What do you do if your strategic communications initiative needs a thorough evaluation?

1 Assess Goals

Your first step in evaluating your strategic communications initiative is to revisit your original goals. Ask yourself if these objectives still align with your overall business strategy and if they are measurable and achievable. It's crucial to have a clear understanding of what you intended to accomplish so you can accurately determine whether your communications efforts are on track or if they've gone astray. Without this clarity, any evaluation will lack direction and purpose.

2 Gather Data

To evaluate your strategic communications effectively, you must collect relevant data. This includes metrics such as engagement rates, audience reach, and conversion statistics. By analyzing this data, you can gain insights into what is working and what isn't. Remember that numbers alone don't tell the whole story; qualitative feedback from your audience can provide context and deeper understanding of the impact of your communications.

3 Analyze Impact

Once you have your data, it's time to analyze the impact of your communications. Look at both the intended and unintended consequences of your messaging. Consider how your initiative has influenced your target audience's perceptions, behaviors, and actions. This analysis will help you understand the effectiveness of your messaging and the areas where adjustments may be necessary.

4 Review Tactics

In this step, review the specific tactics used in your initiative. Evaluate each channel, message, and piece of content for its effectiveness in contributing to your goals. This is where you might find that certain tactics are underperforming or that others are more successful than anticipated. Use this information to refine your approach, focusing on the tactics that deliver the best results.

5 Seek Feedback

It's important to seek feedback from stakeholders and your target audience to get a well-rounded view of your strategic communications initiative. This feedback can be gathered through surveys, interviews, or informal conversations. It provides valuable insights into how your communications are perceived and can highlight areas that may have been overlooked during internal evaluations.

6 Plan Adjustments

Finally, based on your evaluation, plan the necessary adjustments to your strategic communications initiative. This might involve redefining goals, revising messaging, or altering tactics. The key is to create a detailed action plan that addresses the shortcomings identified during the evaluation process. Implementing these changes will help ensure that your communications efforts are more aligned with your objectives and resonate better with your audience.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?