There are many metrics in public relations that can and should be considered. Some of them are tangible, while others are intangible. Is one more important than the other?
In the military, public affairs specialists focus on presenting
information that is accurate and timely. We do care about both the tangibles
and in the intangibles, though. Our mission is maximum disclosure, minimum
delay. Thus, we typically will not be in roles that require us to examine the data
on how well our campaigns are being received, whether we are looking at
tangible data or intangible data.
In the civilian world, there are some “must
use” public relations metrics that can support a business to ensure they
are tracking both tangibles and intangibles. These include:
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Tracing mentions (social media)
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Sentiment analysis
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Share of voice
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Website visitors
·
Earned backlinks
·
Impressions (online)
That being said, military public affairs offices will
still look to ensure that their campaigns and their messages are reaching the
right audience and that the content is being engaged with.
In the military, one public affairs tactic we utilize to
build metrics and crate engagement is with community relations.
Have you ever seen the military at a football game
being represented? How about seeing those famous fly-overs before a big sporting
event? Or when you were in high school, did someone from the military ever come
to your school to visit and share their branch’s story with you? Those are all examples
of community engagement.
But before we dive into community engagement, lets
define just exactly what it is.
Community engagement in the military, also referred to
as community relations, is an ongoing relationship between a military community
and the civilian community. Typically, this relationship consists of
face-to-face events through a planned series of events and activities.
There are also several purposes of community engagement
that warrant their commitment. Community engagements inform the public what the
military is doing. It is that simple (at times!). Because the military is
funded by public tax dollars, it is their right to be informed of what we are
doing. They deserve to know what we are doing, so we can show them in fun and entertaining
ways by conducting community engagement.
Another purpose of community engagement is that it
gains public understanding, support, and cooperation for the military to
accomplish its mission. This tactic puts a face to the uniforms behind the gate.
Additionally, community engagement should be tailored to the military
organization and to the needs of the local community.
You can maybe recall a community engagement event
yourself with the military, such as the military flyovers before football
games. Did it impact you at all? Give you a sense of pride in our country’s
military? That is the goal of community relations, and these emotions are
considered the “intangible” metrics we use to gage our strategic communication
efforts.
There are also several types of local community
engagement programs that the military instills to branch out and connect with the
public. One such program is called a speaker’s bureau. A speaker’s bureau involves
sending speakers into the community to talk about their jobs, the installation,
and its mission. When I was in grade school and in high school, we would have these
types of events scheduled several times per school year. Typically, the goal would
be for recruitment purposes. As a military communicator, you will find that
recruitment is becoming the forefront of our mission, because recruitment
levels are dangerously low in this country of late. As for the speaker’s
bureau, military communicators will also maintain a roster of speakers, evaluate
requests, and coordinate engagements for them with the public.
Besides a speaker’s bureau, another type of local community
engagement is with tours. Tours require detailed planning and manpower. They provide
payoffs in terms of community acceptance and support, too. In some cases, you,
the military communicator yourself, could serve as the tour guide. Thus, you
need to prepare yourselves for public speaking and confidence around civilians
that are not familiar with the military lifestyle.
Another type of local community engagement is with
open houses. Open houses are an opportunity to see equipment and capability
demonstrations first-hand. This type of community engagement program is usually
scheduled on an annual or bi-annual basis. Open houses convey an image of the
patriotism and aid in recruiting – which is a major facet of a military
communicator’s job these days!
Also, you may not expect it, but band concerts are also
a prime example of local community engagement. They will show the public appreciation
and also support official functions, recruiting events, and sporting events.
Other community events for the military include, but
are not limited to: parades and ceremonies, blood drives, science fairs, joint
cleanup efforts and other planned civic events, Armed Forces color guard
details, and special motion picture showings.
We must also consider the impact on the local community
when conducting these community engagements. As mentioned in this post, these
metrics can be both tangible and intangible.
Some local economic impacts of community relations include,
but are not limited to, the increase of: employment opportunities, housing prices,
retail sales, population, and school enrollment. There are also possible environmental
community efforts to consider, such as increased traffic and noises in the local
area of your military installation. The Department of Defense also has environmental
programs that support local communities, such s focusing on clean air and
water, hazardous and solid waste management, marine mammal protection, and
historical preservation and installation restoration.
When addressing public concerns as a military
communicator, keep your internal audiences informed and engaged. As a reminder,
your internal audience is the military community. You will also help with the planning
efforts when addressing public concerns. Additionally, you may find yourself
writing about environmental issues, such as wind energy or biofuels.
Lastly, consider that there is non-releasable
information. This should always be in the back of your mind as a military
communicator, especially when you are about to submit or post information to
the public. Sometimes, information that is specific to your local military installation
will not be releasable to the public, so always double check before releasing.
There are community relations policy restrictions,
too, that you must consider. You are not allowed to:
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Endorse commercial promotional activities
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Support or participate in segregated
events or organizations that discriminate
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Compete with local businesses
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Participate in partisan politics in an official
capacity
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Endorse fraternal or religious groups
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Provide support where public confrontation
is planned or likely
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