Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Creating A Measurement Dashboard

Posted by Leah Ludwig

I recently participated in a PRSA webinar on “Creating Your Own Measurement Dashboard.” Angela Sinickas of Sinickas Communications was the speaker and she discussed some very interesting topics regarding the dynamic world of PR and marketing measurement. She refers to her vehicle of internal and external communications measurement as a “measurement dashboard.”

Angela provided some insightful take-aways that I thought I would share. Her measurement dashboard method revolves around measuring four key factors:
- Communications activities (channels and messages)
- Audience perceptions (knowledge and attitudes)
- Changes in audience behavior
- Financial impact on goals

First, she advised webinar participants to gather all appropriate metrics on what it is we are trying to measure. This could be previously conducted surveys, sales numbers, Web statistics, etc. One may be planning to rollout a new marketing or PR campaign; this is the perfect time to put a measurement tool like Angela’s in place. Gathering the appropriate metrics helps to establish a baseline, or starting point, for the measurement of the targeted campaign, or whatever it is we are trying to measure.

At this point in the measurement process, communicators need to decide how to grade, categorize and classify the metrics information that is being compiled for measurement purposes.

Second, Angela encouraged us to set realistic goals to achieve – valued according to the same metrics that were gathered for our baseline measurement. Think about what is reasonable to you and your manager, general company expectations, etc., to determine and assign this number.

The next step is identifying how often you will record these measurements – quarterly, annually, etc. This may depend entirely on the length of the campaign that you are measuring.

The final step is providing feedback or progress reports to management on the status of the campaign indicating whether you are on track, exceeding goals or missing your target regarding the four key measurement factors – communications activities, audience perception, changes in audience behavior and financial impact on goals.

Angela’s dashboard measurement method has sparked some very stimulating conversation in the Furia Rubel office and I hope this post provokes some thought about your company’s measurement methods.

No comments: