Over the past few weeks, we’ve given you sneak peeks into two of the topics we’ll be exploring at Zignal Summit 2019 – brand awareness and corporate social responsibility. In this Summit Sneak Peek, learn more about another theme that will be guiding the event – PR measurement.

PR measurement—and the anxiety around it—isn’t a new concept. It’s long been a challenge for PR professionals to figure out the best way to measure and demonstrate the impact and value they have worked so hard to create.

Even with thousands of articles and thought-pieces on the topic just a quick web search away, PR professionals still find themselves asking questions like:

    • “How do I connect the dots between PR and my brand’s reputation and business outcomes?”
    • “When so much of what I do is intangible and qualitative, how do I prove the value of my work to my company’s C-Suite in the way they want – contextual numbers?”
    • “What exactly is the right way to measure PR?”

Changing For Good

The good news? There is no one right way to measure PR—and finding the strategy that is best for you is easier than ever.

In the past, PR measurement often involved unclear and inefficient methods like calculating AVEs (Advertising Value Equivalencies) or inflating impressions and other vanity metrics. Oftentimes, with no firm guidelines or proven methods in place, PR measurement didn’t happen at all.

Now, the advent of modern, data-driven tools has opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Need to demonstrate how your latest campaign with a micro-influencer on Instagram impacted company sales? Definitely doable. Want to determine the sentiment around your company’s CEO after her appearance on that hot new business podcast? Achievable. Advanced media monitoring, social listening and analytics tools have taken the guesswork out of the quantitative side of PR measurement and analysis.

Quality and Quantity

While these modern tools are helpful, it’s also important to remember that the qualitative side of PR measurement still matters. Tools and automation are incredibly helpful in helping us analyze more data more quickly than ever, but the power of storytelling and contextual interpretation by savvy PR professionals is critical to developing an accurate and sustainable measurement strategy.

With so much to consider, here are a few best practices for modern qualitative and quantitative PR measurement:

  1. Be clear about your goals. Know how they connect to the business outcome your C-Suite will be monitoring.
  2. Know the steps you’ll take to achieve these goals. Determine how you’ll use data and tools to track progress and tweak campaigns that aren’t working.
  3. Determine the mix of metrics that is right for your brand. Analyze a mix of short-term, long-term, qualitative and quantitative data.
  4. Measure your brand and your competitors. To get the most value out of your PR strategy, you need to know what the competition is up to.
  5. Tie your results into the company’s bottom line. Utilize advanced media monitoring and analytics tools like Zignal Enterprise to help correlate the results you drove with the company’s success, a sure-fire way to prove value.

Join Us at Zignal Summit 2019

Want an even deeper dive into best practices for PR measurement? Join us for Zignal Summit 2019, where PR experts at the forefront of the field will discuss the most cutting-edge techniques for breaking through the noise, finding a measurement strategy that works for you and how PR professionals can stay on top of an ever-evolving industry.

If you haven’t registered yet but would like to join us for Zignal Summit 2019, taking place April 25th in San Francisco, please register here. To see more details about Zignal Summit 2019, including the agenda and full list of speakers, please visit the event page.