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How data is changing PR: 7 ways to use data today

by | Jun 7, 2021 | Marketing, Public Relations

The success of your company relies on your customers hearing about you and your products. Your public relations department is responsible for getting your name out to the community and letting consumers know about your products or services.

Data analysis can help them with this task by focusing on the right potential clients to reach out to, informing you of the best methods of advertising, and letting you know what campaigns should be adjusted as they are in progress.

How data is changing PR: 7 ways to use data today

Here are a few ways that data is changing PR.

Discovering new customers to reach

Public relation specialists can also use this information to find new demographics to work with. They can work with a data wrangler to determine where a certain group of people live or what type of media they enjoy using. They can study the results of the searches provided to them to pinpoint the clientele that has an interest in a particular type of product or service. Reports from these databases can be narrowed down to the streets customers live on, the cars they drive, or the music that they listen to. Pinpointing your customer base lets you better budget your advertising dollars by focusing on those consumers who want to collaborate with you but may be unaware of your business.

Analyzing results during a campaign

In the current state of the advertising market, companies can study the results of the campaign they are running while it is happening. Your staff can use the data they receive from clicks on a website or likes on a social media page to determine what your potential clients want to see. They can look at which demographic is responding to what they see and what ad seems to catch the most attention. This allows your public relations department to adjust the program they are using towards the customers who are the most receptive. This analysis of the numbers can save you money by directing your marketing to those who are more likely to buy from you instead of those who are less than interested in your products.

Choosing the correct marketing medium

It can be a challenge to predict the best method to reach your potential customers. Along with homing in on the demographic that works with your company, data analysis can also tell you what types of media they are indulging in. Your PR department can determine the segment of the population to focus on with studies concerning the social media they use or if they prefer television and newspaper to the internet.

Once your staff have the figures calculated, they can recommend whether your company should invest in virtual marketing and increase the organization’s search engine optimization, or if you should stick to your tried-and-true practices. Data can also break down to the types of programs consumers watch or what social media platform they prefer. The more you know about the consumers you are targeting, the easier it will be to discover what they want the most from your business.

Predicting when to advertise

Big data is able to indicate when you should offer a promotion and what products will sell the best at that time. Reviewing the sales trends in your organization as well as what items were popular then allows you to schedule an advertising campaign during that point of the year. It gives your public relations department time to formulate materials for both print and for the internet.

Data analysis can also inform you when you should use a particular hashtag on your social media or when you should launch a marketing plan to coincide with what is currently popular. Use the production and sales reports for the past few months of sales and production to determine when you should plan a sale and who to cater it to.

Personalizing marketing materials

When you use data to narrow down the demographic that best suits your business, you can use the additional information about those customers to create materials that will appeal to them. Compare the records that you have assembled to see if there are common themes between the people that are listed.

If a majority of the clients on the report are pet owners, consider using graphics that have dogs, cats, or other animals on it as well as happy owners playing with them. Customers who live near a large body of water may respond better to a postcard with subjects boating on it than they would with a plain pamphlet that can be sent to anyone. Utilizing the data that you have to personalize your advertising makes the consumers feel special to you and lead them to potentially purchase from you.

Providing statistical proof of your marketing campaign

Using data analysis to help plan your public relations campaigns allows you to reach the right customers with the best product at the correct time. As well, when your staff needs to present this information to you, a vendor, or your investors, these calculations and graphics can assist them in definitively proving their course of action. Facts based on numbers can be a simple way to explain why you chose a certain demographic or length of program. Encourage your employees to keep the records that they gather in working order. This can be done either on paper or in a file on your server. Be prepared to share this information with your PR department and anyone who has an interest in your marketing program.

Using word of mouth from your customers

Once you target the market that you wish to reach and present those potential customers with marketing materials that are geared to their interests, you can gain their trust in your company. If they find something you offer that intrigues them, their excitement may lead them to talk to others about it. Giving your company a positive image with consumers encourages them to share what they know about you with their family and friends. They may be more likely to invite their family and friends to shop with them at your facility, which puts your products in front of these new customers.

This type of marketing can increase your sales as well as your foot traffic. Be sure to ask your new clientele for their information so you can in turn send specials and other types of advertising to them.

Data analysis is a vital part of your company. Disseminating the information you get from your databases can assist you in planning your production and sales. Public relations utilize this as well. Narrowing down the demographic you want to talk to, determining what promotions you should use, and plotting your marketing campaign with these figures allows your staff to fine-tune your advertising while saving your business money.

Jared Jaureguy
Husband, father, son, financial consultant. Jared writes for many of the top business blogs. He has a background in stocks, crypto, and many other business areas.

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