- Reach in the digital realm is calculated from how many Internet users are exposed to a campaign material. If impressions count duplication (the same person exposed to a material 5 times counts as 5 impressions), reach counts only per individual (in this example, 5 impressions count as 1 reach because there is only one Internet user). It’s really difficult to directly measure reach in non-digital media (except the number of visitors to an event, maybe), and usually it can only be estimated based on a mathematical model.
To answer the second question (“Are the campaign goals interested in the content?’), we measure engagement metrics. Engagement in the digital realm is calculated from the number of interactions from the audience aimed at a campaign material. In social media, engagement can be in the form of likes, shares, and the number of responses. On websites, it is measured using bounce rate, time per session, pages per session.
To answer the third question, the only way to measure it is to conduct a short survey with people who have viewed the content. We’ll ask if they can identify the essential attributes of the campaign, such as the core message, key visuals, or organization of the campaign.
From the explanation above, it is clear that there are two factors that influence the size of the output. The biggest factor is the budget for distributing campaign materials, including through paid advertising. The second factor is how campaign materials are created: whether they are eye-catching enough, make it easy for people to understand key messages, remember important visuals, or identify who is campaigning.
How do you measure the outcome of a social change campaign? In this case, the question to be answered is “Does the campaign target change its behavior as expected after being exposed to the campaign material?”. The best way to measure results is to compare the baseline to the endline. In other words, we should do two surveys about what campaign targets think, feel, and behave: once before the campaign starts, and once again after the campaign ends. Unfortunately, this ideal measurement is rare in Indonesia because many organizations skip audience research when determining the baseline.
A more likely but less valid option is to use a proxy. However, this modeling approach also requires comparison of the baseline with the endline (or midline). The factor being compared is the interest or sentiment of people towards the issues discussed. This comparison can use Google Trends to find out how far this topic is being searched before vs. after the campaign. This comparison can also use network analysis on social media, or see the volume of mentions and distribution of anyone who mentions key terms from the topic on social media before vs after the campaign.
Another less valid option is to measure only the endline (opinions, feelings, or behaviors) of two groups with the same characteristics, and differ only in their exposure to the campaign material. The challenge is to ensure that the groups differ only in the level of exposure to the content, and not in other things such as socio-economic level, education, culture, etc.
Want to know more about how to strategize a social change campaign? Or do you want us to assist your organization in running the campaign? Join the training from C4C by calling our WhatsApp number (+62 8966-6666-727)