There are a number of factors that determine if a company is able to declare “mission accomplished” for its public relations program. Here are some questions to consider:
- Was the initiative well-thought-out from the beginning?
- Were the objectives realistic?
- Was the execution good?
- Was the budget sufficient?
All of this falls under the rubric of setting expectations. That’s where so many programs get derailed at the outset. Company leaders and PR staff fail to get on the same page coming out of the gate. If you want a smooth landing, there has to be agreement on expectations before takeoff. Otherwise, you have created a recipe for revisionist history when it’s time to look at results.
Set the right expectations
Lay out your expectations in a clear way. Listen to the reaction of your PR person. Can your expectations be met? What adjustments need to be made to align them with reality? Do the two of you agree on what will constitute success?
Those are the key questions that should always be answered at the outset. In many respects, what you agree on is less important than the fact that you agree.
Reasons to invest in PR
Think about the following four reasons as the basis for both setting expectations and measuring results. At the beginning, do you think you can accomplish all four? And, at the end of the project, were you able to meet that expectation?
- To inform.
- To earn credibility.
- To persuade.
- To inspire behavior.
What’s the real ROI for PR?
Determining the real ROI for PR may involve looking at quantitative results, but PR success is about a lot more than the number of clicks on a website or counting noses at an event. Did the people who clicked take the action you desired? Were the attendees at the event the right people? Those are largely qualitative judgments and they are every bit as important as what you can measure precisely.
Metrics can be assigned to many results, but the conversation those metrics generate is a lot more subjective (and perhaps a lot more meaningful) than simply relying on analytics. Did your target audience exhibit the desired behaviors? That’s the key question in search of an answer.
When relationships are growing and it’s clear the stakeholders trust your company, you know your investment in PR is paying off. That’s the true measure of public relations effectiveness.
Davis Young is principal at DY Author & Speaker LLC. Contact him at [email protected]
