How to use and understand the 3 levels of PR measurement

Public relations is one of those industries that is hard to define and sometimes even harder to understand. There is a significant amount of tasks involved in public relations that makes it difficult to pinpoint precisely what it is.

The most succinct definition of public relations is that it is a management function that executes a specific plan of action that addresses the impact of an individual or organization on the public interest through its procedures and policies. PR also assesses public attitudes.

The ways to do it are wide and varied. It could be as simple as writing and publishing a press release or something more complex and direct media relations. It could involve the strategic placement of items. Public relations involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work as well as public activity such as community relations, crisis communications, public press conferences, and internal communications.

Because the tasks of a public relations team are so varied, trying to assess the effectiveness of a strategy can sometimes be difficult. Where does one start? What should one focus on?

Over the years, the steps for analyzing the effectiveness of a public relations strategy have changed and been refined. It’s important to stay on top of the latest PR measurement techniques so you can provide a clear report to your client on what you and your team are doing.

It is important to remember that PR is measured at 3 levels:

1.Departures

2. Results

3. Business results

Outputs is the level of contact and response. Measurement often involves determining your impact across media channels. Frequency, views, prominence, contact with readers, inquiries from journalists, and impact of the message are all considerations of the results.

The best way to measure results is to assign a scoring system. Base it on the tone and reach of your target audience, as well as how well the message was delivered and whether it included an endorsement or recommendation.

Outcomes is the term used to describe levels of perception and behavior and deals primarily with knowledge, opinions and attitudes. By evaluating the results, the impact on the target groups is measured. This includes awareness, awareness, recall, recommendations, and purchase intentions.

The best way to measure results is to use existing material. If the company that hired you already has a follow-up survey, it’s okay to use it. Simply add a couple of carefully thought out questions to the survey to help determine if any of the PR activities are hurting your audience chances. If a survey doesn’t exist, there are resources available to create low-cost surveys.

The commercial results refer to the added value that the public relations campaign had at the commercial level. This includes the impact on stock prices, revenue/turnover, and reputation value and market share.

The average company already has a department that measures how their sales are doing and what is potentially driving their sales. For PR measurement, it is possible to work with these same marketing analytics and closely monitor any changes in the numbers before the PR strategy and during the campaign.