There are companies that do not invest in a PR agency because it is something that can be difficult to track. After all, companies can pay thousands of dollars to these professional PR agencies. It is true that tracking PR efforts can be harder to do when compared to other marketing efforts.
However, it does not mean it cannot be done or that it is a useless endeavour. In fact, it may be a mistake to ignore this strategy. Some of the biggest companies use PR as part of their marketing strategy, so it obviously works. Let’s look at how to know if your PR efforts are working or not.
1. Press Clippings
One way of checking and measuring your success is by tracking press clippings. When a press clipping mentions your services or products, you can track the amount, however, these articles must be viewed by prospects. If the target media outlets make a mention of your company’s products and services, then you can safely assume that your PR efforts are raising awareness and that the campaign is going well.
2. Media Impressions
You can also gauge your PR efforts in a given period by calculating the number of media impressions. To do this, you take the number of press clippings and multiply this number by the circulation of the publication. Let’s say that your company is mentioned by XYZ magazine and the magazine has a circulation of 150,000, then you have achieved 150,000 media impressions.
3. Website Traffic
You can also very easily check your website’s traffic to see how effective your PR efforts are. Monitor your website’s traffic before you start a PR campaign. Then, after you launch the PR campaign, continue to monitor your website’s traffic. If your site’s traffic suddenly soars and you start getting sales leads, this will give you a good idea whether your PR efforts are working or not.
4. Mentions On Social Media
You can also gauge your PR efforts on social media mentions. This too has an impact on PR campaigns. You must take into account any conversations about your services and brand. You will also need to focus on communities in your industry. Once you launch your PR efforts and you notice a spike in your company, its brand and services, then you can take it that your PR efforts are working.
5. Analysis Of Quality Content
This effort should focus on the content as well as the quality of the articles being published. As always, quality matters and is key. Things to ask yourself when monitoring this is whether your brand’s key messages were mentioned by the reporter. You need to see if your company was cast in a positive light or if it came across in a negative way.
6. Ask New Customers
If you run a good PR campaign, this can result in sales leads which can of course, turn to new sales. To find out if your PR efforts are working, simply ask a new customer how they came about your company’s brand and services.
You can also use market surveys as part of your PR strategy. Before the campaign, survey your potential market and then do another after the launch. There are many tactics you can use to gauge the success of your campaigns and efforts. With careful analysis, you can tell whether it is working or not.