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Tips for incorporating data in your PR strategy

by | Aug 12, 2021 | Public Relations

We all know that customer data plays a crucial role in marketing. Companies use it to define targeted custom groups, figure out spending habits, analyze the interests of their clients, and create a set of products around that data. Customer data is a powerful tool. Knowing that, can we somehow use data in PR? Is there a way to use data in your PR strategy? There is, and we are here to show you how!

A poster showing "BIG DATA" written in red and different tools and technologies that use data written in black, representing a way to use data in your PR strategy.

Improve your PR strategy in a simple way

Using customer data in your PR strategy is a clear way to improve your PR department. You get a fresh batch of information to use in any way you can think of. Some of the best examples are:

  • use data to create statistics;
  • use statistics to design infographics;
  • create new stories by using data as the background;

Let’s bring this topic a bit closer to you and show you how to use data in your PR strategy.

The power of statistics

All people around the world like statistics. We enjoy finding patterns in things and using them to control our lives and decisions. Furthermore, big companies use statistics to run their businesses, make a profit, and provide service to their clients. We can even see statistics in nature and areas that seem to be random.

PR department can heavily rely on statistics to create content of interest. By using data gathering tools like CRM software, you can create a database of helpful information. CRM provides a closer look at data and allows you to extract all the statistics you need. Once you have that information, you can create exciting titles that will attract peoples’ attention. Here are a few examples:

  • Marriage and divorce rates are dropping in the US as of 2016.
  • Over 70 percent of US families will go on a vacation next year.
  • As of 2019, more than 2.4 billion people play mobile games.

These statistics are just an example, but they do sound interesting. With the power of data, you can draw different statistical data and take it to the public.

Turn statistics into infographics

Having a boring table that shows a few statistical numbers is not fun. However, creating a colorful infographic and presenting it to the public as a piece of useful information, that’s a whole other story. Presenting data through a graphic, visual representation is always fun and exciting.

Infographics can also be inspirational and motivational. Furthermore, it is easier to read data by looking at an infographic than reading a wall of text with some numbers and words.

Thanks to the internet, people always look for something interesting. 9 out of 10 times, they are more likely to look at a photo than read a piece of text. That’s another statistic for you!

With that in mind, focus your efforts on creating powerful infographics and include them in your PR strategy.

Be creative with data and use it to make new stories

Journalists often speak about what PR pros can do better to meet their needs, and here is a clear example.

If you do a poll, a survey, or an interview, it is a great way to obtain information. We have already spoken about how using that information to create statistics and infographics is an excellent way to improve your PR strategy. However, why stop there? That does not only have to be a piece of statistic. Let’s return to our three examples from before, where we spoke about the drop in marriage and divorce rate, how US families go on vacations, and how many people play mobile games.

Just looking at those three statistics, they seem like a fun fact. However, they can be much more.

You can do a whole piece on family life in the US. You can talk about the fact that the millennials are waiting more and more to get married. What does it mean for the future that the marriage and divorce rates are dropping? Is that a good or a bad thing? An array of questions arises from a simple statistic.

Similarly, we can talk about how COVID-19 is affecting our lives and how people still try to do their best and continue living. Even with this threat, people are still finding safe ways to go on a short vacation and de-stress. It is also crucial to ask will the increased percentage of holidays result in a new wave of infections?

And what about mobile games? Is the gaming industry still standing strong with people choosing mobiles as a gaming platform? How will that affect the game development industry? We also know that some people will never play games on mobiles, no matter how popular they become, so how will that affect them?

As you can see, one piece of statistic can work as a base for a whole story. A story of interest that will attract the attention of the public, and substantially improve your PR strategy.

Use data in your PR strategy and excel at what you do

As you can see, if you use data in your PR strategy, you have a chance to improve your approach to how you do PR. If you obtain information, find ways to make it worthwhile. Big data should not only be used as a piece of information that will support your article. It should be something that will illuminate your future projects and become the backbone of your PR department.

Nick Jones
Nick Jones is a freelance blogger who focuses on data research and analysis. He owns a small PR company in Nevada and aims to help young professionals build their PR careers.

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