Measuring success of a PR campaign is important for the future of the service and your business. Although the success of campaigns may not have an exact result or figure, there are still many ways to see if your PR campaign is working as it should. Here are eight of them:
1. Media exposure.
Media exposure is one of the most effective ways to see if your PR campaign is on the right track. Your brand grabs a lot of eyeballs by weaving its way into the media or into a news article. Once a small company gains contact with a journalist who is willing to write something positive and informative, it opens huge doors for additional outreach and viewing. Positive media exposure increases brand awareness and value.
2. Raising awareness
Awareness is fundamental for sales and building reputation amongst the masses. People love brands that are established, if your business has seen a boost in awareness, it most likely means a boost in sales. Not only is raising awareness important for building a business, but it is essential for innovation, as there is a push for the next big thing and there is a reputation to uphold.
3. Social Media engagement
People spend on average 3 hours on their phones every day. Scrolling up and swiping left and right. Social media is a modern tool for growth. It can assist in raising awareness and consumers can see what is on offer right in front of them on their own customized social media feed. It is pivotal for a modern business to have established online profiles to allow people all over the world to view what’s on offer. Social media engagement can be seen through an increase in followers or general activity. This shows that a campaign is being recognised.
4. Sales Figures
Sales figures are almost a direct result of a PR campaign. Although there is no specific number of sales to prove a PR campaign is effective it is still something businesses and individuals can set. Commonly, financial or follower goals are set over time and sales/following will boost. This is usually the most important result of a campaign. This is something that can be measured over time, not overnight; to show the success of a company.
5. Reputation
Once a PR campaign has seen some reaction and engagement, a business will see growth. With that comes reputation. The reputation of a business or individual is paramount in terms of popularity and positive engagement. Some say any PR is good PR, but for upward results, a reputation needs to be strong. Otherwise, customers won’t want to engage, and they won’t want to spend. In addition to this, a poor reputation could be the end of a business or individual. If a PR campaign was successful, it would mean the reputation is strong and that people want to engage.
6. Website traffic
Website traffic is paramount in the development of strong and known business. An effective PR campaign would imply that visitors to a website would boost, as people want to know more about a product and/or person. The traffic can be monitored and in turn, can be used as a measurement of success. If a boost in traffic was seen, then it would show, that awareness, reputation, and engagement was being demonstrated. Website traffic is key in identifying the success of a PR campaign and what areas need more attention.
7. Brand mentions
Brand mentions are a useful tool in terms of raising awareness. A mention could be seen through a tag on social media or a hashtag. Brand mentions need to be carefully monitored as not all talk is good talk. But, in this instinct, a strong PR campaign’s success comes down to the management of the mentions. To ensure all customers are heard and the general image is one of praise. With effective management in place, negative comments or reviews can be filtered out of the general view of others. Meaning, a PR campaign could continue to boost all aspects that make them so successful.
8. Keyword search rankings
With over 4 billion internet users around the world, it is very important that your business appears first when you search. SEO or search engine optimization is when Keywords inputted into a search produce popular results. To measure if your PR campaign is effective, you should be seeing your brand go further up in the search result. This is a biproduct of brand awareness, mentions, and engagement. Overall, it is an efficient way to know the effectiveness of your PR campaign.
In conclusion, to monitor the success of a PR campaign, it is useful to investigate media coverage, brand awareness, social media engagement, sales figures, reputation, website traffic, brand mentions, and search engine optimization. If these are successful and show an upward trend, you can be assured your PR campaign is working effectively and helping your business grow.
