PR metrics track the effect of PR efforts and result in a detailed analysis of what works and what doesn’t. PR metrics are extremely helpful since they help PR professionals understand what to prioritize and focus on. They help PR professionals understand whether their PR efforts are reaching the right audiences. PR metrics make it possible to bring about changes in existing campaigns, in order to increase ROI and improve their impact. Given below are some essential PR metrics that PR professionals should use.
Media reach
The number of mentions a business gets in the media, and the number of times it is highlighted in media publications, is impactful. The impact is strengthened if the media coverage reaches the target audience . The media reach will help only if the target audience consumes the kind of media where the business is getting mentioned. Otherwise there will be no improvement in brand awareness. Media coverage for its own sake may not be useful. Nowadays consumers want data-driven and accurate insights. Empty content, even if it has secured media coverage, may result in negative perception of a brand. A local newspaper might have an impact if it talks to the target demographic of a business.
Conversions
When a website visitor acts on a call to action, a conversion happens. A conversion also happens when a person makes a purchase. Conversions measure the success of PR efforts. Sales data is helpful for calculating the amount of conversions. A CRM helps identify how many site visitors a business needs to attract. The next step is to calculate how many conversions are needed for business growth.
Domain authority
A metric like domain authority is associated with SEO. Domain authority is a metric that expresses how relevant the content of a website is for a particular subject. This metric was created by the experts at Moz, and it helps businesses understand where they rank on SERPs. The domain authority of a site can be checked by using the Moz toolbar. There is a scale to measure domain authority, which ranges from 0 to 100. A low score means that the content used has to be optimized to rank higher on search engines. A high score means that the content used is getting adequate traffic.
Share of Voice
Share of Voice is a PR metric that is used to describe the share of the media mentions a business gets compared to its competitors. This metric helps gauge the authority of a business in its sector. For instance, a business that sells shoes might want to compare how often two or more brands are discussed. This is where Share of Voice comes in handy as it helps a business to understand what strategies other businesses are adopting. Share of Voice can be calculated by dividing a key metric , such as mentions in trade journals, by the total number of mentions for all brands in a similar niche.