How do you choose the right corporate communication metrics for your goals?

1 Define your goals and objectives

Before you can choose the right metrics, you need to have a clear and specific idea of what you want to achieve with your corporate communication efforts. What are your communication goals and objectives? How do they align with your organizational strategy and vision? How will you know if you have succeeded or failed? Defining your goals and objectives will help you narrow down the scope and focus of your measurement and evaluation.

2 Identify your key audiences and channels

Next, you need to identify who are your key audiences and what are the best channels to reach them. Your audiences may include internal and external stakeholders, such as employees, customers, investors, media, regulators, or communities. Your channels may include traditional and digital media, such as websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, or webinars. Depending on your goals and objectives, you may need to segment your audiences and channels based on different criteria, such as demographics, preferences, behaviors, or attitudes.

3 Choose relevant and meaningful metrics

Once you have defined your goals and objectives, and identified your key audiences and channels, you can choose the relevant and meaningful metrics that will help you track and evaluate your corporate communication performance. There are different types of metrics that you can use, such as output, outcome, and impact metrics. Output metrics measure the quantity and quality of your communication activities, such as reach, frequency, or engagement. Outcome metrics measure the changes in your audience's awareness, knowledge, attitude, or behavior as a result of your communication activities, such as recall, satisfaction, loyalty, or advocacy. Impact metrics measure the contribution of your communication activities to your organizational goals and objectives, such as revenue, market share, or reputation.

4 Collect and analyze data

After you have chosen your metrics, you need to collect and analyze data that will help you measure and evaluate your corporate communication performance. You can use different sources and methods to collect data, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, feedback forms, analytics tools, or social media monitoring. You can also use different techniques and tools to analyze data, such as descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, benchmarking, or sentiment analysis. The key is to collect and analyze data that is reliable, valid, and consistent.

5 Report and communicate results

Finally, you need to report and communicate the results of your measurement and evaluation to your stakeholders. You can use different formats and platforms to report and communicate results, such as dashboards, reports, presentations, or infographics. You can also use different strategies and techniques to report and communicate results, such as storytelling, visualization, or recommendations. The key is to report and communicate results that are clear, concise, and actionable.

Choosing the right corporate communication metrics for your goals is not a one-time task, but a continuous process that requires planning, execution, and improvement. By following these steps and tips, you can ensure that your corporate communication metrics are relevant, meaningful, and impactful.