The common dilemma faced by many of us public relations consultants is how do we accurately measure the outcomes of our communications advice and activity?  

We want to clearly demonstrate to clients a good return on their investment but how do we do this when, in the communications world, the results can be intangible? 

Projects involving media profile are straightforward to measure; we audit the resulting media coverage. Internationally, many communications companies use Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) to evaluate editorial coverage.  AVE is calculated by multiplying the advertising rate card value of the media coverage (i.e. column centimeters or broadcast time) by a certain amount. 

Currently in New Zealand, there is no agreed formula  for AVE figures but to address this, a nationwide review of AVE is being undertaken by CAANZ (Communications Agencies Association New Zealand) and the New Zealand Marketing Association (NZMA). 

However, even if a local AVE formula is reached, the reality is that 21st Century public relations and communications projects usually involve a lot more than just mainstream media coverage.  

Editorial may be just a part of a project or success may actually mean no media coverage e.g. in crisis communications and internal change communications.  The rise of social media is also diluting the reliance on mainstream media. 

To complicate our ability to evaluate ROI, we don’t always have the time, staff resources and budget to conduct full-fledged research for every project. 

The answer to all of these issues is, unsurprisingly, more communications. But smart communications; methods that don’t add huge amounts to client invoices.  Examples include small focus groups, email surveys, and adding questions to existing evaluation methods such as regular staff engagement surveys, stakeholder audits or polls. 

Every project (not just communications) can benefit from a post-event evaluation. A round-table meeting with your key stakeholders can find out what worked and what didn’t and look at the objectives met. 

Social media brings other evaluation methods into the mix – the number of retweets or Facebook page fans or the nature of online posts can all be used to measure success. 

The key is timeliness and relevance; and sometimes patience. Communications is core to an organisation’s overall strategy and sometimes good communications can take time. 

It’s beholden on us as experts to set clients expectations of change at the beginning of a project then go the extra mile. In other words; under promise and over deliver.