I'd go so far as to say that, in the worst-case scenario, communication that doesn't align marketing objectives with business objectives is a waste of budget akin to just burning money. 

Mind you, when I first started my career, I had never heard of metrics and measurements.

Discovering advertising value equivalent (AVE) was a revelation — at last, I had a way to demonstrate what I knew in my heart; that publicity is a good return on investment.

But then I discovered that everybody worked it out differently, that there was no global standard and that, in any case, you don't have to pay publications the amount on their rate card — not if you're a good negotiator, anyway.

And then, in 2010, at a gathering I wish I'd been present at, the Barcelona Principles were adopted. They were the first globally accepted guidelines for measuring the effectiveness of communications — and they were revelatory. 

Those Barcelona Principles state:  

Goal setting and measurement are fundamental — in other words, decide up front what success looks like and then check when you are done if you were successful.

Measuring communication outcomes is recommended — not how many media releases did you write, but were your media releases effective? Did the media publish them? Did people act on the information they contained?

The effect on organisational performance should be measured — communication that doesn't serve a purpose is empty communication.

Measurement and evaluation require both qualitative and quantitative methods — numbers matter, but it's not just about the numbers. If 100 people are all panning your project on Instagram, you didn't create 100 ambassadors.

AVEs are not the value of communication — because they lack context, they don't consider engagement, you cannot compare the value of earned exposure to paid exposure, they often make use of misleading financial data and they do not measure business outcomes.

Social media can and should be measured consistently — because social media is an essential part of communication and not a nice-to-have.

Measurement and evaluation should be transparent, consistent and valid — using the same standards and measurement consistently allows for learning and experimentation.

We apply these principles in all our work at Flow Communications. We define SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely) goals upfront. We ensure those goals align with business objectives and strategic communication objectives.

We use:

  • third-party tools and providers, such as Google Analytics
  • media monitoring services, and
  • social media analytics tools.

It keeps us honest. We also check in periodically to see if we're tracking to hit those goals, and we adjust our tactics if we're not.

I look back on my junior self, entering the PR world, and am grateful for the journey my profession has gone on — a journey that makes it much, much easier to do work that makes a demonstrable impact in the world. 

And I look forward to my more senior self discovering more and more about effective measurement, as exciting tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning offer us opportunities for more and more effective measurement. 

For more information, visit www.flowsa.com. You can also follow Flow Communications on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or on Instagram. 

*Image courtesy of contributor