It’s summer and we’re all feeling a bit lazy. Books and vacation spots are calling and it’s time to catch up on all those podcasts and TV shows you’ve missed. We get it.
And we figure that there are probably a few articles from The Measurement Advisor that you’d like to catch up on, too. So, here we provide you with a need-to-read digest of the best of the past year. We’ve assembled all your favorites, based on those that received both the most unique views and drove the most conversions. (Impressions plus engagement, that’s some savvy measurement!)
We’ve divided this “Best Of” list into five sections:
(Just click on the links above to hop to a particular section)
We’ll be back at you in August with more fresh content. With the Olympics and conventions happening, it will be time to focus on measuring events. So watch for our special issues on the right ways (and the wrong ways) to judge the value of all those efforts.
So kick back in your beach chair (or hammock), take a break from that James Patterson thriller, and enjoy these articles that will boost your measurement smarts:
Category: Social Media
• How To Develop Your Own Social Media Engagement Index
An Optimal Content Score for media coverage is an easy a way to rate your results based on what “good results” or “bad results” means specifically for your program or brand. Here is a similar approach applied to measuring engagement with social media. To develop a customized index for social media engagement with your brand or program (i.e., any owned media), start by referring to your goals… Read more
• Here’s How To Design a Social Media Measurement System in 6 Easy Steps
The most annoying statement I’ve heard lately (that didn’t come from a presidential candidate) is: “We haven’t figured out how to measure social media.” I want to yell at them: “It’s 2016: I’ve been measuring social media for a decade!” But then I realize how many organizations are still just starting to dip their toes in the social media waters. So to them and others, I offer my 6-step program for a perfect social media measurement system… Read more
Category: Impressions
• Your Impressions Suck: Here Are 5 Simple Metrics that Actually Mean Something
After all those years of presenting results in millions of inflated impressions, engagement numbers seem tiny in comparison. You’re doing really well if you can get above 5%, so you’ve got to provide some context and meaning for your new number. Which is what we’ve done for you here. Here are some intelligent options to inflated impressions numbers that are still pretty simple to come up with, but actually have some meaning behind them… Read more
• When It Comes to Impressions, I’m Not Impressed
The #LikeAGirl campaign won “Best Use of Research, Measurement and Evaluation” at the Big Apple Awards held by the New York Chapter of PRSA. #LikeAGirl was created by Always, a brand of Procter & Gamble (P&G). Some would say their stats were impressive. I’m not one of them. While I’m delighted 76 million people around the world had an opportunity to see (meaning they may or may not actually have seen) the video, and the program achieved 4.5 billion impressions that might have been viewed, those are not the metrics that count… Read more
Category: Dashboards
• 6 Steps to Develop a Communications Dashboard You Can Use and Your Leadership Will Love
The development of a communications dashboard can broken down into six steps. The first step in creating any dashboard is a thorough audit of research and evaluation processes within your organization. This can frequently yield surprising results…. Read more
• The Complete Guide to Dashboards
Because of their ability to aggregate different data sets and show the relationships between all the various communications activities, dashboards are the real future of communications measurement. Simply put, they make it easy to braid together various data streams to quickly show not just trends, but how your work impacts business outcomes…Read more
• Data Points You Absolutely, Positively Need in Your Communications Dashboard
“Just tell me what to put in my measurement dashboard!” This is the cry for help I hear most often when I talk to communications and social media pros who are struggling with their metrics. They want to develop systems that show both their value to senior leadership and provide actionable information so their teams can make better decisions. No two organizations are the same, so the answer isn’t simple. But there are a few standard metrics that I recommend… Read more
Category: Return on Investment (ROI)
• How To Show Your Contribution to the Bottom Line
“I can show a direct connection from this press release to company revenues,” said no communications professional ever. If you’re wondering “why not?” one reason is that in today’s omni-media environment, attribution is complicated, influences are many, and impressions & AVEs don’t cut it any more…Read more
• ROI Is Dead
Recently we read “Super Bowl 50 And ’16 Summer Olympics: Expectations For A Positive ROI?” The piece raises many interesting questions about the value of Super Bowl and Olympic advertising. Yet it never talks about ROI. This phenomenon—throwing the letters ROI into a headline so you get more clicks—gets to the heart of what is so wrong with most discussion of communications ROI today. There is no ROI in most of social media… Read more
Category: No Brainer Measurement
• Addicted to AVE? Here Are 5 Time-Tested Alternatives
AVE (advertising value equivalency) is a simple, single number that marketing folks and many others love. They think it translates PR into something they understand how to measure, like advertising. Guess what? It doesn’t… Read more
• Keep It Simple – Not Stupid: Your Guide to Simple Communications Measurement
So many people think that communications measurement involves a lot of math, calculations, and research. And yes, some measurement programs do require such complexity. But, for the vast majority of communications professionals (not just PR people), once you’ve identified the business goals to which your efforts contribute, the rest of measurement comes pretty easily. We’ve gathered together all the simple measurement tricks and techniques we know into the June issues of The Measurement Advisor… Read more
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>>Did any of your favorite articles make the list? Comment below and share your thoughts!<<
