Research

Research is a natural starting point of any public relations assignment. Any public relations program should start with research. Instinct, intuition, and gut feeling are among the important point in the context of public relation. Nowadays, we have more demand on measurement, analysis, and evaluation. Research must be applied to help segment market targets, analyze audience preferences and dislikes, and determine which messages might be most effective with various audiences.

Defining research

Research is the systematic collection and interpretation of information to increase understanding. It has four principles
Establishing clear program objectives and desired outcomes tied directly to business goals.
Differentiating between measuring public relations “outputs” and measuring public relations “outcomes”
Measuring media content as a first step in public relations evaluation process.
Understanding that no one technique can be expected to evaluate public relations effectiveness.
Being wary of attempts to compare public relations effectiveness with advertising effectiveness.
The most trustworthy measurement of public relations effectiveness is that which stems from an organization with clearly identified key messages.

Types of Public relations research: research is conducted to do three things: describe a process or a situation, explain why something is happening, and predict possible actions
1. Applied Research: can be either strategic or evaluative
Strategic research is used primarily in program development to determine program objectives, develop message strategies, or establish benchmarks
Evaluative research or summative research is conducted primarily to determine whether a public relations program has accomplished its goals and objectives.
2. Theoretical Research
· This one is more abstract and conceptual than applied research. It helps build theories in public relations work about why people communicate, how public opinion is formed, and how a public is created. Communication is more persuasive when it comes from multiples sources of high credibility.
3. Secondary research
· Helps you read or examine from someone else’s primary research. Among the typical sources I will site:
Industry trade journal, government, informal contact, and census data
Methods of PR research

Public relations research is founded on, observations. Adding to this, we have three primary forms of public research which are
1. Surveys: designed to reveal attitudes and opinions. Surveys can be descriptive surveys: which offer a snapshot of a current situation or condition; in other words, they capture reality at a specific point in time.
2. Explanatory survey: these one are connected with cause and effect.
Surveys consist of four elements: sample, questionnaire, interviews, and analysis of results.
1. Sample: the selected target group must be representative of the population. Sample should have equality: meaning that no element has any greater or lesser chance of being selected. Adding to this, sample must be independent meaning that selecting any one element in no way influences the selection of any other element.
Sample is divided into: Simple random sample, systematic random sampling, and stratified random sampling, cluster sampling. While the nonrandom sampling has three elements: convenience samples, quota samples, and volunteer sample.

2. The Questionnaire

· The questionnaire must be short and structured.
· Avoid using fancy words and loaded questions.
· Test you questionnaire by the help of a classmate.
· Measure intensity or feeling
· Let the recipients know that they will remain anonymous.
3. Interviews: can provide a more personal, firsthand feel for public opinion. Interviews can be conducted in a number of ways: face to face, telephone, mail, and thanks to the internet.
4. Focus group: consist of 90 to 120 minutes discussion among eight to ten individuals. This one should be organized with the following guidelines in mind:
· Defining the objectives and the audience
· Recruiting the group
· Choosing the right moderator
· Conducting enough focus group
· Using a discussion guide
· Choosing proper facilities
· Consider using an outside help

Adding to the above, one can add more research tools which are: phone interviews, mail interviews, drop-off interviews, Delphi panels, and internet interviews.

Result Analysis
After selecting the sample, draw up the questions, now we must draw some analysis of the data we have to have some recommendations.

Communication Audit:

Communication audits are used to analyze the standing of a company with its employees or community neighbors, assess the readership of routine communication vehicles ,and examine the organization performance.
Audit Scope: The audit can measure the effectiveness of communication programs across the organization or the programs of a single division.

Audit Subject: offer information about topics like objectives and goals, communication programs…

Audit methodology: is a starightward analysis starting from the literature about the organization, competitiveness, and interviews with top managers, and recommendations.

Evaluation:

The evaluation depends on different things:
1. Setting measurable public relations program objectives
2. Securing management commitment
3. determining the best way to gather data
4. reporting back to management
5. selecting the most appropriate outcomes

Research and the web

Evaluate the web site, assess the impact of the web, select the right measurement tool, and draw actionable conclusions.