How data can help you set the tone of any PR and marketing campaign

What do you expect from your PR efforts? To increase sales and generate leads? To spread awareness about your brand and improve visibility? Relevant data can help you do just that and more. 

Data is radically changing PR and the marketing landscape. A study by Forbes has revealed that companies adopting data-driven marketing are more likely to have an advantage over the competition as well as see an increase in profitability. Today, more and more companies are realising the benefits of data. Having a data-driven approach to all your PR efforts removes the guesswork from the picture and increases the chances of success of campaigns. But how exactly can data help you plan and execute them?

Analysing trends 

From trending topics, hashtags to even identifying what triggered a particular negative/positive conversation, tools like Keyhole and Hootsuite help in monitoring and managing your digital campaigns online. With the analysis of data, you can discover the origin of a trend, and can even predict if and when it occurs again. The simplest way to get ideas for your next PR campaign is to analyse the themes and topics to find out which ones have worked better with the audiences in the past. With this knowledge, PR campaigns can then be modelled on relevant themes that will resonate well with the target audience.

Competitor watch

Nobody can deny the amount of competition today. Hence, it is crucial to know what your competitors are doing. By using competitor analysis tools like Pi Datametrics you can get an understanding of what kind of traction and conversions they are gaining and can plan your own campaigns better. It’s possible now to gather data about their audiences and traffic sources too. Analysing this information will not only give you an idea as to what you should be doing but also what you should not be doing thus helping you avoid the same pitfalls.

Knowing what the target audience needs

Data can give a glimpse into customer opinions and choices. Last year, Pantene had launched a campaign called ‘Power of Grey’, urging people to embrace their grey mane. No wonder it was extremely successful as it was planned on the basis of solid facts gathered from a study. The study proved that women with grey hair have been feeling alienated for grey hair has not been a prominent and positive feature in the mainstream media. Pantene saw the opportunity to spread a message of acceptance and inclusivity which found a connection with multitudes of people. Similarly, when you read between the lines of a mass of data, you can find consumer pain points which you can then address through your campaigns.

Right distribution via right channels

You may have designed the perfect campaign, which in your eyes is bound to be successful. But only when you disseminate it through the right channels to the right people can you be assured of the returns. Should you just focus on digital OOH or social media? Or integrating them together will boost your sales more? Data gives you direction as well as removes uncertainty. With the help of predictive analytics, you can not only know the type of messages that work well with a segment of your target audience but also the communication channels you should ideally be using to reach out to them. With this information, you can customise the content as well as its distribution for maximum impact.

Fine-tuning campaigns

You no longer need to wait for the end of the campaign to judge whether it was a success or it did less than expected. By analysing a running campaign in real-time, you can tweak it as per its performance. Certain analytics tools map out the audience segments that are more likely to engage with it and you can then target them with a specific set of messages. Data gathered from the use of these tools enables you to construct various alternate messages to communicate to different target segments. 

By having data as the foundation for your marketing strategies, you set yourself for success. The world over is turning to data for answers because insights from data when combined with your organisational goals can help you to create effective campaigns that almost always lead to better results. 

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Asif Upadhye

Director at SPRD

Asif Upadhye, Director, SPRD | Stories.PR.Digital, a new-age Public Relations think tank backed by ideators, wordsmiths and design junkies focussed on delivering bespoke services. He sees SPRD as a Digital First Communications agency that partners with Public Relations & Corporate Communications teams to spread the good word!