Let’s talk comms and commercial outcomes
For a long time, we’ve measured what was easiest. At the start, when boards were screaming for a quantifiable PR metric, that was AVEs. All we needed was a media kit, a ruler and a mount board to show our success.
Then came the rise of digital media and blogs, and even though it took some time to get used to, suddenly we had a whole new set of measurement tools to work with.
Over the years, those systems have grown in both complexity and usefulness. We can measure reach, engagement, referral traffic, search behaviour, brand demand and a whole host of other metrics that would have felt pretty alien when I started my career almost two-decades ago.
Yet, despite all that progress, I still think there’s a reluctance to hold PR commercially accountable and it needs to change.
One of the reasons I launched hAWk comms was to help bridge this gap. Not just in my work with brands, but in my work with agencies too, helping teams build the confidence to have more commercial conversations about communications.
Can you actually measure PR ROI?
I get it, attributing success to PR as a single channel is near impossible. So it’s a good job I’ve never seen it as a channel that works in isolation (and why the integrated services we offer connect those dots!).
The best communications strategies are connected across the customer journey and then ultimately are measured as a part of a much bigger picture.
Someone might read an article, see an influencer talking about a brand new product, then a few weeks later search for it, find reviews and then buy once they’re shuffled further along the funnel to purchase.
So which channel gets the sale? Is it the journalist honest review? The influencer showing usability? The social proof points? or the last click?
Trying to answer that too definitely is where I think we tie ourselves in knots and end up reporting on the wrong things. No channel needs to claim sole responsibility to demonstrate impact on the journey.
Start with what the business is trying to achieve
Before deciding what success looks like for PR, we need to ask what success looks like for the business.
Undoubtedly, we know we want to sell a product or service. But where does comms fit into that challenge? It could be to increase awareness and ultimately sales, it could be new market entry, new product launches, credibility against competitors or strengthening the reputation of senior leaders.
Different objectives need different measures, and sometimes the outcome we’re trying to achieve won’t influence a direct sale at all.
Once we understand that, the measurement and reporting actually becomes useful. We can look at our metrics alongside website behaviours, brand search, enquiries, customer sentiment, retailer conversations and sales data to understand what had the most impact while campaigns where active.
There isn’t one magical PR ROI calculation and there shouldn’t be. There should be bespoke solutions for each business (which we have btw!).
What does commercially accountable PR look like?
I worked with a client where the only significant change they made was switching on a PR retainer. Over time, sales grew, the business grew, profitability improved and most importantly for them, it attracted a buyer - which was ultimately what they wanted.
Could either of us put every sale down to PR? Absolutely not, we didn’t even try to.
They said it best: “I can’t say it was PR but it didn’t happen until you joined everything up”
Commercial accountability isn’t a land grab for credit. It’s about working in true partnership with your clients to understand the role you play in their success, help them justify their investment in the system of channels and be prepared to look outside of your comfort zone to help them reach their goals.
Moving the PR measurement conversation forward
Great coverage matters, reaching the right audience matters and engagement (positive!) matters. But alone, they really only tell us the impact of our outputs, not the outcomes for the brands.
The most interesting thing is what happens AFTER this:
Did more people look for the brand?
Did website behaviour shift?
Did customers respond?
Did our reputation improve?
Were the sales conversations easier?
Did we generate enquiries and create opportunities that didn’t exist before?
We won’t be able to join a perfect line between a piece of great comms to the answer but that’s the reality of working across an incredibly complicated, and fragmented, customer journey.
I’d still rather have the honest conversation about contribution than a beautifully formatted report full of numbers that look great but don’t mean much beyond marketing teams.
If communications wants a seat at the commercial table, we need to get comfortable talking about what really moves the needle for the bottom line of businesses.