10 KPIs to Assess Corporate Communications Effectiveness
After weeks, and maybe even months, of preparation, launching a new campaign or communication can be an exciting time. But the work doesn’t stop at “send.” Now begins the second half of the project—did it work? To determine this, the marketing and communications team will need to track certain metrics and key performance indicators that will give them valuable insight on what’s working, what’s not and what they can do to improve in the future.
But which metrics should they be tracking exactly? To help, 10 members of Forbes Communications Council weigh in with the top KPIs they believe are the most important in assessing the impact of corporate communications, as well as what vital information you can glean from tracking them.
1. A Holistic Brand Health Score
Companies often turn to share of voice or impressions metrics to measure brand awareness. But those don’t tell you how your brand resonates with external audiences. Establishing a holistic brand health score encompassing measurable activities like press coverage, branded search, web traffic and social engagement provides a more accurate assessment of brand and corporate communications efforts. – Tifenn Dano Kwan, Amplitude
2. Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is a key KPI for corporate communications. Measuring how well messages resonate with employees is crucial because engaged staff greatly influence productivity, retention, company culture and change management. High engagement also indicates effective communication, boosting performance and brand advocacy, making it vital for organizational success and sustainability. – Heather Stickler, Tidal Basin Group
3. Sales And Revenue
There really is no single KPI that can cover the corporate communications arena, so in that absence, I always look toward the most important KPI for any marketing initiative: sales and revenue. Driving revenue is the ultimate marketing goal of any company. So, marketers should always look for ways to connect their campaigns to the ultimate goal. There is no better way to demonstrate success. – Tom Wozniak, OPTIZMO Technologies, LLC
In the B2B sector, the customer engagement score is key for assessing corporate communications. It measures interaction and response rates, reflecting customer interest and satisfaction. High engagement correlates with loyalty and business growth, making this metric crucial for understanding and nurturing long-term customer relationships. – Leslie Poston, Austin Data Labs
5. Customer Or User Feedback
Customer or user feedback is one of the most important KPIs you can track. You should know not only how many comments or replies you’re receiving for your campaigns but also, more qualitatively, what this feedback actually says. Tracking responses will not only help drive and iterate your future initiatives but also give you a tangible sense of whether or not your strategy is working in the real world. – Melissa Kandel, little word studio
6. Message Penetration
Message penetration helps measure the effectiveness of key messages on target audiences and understand brand reach. According to McKinsey, truly sustainable marketing-led growth is, “focused on delivering the right message, to the right audience, at the right moment, at the right place—all the time.” This is a qualitative measurement that can be incorporated into reporting. – Marija Zivanovic-Smith, IEX
7. Reputation
Reputation is a vector quantity of awareness with favorable reactions to your core messages. Reputation determines the people you want to buy from, work with and learn more about. It drives top-of-funnel awareness as well as bottom-of-funnel purchase and repurchase. It also goes beyond the mechanical measures (clicks and engagement) to get at what people really feel and think. – Eric Brown, JumpCloud
8. Social Media Engagement
Social media engagement is an excellent indicator of brand sentiment, both internally and externally. The visibility of corporate communications is worth measuring, but when people engage with that content, it indicates that you’re reaching the right people. Social media reactions and comments reveal how employees and prospective buyers or clients feel about your messaging. – Bradley Keenan, DSMN8
9. Internal And External Satisfaction
Measuring KPIs in corporate communications can be challenging, particularly when dealing with a variety of campaigns that lack quantifiable metrics. In such cases, the most important KPI revolves around gauging internal and external satisfaction, a metric that can be derived through surveys. The feedback obtained holds immense power, and surveys are the most straightforward method. – Victoria Zelefsky, The Menkiti Group
10. It Depends On The Target Audience
It really depends on the audience you are targeting. If it’s employees, engagement would be a key metric. However, for an external audience, it makes sense to consider organic reach via unpaid media channels as a short-term metric for specific content pieces. In the longer term, measuring both organic brand search and website traffic will help to gauge the overall impact of the corporate communications strategy. – Sandra Pretorius, Word & Smyth
