3 signs you should invest in PR measurement tools

Regardless of whether you work for an agency or in-house PR team, upper-level executives or clients will ask why you do what you do, how it affects the business and how you can show results.

Not all PR tactics directly affect the bottom line, but if you don’t have measurement tools and dashboards in place, the questions that clients and managers commonly ask could indicate that it’s well past time to start. Gather data in advance of these questions to give clients and executives the answers they’re looking for.

Here are a few questions you’re likely to hear if you don’t have a measurement plan:

1. “What is a media hit’s real impact?”

Earned media—the coverage you obtain through effective public relations efforts—is notoriously difficult to measure. Though a media hit will increase a brand’s reputation and put it in front of consumers, it will also increase a brand’s website traffic, search engine optimization ranking and a host of other measures.