10 Methods to Measure the Success of a PR Campaign
Whenever a company runs a PR campaign, it invests considerable money and efforts in it. It, therefore, becomes necessary to measure the success of that campaign. Besides, measuring the effectiveness and the impact of a campaign will also help you identify the loopholes in it, which can be studied for improving future campaigns.
Unfortunately, measuring the success of a campaign is a highly-debated issue as there isn’t a single dedicated method to calculate its impact. Instead, digital marketers have started using different marketing metrics for proper assessment of a campaign.So, how do you measure the success of a PR campaign?Here is the list of metrics that you need to consider while measuring the impact and success of a PR campaign.
Sales stats
Social media reach
Engagement on social media
Media impressions
Brand mentions
Keyword rankings
Social shares
Website traffic
Number of Backlinks
Lead generation
Also, the data of the above-listed metrics needs to be collected initially before the campaign starts and compared with the end results to measure the correct impact of the digital PR campaign.Here are different ways to track the impact of your campaign, using these metrics.
Sales
For a product-based or B2C company, sales is the most important factor. While PR may not give an instant boost to sales, it will certainly show some change. In fact, a well-executed digital PR campaign can generate significant sales over time.If there is no change in sales, you need to audit your PR strategy again.
Factors to Consider When Measuring Sales
There may be several socio-economic factors which affect sales. Factors specifically related to your sales must be considered in your campaign review.
Location or Territory
Calculating the change in sales volume by location or territory allows you to identify new sales opportunities.Revise your PR strategy in the areas where sales figures haven’t shown a positive change.Focus marketing and sales efforts on lucrative locations or territories.
Age Group
Age group is also an important factor to measure your sales, especially if your target audience belongs to a particular age group. It enables you to verify if your digital PR campaign has successfully connected with your target audience.
Time Frame
Find out how much sales was generated by your PR campaign in a given time frame. For example, you can calculate the sales after a few days, weeks, or months after the commencement of your digital PR campaign.Identify the issues that are hampering sales performance.
Type of Sales Channel
One of the key factors to be considered when measuring sales is the type of sales channel, particularly for B2C companies.Make sure to break down your sales data by types of channel. For example, you can check if your consumers preferred using the online store or buy from your retail partners after the camping was launched.