5 COMMON MALPRACTICES INCOMMUNICATION MEASUREMENT

Communication measurement can be challenging and often times you may not know how to sort what from where.

But you’re not alone.

Whether you work for a corporate conglomerate or a small nonprofit, data metrics and analytics is an area that is commonly misused, underutilized and pushed to a back burner.

Read below to see if you’ve fallen for one or more of these common measurement malpractices.

And you thought malpractice was just for the court of law…

You don’t need to be a data specialist to incorporate measurement practices into your work.

You’d be amazed at how many resources are available (many for free) that can easily help you track and measure efforts you may already have in place. (Stay tuned for a future post on that subject.)

Not Incorporating Metrics Into Your Communication Plan

MEASUREMENT

MALPRACTICE #1

Determining what you’re measuring is essential to tracking campaign success.

If you only track results at the end of a campaign, you miss the opportunity to set baseline metrics.

You also aren’t able to track how tactics are working during a campaign. Often times data will suggest some parts of a campaign need to be tweaked.

Only Measuring Campaign Results Upon Completion

MEASUREMENT

MALPRACTICE #2

Metrics such as number of media placements and website hits are import to track, but data without insight is just a bunch of numbers.

Connecting data and using statistics to develop key insights is the foundation to a winning communications campaign.

Measuring Data Without Insight

MEASUREMENT

MALPRACTICE #3

It’s important not to forget about outcomes – what really prompted a communications campaign in the first place.

Whether the goal is increased lead generation, greater share of voice, or creating an action, data should point back to those desired outcomes.

Measuring Outputs Instead of Outcomes

MEASUREMENT

MALPRACTICE #4

MEASUREMENT

MALPRACTICE #5

Data insights are useless if they don’t cause action.

If you are getting the results and outcomes you want from a campaign, use data to make the case to your C-suite that more investment is needed.

If you’re not getting the results and outcomes you expected, use data to quickly determine what tactics aren’t working – so you can make appropriate changes before more time and money is wasted.

Not Taking Action From Insights

Want to learn more?

Check out our latest industry guide:

Developing An Effective PR Measurement Program

Cassie Katz is a business development manager at LEWIS PR. You can find her on Twitter at @cassiekatz.