Turn-up the volume with your communications ROI
According to U.S. General George S. Patton, “The test of success is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” If we have learned anything from this recession, I sincerely hope it’s the importance of measuring the value of each of the inputs that go into what we do.
Thankfully, there are a number of ways to measure marketing and communications success well before you hit bottom. And, given the often considerable investments we make in communication and marketing campaigns, it’s vitally important that we also plan to measure the ultimate Return on Investment (ROI).
Before you fully deploy a product, program or policy, you can use focus group testing and other sampling techniques to measure the potential impact of your communications and marketing tactics and tools and adjust your approach, product or message accordingly. Similarly, an investment in media relations, internal communications, advertising or social media can be a wasted expense if you don’t plan to analyse your impact at regular intervals in order to determine whether you actually reach your mark.
The bottom line is that whether it’s a bull or a bear market, if you can consistently demonstrate a positive ROI from your marketing and communications recommendations, your own success will be assured.
Ken Anderson is Delta Media’s Senior Counsel and Director of Training
ken@deltamedia.ca
