Evaluating PR Effectiveness21 July 2011, London
Web: www.charitycomms.org.ukTwitter: @CharityComms
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
Neil Wholey
Head of Research and Customer Insight
21 July 2011
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Never mind the quality, what’s the point of communications? For some organisations:• Communications not seen as front-line – what would you choose - ‘meals on wheels’ or ‘magazine’?• People are obsessed with defending glossy outputs rather than explaining how this helps meet the corporate goals of the organisation• There is no advocate for communications outside the comms teamFor others organisations (such as Westminster):• Communications quality is the outcome not the output• Survival is of those most adaptable to change (not fittest) • Advocacy of communications among staff and managers is an important goal in itself (deliver for others not yourself)
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Westminster’s approach• Consistent pro-active communications:
• Protects and enhances the reputation of the council• Recruits and retains good staff• Wins additional resources for the city
• Strong centralised team• Provides strategy and advice not just outputs• Media, campaigns, internal communications, web, design, research, member support, policy and strategy
• Clear understanding that communications can for the public good:• Change behaviour• Change perceptions
• Yearly communications plan• Clear outcome objectives• Clear audience based campaigns
• Honest evaluation• What works (and what doesn’t)• What do our audiences want?
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Building reputation by changing behaviour• Campaign
communications
• Planned and specifically supporting the aims of the council
• Measured outcomes
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Clarity of Story• Plan where you and your organisation want to be this time next
year, in three years and have a story to go with it – tough choices, decisions, rebuilding, progress and fresh start
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Leadership by Manchester United“Control, managing change
and observation. Spotting
everything around you,
analysing what is important.
Seeing dangers and
opportunities that others
don’t see. That comes from
experience and knowledge”
Sir Alex Ferguson
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Understand your audience
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Example Westminster’s audience – Tenants and lessees (one of 13 audiences)
• Aim: To raise awareness of and win support for Westminster’s housing policies• Activities:
• Promote the Housing Renewal Strategy• Support public relations for local authorities over rents and housing finance reforms issues• Update tenants and lessees of any developments or rebuilding taking place in the council’s corporate property portfolio• Managing corporate property communications/engagement
• Targets: • 81% of council tenants satisfied with the council• 79% of council lessees satisfied with the council• Reduce delays to building work and the number of complaints
• Key part of the plan is to work closely with our ALMO CityWest Homes
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Understand your audience
Source: Survey of 400 tenants, 100 leaseholders in a London borough (not Westminster), May 2010
56% have broadband at
home
9% classed as ABs
35% read the Metro each week
(49% of 16-34 year olds)
10% listen to Capital Radio and 10% listen to Radio 4
56% on Facebookeach month (20% interested in being
friends)
70% seen housing
organisation’s publication in
last six months (only 62% of 60+)
80% think media pos/
neutral
24% visited a housing office in last 3 months
19% visited website
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Understand what you want to measure
May 07 May 11
Satisfaction 76 78
Advocacy 49 51
VFM 62 58
Informed 58 72Source: c.500 WCC residents 16+ (telephone), May 2007 – May 2011
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Awareness of news stories
Question: Have you recently seen or heard about any of the following Westminster City Council?
Source: 500 WCC residents, 16+ interviewed by telephone, May 2011
The council trying to evict protesters in Parliament
Square
Possible changes to council services for children and
families
Budget cuts at the council
Westminster builds first new council homes in 25 years
Possible sharing of some services between H&F, RBKC
and Westminster
How it offers value for money
How the council cleaned up the streets after the Royal
wedding
The council’s proposed bylaw on soup runs and rough
sleeping
How the Olympics will affect where you live
Possible changes to council services for older people
Possible changes to the council’s parking policy
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
How do you judge the quality of these?
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Strategically important for us to do? - Yes
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
What should the metrics be for # swtrains ? To help understand the audience
• Monitor Twitter feed/major hashtags – understand implications of content not just hits• Understand who the key influencers are – journalists, unofficial Twitter accounts• General survey of rail passengers views
To help understand the possible new strategy • Number of followers of new SWTrains Twitter account (and number of key influencers following)• Number of positive replies to SWTrains responding to tweeters about specific issues (or just apologising)• Number of retweets and positive replies to new SWTrains initiatives – better comms for guards, free Wifi?
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
The best way to learn about social media evaluation is to do
social media
The best way to learn about social media evaluation is to do
social media
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Daily Mirror, 21st May 1975
If you want to prove the communications
business case you need case studies of what happened as a result
and tailored evaluation
If you want to prove the communications
business case you need case studies of what happened as a result
and tailored evaluation
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Conclusions
You need to understand:
What is your organisation trying to achieve and why?
Your audiences
How to prove the quality of the outcome of your work not rely on the quality of the output
Thank you
Evaluation and Communications Planning at Westminster City Council
21 July 2011@neilwholey
Contact meNeil WholeyHead of Research and Customer Insight Communications and StrategyWestminster City Council 17th Floor Westminster City Hall 64 Victoria StreetLondon SW1E 6QP Tel: 020 7641 3317 Fax: 020 7641 2958 email: [email protected]: @neilwholeywww.westminster.gov.uk