Communications Analysis: Real-Time

You’ve just reviewed the final results of your last pro-active media campaign to launch that new product or service. The numbers look pretty good: media impressions were in the millions; coverage was evenly split between broadcast and print; and a leading national paper ran three stories on the launch-pretty impressive. But could it have been better?

Analyze this
Analyzing issues or campaigns is the first big step in truly understanding any communications success or failure. With busy schedules andor tight client budgets, more often than not, media analysis isn’t always carried out. A big investment is being made on gathering the media content, but not on measuring and analyzing the trends, successes, and areas for improvement. Stories are often filed away immediately or distributed to a limited group, never to be looked at again or analyzed at all.

If you’re already conducting ongoing media analysis half the battle is won. But if not, you can bet your client or director will demand it soon. New analysis technologies combined with increased expectations to determine communications ROI (Return on Investment) are making analysis a must, not a should.

Once you’ve determined the need or importance of analysis, what’s next? This is where the confusion can set in. As can be expected, everyone has their own definition of how media content should be analyzed based on their own experiences. And usually the issue of PR standards and formulas arise…and that is when things often can come to a stand-still.

But before you get into how you are going to analyze, you must first determine what you’re interested in analyzing. Here are a few considerations:

Track success in key publications and mediums based on demographic suitability
Evaluate key message penetration in media stories
Track quality - not just quantity - of coverage
Determine success vs. competitors
Success of spokesperson pick-up
Determine campaign ROI
Measure advertising equivalency (if you must!)
Monitor regional penetration comparisons
Tabulate media impressionsaudience numbers
Compare key issues andor product penetration
Resulting editorial or other media commentaryletters to the editor

There are endless ways of analyzing and cross-referencing the information. But you should note that you can accomplish all of the above considerations without getting into confusing PR multipliers or complex formulas. The key is to determine what you’re interested in evaluating and create benchmarks for future comparisons. And if you still want to add in PR multipliers you can, as long as you consistently keep to the same formula. So whether you’re multiplying by a factor of 3, 5, or 10, the coverage is always being evaluated in a consistent fashion and can therefore be viewed as an unbiased and accurate portrayal.

Go Electronic, Go Real-Time
Reviewing the success of a new product launch, the impact of a crisis on your organization, or a monthly comparison after-the-fact can provide valuable insight for future planning. But imagine the change you could make if you have real-time data available to you at your fingertips in an instant. Using real-time data you could monitor:

What regions are having the most success and which need attention
Misinformation being published so you can correct it
Which publications need another follow-up call
Which issues are getting the most attention
The quality and tone of the coverage
The impact on your organization
What tactics are working and which aren’t
How you can piggy-back on recent media trends or competitors’ tactics or success

The benefits of real-time analysis are endless and important. Knowing that you can have a timely affect on the final outcome of a new product launch is empowering and helps speak to the real power of PR.

A combination of real-time analysis and benchmarking will provide you with the tools to improve the results of a campaign mid-stream and properly analyze its success using a predetermined set of objectives and consistent criteria. So make 2005 the year you start benchmarking your analysis-an opportunity to learn more about the impact your communications strategies are having will pay dividends for years to come.

Communications Analysis: Real-Time — Benchmark for success in 2006

You’ve just reviewed the final results of your last pro-active media campaign to launch that
new product or service. The numbers look pretty good:  media impressions were in the millions;
coverage was evenly split between broadcast and print; and a leading national paper ran three
stories on the launch-pretty impressive. But could it have been better?

Analyze this
Analyzing issues or campaigns is the first big step in truly understanding any communications
success or failure. With busy schedules andor tight client budgets, more often than not, media
analysis isn’t always carried out. A big investment is being made on gathering the media content,
but not on measuring and analyzing the trends, successes, and areas for improvement.  Stories
are often filed away immediately or distributed to a limited group, never to be looked at again
or analyzed at all.

If you’re already conducting ongoing media analysis half the battle is won. But if not, you can
bet your client or director will demand it soon. New analysis technologies combined with increased
expectations to determine communications ROI (Return on Investment) are making analysis a must,
not a should.

Once you’ve determined the need or importance of analysis, what’s next? This is where the confusion
can set in. As can be expected, everyone has their own definition of how media content should be
analyzed based on their own experiences. And usually the issue of PR standards and formulas arise…and
that is when things often can come to a stand-still.

But before you get into how you are going to analyze, you must first determine what you’re interested
in analyzing. Here are a few considerations:

Track success in key publications and mediums based on demographic suitability
Evaluate key message penetration in media stories
Track quality - not just quantity - of coverage
Determine success vs. competitors
Success of spokesperson pick-up
Determine campaign ROI
Measure advertising equivalency (if you must!)
Monitor regional penetration comparisons
Tabulate media impressionsaudience numbers
Compare key issues andor product penetration
Resulting editorial or other media commentaryletters to the editor

There are endless ways of analyzing and cross-referencing the information.
But you should note that you can accomplish all of the above considerations without getting
into confusing PR multipliers or complex formulas. The key is to determine what you’re interested
in evaluating and create benchmarks for future comparisons. And if you still want to add in
PR multipliers you can, as long as you consistently keep to the same formula. So whether you’re
multiplying by a factor of 3, 5, or 10, the coverage is always being evaluated in a consistent fashion
and can therefore be viewed as an unbiased and accurate portrayal.

Go Electronic, Go Real-Time
Reviewing the success of a new product launch, the impact of a crisis on your organization, or a
monthly comparison after-the-fact can provide valuable insight for future planning. But imagine the
change you could make if you have real-time data available to you at your fingertips in an instant.
Using real-time data you could monitor:

What regions are having the most success and which need attention
Misinformation being published so you can correct it
Which publications need another follow-up call
Which issues are getting the most attention
The quality and tone of the coverage
The impact on your organization
What tactics are working and which aren’t
How you can piggy-back on recent media trends or competitors’ tactics or success

The benefits of real-time analysis are endless and important. Knowing that you can have a timely
affect on the final outcome of a new product launch is empowering and helps speak to the real power
of PR.

A combination of real-time analysis and benchmarking will provide you with the tools to improve the
results of a campaign mid-stream and properly analyze its success using a predetermined set of
objectives and consistent criteria. So make 2005 the year you start benchmarking your analysis-an
opportunity to learn more about the impact your communications strategies are having will pay dividends
for years to come.

Free Publicity For Your Landscaping Business

Regardless of whether you are just venturing out into the business world or already have a successful company, budgeting your expenses will help to improve profits and the overall health of the business. The largest expenses that a landscaping business has are advertising and the cost of equipment. The prices associated with a print advertisement can be significant, which is why a growing number of business owners are turning toward an alternative way of spreading the word about their landscaping business. With a company that provides local services, such as landscaping, it is more important to reach a local audience as opposed to a national one.

The most common way to generate free publicity for a landscaping business is through a press release, which is distributed to local newspapers, magazines and trade publications. Whether the landscaping business has an actual storefront present, is home or web-based, this option may have a positive success rate. In order for a press release to be worthy of publication, it must feature some type of news. A terrific example would be a grand opening, the launch of a new website, a free landscaping project contest or similar newsworthy event. A photograph of the business owner would make a nice accompaniment to any press release and may even grab the editor’s attention. Press releases can be submitted via mail, e-mail or fax and should be directed to the editor’s attention.

Many businesses, including those that provide landscaping services, often choose to have a website. Although the internet does provide for national exposure, many local customers may surf the web for landscaping information. A website should be professionally designed, regularly updated and feature plenty of landscaping example photos to showcase your ability. With a website, the free promotional opportunities are unlimited. From press release submission websites to article marketing and search engines, there are plenty of ways to get the word out about your new web presence.

Just as there are a number of ways to generate paid advertising, there are even more ways to obtain free publicity for your landscaping business. Most local companies will find paid advertising works most effectively in the telephone book’s yellow pages, but may also find limited success with newspaper andor radio advertising. The main problem with the latter is that newspapers are often discarded quickly and most people do not have a pen handy when listening to the radio in order to write down a contact number. When you reduce the advertising costs and increase profits, your company’s bank account will begin to glimmer just as much as the dew on a beautifully landscaped lawn.

Communications Analysis: Real-Time — Benchmark for success in 2006

You’ve just reviewed the final results of your last pro-active media campaign to launch that
new product or service. The numbers look pretty good: media impressions were in the millions;
coverage was evenly split between broadcast and print; and a leading national paper ran three
stories on the launch-pretty impressive. But could it have been better?

Analyze this
Analyzing issues or campaigns is the first big step in truly understanding any communications
success or failure. With busy schedules and/or tight client budgets, more often than not, media
analysis isn’t always carried out. A big investment is being made on gathering the media content,
but not on measuring and analyzing the trends, successes, and areas for improvement. Stories
are often filed away immediately or distributed to a limited group, never to be looked at again
or analyzed at all.

If you’re already conducting ongoing media analysis half the battle is won. But if not, you can
bet your client or director will demand it soon. New analysis technologies combined with increased
expectations to determine communications ROI (Return on Investment) are making analysis a must,
not a should.

Once you’ve determined the need or importance of analysis, what’s next? This is where the confusion
can set in. As can be expected, everyone has their own definition of how media content should be
analyzed based on their own experiences. And usually the issue of PR standards and formulas ariseand
that is when things often can come to a stand-still.

But before you get into how you are going to analyze, you must first determine what you’re interested
in analyzing. Here are a few considerations:

• Track success in key publications and mediums based on demographic suitability
• Evaluate key message penetration in media stories
• Track quality - not just quantity - of coverage
• Determine success vs. competitors
• Success of spokesperson pick-up
• Determine campaign ROI
• Measure advertising equivalency (if you must!)
• Monitor regional penetration comparisons
• Tabulate media impressions/audience numbers
• Compare key issues and/or product penetration
• Resulting editorial or other media commentary/letters to the editor

There are endless ways of analyzing and cross-referencing the information.
But you should note that you can accomplish all of the above considerations without getting
into confusing PR multipliers or complex formulas. The key is to determine what you’re interested
in evaluating and create benchmarks for future comparisons. And if you still want to add in
PR multipliers you can, as long as you consistently keep to the same formula. So whether you’re
multiplying by a factor of 3, 5, or 10, the coverage is always being evaluated in a consistent fashion
and can therefore be viewed as an unbiased and accurate portrayal.

Go Electronic, Go Real-Time
Reviewing the success of a new product launch, the impact of a crisis on your organization, or a
monthly comparison after-the-fact can provide valuable insight for future planning. But imagine the
change you could make if you have real-time data available to you at your fingertips in an instant.
Using real-time data you could monitor:

• What regions are having the most success and which need attention
• Misinformation being published so you can correct it
• Which publications need another follow-up call
• Which issues are getting the most attention
• The quality and tone of the coverage
• The impact on your organization
• What tactics are working and which aren’t
• How you can piggy-back on recent media trends or competitors’ tactics or success

The benefits of real-time analysis are endless and important. Knowing that you can have a timely
affect on the final outcome of a new product launch is empowering and helps speak to the real power
of PR.

A combination of real-time analysis and benchmarking will provide you with the tools to improve the
results of a campaign mid-stream and properly analyze its success using a predetermined set of
objectives and consistent criteria. So make 2005 the year you start benchmarking your analysis-an
opportunity to learn more about the impact your communications strategies are having will pay dividends
for years to come.

Communications Analysis: Real-Time

You’ve just reviewed the final results of your last pro-active media campaign to launch that new product or service. The numbers look pretty good: media impressions were in the millions; coverage was evenly split between broadcast and print; and a leading national paper ran three stories on the launch-pretty impressive. But could it have been better?

Analyze this
Analyzing issues or campaigns is the first big step in truly understanding any communications success or failure. With busy schedules and/or tight client budgets, more often than not, media analysis isn’t always carried out. A big investment is being made on gathering the media content, but not on measuring and analyzing the trends, successes, and areas for improvement. Stories are often filed away immediately or distributed to a limited group, never to be looked at again or analyzed at all.

If you’re already conducting ongoing media analysis half the battle is won. But if not, you can bet your client or director will demand it soon. New analysis technologies combined with increased expectations to determine communications ROI (Return on Investment) are making analysis a must, not a should.

Once you’ve determined the need or importance of analysis, what’s next? This is where the confusion can set in. As can be expected, everyone has their own definition of how media content should be analyzed based on their own experiences. And usually the issue of PR standards and formulas ariseand that is when things often can come to a stand-still.

But before you get into how you are going to analyze, you must first determine what you’re interested in analyzing. Here are a few considerations:

Track success in key publications and mediums based on demographic suitability
Evaluate key message penetration in media stories
Track quality - not just quantity - of coverage
Determine success vs. competitors
Success of spokesperson pick-up
Determine campaign ROI
Measure advertising equivalency (if you must!)
Monitor regional penetration comparisons
Tabulate media impressions/audience numbers
Compare key issues and/or product penetration
Resulting editorial or other media commentary/letters to the editor

There are endless ways of analyzing and cross-referencing the information. But you should note that you can accomplish all of the above considerations without getting into confusing PR multipliers or complex formulas. The key is to determine what you’re interested in evaluating and create benchmarks for future comparisons. And if you still want to add in PR multipliers you can, as long as you consistently keep to the same formula. So whether you’re multiplying by a factor of 3, 5, or 10, the coverage is always being evaluated in a consistent fashion and can therefore be viewed as an unbiased and accurate portrayal.

Go Electronic, Go Real-Time
Reviewing the success of a new product launch, the impact of a crisis on your organization, or a monthly comparison after-the-fact can provide valuable insight for future planning. But imagine the change you could make if you have real-time data available to you at your fingertips in an instant. Using real-time data you could monitor:

What regions are having the most success and which need attention
Misinformation being published so you can correct it
Which publications need another follow-up call
Which issues are getting the most attention
The quality and tone of the coverage
The impact on your organization
What tactics are working and which aren’t
How you can piggy-back on recent media trends or competitors’ tactics or success

The benefits of real-time analysis are endless and important. Knowing that you can have a timely affect on the final outcome of a new product launch is empowering and helps speak to the real power of PR.

A combination of real-time analysis and benchmarking will provide you with the tools to improve the results of a campaign mid-stream and properly analyze its success using a predetermined set of objectives and consistent criteria. So make 2005 the year you start benchmarking your analysis-an opportunity to learn more about the impact your communications strategies are having will pay dividends for years to come.