Based on our experiences, measurement can be a scary word, but we want to show that it shouldn’t be. Measurement is integral to showing real success in marketing solutions and tracking the impact of everything we do. When done well, it can prove successes, provide learnings for future campaigns, and ultimately unlock bigger budgets.

As a starting point, we wanted to share our views on the key dos and don’ts for good measurement, based on our DMX experience, and if done well, what value it can bring to your business.

DO:

  • Identify the overarching goals that measurement needs to help answer – unless there are clear objectives to measure against, it will be very hard to effectively demonstrate success
  • Facilitate greater communication and collaboration – if all parties work together and share data it will reduce duplication of effort, save time and save money
  • Align on access to research and data – it is really important to know who owns what data and how it can be shared so that you are aware of what metrics you have available, to allow you to demonstrate success

DON’T:

  • Be scared by measurement – it can be a powerful ally to you if embraced and done well
  • Measure retrospectively – if possible, get buy-in on objectives and metrics before you start a campaign, it can be very difficult to try and retrospectively prove success, particularly as the data you need may well not be available
  • Be worried if results aren’t what you expect – one of the most valuable roles measurement plays is in providing learnings about what works well and what doesn’t, so you can optimise in the future

THE VALUE GOOD MEASUREMENT CAN BRING TO YOUR BUSINESS:

  • Better return on investment
  • Benchmarks for future activities
  • Ability to justify your actions
  • More buy-in from internal stakeholders

A version of this post first appeared on Edelman Ireland