Why you need this eBook right now!
These days, with a few keystrokes, everyone — your community members, voters, officials, partners, donors, members and vendors — has virtually instant access to whatever information you’re trying to get out there (or keep from getting out there). When combined with rapidly changing, uncertain, unsettling times, there is increased pressure to deliver metrics and results that show impact — not vanity metrics.
In this first chapter, we’ll explore the core benefits of strong communication and how they shape measurable outcomes across all organizations. From trust-building to crisis response, these foundational principles guide the approaches and metrics outlined throughout this book.
Why Measurement?
Well-measured communications achieve the following:
- Builds public trust by demonstrating transparency, consistency, and integrity.
- Boosts community engagement by making services, programs, and policies more accessible.
- Supports crisis management through timely, clear updates that inform and calm the public.
- Saves time and resources by reducing confusion, complaints, and repeated inquiries.
- Strengthens community relations by showing the government is listening and responsive.
- Elevates policy success by aligning public understanding with agency goals.
No matter what your goal, measurement best practices require a basic framework that starts with seven basic steps, which remain the same regardless of what activity, campaign, or program you are measuring. In the next chapters you will find specific instructions for measuring the effectiveness of whatever it is you are communicating. Those seven basic steps are:
Step 1: Get consensus on clear, actionable and measurable goals and objectives
Step 2: Define your audience
Step 3: Agree on Proxies and Metrics (the journey from communicating to results)
Step 4: Build Your Kick Butt Index (KBI)
Step 5: Agree on a benchmark
Step 6: Select the tools
Step 7: Collect and analyze data and report on insights