Get SMART: Top Tips for Creating a Framework For Any Campaign

As a marketer, you are bombarded with a torrent of keywords, mentions, likes, comments, Tweets – the list goes on. So, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what to measure.

In a world with so much useful and juicy data how do you separate out the insight from the white noise?

Novelist Douglas Coupland  coined the phrase ‘Option Paralysis’ to describe the tendency of having unlimited choices yet making none.

This is certainly something you wish to avoid when measuring a campaign. Instead you need to be aware of the most important metrics to measure to ensure that you can properly meet them.

Be flexible when approaching what you’ll measure

When deciding what you should measure, you have to ask yourself what you want to achieve and how you will get there.

Having clear objectives will ensure you meet your goals and can establish a well-rounded campaign measurement strategy.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to campaign measurement, instead each organization should create their own strategy and be flexible in their approach.

We’ve collated a selection of top theories and tips that will help you to create a framework that can cover pretty much any campaign.

Get SMART

SMART objectives are a criteria to live by when setting out on a campaign. You want outcomes which are:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time-related

So, let’s imagine that a company wishes to increase brand awareness, arguably an example which is always relevant to all organizations.

A SMART objective would be to generate more discussions around a piece of owned content in a week in comparison to the same period last year.

This objective is considered and comprises all the SMART criterias. By using social media monitoring this would be an easy objective to measure and can provide a framework for future objectives.

Outputs, Outtakes and Outcomes

When there is just too much information out there, it is time to segment! Data collected to meet certain objectives tend to fall into three clear categories.

The three O’s:

1. Outputs: Measures what the organization has done or created
2. Outtakes: Looks at the interactions of people to an organization’s activity.
3. Outcomes: How people have behaved differently as a result of that activity.

It is normal that Outcomes will be the most important campaign measurement category. This is because it normally provides the most scrutinized stats for managers. For instance, how many people purchased a product or attended a training event.

When it comes to measuring the three O’s they further divide.

For instance, when looking at Outputs the measurements can be put into three categories, operational, content and response.

In our latest guide on Campaign Measurement we discuss the key points to consider when it comes to these campaign measurement categories.

Looking at case studies where these frameworks have assisted in meeting objectives really brings the importance of planning to the forefront of campaign measurement.

Download our Campaign Measurement Guide to read how brands such as Argos used these frameworks to set objectives and effectively measure their results.