Connect with Your Community: A Data-Driven Approach to Effective Communication and Engagement

As a communications and engagement specialist, my passion lies in helping not for profits, government agencies, and purpose-driven organisations connect with their communities and audiences in a meaningful way. I’m also passionate about saving resources and ensuring the team isn’t wasting their time with channels that have no ROI.

I’m often called upon to assist in developing a new strategy or revamping an existing approach to better engage with their stakeholders. My experience has shown that the key to success lies in assessing the effectiveness of their current communication and engagement channels.

By utilising analytics and metrics, we can determine which channels are resonating with stakeholders, which ones need to be reworked, and which ones are no longer serving their intended purpose. This approach leads to the creation of a sustainable and effective plan that fosters deeper connections with communities and stakeholders.

I’m excited to share some practical tips on how to evaluate the effectiveness of your channels and make data-driven decisions for your organisation. Whether you are a not for profit, government agency, or for purpose organisation, having a thorough understanding of which channels are effective and which need refining is crucial for maximising the impact of your efforts. So, let's dive in and explore some practical ways to measure the effectiveness of your channels using analytics.

1. Define your goals and metrics
   Before you begin assessing the effectiveness of your channels, it's important to define your goals and metrics. This means identifying what you want to achieve through your communication and engagement efforts, and how you will measure success. For example, if your goal is to increase website traffic, you may measure success through the number of website visitors or page views.

2. Track and analyse your data
   Once you have defined your goals and metrics, the next step is to track and analyse your data. This may involve using tools like Google Analytics or social media analytics to track website traffic, engagement rates, or social media interactions. By regularly monitoring your data, you can identify which channels are performing well and which ones need to be improved. I highly recommend developing an analytics dashboard that captures all your data in once place and can be shared with the executive team or board.

3. Segment your data
   Segmenting your data is an important step in assessing the effectiveness of your channels. This means analysing data by different segments, such as age, gender, location, or interests. By analysing data by different segments, you can identify which channels are resonating with different groups of people and adjust your approach accordingly.

4. Compare and benchmark
   Comparing and benchmarking your data is another important step in assessing the effectiveness of your communication and engagement channels. This means comparing your data to industry benchmarks or competitors' data to determine how well you are performing. Sometimes it’s not possible to get external benchmarks, so it’s important to develop your own benchmarks over time. By benchmarking your data, you can identify areas where you may need to improve and adjust your tactics accordingly.

1. Test and iterate
   Finally, testing and iterating your channels is an essential step in creating a sustainable and effective plan. This means testing different channels, messaging, and tactics to determine what works best for your organisation. By testing and iterating, you can identify new opportunities for engagement and continually improve your approach over time.

Assessing the effectiveness of different communication and engagement channels using analytics is an essential step in creating a sustainable and effective plan for your organisation. By defining your goals and metrics, tracking and analysing your data, segmenting your data, comparing and benchmarking, and testing and iterating, you can identify which channels are effective and adjust your approach accordingly. By continually refining your communication and engagement plan, you can build strong relationships with your community, customers, clients, and people, and achieve your goals over the long term.

If you need help assessing the effectiveness of your current communications or engagement strategy or would like advice on what to do with a channel that is no longer working, book in a time so we can talk it through.  

Photo by Myriam Jessier on Unsplash