In today’s business world, terms like big data, data science, and data-driven decision-making dominate conversations across industries. Public relations (PR) is no exception, with the term “data-driven PR” frequently being thrown around. However, turning data into actionable insights for PR requires creativity, strategic thinking, and a willingness to examine results carefully. 

So, what does ‘Data-Driven’ actually mean? 

At its core, being data-driven means grounding your strategy formulation and decision-making in relevant and defined data sets backed up by evidence, not just experience and intuition. Consider the following: 

– Are you trying to identify the audiences most engaged with your brand currently? 

– Are you looking to understand where a new product’s target audience gets their information? 

– Are you aiming to optimise an upcoming PR campaign based on past performance? 

Clarifying these objectives upfront is essential. From there, the data sources need to be identified and gathered, and this is where PR teams need to get creative.  

The Myth of PR Data Challenges 

There’s a common misconception in the PR profession that its impact is inherently difficult to measure. Client organisations often have many underutilised data sources throughout departments such as sales, marketing, web analytics, social media, and more. Strong partnerships between PR and other teams like marketing and advertising are crucial for accessing those valuable data streams to create integrated, data-driven campaigns. 

To illustrate true outcomes, data-driven PR demands combing through other information sources for tangible evidence that your efforts drove meaningful action with your audiences. For example: 

– Were there unexplained spikes in website traffic, lead volumes, or e-commerce sales after a major PR push? 

– Did social followings, organic search queries, or sales inquiries surge in correlation with your efforts? 

– Did customer surveys indicate PR coverage played a role in driving brand awareness or purchase decisions? 

 

Hey Me & Data Driven Thinking

At Hey Me, we practice what we preach. Here’s some of the ways we adapt this thinking for our clients:

1. Integrated Data Sources: We leverage data from sales, marketing, web analytics, and social media to provide a holistic view of our campaigns’ performance. By integrating these diverse data streams, we can see the bigger picture and understand how our efforts influence different aspects of our clients’ business.

2. Audience Insight Development: We develop detailed audience personas based on demographic data, behaviour patterns, and engagement metrics. This helps us tailor our strategies to target the right people with the right message at the right time.

3. Outcome-Focused Metrics: Instead of focusing solely on output metrics like media impressions, we track outcome-focused metrics such as website traffic, lead generation, social media engagement, and sales conversions. This approach ensures that we measure the actual business impact of our PR efforts.

4. Continuous Optimisation: By regularly analysing the data, we identify areas for improvement and optimize our strategies accordingly. This iterative process helps us refine our campaigns and achieve better results over time.

5. Transparent Reporting: We provide our clients with transparent, data-driven reports that clearly show the impact of our PR activities. This builds trust and demonstrates the value we deliver.

As data continues to drive strategic decision-making across industries, those willing to get stuck in with data-driven principles will be rewarded with smarter, more effective PR programs that create value.

Written by Beth Cameron