Think About It

Measuring the effectiveness of your communications doesn't have to break the budget.

When we attend seminars on communications, we hear the experts talk about the importance of measurement.

Measure before taking action, they advise, to identify trouble spots and get a baseline on customer attitudes or perceptions. And measure again afterwards, to see how much things changed.

We know in our hearts that the gurus are right. Measurement is vital to crafting, executing and evaluating a communications program. Without it, we can only guess at what to do and, once we've done it, whether we've made an impact.

Yet when advised to measure, communicators study their shoelaces, or catch the glance of another nearby communicator, each smirking in the shared knowledge that while everyone talks about measuring, almost no one does it.

So why don't marketers and communicators measure? Mostly it's because it's viewed as too darn expensive, and our marketing budget is painfully tight as it is. We think of measurement as a luxury we can't afford – especially since we're confident in what the research would show.

It's true that spending on measurement is often a sacrifice. Unless we can convince whoever is writing the checks that they should give us additional funds, measurement likely means giving up something else. But when we take action without measurement, we risk throwing our whole budget at the wrong target. It's like starting a game of bowling without checking which lane you're supposed to be on.

And the truth is, measurement doesn't have to cost as much as a ride on the International Space Station. Focus groups and professionally conducted telephone surveys may be beyond your budget, but there are ways to tune in to the buzz about your company that would make Clark Howard proud. Here are a few:

• Ask your best customers for their opinions. People like to be asked what they think, and few people will refuse to answer a short e-mail or spend five minutes on the phone with you. If you're afraid they won't be completely candid with a regular contact, get help from another department or an outside company.
  
  
• Hire one of the many companies that conducts Internet-based surveys. This provides your customers total anonymity and is less expensive than one-to-one contacts. Some online surveys can be done for just a few hundred dollars.
  
  
• Give your customers an open door to provide feedback whenever the mood strikes them. Invite their comments after every sale or completed project, and add a simple feedback form to your Web site.
  
  
• Ask new customers how they heard about you. Most of the time, they'll remember.
  
  
• In your communication's "call to action," include a path back to a secret door. This means establishing a dedicated phone number of Web site that only those who see the communication will have.
  

Some of these methods aren't as scientific as the traditional formal survey, but they still provide valuable information. Even if you're not planning a major branding or communication effort, consider using at least one or two of these methods on a regular basis. You'll have a constant gauge of how your communications programs are working. You'll also have an early warning system for trouble, so you can take corrective action before things spin too far out of orbit.

Have other ideas for measurement? Let us know...