If you work in marketing then the chances are that at one point in your career you will have come across a public relations campaign. If you are the one who is reporting back on its success / failure then what do you need to look out for. If you work in marketing then the chances are that at one point in your career you will have come across a public relations campaign. If you are the one who is reporting back on its success / failure then what do you need to look out for? Read on the find out some of the points to put in your report.

The results of a public relations campaign can be measured using a variety of different types of metrics. Depending on the clarity of the objectives and the needs of the company, measuring the outcome of a PR campaign to determine the level of success is possible.

A successful campaign can be measured in any number of ways. The metrics used depends entirely on the specific company’s reporting needs. Some companies focus exclusively on one area such as media coverage while others focus primarily on website traffic or sales figures. Regardless of the type of metrics being used, the focus of the PR campaign is usually about building an audience and building trust. 

Some companies do measure the success of a PR campaign by evaluating the level of response or traffic to a website generated by the campaign. They often do this in order to track the return on investment in resources utilized to implement the campaign. One formula used consists of taking the entire dollar value of a page in a publication and using the cost per inch calculation method. Analytics tools can also be used to measure the success of the advertising campaign. Some of the tools offer advanced analytics which help break down the actual demographics of visitors to the site. 

It is difficult to measure the overall success, this is because the response to an advertisement or article could be delayed or the messaging could take time to reach the viewer. Indirect referrals also create challenges in measuring the success of a PR campaign. Referrals shared between family members or friends are often difficult to track. Perception is also another difficult thing to measure although being featured in a television spot or news segment can establish a person as an expert. 

Using clearly defined objectives for any PR campaign makes it that much easier to measure results and outcomes. Understanding that the response to the media is relatively cumulative in nature will help you evaluate the momentum and results of any campaign. Giving the campaign time to build momentum before measuring results is recommended.