If you’re willing to use a data-driven PR strategy, the payoff can be immense. After all, the most important currency in today’s world is data. But for most business clients, raw data can be confusing, and almost impossible to understand out of proper context. With the development of modern technology, data is becoming easier to gather; it can be harnessed, represented and analyzed in new and innovative ways.
As a PR firm, much of our business focuses on capturing and dissecting data for our clients – then putting it to good use.
For example, when assessing a client’s strengths and weaknesses, we discover their most popular products versus least popular products – and why. We map out and analyze the company’s web traffic. We seek patterns in their consumers’ purchases.
In today’s digitally oriented world, the interaction between the consumer and the business is changing – yet consumers provide key data that a business can use to improve themselves and learn more about their market.
Simultaneously, data can be used to examine a company’s internal workings. For example, how much time does an employee spend on workstreams? Are employees satisfied, and, on average, how long do employees remain with a company? Do satisfaction results vary depending on departments?
For many companies, raw data is often a massive, confusing batch of information, incorporating dozens of different questions. But we examine patterns in collected data, to better understand the business today, as well as predictive analytics, which offers answers for questions about the business’s future. We can also use data to give the business clear, actionable tasks to take that further their goal.
Interacting with your client on this very detailed level is extraordinarily useful in the realm of PR. If you can examine a business and determine patterns, you likely have a deep understanding of the client’s needs and challenges. Data gives us the information to clearly determine what is and isn’t working for our clients’ businesses. When properly utilized, that data can make business models more relevant to those within the company and their consumers.
Data can be the ingredients for a menu of heat maps, interactives, infographics, and videos—making information easily understandable, and fun to interact with for clients and consumers. Qualitatively, you don’t have to stick to raw numbers—data can be used to track survey responses, interviews and more. You’ll be able to effectively market their company with numbers, charts and anecdotal evidence backing up pitches and press releases—which journalists love when being pitched.
New developments in technology make data collection and presentation extremely versatile, and easily accessible to an analyst on the go. As cloud migrations increase in popularity, data storage is more accessible and cost effective. Storing data in the cloud frees up computer and office-space storage, as well as a less expensive alternative to in-house servers.
At Communique PR, data drives everything we do. Every single one of our actions can be broken down into a piece of data, which means we are a walking wealth of information and the best growth tool a business could have.
By analyzing and incorporating data into public relations practices, you can improve the effectiveness of your clients’ businesses, happiness of their employees and much more – the options only dependent on the data sets you pursue.
We think of data as an extensive resource that develops more opportunities, allowing us to put clients at the forefront of trends—and keep them there.