We work with clients across a wide range of industries, sectors and sizes, and a similar challenge seems prominent for many of them; very few have 100% digital communications and expert analytics.
A lot of colleagues in these businesses work irregular shifts or are based remotely. A disconnected workforce can make the challenge of measurement seem like a door not worth opening. But there are a few ways to start gauging the wants, needs and opinions of your people.
The first step is to test the waters. Don’t feel that you need to dive right in with a fully integrated measurement strategy. Focus, and get comfortable with measurement before you make a start.
Here are our six steps to effective measurement.
Start small with an area that you have complete control over.
This could be a time-bound campaign where you know your inputs, outputs and expected outcomes, or a specific channel such as a team brief that is designed to give front-line teams the sales information for the week.
Once you’ve nailed how to measure a small remit, you’ll be well prepared to extend your approach to measurement.
You don’t need to measure across your entire organisation for the data to be statistically significant and, above all, useful.
Start by focusing on a function – this could be a group of stores or even a region – then see how your measurement learnings can be applied elsewhere to make national improvements.
It’s often the temptation to delve into the data, attempt Google-level analytics and cut the numbers in countless different ways.
Don’t feel that you need to do that from the start. In fact, over-analysing data can aggregate it into uselessness. Focus on your outcomes, think about the changes you can affect and focus on the things that are essential to measure.
Measurement isn’t just about the numbers. Qualitative findings, such as what people say and how they say it, can often tell a far greater story.
A series of regular focus groups with structured questions will help you to learn more about how the lay of the land is changing.
Audits are great ways to understand what your internal communications look like right now.
These can be a deep, comprehensive look at the impact of your communications at a certain moment in time. But more importantly, they can become a catalyst to foster smart, focused, regular measurement.
Focusing on outcomes can feel detached from colleagues’ current internal communication needs – they can be lofty and long-term. But measuring outputs is simply confirming what you do.
The challenge here is to draw a line of sight between your outputs, the outtakes and outcomes – what you do, what people say and what the behaviour change is. By spending time nailing this at the start, you’ll build a solid foundation to continue measuring and see what works for you.
