What are the key media metrics and indicators for community organizing goals and outcomes?

1 Media goals and objectives

Before you dive into the data, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your media efforts. Media goals and objectives are the specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) statements that define your desired media outcomes. For example, your media goal could be to increase awareness of your issue among a target audience, and your media objective could be to reach 10,000 people with your message within a month. Media goals and objectives should align with your overall community organizing goals and objectives, and should be informed by your media analysis and research.

2 Media metrics and indicators

Media metrics and indicators are the quantitative and qualitative measures that help you track and evaluate your media performance and impact. Media metrics are the raw numbers that show how much, how often, and how well your media activities are happening, such as impressions, reach, frequency, engagement, and conversion. Media indicators are the derived values that show how well your media activities are achieving your media objectives, such as awareness, reach, sentiment, influence, and action. Media metrics and indicators should be relevant, reliable, valid, and comparable, and should be collected and analyzed using appropriate tools and methods.

3 Media tools and methods

Media tools and methods are the software and techniques that help you collect, organize, analyze, and visualize your media data. Media tools can range from simple spreadsheets and surveys to sophisticated platforms and dashboards that integrate multiple sources and types of data. Media methods can include descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, content analysis, network analysis, sentiment analysis, and impact evaluation. Media tools and methods should be chosen based on your media objectives, data availability, data quality, data complexity, and data literacy.

4 Media strategy and tactics

Media strategy and tactics are the plans and actions that guide your media efforts and help you achieve your media goals and objectives. Media strategy is the overarching framework that defines your media vision, mission, values, principles, audiences, messages, channels, resources, and timeline. Media tactics are the specific activities that implement your media strategy, such as creating content, distributing content, engaging audiences, monitoring feedback, and adjusting actions. Media strategy and tactics should be based on your media analysis and research, and should be flexible and adaptable to changing contexts and opportunities.

5 Media analysis and research

Media analysis and research are the processes of gathering, interpreting, and applying information and insights about your media environment, stakeholders, competitors, opportunities, and challenges. Media analysis and research can help you understand your media landscape, identify your media strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT), define your media goals and objectives, develop your media strategy and tactics, measure your media metrics and indicators, and evaluate your media impact and effectiveness. Media analysis and research should be done before, during, and after your media efforts, and should use a variety of sources and methods, such as media audits, media scans, media mapping, media surveys, media interviews, media focus groups, and media case studies.

6 Media impact and effectiveness

Media impact and effectiveness are the outcomes and results of your media efforts in relation to your media goals and objectives. Media impact is the extent to which your media activities have contributed to your desired social change, such as raising awareness, changing attitudes, influencing behavior, or mobilizing action. Media effectiveness is the extent to which your media activities have achieved your media objectives efficiently and sustainably, such as reaching your target audience, delivering your message, engaging your stakeholders, or converting your supporters. Media impact and effectiveness should be assessed using your media metrics and indicators, and should be reported and communicated to your stakeholders, funders, partners, and beneficiaries.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?