Making a Case for Communications Measurement

Written by Maliha Aqeel, of IC Savings and IABC/Toronto member and volunteer Director of Professional Development for the chapter

The face of communications is changing and we need more strategic ways to measure its effectiveness. This was the overarching message behind “The Shifting Sands of Measuring Communications,” an IABC/Toronto professional development event held in September.

The guest speaker, Annette Martell, ABC, MC, is IABC/Toronto’s newest Fellow, a former IABC world chair, repeat Blue Ribbon Panel judge and an experienced communicator with more than 20 years in the industry. In addition to her own insights, Annette enlisted help from a “virtual panel” of successful industry experts who provided insights and helpful tips for utilizing measurement tools to create a case for communication as an essential component of the organization.

The seminar addressed questions such as: What results do CEOs expect from communicators? How can you best position your communications budget to be approved, or even increased next year? The answers were complex but one key point stood out: measurement is about understanding what goals you want to accomplish from your communications program.

According to Annette and her virtual panel of experts, the onus is on the communications team, whether in-house or external, to make itself relevant to the C-suite. The best way to accomplish this goal is to leverage best practice methods and tools, set up a process, assess and make recommendations on a periodic basis.

Communication connects strategy with how things get done. In this respect, as communicators we are not isolated from the operational side of the business. In fact, as brand advocates, we need to know the business inside out in order to develop an effective communication strategy.

Once the strategy is implemented, we need to make a clear decision about which measures are appropriate for any given situation. Measurement is not an end in itself; it is a tool for improving the business. Measurement does that by allowing the communication team to amalgamate feedback from the target audience through surveys, focus groups, town halls, etc. and use it against a baseline to track the progress of the communication program.

However, communications measurement is not purely a scientific process. Success is not just about column inches and hits; rather it is about how the message resonates with the audience and how this resonance affects the bottom line. Using real-life examples, Annette showed how organizations such as The Co-Operators, TransAlta and Alberta Medical Association were able to demonstrate how measurement, particularly audience feedback, impacted the communication program and the business.

Once communicators can show the correlation between communications initiatives and the bottom line, it is easier to convince the C-suite of the necessity for effective communication planning and budgeting. Another bonus is that it creates stronger relationships with internal audiences that take their experience with the brand values to become advocates for external brand recognition.

Annette also touched on the latest research in communication methodology and measurement found in the IABC’s knowledge resource as well as research released by other international bodies. One report from the IABC Research Foundation identified drivers behind organizational trust and how measuring trust should be part of the communication plan and also part of governance. Annette also spoke about how return on investment (ROI) from such a highly effective communication function results in 47 percent higher return for shareholders.

Another important research topic discussed was the King III Report, which talks about integrated reporting of the financial, environmental, social and governance levels of the organization. For communicators this means there is more collaboration across functions, and the role of communications is placed at the board level due to the integration of stakeholder relations and better measurement of the impact of the communication program.

A final point from the seminar was the need to collaborate internationally to bring metrics together. Communication deals with intangibles that are hard to measure, but by developing a measurement framework, the communication team and the organization will be better positioned to handle a crisis and have preventive measures in place.

This event was sponsored by: