What’s stopping you doing measurement?

According to the 2019 PRCA Census, 26 per cent of PR practitioners don’t do any kind of measurement. That’s one in four of us – a staggering statistic in an age in which we can measure everything, from how many steps we take each day to the number of likes on our latest Facebook post.

Yet when it comes to the business impact of our own work, it seems our industry is still reluctant to look under the bonnet.

Why? While there’s no doubt that measurement is a complex topic, I think there are some misunderstandings that are getting in the way.

Here’s my take on three of the most common myths about measurement.

1. It’s just too hard

I have some sympathy here because yes, measurement is complex and if you’re starting with a blank canvas it can feel daunting. Unlike advertising or digital marketing, PR is a nuanced discipline that’s more about building reputation and trust than generating sales – and that’s hard to measure. But plenty of people have been there before you so you don’t need to start from scratch – there’s a huge amount of help and advice available.   The AMEC website is your best starting point – its integrated evaluation framework is an easy-to-use online tool that takes you step by step through the process. And keep reading this Measurement Month blog series for inspiration and practical tips from agency practitioners – or go to one of the many free measurement month events.

2. You need big budgets to do measurement properly

I think the money objection is the single biggest barrier to why PR people don’t embrace measurement. Those working in smaller agencies or in-house teams, or individual freelancers, feel it’s simply out of their reach. It’s not, you just need to cut your cloth accordingly – and in my view doing something, however modest, is always better than doing nothing. If you have no budget, think about the free data sources you can use – from Google Analytics to social media platform metrics. Create a simple spreadsheet to track progress against key objectives and see how the data helps you to show that. You’ll be surprised at what you can achieve. And if you do have money to spend, make sure you spend it wisely. Take some time to research the right paid-for tools or agencies that can support you – and make sure their reporting is absolutely aligned with your communications goals.

3. Clients aren’t interested in reports, they just want us to do our job

Measurement isn’t about generating reports for the sake of it – it’s about demonstrating value. Clients don’t want us to just do ‘stuff’, to create column inches, to fill online space – they want us to make a difference to their organisation. And if you can’t demonstrate that then how can you show you’ve done your job? It’s true that not every client is sophisticated enough to set a business goal for communications work. However, I believe it’s up to us to gently push them with questions so that together we agree what success looks like. In my agency, we started off producing dashboard-style reports for clients because we felt it was the right thing to do. Now our clients anticipate them, and they are shared extensively – often at board level. It’s helped us to grow budgets and influence – and it’s been good for our team, who can now celebrate delivering success.

Author: Libby Howard, CEO, Intelligent Conversation