These are the biggest challenges to measuring comms, Ragan survey says
We asked communicators in the 2022 Communications Benchmark Report what obstacles are impeding their measurement strategies. Here’s what they said.
Most communicators surveyed in Ragan’s 2022 Communications Benchmark Report said that a lack of time, a lack of staff and a lack of proper technology were their top challenges when measuring communications.
A lack of time remains the biggest measurement challenge for all respondents (58%), though that number decreased among members of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council (40%), suggesting that the council membership’s senior ranks afford them more time to spend on measurement
About 40% of all respondents also cited staffing and lack of technology as major obstacles to measurement. These similar rankings suggest that communicators lack the resources they need to effectively measure messaging despite on the knowledge of what’s needed to make that measurement more effective.
This presents an opportunity for comms to push for adding measurement tools to their tech stack, thus helping them stress less about static data collection and automate their workflows to spend more time focusing on interpreting the insights.
The utility of communication measurement cannot be understated. Most respondents said they’re measuring to better understand which comms channels are most effective (73%), make better editorial and content decisions (70%) and benchmark their performance against current best practices (55%). Far fewer are measuring to determine which information is most relevant to employees (32%), argue for more resources (27%) or prove their worth to earn comms a seat at the leadership table.
Download a copy of Ragan’s fourth annual Communications Benchmark Report executive summary here. To obtain a full copy of Ragan’s 2022 Communications Benchmark Report, become a member of the Communications Leadership Council. Click here for more details.
What the 58% that don’t have the “time” to measure clearly don’t realize is that measurement actually saves time. When you have the right metrics that are tied to corporate priorities, you get to say “No” to the stupid stuff that clutters up your in box and wastes your time. Instead you get to do more of the things that actually advance the corporate priorities and enhance your value to the team.
And yes, I understand the lack of staff, but there are plenty of part time and contract folks out there that can help you get it done.