Measuring Public Relations: Words count

CONTENT. How it is said and what is said both count for a lot!

In the long haul, these measurements can be tracked for a specific reporter and media outlet.

1. Editorial tone. Positive, negative or neutral? Subliminal?

By analyzing news coverage for the reporter's editorial tone, it can be helpful to see how the company, event, activity, government, agency, etc. is portrayed in the media. This seemingly small point can be crucial to setting the pace for the future successes for a sales and marketing team, their strategy, opportunities and challenges.

2. The words. Story content measurement and evaluation looks at:

• Subject covered;
• Summary of story;
• Story type (positive, negative, neutral); and
• Strategic messages.

3. Exponential marketing. Key to opening more and bigger doors. Often monitored through other marketing and sales opportunities.

• Identification: How did the story explain a mission, use or even a brand? Was it clear?
• Attributes: What benefits did the news story describe? How is the media mention helpful to the untimate key public...the end user defined in the sales and marketing plan?
• Differentiation: Was a competitor mentioned? If so, were the differences clear? Was the story part of a universal type of story or was it meant to be a feature story on your business?
• Endorsement: Was there evidence to support of the issue, product, service, company or event? Were the benefits stated? Were the whys answered? Was there a nod or smile from the reporter?
• Call to Action: Was followup information included (i.e. for more information) such as an email address, Web site, phone number, address?

These can all be easily measured (a mechanisim must be in place, usually through all sales and marketing efforts to measure bigger or driving factors) by the following:

• Customers mention the story they heard or read;
• Increased hits to a Web site following the news story;
• Phone calls increas immediately following the story;
• Emails are received regarding the topic;
• The number of registrations increase;
• More coupons are redeemed;
• More traffic;
• More sales; and the best thing a boss or owner wants to hear or know...
• More $$$$$$$$!

Measuring Public Relations: Placement

"Best is first, front, forward, top and right."

The potential impact of being in the news is influenced by the story as well as the prominence of where and when a story is mentioned.

This measurement factors in the following:

1. Priority. Top placement of your news is always the best!

• Print - front page feature and/or photo, cover mention, inside cover, special section, right-hand read or other priority placement that might relate to a particular business (i.e. a story in the travel section of a newspaper is great placement for a travel-related business such as a hotel)
• Broadcast - being the lead story, the first story following a break, or a lead story with the sports reporter for a charity golf tournament
• Internet - being at the top of the home page or special section related to the particular business

2. Exclusivity. Be the only one! Can't really say more here.

3. Location. Location. Location.

Where is the initial mention?

• Teaser
• Headline
• First paragraph
• Intro to news or show
• Last story
• Bottom of the page
• Buried in the middle of 100's of stories

4. Space and time. Measure the length in pages, inches, seconds, minutes, etc.

5. Picture perfect. Keep track of photos and graphics. Note color or b/w in print.

Measuring Public Relations: Visual Analysis

VISUAL ANALYSIS.

"In the spotlight!"
That is my client and friend for life Josh Johnson of HGTV in the photo!

So who doesn't like to see their business in a photo or video? Many organization's products, services and activities are well-suited to visual coverage. To really grab attention, be sure that all print or broadcast media stories are matched with great visuals.

Here are a few tips:

1. Visual. Photographers and videographers are usually able to find a visual, but it is ok to have a couple of options expecially for broadcast interviews.
2. Squint factor. Think about where the sun will be located as people or the camera should not be directly facing the sun.
3. Branding. Showcase logos and brands.

• Place a logo on the podium;
• Put a small logo on the microphone;
• Wear a logo'd shirt, hat or jacket and be sure it shows in the shot (exagerate the rotation of the body to be sure a logo on a shirt or jacket clearly shows even if the person is looking a bit right or left with their head);
• Have company vehicles in the background(perfect for governments, utilities, service companies and fire departments); and
• Include a banner, flag or sign in the shot;

When measuring news clips, definitely emphasize the locations of logos in the clips.

Measuring Public Relations: Key Media

KEY MEDIA.

“There are must haves on everyone's list!”

There are key media outlets that are important for different clients and will meet different goals.

• Determine what media pick up of a story measures success and ask if this is a realistic goal?
• Should there be and is the person, product or service viable enough to have a heavy focus on national business media?
• Is success measured by getting your CEO's photo in their hometown newspaper?
• Is the expert in a company perfect for morning radio interviews?
• Or is there an opportunity for a feature story in TV news.

Have a plan that includes a list of key media to pitch. Then before winding up for the big pitch, ALWAYS have a strong, targeted, personalized pitch when reaching out to a media contact and NEVER pitch off topic if the reporter has posted a media query.

A weak story or off-target pitch can put an assignment editor or a reporter off forever...yep...one poorly planned and executed pitch is the fastest way to get blacklisted...that means future calls won't be answered and emails will be deleted.

Remember it really may be a great story, but for different reasons, it may not get picked up the exact moment it is pitched to the reporter or editor. If a story is turned down, it does not mean the end.

Today's no can turn into a yes for the same story tomorrow because the news cycles and story angles change rapidly! Don't be surprised if after being told no on a story today, that person pitched may call or email next week, even next month to do that story.

Pitching builds strong relationships with the media and is an important part of the process. Reporters and editors remember a good pitch. They long remember good people and who is good for a story. And it is a good thing when they need someone to interview and call or email the good person on their list.

Measuring Public Relations: The Plan

The Plan. It is the map for your trip.

1. Plan your plan.
2. Write your plan.
3. Approve your plan.
4. Work your plan.
5. Measure your plan.

The "unspoken rule" is to get everyone to stick to the plan, but always keep in mind that is a work in progress and not a "critical path." There is always room for adjusting, ramping up or down, and when facing a round-about, allowing enough flexibility in the plan to try another road that may ultimately end up being a much grander adventure.

Public relations measurement enables an organization, business, government, marketing firm or public relations agency to determine the direct relationship between proactive publicity efforts and the output of those efforts to their "key publics".

For the purpose for this series of articles, it will relate to the media as the key public. (other key publics include employees, investors, board of directors, elected officials, vendors, existing customers, new customers, community leaders,

There are many ways to measure the effectiveness of public relations and they all vary depending on goals and can be as diverse as the differences of hundreds of different services and businesses.

There are five parts to a public relations plan. Below is an example using a "made-up" and very simple example of a plan.

1. Objective. The main thing or purpose. Keep it short and to one sentence if possible. It is the "overarching mission statement" for the plan.

Use our annual special event to solidify our business as a charitable community partner, helps our employees see us a fun place to work and our customers and vendors excited about doing business with us.

2. Strategies. Think of them as painting the broad brush strokes of the picture which always goes back to your meeting your objective.

• Work with a well-known local charity that needs funding.
• Have a local celebrity serve as our spokesperson on behalf of the charity.
• Include current vendors as sponsors.
• Involve employees in the event.
• Reach our customers.
• Get news coverage.

3. Goals. Measurable and specific. Also...be reasonable. Everyone wants national coverage, but is there a national news angle to your event?

• Get confirmation from the local celebrity by January 2o.
• By February 3, identify the charity.
• Raise $3,000 for the charity by using our annual event.
• Host the first task force meeting on January 2.
• Engage the employee participation by 10% over last year's event.
• Secure one major and two minor vendor sponsorships to pay for entertainment.
• Obtain pre-event media coverage to increase company web page traffic by 1,000 new users per week for six weeks.
• Book six media outlets to attend the event as working media.
• Increase business by 3% over same time last year.

4. Tactics. These are what helps you reach goals, they support the strategies and all of them must meet the objective. ANY tactic that does not implicitly focus on the ultimate objective, does not support strategies and cannot be used toward reaching a measurable goal, in most cases does not need to be a tactic in your plan!

• Host a news conference at the (mall, park, downtown, college...place where there will already be lots of people there) with the charity and local celebrity to announce the annual event and explain the details.
• Write and distribute a media alert about the news conference.
• To get a head start on raising money, get the local celebrity to sell and sign their new book and take photos at a certain location (ball game, concert, mall) and get them to donate half the proceeds to the charity.
• Write and distribute news release about $$$ raised by book signing.
• Pitch story ideas for the event.
• Do a media blitz to media outlets with the celebrity and company CEO. Book them for morning radio and noon talk shows.
• Work with celebrity's public relations manager to promote event on the celebrity's web site, communicate event in fan mail, and see if celebrity will mention event at media opportunities, including national book tour leading up to the event.
• Write and distribute media alert about the event a week before and day before the event.
• Do media calls the day before and day of the event.
• Determine needs and secure (food, beverages, tickets, signage, seating, lighting, AV, etc.)
• Monitor media.
• And so on and so forth...all of the things that need to be done to support the event from catering, music, permits, volunteers, pitching media, securing photographer, event post-mortem and so on.

5. Measurement. This proves your success! Go back and see if you met or exceeded your goals? Keep in mind that there can be short-term and longer-term measurements resulting from the event may continue long after the initial event.

• Confirmed local celebrity, hosted task force meetings and identified charity by goal dates.
• Raised $5,500 for the local charity.
• Increased employee participation at the event by 15% over their participation last year.
• Distributed employee survey six months before event as a benchmark. Two weeks after the event the company did a second employee survey. Employee satisfaction is up 15% over benchmark survey. There are no other measurables for the increase (such as raises, incentives, training or programs). Though not specifically attributed to increased employee involvement and the success of event, one consider that the event played some role in raising employee satisfaction. HR will add a question for next survey to determine influence up or down for employee satisfaction.
• Secured one major and eight minor vendor sponsorships which paid to book a very popular band for the event.
• The band provided a signed guitar for us to give away on our web site. Social media, news releases and client email campaign helped double the web site traffic goal.
• Increased business by 20% during the month of the event over last year, and business has remained at 2.9% over last year, even though there was a huge drop in the stock market two months after the event.

Applause. Applause. Applause.

Now, get started on a real plan! If you don't have a plan or need help writing one, you know who to contact !

Pretty In My Heart

Have you ever thought much about how we live in an age of quantity?

From conversations with our peers to what we see, hear and read we are told that larger, faster, newer and getting more is always better. And, that we need all of it to be truly happy.

How often do you see kids and even adults buying into that philosophy? Yes, much of it is called advertising! Does it bother you? Can you turn it off? Do you appreciate the small things?

Maybe it is with age and challenging life experiences, I am learning that small and inexpensive things can bring great joy into my life. The red beaded ring, that I bought in Costa Rica for two dollars, is one example. I was shopping one night when it practically jumped on my hand. I'd just enjoyed dinner of an 8 oz. of yellow fin tuna, jasmine rice, fresh vegetables and cervesa Imperial. It cost around $8 (would have been $38 in the U.S.) and the meal was fabulous for sure! In the moment, I certainly enjoyed every bite and sip. But...it was gone.

I bought the ring. Made by hand, there is not another one exactly like it anywhere in the world. To make that ring, someone carefully strung the tiny beads together, then sewed the string into a row of beads.

The ring is on my finger today. Not only am I wearing something pretty, but as I look at my hand, the ring brings a smile to my face remembering that evening of a nice meal, window shopping along the streets of Jaco and then going back and showing my treasures to my friend at the Spanish schoole. He said it was muy bonito (very pretty).

I smiled at him in agreement. I thought so then, and still do only it is more than pretty to look at...it is pretty in my heart.

Something small and inexpensive can be as satisfying as something big and expensive. I could be wearing a 5 carat diamond, but I don't know if it would bring me as much pleasure as my red beaded ring.

If we all could take live like this, maybe we would all be happier. A simple meal with a friend becomes more than time shared…it becomes a treasured memory. Sure we open our eyes to see, but look up, down and around...you get many different views. Smile and stop and smell the roses.
Whether a single smile or the beauty of a small treasure - each day I want to pursue the things that certainly are pretty to see, but mostly I want to pursue things that are very pretty in my heart (muy bonito en mi corazon).

Setting Deadlines For Dreams

An illuminating study on goal setting sponsored by the Ford Foundation found:

• 23% of the population has no idea what they want from life. As a result they don't have much.
• 67% of the population has a general idea of what they want but they don't have any plans for how to get it.
• Only 10% of the population has specific, well-defined goals, but even then, 7 out of the 10 of those people reach their goals only half the time.
• The top 3%, however, achieved their goals 89% of the time!

What accounts for the difference between the top 3% and the others?

The top 3% wrote down their goals.

Can it really be that simple?

Dreams and wishes are not goals until they are written as specific end results on paper. In some very real sense, writing them down materializes them.

Goals should be thought of as "dreams with a deadline". Without writing them down how can you know where you are going? How will you ever reach any destination?

Written, specific goals provide direction and focus to actions. This creates a road map providing the directions of when to stop, turn, how fast to go and how far it is to the end. A map keeps you aware of today's location. By knowing your GPS and the specific directions to the destination, it is much easier to know where you have been, serves to guide what is ahead and ensures that you will arrive on time.

In public relations, I create road maps for other people and their businesses. It really is easier to do it for someone else. i.e. "the cobbler's kids have no shoes."

This week, I plan to write down a few of my goals (both personal and professional) with a timeline and set some deadlines for my dreams. Will you join me?