Assessing Your Efforts: Different Ways to Measure Return on Investment

What does every successful PR campaign have in common? It engages and motivates consumers to purchase products, which ultimately drives revenue to the client. It’s this additional revenue that ensures your clients are satisfied with the results of their investment. Every agency may have different objectives that outline the success of their investment, some which are less noticeable than others, so finding the right tool to measure the return on investment (ROI) is essential in keeping a client happy. Measurements like the number of story placements, press release pick-ups and social media engagement can all be used to determine the success or failure of efforts, but there are many other means of tracking your accomplishments.

Because PR ‘hits’ are never guaranteed, professionals should be aware of different measurements that could be shown to clients. To help you think outside of the traditional dollar for dollar measurement realm, here are few ideas to help stress your value to your clients.

1)      Are You Reaching Your Target Market?

Thanks to big data and new technology tools, it’s becoming easier to target smaller and smaller sub-segments of your target market. Public relations professionals can not only help you determine which markets you should be focusing on, they also have ready-made relationships within the communities you want to enter.

2)      Are You Keeping Your Competition Out of the Media?

Public relations isn’t only about keeping your brand in the media spotlight; it’s also about keeping this spotlight from shining on your competitors. Every placement you get, every article written about your company, and every positive mention you receive is chipping away at your competition. Ignoring your public relations plan is allowing your competition to overtake your niche and steal your brand awareness.

3)      Is Your PR Team Forming Valuable Relationships?

At heart, the “relations” part of public relations is the most important. A good PR team will build connections to prominent figures, media tastemakers, and journalists. A great public relations team, however, will build lasting relationships by working as a bridge between your needs and the needs of the media.

Since ROI is such a crucial indicator of performance, it’s vital as a PR professional that you know the many ways to measure your successes. ROI is more than just a dollar for dollar immediate return – and it’s certainly not the bottom line when it comes to evaluating the value of your public relations team – so keep these tips in mind the next time you have assess your efforts.

What are some of the different ROI’s used where you work that have satisfied clients?

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