Communications and PR Metrics Execs Want To See

Anyone who’s worked on a product launch or re-branding project knows the time and effort that goes into the big reveal, but the work doesn’t stop there. After the news hits, content is produced and campaigns are out the door is when the fun begins

From social media on-site analytics to third party data aggregators, we as marketers and communicators have so much data at our fingertips that it can sometimes seem overwhelming. Knowing what other stakeholders want to know in advance is the easiest way to get through a crazy reporting period with all your i’s dotted and t’s crossed.

Here are a few top-level metrics and measurements executives typically look for in a communications report and a few suggestions for where to find the answers:

• Reach: Just how far did your announcement go? How many people potentially saw the news – at least a headline? Reach numbers typically mean impressions on the social side and a UVM (unique visitors per month) on the traditional media side, as well as content and social shares.
• Awareness: If this reach also helped drive awareness, it should result in more ‘branded search’ within your web analytics and, hopefully, more site traffic, too.
• Sentiment: Sentiment is tricky. If you let a computer do the work, it’ll probably fail. But depending on resources, doing it manually is not always an option. Figure out where your resources fall and allocate as much time/budget as you can to sentiment analysis. Sentiment is very important to brand execs because it gives them a pulse check on how their audience is feeling about the announcement. Depending on how public opinion swings, strategies may need to pivot.
• Sales: While not every announcement or launch will have an immediate impact on sales, don’t let the bottom-line stray too far from your attention. Establishing tracking pixels and tags will ensure that when the sales do start rolling in, your campaigns will get credit for the conversions.

While this is by no means an all-encompassing list, it will get you started and give you a jumping off point.