R2: Responsible for Results

At the recent STS board meeting in Savannah a respected media partner pointed out that Credibility is a key factor in accountability.  What a great reminder!

Tossing numbers around will not in and of itself gain the support of influencers or funding sources.  Let’s look at some of the other important ingredients: methodology, presentation and scope.

Methodology

If your method for gathering and analyzing results is questioned, your numbers could actually work against you.  Clear, simple and acknowledged methods get us past this question and into the results we want to report.

We’ll go more deeply into this subject in future R2 columns – and we’ll have some real-world examples of methodology from among the free conversion studies SMITH is providing to members.  For now, let’s say that clear and simple methods – and an acknowledged source of the research – are important to have on your side when your report campaign performance data to your stakeholders and influencers.

Presentation

It might seem superficial, but it is vital.  The way you present your findings has a lot to do with how they are accepted and used.  A great many formats can work.  You base your choice of format on what you know about what’s on the minds of your audience.  But here’s one suggestion that works in a wide variety of situations.

Think of your presentation as an organization chart.  At the top is an introduction.  Connected below that are three “departments” – the three things you want the audience to focus on and remember.  Below those three boxes is a single summary, and below that is a closing.

Your introduction should acknowledge special members of the audience, and the people present who were key to completing the study, including staff.  Then the introduction “tells them what you’re going to tell them.”  It’s OK to think of the introduction as being a lot like a summary – just less detailed.

The three “departments” – the boxes under the introduction – flow down from the introduction and then proceed from one to another, from left to right.  The box on the left might be “What we were doing before the new initiatives.”  The box in the middle might be “What we did as a new strategy,” or new initiative, etc.  The box on the right would then be “Our results.”

An alternative set of three main points might be “What we did” – “Our results” – “What we propose to do next as a result of these findings.”

Then you summarize the story, the key elements from all three stages.  And as a closing you express your enthusiasm or commitment to using this knowledge moving forward.

Just a suggestion.  But it works in an awful lot of cases.

Scope

The scope of your research has a lot to do with how well it is accepted and how useful it is to you.  Taking a conversion study as an example lets look at what to achieve and what to avoid.

Different media or different data sources naturally have a wide variety of conversion rates.  So it’s important to summarize them realistically.

Recently a Western state saw a 60% conversion rate in its quarterly website report, and they appeared to celebrate that as an outstanding signal of the success of their whole campaign.  In truth, a conversion rate over 50% should not be uncommon for website visitors.  They go to the site for guidance when they are already actively considering your destination or attraction.

On the other hand, we saw a much lesser known destination achieve a 6% increase in visitors during a 10% decline among surrounding markets – by achieving a 63% overall conversion rate among all the media in the campaign.  The conversion study included TV, print, direct response and database results.  It is much more remarkable to get 60+% conversion when you include public media, such as broadcast and print, in the study.  And it is a much more believable and useful assessment of your campaign results.

Our suggestion is to analyze each medium or data source separately for your internal use in campaign management.  But for stakeholders and funding sources we suggest you report one overall conversion rate for the whole campaign.

Data sources that have a built-in advantage – such as outbound database initiatives or website visitors who are already inclined to consider you – are balanced out by other valid media that do not have those advantages – such as magazines, where the reader does not reach instantly for the phone or the keyboard.

You might wish to highlight one individual conversion rate within the overall campaign, such as the response to outbound database initiatives.  This can help stakeholders understand a specific priority, like increasing conversion rate through Dialog Management with prospects you capture in the database.

But we think it’s a good idea to keep it simple when you report.  And one overall conversion rate for the campaign as a whole is simple, and it’s a fair assessment.
 

Many thanks to Michael Weaver and SMITH for their continued contributions to STS and its membership.