this picture again did get me thinking. Are the cobwebs and dust gathering on your end of the phone line? By that, I mean, are you picking up the line to ring the client? What is your customer care strategy?
Note here that I used two distinct words. Not “service”, but rather “care“. And not your “philosophy”, but rather your “strategy“. Because when it gets right down to it, it’s not what you think you do for and communicate to your clients - it’s what you actually say and do. Right down to the way you greet them on the phone, to your voice mail, to your voice mail return time, to your follow up plan, to your regularly scheduled communications strategy….
Wait, you say you don’t have a regularly scheduled communications strategy with your clients? Ahhhem. Dear reader, dear reader you must. You simply must! And yes, I do know it’s easy to slip off the communications bandwagon. I’ll admit it, I’ve let follow-up calls or check-in calls slip by me, I am human and so are you. So let’s make a plan.
Whether you choose a formal means of communicating regularly with leads, colleagues, clients and former clients such as newsletters or e-campaigns or you choose to pick up the phone every Thursday morning for an hour and make a round of hello calls- you need to choose something. I cannot emphasize enough that whatever you choose should fit the personality of your company or yourself. When it comes to frequency, that’s where we stop thinking of ourselves and start thinking of our customers. How often can we stay in touch without being annoying? I recommend you consider the depth and breadth of your service to said person or company to help you make that decision.
Should you choose a more formal means of communication, please be sure you tap in to the most talent you have on hand. If that’s calling your favorite PR Chick to get you started with email templates or writing guidelines and key words so be it. Make sure that whomever is in charge of your regularly scheduled communication pieces internally has the ability to communicate in “The Voice” of your company, has a good eye for editing and has the ability to identify when they’ve reached the limits of their capabilities and/or work load. There is nothing worse than getting any newsletter (e or otherwise) that is so slapped together you wonder whether someone’s child did it for extra-credit.
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Vibrant Resource: Constant Contact continues to be a very cost-effective way to introduce yourself and your business into the e-mail newsletter arena. It is also a great tool for other marketing strategies. While there are certainly more robust platforms for e-marketing, I recommend Constant Contact as a great starting point.
Vibrant Challenge: I challenge you to do an apathy check on yourself and your team when it comes to truly caring about your relationship with your customers. Are you communicating not only that you appreciate and care about their business, but also communicate the benefits of your continued partnership? Do the self-check. Analyze your results. Create strategies to improve or enhance.
Weekend Posting
So today I had the opportunity to speak to a group of professionals and entrepreneurs at Dr. Rorree Tillman’s SOULutions workshop. It’s always inspiring to see people committed to growing their business and as professionals. Let’s face it, not a lot of people would give up half a beautiful Saturday for continuing education.
Kudos to those who attended and thanks again for the opportunity to share my passion, creating a living brand. I’m currently developing a webinar that you’ll hear more about soon on that very topic.
I’ve written here before about the power of integration and consistency. But you’ll be hearing more from me this month on brand self-awareness, and how public relations tools can help you communicate based on your self-awareness.
Stay tuned dear readers.
Soapbox Time- target markets
Many businesses today focus intently on developing business plans, acquiring start-up monies, creating product, hiring staff and minding their bottom line intently – as they should. However, one of the pitfalls for businesses small and large is using standard, cookie-cutter promotion and advertising tactics that often yield nothing more than a debit in the bank account.
Business owners and entrepreneurs should recognize that just “running an ad” may not yield the results they desire, and in many markets won’t be the best use of hard earned (or borrowed) money. Even if you produce, sell or distribute a “universal” product, blanket marketing and advertising can cost a pretty penny. The key to choosing the right promotion strategy for your business is defining your target audience.
Often marketers ask customers the question “Who needs your product?” And the answer is typically “women” or “men”. That is not a target audience. I swear if I hear one more MLM energy company representative say “Everyone needs what I’ve got…” I might just scream. Okay, so that’s a little dramatic, but really now can we just think before we open our mouths?
Clearly defined targets include demographic, geographic and even psychographic indicators. These are the basics people.
Take the time to consider these questions to help you create a profile that can define your target clearly:
• Who wants this product/service? (age, gender, race)
• Where do these people live? (work, recreation, education)
• What motivates this person to buy? (income levels, cost, discounts)
• What type of life does this person lead? (busy, tech savvy, children)
• What benefit does this product/service offer this person?
One of my dear friends and clients actually breaks this down really well in a new book that will be coming out soon. Sarah Zink gets it. And she’s even got a workbook (I helped with the design) that can help those challenged in targeting. It’s the best $7.50 you can spend if you struggle with this topic.
Using the answers to these questions above and others like them creates a profile that shows you a target, outlines the type of message they need and even where they should hear or see it. Now you can choose the right tool to communicate with your desired customer. Perhaps it is an ad in the local paper, or perhaps it’s a promotion at a local event, or a direct mail postcard and promotion to certain zip codes. Whatever tactic you choose, you’ll be making an informed, targeted choice about where to spend your time and resources to communicate with the person most likely to become your customer.
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Vibrant Resource: Sarah Zink Business Training can whip anybody into target marketing shape. Seriously.
Vibrant Challenge: See if you can write down in one sentence who your primary target market is. Okay…I’ll give you two sentences.
Plan for Charities
Picture this, the phone rings at home and it’s a neighbor. They congratulate you on starting your new business and want to give you the opportunity for some great exposure. Sounds great – all you need to do is underwrite the cost for the uniforms for a youth baseball team. They’ll put your name on the jersey’s and everything. It’s just $850.
Now if you’re opening a local service-based business, exposure to parents, officials, and fans could be just what you’re looking for. And supporting kiddos is always a good thing, right? Sure it is, and community-based giving is important when it comes to being a good business citizen. Even large companies have taken the expensive ride down this slippery slope. Organizers are often more than willing to mention your name, print it on the t-shirt or some other low-cost added value.
Having a charitable giving plan, or even a charity of choice, can keep entrepreneurs and small businesses on solid ground when it comes to community citizenship. For example, the Vibrant Charity of Choice is the American Cancer Society, but I also offer a 20% discount for local 501c3 certified organizations. Here are some ideas to consider for charitable giving:
• Select a charity that really means something to you and your employees. When you’re passionate about why you’re involved with a charity, others are more understanding if you decline their proposals.
• Align your activities with a charity with your business goals: choose one that serves your primary service area and reaches one of your target audiences.
• Ask for what you need when it comes to added value. Ask if you can send coupons to organization members, ask to speak briefly at the event, put a link on the organizations website to your business site.
• Establish an application for funding that allows you to capture information from applicants. You could also establish a policy of discounted services for charities rather than monetary donations. Generic Sponsorship Application
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Vibrant Resource: The Business Case for Corporate Citizenship
Vibrant Challenge: Schedule some time to think about your charitable giving policy. Take into consideration what you and/or your company is passionate about. If that means surveying your employees so you have complete buy-in for future activities then do it. Then establish your policy and stick to it. If you’re having a hard time choosing the right charity, check out the Charity Navigator.
Promo Items -
Pens. Note pads. Magnets. Letter openers. They’re everywhere. These items may seem like start-up staples for small businesses to help promote your business – and sometimes they are. The thing to avoid for any businesses is spending time and resources (creative and financial) on projects that don’t yield results.
Choosing the right promotional item is important because it is reflective not only of your brand, but also of how useful your company is. Sure everyone in business needs a letter opener, but is that how they’re going to choose a printer? An accountant? A dry-cleaner? Remember, everything you do in marketing or promotions should help tell your story!
When you’re ready to choose promotional items for your business, stop and take inventory of your strategies and tactics for generating new business. How will this item play into your overall sales or marketing strategies? Should you spend $.35 per plastic click pen to hand out to the masses at a local event, or should you spend $2 per pen on something a little nicer to leave behind after a sales call or visit? Do you want something that has desk-life to reinforce brand awareness or do you want an item that goes for the Wow-Factor?
Going for the Wow-Factor with kooky novelty items may grab attention at a convention, but may not be reflective of the professional brand you’re trying to establish for your company. Vice versa if you’re business is built on fun, choose something that’s interactive and unique rather than a boring office tool. A good promotion company should be able to help you choose the best item as long as you are clear with them about your company’s image, budget and the goals you want to achieve.
Most importantly, spend your money wisely. When you’re starting up or on a tight budget here are some things to remember:
• Don’t invest in branding disposable items.
• Have a distribution plan for every item you order.
• Buy in bulk for discounts only if the item has value and shelf-life.
• Avoid trinkets and invest in items that build your image. Remember - you get what you pay for.
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Vibrant Resources: My preferred vendor for apparel and promotion items is Gerry Fine. Love the quality control, insight, experience and creativity at Gfinelogo.
Vibrant Challenge: It’s time to get real with yourself. Are your promotional items too cheesy? Have you calculated your ROI?
Holy Cannoli Batman!
I have readers! You are out there. According to my web analytics there are actually about 45 live human beings that have tapped into the Vibrant Blog. Woohoo!
Okay, so sure, there are blogs out there that generate thousands of readers, but we’ll get there. Going through the data I was sincerely surprised to see some unique referral patterns and sites. It got me thinking…I sure wish you could track traditional communication methods the way you can a website.
To my fellow PR chicks and fellas…just imagine it. Being able to guarantee that 85% of your target audience actually read the message you so artfully and patiently crafted. In fact, they spent an average of 2.76 minutes reading your letter and then forwarded it to another member of your target audience. (insert dramatic sigh)
But let’s face it, that’s why the digital realm is so freakin’ attractive. You can track email newsletters, website visitors, promotional code deployment and so much more. Of course, with the thrill of instantaneous data comes the responsibility of cautious reporting.
You have got to be smart when communicating the results you track in the digital age. I can’t stress enough how important it is to set those goals ahead of time and agree upon them with the entire team that’s engaged in a project. I mean, I could be totally thrilled that one day I had 65 unique visitors to a special feature or offer on my website. But if those visitors happened to be generated from Kuwait because of a fluke search engine query, how thrilled should I be?
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Vibrant Resource: Web Analytics Association - These people know their stuff. They have a well-archived repository of webinars, articles and interviews. All written in (fairly) layman terms. Yeah!
Vibrant Challenge: Think about your website. No, really think about it. What is it out there for? What are you trying to communicate? What are you trying to do? Create at least one measurable objective for your site. Remember, objectives must contain clearly stated goals, include a time frame and a method for evaluation.