Public Relations KPI: To make sure your public relations campaign is successful, here are the key metrics to measure so you can better direct your efforts and investments.
Let's talk about key performance indicators and of public relations: what really matters?
On the one hand, key performance indicators (KPIs) are used to measure non-quantifiable goals by making them more tangible.
On the other hand, the goal of public relations is to spread the company's message and promote its brand.
How to tell whether the media relations plan is working or not?
First of all (as always, for that matter), I'll tell you up front that there is no one consistently good standard for monitoring your PR success; however, there are KPIs that can help you get a clearer picture of the results of a campaign.
Yep, because even though public relations, per se, is not (and never will be) an exact science, there are some useful metrics to see if the direction taken is the right one.
These key performance indicators (KPIs) are vital and should also reflect the business and marketing objectives of your brand.
Let me give you an example: your goal is to make yourself known for a specific value proposition?
In that case, the element that allows you to differentiate yourself should be present in any material, content or otherwise that is related to or generated by public relations.
Perhaps instead you are trying to counter public opinion that is not too favorable?
Then you could aim to get a positioning more positive among the various media and social platforms (as well as working on optimizing SEO).
In any case, while as I told you a cookie-cutter approach to perfectly measuring the success of your public relations does not exist, there are proven methods for assessing its various impacts.
Read on to learn what KPIs can help you track your efforts and determine the effectiveness of your public relations strategy.
KPI Public Relations: what do they mean?
A KPI is a value or figure you need to identify what works and what doesn't within your strategy.
Here, public relations campaigns are no exception: monitoring metrics is what you need to keep moving forward in the right direction.
Public relations work involves promoting you, your brand and your business through "free media," whether print or digital.
But it also means keeping track of your audience's behavior and its impact on customer actions.
PR therefore has several objectives: to have positive media coverage, to consolidate relationships, to positively influence reputation, to increase brand credibility, and to manage any crises or difficult times.
In other words, PR is a process of gaining visibility through the approval of those around you: you do it whenever you try to portray yourself in a certain way in front of other people.
Doing public relations means building a specialized communication plan, using the media and other direct and indirect means to create and maintain a positive brand image and a strong relationship with your audience.
Okay, but how do we measure the success of these goals?
The following are 5 essential metrics for doing so.
Public Relations KPIs: what to measure
#1 Backlink
Among the various Public Relations KPIs, backlinks help you find how and in what context your brand has been mentioned-they are therefore crucial in a PR campaign because they support your visibility and positioning.
Other sites that have linked to yours by citing you use them: this makes it easy for users to click (and find you) and makes it easier for you to monitor.
The interesting thing?
The benefit of collecting backlinks is not only about increased organic traffic, but also about improved indexing in search results.
#2 Conversions
Although the volume of new clients coming directly from your public relations activity is not the easiest to measure, it is definitely worth investigating.
You can find out where they are coming from by monitoring users after they buy, asking them directly how they heard about you, or using a tool such as Google Analytics To learn about their conversion path.
Please note: While this is an interesting metric to monitor, don't be discouraged if you don't see an influx of users to your website ready to buy.
Remember, the goal of public relations is to increase the brand awareness, spread the ideas as thought leaders of the industry and disseminate the voice of the brand: those new site visitors could always come back and make a purchase in the future (now that they know your brand because of your very PR strategy).
#3 Domain Authority
Domain authority is the authority of the domain: it refers to your site's SEO ranking and its performance in search results.
This is a cumulative trustworthiness score for your web domain, which search engines consider to index your results: the more valuable and reputable your content is (as well as relevant to the given query), the more likely you are to rank high in SERPs.
#4 Traffic on the site
Traffic to your website is definitely a sign that your PR efforts are succeeding and reaching your audience.
When doing PR campaigns, keep track of this metric; use site analytics to check your visitors' referral sources (then find out how they got there) and aim to replicate this in the future.
Social media engagement includes a few types of activities: views, impressions, likes, shares and comments.
This information shows the level of brand awareness and engagement among your followers. It also tells you when your audience is most active, so you know the best time to share content and interact with your followers.
You may be confused at this point (didn't we just talk about social media?), but I'll clear it up right now.
Regarding Public Relations KPIs (but not only, really), you should know that the shares on social media are different from the involvement On social media.
The former, in fact, refer to all those cases where your audience shares on their social page something they have read or seen on your website or blog.
This is a critical metric because it tells you that your users like your content enough to want to show it on their social channels.
It is a very clear measure of your brand reputation.
When considering this indicator, pay attention to what type of content is frequently shared. This will give you an idea of what your audience values most and what type of content to focus on most.
#7 Brand Mentions.
It is the most fundamental and crucial Public Relations KPI that connects the rest.
A mention is any instance where your brand's message, name or campaign is discussed through the media (with the exception of social, for which a separate measurement is made).
Conclusion
Okay, are you a ready to build your public relations strategy?
By keeping track of the indicators I have shown you, you will surely be able to measure their effectiveness and straighten up if necessary.
Remember one important thing well, however: public relations is an ongoing iterative strategy, not a one-time activity-and it involves multiple tactics and strategies.
Just like marketing, it may take some time before we see results.
But with a solid strategy and a commitment to spreading the word about your company, you will soon see more "noise" around your brand-a great way to build a memorable brand that will also translate into more customers and sales.
But tell me, have you ever considered these Public Relations KPIs?
Let me know in the comments!