With AMEC’s Global Summit on Measurement sponsored by Isentia coming up on May 17 and 18, 2017, we wanted to devote some attention to the topic of monitoring media exposure. There are many ways to measure the value and the success of your PR campaign. Some focus on the monetary value of coverage, others look at the reach or the sentiment created in clippings. To get a real idea of how your campaign is doing, it is best to look at PR value from a variety of perspectives. This approach brings some challenges though.
Monetary Value of PR Clippings
If you have senior management, an owner or a board of investors to convince that you need to put money into PR, using this technique is a good way to highlight an ROI. When measuring the monetary value of PR clippings, the size of the clippings is measured and its value is calculated based on what it would cost to place an ad of the same size on the same page of that publication. If you do this for all clippings generated through a press release or an event for example, you can determine a PR value for it. Showing this to your seniors can then justify the investment you made in your PR efforts and show them they need to do more of it. It should be clear to everybody though that even a large number of clippings will not necessarily bring an increase in sales corresponding to the PR value.
Sentiment and Reputation as a Result of PR
Counting how much a certain article is worth will give you an idea of the value of your PR campaign but not of the sentiment it created among your target audience. To understand that, you need to look a bit closer. Read the clippings and see if the tone is positive, enthusiastic, disappointed, negative, etc. A large clipping in a leading newspaper or magazine will not help you much if it doesn’t get people excited about your company or products. Although the level of positivity in a clipping can’t be measured in monetary terms, it is just as important because it greatly affects your reputation. Sometimes it can be hard to admit that an influencer posted an unflattering article, however, it also gives you the chance to see where you can improve your campaign and do better next time.
Accuracy of Key Messages
Another aspect to look at in clippings is how your company is portrayed. The value and impact of your clippings will increase if your company’s key messages and core ideas are clearly communicated. This will give your brand image consistency and boost your image as a professional, serious business. Help the media understand your values and ideas by giving them clear, concise information they can use when writing their articles. This could be in form of a briefing document, a press release or factsheets that provide the details you want to highlight. They will be grateful because you are making their work easier for them and you will benefit because your company will be portrayed as you want it to be.
Prominence of Media Outlets
Getting a large clipping is good but is it in a place your audience is looking? The more relevant a media outlet is to your target market the better the clipping is. That could mean that the best mentions for you will be on niche websites and blogs rather than leading magazines and newspapers. The more you can get in front of your market, the more success your campaign will have. This is why it can be a good idea to see which specialized publications show an interest in featuring you and working with them to generate top quality clippings.
Note that this can mean working with a variety of media outlets, depending on your target and their habits, wants and needs. If you are planning on taking the next step and moving into a new country or geographical region, the best-suited channels can also change drastically, based on local preferences and trends. In this case, it might be useful to consult a local communications expert to avoid costly and time-consuming errors.
Bringing It All Together
When monitoring your clippings, it is best to look at several aspects, not just the monetary value. That way you can better understand the success of your PR campaign and know what to improve the next time around. It will also give you a chance to focus more on the quality of coverage you get rather than the quantity, making your efforts more targeted and increasing their return.
Media monitoring can take a lot of time and effort but is definitely worth it. If this is something you want to do but don’t have the time or the necessary expertise for, here at Midas we would be glad to assist you with it. Get in touch with us today at info@localhost or visit our Midas PR website for more information.