Hello and welcome to the Metrica Insights series.  The data fuelling these posts is a long running study of the UK PR industry’s measurement practices.  Since 1998, Metrica has been interviewing a large group of PR professionals every two years* to gauge their thoughts and actions around all things measurement.  Using the latest results as a springboard for thought and discussion, these posts will focus on the main issues facing PR practitioners in an increasingly ROI-centric world. This week we’re looking at the basics. 

As someone once said, the beginning is a very good place to start.  It sounds obvious but all too often we ignore the basics in the furore of everyday life.   

The best PR begins with solid plans.  Metrica Insights found that a worrying 23% of respondents have no formal plan driving their PR efforts.  Nothing documenting what they are trying to achieve, what messages they need to deliver to what audiences to do it and how they are going to prove that it got done.  Scary. Trouble is, planning takes time.  And that’s one thing that is in short supply in the world of PR.  So quick wins must be the way forward.  No PR plan should take place without setting strong, relevant objectives.  Real ones.  Measurable ones.  Getting “buzz” is not an objective. Generating X articles is not an objective.  Changing your target audience’s opinions from A to Z by the end of 2010 is an objective.  As is driving X number of your target audience to sign up online by 2010.  See the difference?  What’s more, PR successes need to talk to the success of the business.  A positive 88% of respondents use business objectives to drive PR.  This link is essential.  When PR can prove the effect it’s had on what matters to the business, it really starts to show its power. 

Fig. 1 How often do you set objectives?
 

When it comes to setting objectives, Metrica Insights found that a third of respondents set them annually and a third set them for every half year.  A similar story to last time we asked in 2006. Interestingly, over the last six years there has been a steady increase in the proportion of organisations defining business objectives to be achieved for every PR programme / project. In 2008/9 almost a third (28%) of PROs set objectives for every programme / project.  Setting out with a clear destination in mind and a way to prove you got there makes sense in this age of accountability. 

Respondents who never define objectives has dropped to just 6%. Hooray.  It’s still 6% too many but we’re moving in the right direction.

We’re going to continue on this theme early next week so tune in then for the second instalment.  This post will conclude our journey through the basics and closes with our top three practical tips to take away (as will all the posts in the series).  Until then…

*Data based on 100 qualitative in-depth interviews with UK PR practitioners