By: Veronika Šlogar, junior consultant, DIALOG Komunikacije
PR experts are often faced with the question – how to measure the effectiveness of public relations? The first document that dealt with the measurement and evaluation of these effects was the Barcelona Principles of 2010, which was augmented to become the Barcelona Principles 2.0 last year. The document presents guidelines and recommendations for individuals and organizations, and attempts to create a single framework within the profession.
Some of the key principles of the Barcelona Principles 2.0 include clearly defined objectives and measurement as a basis for communication and public relations, measurement of communication effects (outcomes) and not just the results (outputs), abandoning the AVE evaluation of communication, the inclusion of measurement of social networks and qualitative and quantitative methods of measurement and evaluation. In his book “High Impact Marketing That Gets Results”, Ardi Kolah, a leading communications expert, gave some tips on how to apply these principles in practice:
- Determine the audience you wish to communicate with
- Define measurable and transparent PR goals
- Analyze inputs – background information and various research
- Bear in mind that results are important, but contain limited insights – the number of posts shows you the scale and reach of the audience, but it cannot explain and show whether you have made an impact on thinking or behavior
- Follow communication effects – measure to what degree PR activities have influenced the awareness, opinion and behavior of your targeted audience in relation to preset measurements
Communication effects are key in measuring return on investment (ROI), and are also valuable data that can be used during future campaigns, research, planning and evaluation. It is also necessary to take into account the quality of the material that is delivered to the media. Photos and video are extremely important today, but content still rules. Although rules have not yet been defined on how to measure visibility on social networks, they must not be overseen as they are becoming increasingly important and influential communication channels. Presence on social networks is a must-have.
Despite the guidelines, criteria for measuring the effectiveness of public relations vary, but a clearly defined goal is the key to all methodologies. The work of public relations is well worth the effort, it’s just important to recognize what is important to measure and how to achieve it.
