How do you demonstrate that investing in comms is worthwhile for your organisation?
As many of us know, it can be tricky, to say the least. In fact, a recent research programme that covered 41 countries found that the toughest challenge for communicators continues to be linking comms and business strategy.
The enlightening European Communication Monitor 2015* report describes how communicators use various strategies to attempt to make the case – they are likely to highlight the positive effects on reputation, brand and organisational culture.
But overall, the industry’s approach to measurement seems disjointed. For instance, the report showed that what respondents claimed to do and what they actually measured didn’t match.
While people said it’s important to show how comms contributes to organisational goals, they didn’t measure this, making it difficult to explain its value to decision makers.
It’s a common problem and we’re often surprised at just how little measurement is done within internal comms. Is it because people prefer to spend money on ‘doing’ rather than ‘analysing’?
You can also see this mismatch in terms of digital tools. According to the research, communicators believe that integrating digital channels with traditional ones is the crucial task in this area, while ‘coping with the digital evolution’ is the second priority.
Yet what’s noticeable about the results in this area is the lack of measurement – despite seeing these as priorities, most respondents don’t use the data that’s readily available from digital channels such as intranets.
Generally, communicators just aren’t listening enough. While 84.7% of the respondents in this project have an overall comms strategy, only 55.6% have also developed an organisational listening strategy or strategies.
What seems to be the case is that communicators are more focused on channels than on stakeholders and results.
Here are the headline stats:
The ECM 2015 report also includes some interesting insights into the client:agency relationship. Notably, the data shows that a trait of an ‘excellent’ Comms team is hiring agencies for creativity and innovation, expertise on a particular market / region or strategic insight – and not because “it’s cheaper than employing staff”.
Read the full report here: www.communicationmonitor.eu
*The study was conducted by the European Public Relations Education and Research Association and the European Association of Communication Directors, and supported by partner PRIME Research International and media partner Communication Director magazine.