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The Art of Setting Communication Goals: Why "Increase Sales" Isn't Enough

In the dynamic world of business, where every department strives to prove its worth, communication professionals often find themselves in a unique situation. They are given vague objectives like "increase sales" or "improve reputation." While ambitious-sounding, these broad goals fail to reflect the true role strategic communication plays in a company's success. In this article, Kateryna Halichenko, PR Manager at M&P Communications, debunks common myths surrounding communication goals and explains how to set truly clear, measurable objectives that drive business results and PR team satisfaction.

The Art of Setting Communication Goals: Why "Increase Sales" Isn't Enough

One of the biggest challenges in the world of communications: is "too many SOS's" – a reality faced by many professionals dealing with constant "urgent" requests. This often pushes planning to the back burner, leading to events being carried out for their own sake, with PR goals simply defined by the number of media mentions.
However, setting clear, measurable goals isn’t just a formality; it's an opportunity to justify activities and budget, and subsequently track the effectiveness of a communication campaign. These goals must be formulated within the communication domain, reflecting specific changes in the perception, attitude, or behavior of the target audience that the company aims to achieve. When PR goals and business goals work in the same vector, the activities undertaken will contribute to achieving business results, and media publications will convey the right messages to the right audience.

Myth: The main goal of PR is to increase sales

“Increase sales by 20% this quarter.” If you're a PR professional and this task sounds familiar, you're not alone. It's a common, misguided, objective often set by small businesses or handed down from the top in large companies. While it's true that all business efforts should ultimately contribute to profit and company growth, directly linking PR efforts to sales reflects a misunderstanding of how communication works and its impact on long-term business development.
When it comes to increasing sales, it's important to understand that even the most perfect press release isn't enough to generate a surge in sales. After all, sales aren't stimulated by press releases alone. Sales are a complex process that depends on many factors, the so-called 7P model:1. Product: Meeting audience needs, quality, functionality, design, packaging, branding, etc. 2. Price: Pricing policy, discounts, promotions, and payment terms. 3. Place: Product availability in convenient locations for consumers. 4. Promotion: Advertising, PR, marketing, SMM, and other communication tools. 5. People: Competence of personnel interacting with the customer. 6. Process: Efficiency and convenience of purchase, delivery, payment, and customer service processes. 7. Physical Evidence: The store's appearance, website design, and product packaging.
Therefore, communication and the function of a PR specialist are only part of point 4, where the PR responsibility lies exclusively in the communications field.

Beyond Sales: The Value of Communications

The role of communication lies in creating mental availability (or brand recognition) and building loyalty, which in the long run can turn into advocacy. This is the stage of the "customer journey" where they not only buy a product, but also actively recommend it to others, becoming a dedicated brand ambassador. Therefore, PR goals should be aimed at achieving specific results in the communication sphere, namely: 1. Increasing awareness and shaping brand perception. PR informs the target audience about the product or brand, which has a significant impact on their first impression. Imagine that a PR message is a spotlight in a large, dark room. It's not just about lighting, but about directing your audience's gaze to what matters. Here, the communication goal might be formulated as: improve brand perception among XX% of the target audience by communicating these benefits (and yes, this will need to be measured later). Here, PR actively collaborates with marketing, which creates general awareness and draws attention to the product, while PR communicates its value through key messages.2. Increasing brand awareness. PR helps to establish the brand in the consumer's mind, making it easily recognizable and associated with certain values and qualities. Don't expect awareness to be created solely through PR tools. Advertising remains the main driver here, while PR acts as a powerful amplifier, helping to solidify the desired characteristics in memory through argumentation that leads the client to the desired conclusion – the key message.While working with one of our clients, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, we conducted research that showed that most people perceive this brand as high-quality, but expensive. They associated its high cost with its Swiss origin. Important company values, such as supporting cancer patients, transparency, and drug availability through rare disease treatment programs, remained largely unknown, even though the company invested significant resources in these projects.We decided to focus our PR efforts on communicating these core values to the audience. A year later, we were pleased to see in a new study that 46% of respondents not only knew about the brand's values but could also name specific company initiatives to increase the accessibility of treatment programs. Communication helped improve understanding of the brand and its important social programs among consumers.3. Building a positive image and managing reputation. According to the World Economic Forum, a quarter of a company's market value can be directly linked to its reputation. PR strategies here include crisis management, shaping public opinion, and ensuring message consistency across all channels. This all boils down to the fact that a built reputation not only contributes to sales but also improves partnerships, strengthens market positions, and facilitates business operations. Brand value becomes especially important in times of crisis when there is a threat of losing trust. The stronger the reputation and the more the audience trusts the brand, the lower the risks and losses in crisis situations.Let's recall the case of the Honey pastry shop chain. Imagine: after a pleasant evening at one of their establishments, several visitors experience food poisoning. This situation has the potential to destroy any business in the food industry. However, Honey chose a strategy of open and honest communication. The company publicly acknowledged its responsibility, compensated the victims for their treatment, and engaged in a candid dialogue with the audience on social media. Thanks to building strong relationships with each guest throughout the years, people believed in the sincerity of the brand and shifted from criticism to support. Honey's established reputation allowed it not only to avoid losing audience loyalty during the crisis, but to further strengthen it and confirm the brand's reliability.4. Building trust and loyalty. Open and honest communication, demonstrating expertise, fulfilling promises, and social responsibility are just some of the PR tools that help win hearts. Trust and loyalty are the goals that PR is directly responsible for achieving, as they cannot be formed through advertising tools alone. They are the result of long-term work on reputation and relationships with the audience. Advertising a brand that is trusted and loved contributes to sales much more effectively than advertising a brand that raises doubts among consumers.According to research, Ukrainian consumers are now particularly sensitive to the social responsibility of companies, particularly their activities in the Russian market: up to 70% of people avoid purchasing goods and brands that continue to operate in Russia. The contribution of companies to supporting the army, creating opportunities to help the military and veterans also plays an important role. At the same time, communication on this topic requires caution to avoid causing aversion through the abuse of advertising one's actions and to weigh the proportionality of actions with the scale of the company.5. Building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders. This is another goal that falls exclusively within the realm of PR responsibility. Unlike marketing, which focuses on one audience – consumers – PR encompasses a much wider range of audiences. This includes partners, media, opinion leaders, government agencies, and local communities, among others. Why is this important? Let's say your audience is shareholders who need to be convinced that you will fully fulfill your obligations. Or a local community that might oppose construction in their area. Or miners whom you want to tell how closing mines will improve their (unemployed) lives. This is where PR, with all its tools, is needed for effective persuasion and resolving the situation in your favor.6. Creating brand advocacy. Brand advocates are of immense value because they actively recommend the product or service to others, share positive experiences, and take the brand's side in any crisis. Of course, advocacy is not formed solely through PR efforts but depends on the audience's comprehensive experience interacting with the brand and its manifestations. This includes comfortable and favorable working conditions for employees, transparency of activities, civic position and support for the country, experience communicating with the brand (from customer support to purchase in a store), etc. The combination of various factors encourages the audience not only to observe the company but also to actively interact with it: buying its products, defending it on social media, and supporting its initiatives. Or voting in elections, going to rallies, or, conversely, not going out in support.

The SMARTER Path

Beyond understanding what to measure—loyalty, trust, reputation, or awareness—it's crucial to know how to set such goals correctly. For this, we recommend using the SMARTER model. This model is closely linked to the Barcelona Principles 3.0, which are the international standard for measuring and evaluating PR effectiveness. Here's how SMARTER goals might look:Specific: Goals should be clear and concrete, without ambiguity or vagueness. Example: "Increase the delivery of three main key messages in relevant media by 15% over the next six months" instead of "Increase media coverage." This is easily measurable through monitoring systems. Measurable: Goals need to be formulated in a way that allows for quantitative measurement to track progress and evaluate results. Example: "Increase the level of engagement with content on social networks by 10% by the end of the quarter" instead of "Increase activity on social networks." This means going from an average of 100 likes to 110.Achievable: To achieve success, goals must be realistic and attainable, taking into account available resources and limitations. Example: "Secure coverage of the event in at least 5 Tier 1 publications and 8 Tier 2 publications with an audience reach of at least 500,000." Instead of "Get all the press in the country to cover the event that will take place the day after tomorrow" (sounds familiar, doesn't it?).Relevant: Goals should be linked to the company's business objectives and development strategy. Example: "Position the brand as an innovation leader among the target audience by communicating key messages about innovation at least 4 times a month through the main communication channels (defined in the strategy)," if innovation is an important reputational characteristic. Instead of "Just talk about the new product".Time-bound: Effective goals are characterized by having clear deadlines. Example: "Achieve 30% growth in positive mentions of the brand in key industry media over the next 6 months" instead of "Improve the company's image in the media".Evaluated: Goals should be evaluated after the campaign is completed to determine its effectiveness and draw conclusions for future projects. Depending on what you choose to measure – media reach or change in perception – it is important to define target indicators at the beginning of the campaign. For example, the characteristic "innovation" is noted by more than 80% of respondents in a reputation audit, or key messages are present in 60% of publications in tier 1 media with a reach of 1 million target audience.Reviewed: In a dynamic business environment, goals should be regularly reviewed and adjusted, taking into account new data and results of previous campaigns. If you track various metrics regularly, monthly or quarterly, it will be easy for you to adjust channels, tools, or messages for optimal and efficient allocation of resources and budgets.
For example, a goal for shaping positive perception and managing brand reputation using the SMARTER model might sound like this: "Improve the perception of the company as a socially responsible business by 15% over the next 6 months by implementing a charity project and actively covering it in the media and social networks. The effectiveness of the campaign will be evaluated through analysis of media indicators, target audience surveys, and social media monitoring. Results will be regularly reviewed to make necessary adjustments". Clearly defined communication goals using the SMARTER model serve as a compass, allowing PR professionals to move in the right direction, track results, justify investments in communications, and demonstrate the impact of PR on business development. Moreover, setting goals specifically in the communication domain and discussing them "upfront" with management helps to avoid miscommunication and discrepancies in expectations during collaboration. PR is not about creating noise; it's a strategic tool for achieving a company's business goals.

Checklist for verifying your communication goals:

1. Is your goal aimed at achieving results specifically in the communication domain (building awareness, perception, loyalty, creating advocacy)?2. Does the fulfillment of this goal fall within your area of expertise as a PR professional? (You can't release a new product, but you can conduct a press tour to present it).3. Is your goal formulated using the SMARTER model (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, evaluated, reviewed)?4. Is your goal agreed upon with management and other relevant departments of the company?5. Have the necessary resources been allocated for this goal – financial, time, competence? (Are the responsible employees ready to provide you with information on time, do they know about it?)