Despite the headlines in other publications, I’m willing to bet that the biggest barrier to measurement is not how to measure, but how to pay for measurement. Organizations have never been comfortable paying for PR people or their agencies to justify their own existence. So we’ve pulled together several tips I’ve given clients over the years:
1. Don’t call it “measurement”
Take a tip from the survey research world and call it “research,” because that is, in fact, what it is. Whether you are analyzing social or traditional media you are studying what is going on in the minds of your customers and those who influence them.
2. Consolidate
If you work for a large organization, I’m willing to bet that you have numerous duplicative monitoring or measurement systems in place. Undoubtedly you have agencies that are doing monitoring and measurement for the specific programs or campaigns that they are working on. If you already have one good robust measurement system in place, you won’t need the budget for another. And by using a third party you’ll remove any accusations of conflict of interest and foxes guarding chicken coops, etc.
Then take a look at what departments are monitoring media. During one client engagement, I discovered 22 separate social media monitoring tools in use. At another I found three media analysis systems that were all doing essentially the same thing but for different groups within the company. In that case the net savings from consolidation was over half a million dollars! That more than covered the cost of a single global robust media measurement system.
3. Crowdsource
In a world where everyone wants to know “what’s being said about us out there,” chances are good that someone else in your organization wants some of the same monitoring or measurement services that you want. Look in product development, IR, customer support, and market research to see who else might have similar needs. Share the costs.
4. Spread the cost over two fiscal years
If you’re trying to squeeze measurement into what’s left of your budget, you can probably work with your vendors to spread the cost out over two fiscal years. Remember, if your end of the year includes coverage through the end of December, then that report doesn’t actually get written and delivered until the following year.
5. Reach out to universities
Universities are always on the lookout for real data and real-world scenarios to study. Chances are you have both. Enlist the help of your local universities to analyze that data and help you determine correlations and meaning.
6. Take advantage of free stuff to show proof of concept
Many of the newer tools will offer you a free one-month trial. If you can identify a good test case or campaign, sign up for the trial. Then use the trial’s results to present a detailed report. If they like it enough, chances are they’ll okay budget for it to continue. ∞
Thanks to unclaimedmoney.com for the image.
