PROVING THE VALUE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

In these times of economic uncertainty, more and more business owners are, understandably, keen to see proof of whether they are getting a return on their investment into marketing, advertising and public relations. If businesses do not see a clear ROI, then it is quite likely that they will slash their budgets and reserve their cash for tactics that they can see working.

Some direct marketing agencies, such as the Auckland-based Twenty Limited, analyse results and report back to the client as a matter of course. The advertising industry has also long recognised the importance of evaluating return on investment.

However, more often than not, public relations consultancies do not push for evaluation of results, particulary in New Zealand. It is something that is talked about a lot at PRiNZ events but not something that many individuals appear to be acting upon. Maybe this is because PR professionals see themselves more as 'creative brains' than people occupied with statistics and numbers...? Maybe PR consultants are still caught up in that outdated assumption that media coverage proves that public relations is working.

Obviously, PR consultants do need to be able to show how much media exposure was achieved during a campaign. However, they also need to demonstrate the degree to which this exposure influenced perceptions and attitudes and what action, if any, the target audience took.

It is also vital that clients are educated on what results to expect from public relations. PR consultants need to ensure that their clients understand that the success of a PR campaign is not always directly linked to how many column inches they achieve. Of course, if consultants can convince their clients of the benefits of linking PR objectives to business objectives, then companies will also see results that go far beyond the odd article in newspapers and magazines.

At the recent PRiNZ conference, most members sitting on the Young Practitioners Panel were of the opinion that the future of PR lies in technology. I do not disagree with this. However, I also think that, as the months go by, especially if the current economic downturn stays with us for longer than expected, PR consultants will have to be more accountable and will have to present real, tangible results that prove that PR is succeeding at the job that it set out to do.

If PR consultants want a seat at the executive table, the first step is to start talking in a language that CEOs understand. Ultimately, this means providing data and information that shows that PR is impacting a company's bottom line.

Have a read of this blog named 'Proving the Value of Public Relations' and written by Don Bartholomew, senior vice president at MWW Group, in the United States, if you want to learn more about where the PR industry is heading, in terms of accountability and demonstrating ROI.