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Are you prioritizing metrics that demonstrate your strategic value as an internal communicator?
One in four comments collated during the State of the Sector 2024 survey indicated that communicators struggle to achieve a seat at the table – so, why is that? We see a tendency across internal communications to focus too heavily on open rates and click rates, yet these won’t showcase the ways your work can drive business outcomes.
4 steps to help show your true strategic value
To demonstrate your true strategic value as a communicator, it’s vital to rethink your measurement priorities – with a focus on the impact of communications initiatives on the business bottom line.
Rethink measurement priorities
With 19% of respondents to the State of the Sector 2024 survey citing lack of analytics and measurement as a challenge, coming in fifth as an overall barrier to success – which serves to highlight the limitations of traditional metrics in terms of demonstrating the value you add.
If you shift your focus towards measuring impact against business outcomes, you can build a better story around the contribution you make to organizational success. The State of the Sector 2024 report revealed that 20% of communicators are already using measurement data as evidence of return on investment (ROI) – which is a positive result, as long as you’re measuring the right ROI.
Identify business objectives
Beyond a lack of time, resources, and correct technology, the top five barriers to measurement identified in the State of the Sector 2024 report included lack of clear communications objectives and business targets – with 35% of respondents highlighting this issue.
Engaging in strategic conversations with stakeholders around the business, including senior leadership teams, allows you to overcome this challenge. These conversations allow you to identify objectives, the messages needed to support them, and the ROI you need to measure – as well as solidifying your seat at the table.
Build strategic partnerships
You can also use these conversations to help business stakeholders understand the importance of your work as an internal communicator – which is something you must keep demonstrating by consistently aligning communications initiatives with business objectives.
In placing emphasis on ROI-driven projects, you have greater chance of measuring and delivering tangible results that prove your strategic impact. This allows you to build credibility as a strategic partner and secure your seat at the table.
The State of the Sector 2024 report indicated a correlation between focused measurement and being a strategic communicator. The jury is still out on whether great measurement makes a communicator strategic, or strategic communicators are great at measuring. Either way, the results below highlight the benefits with 47% of strategic communicators using measurement to successfully influence senior leadership.
Drive business success
Maintain your influence by diversifying your approaches in ways that capture a broader spectrum of ROI outcomes. Use qualitative feedback mechanisms that deliver the insight needed to facilitate strategic discussions around the value of internal communications. Highlight success stories that show how internal communications initiatives have directly contributed to business success.
Internal communications bring value to businesses of all sizes – and this simple shift in measurement approach can help you to quantify that value and position you as an influential and successful strategic communicator.
Let us help you empower your role. Get in touch today.
You can also download the State of the Sector 2024 report.
