Set Yourself Apart with Data by Caroline Koby
Prove Your Worth with Data
Before the rise of technology, it was difficult to measure the direct effect of a public relations professional. The way to measure reach was through media/press coverage tracking. Now, with recent technology, professionals can track their reach through social media. In addition to tracking their reach, they can find specifically who they’re reaching and through what channels. Campaigns have become more specific and catered to the audience.
Numbers Speak Louder than Words
Quantitative insights seem more trustworthy when compared to qualitative insights as it doesn’t, at face value, feature opinion. It is, also, easier to call out possible biases within a company’s work.
Stay out of the Dark, Keep on Your Mark
Through data, a campaign goal will be more centralized toward the overall company’s goal. Data shares information on an audience’s interest and their behaviors online. Numbers show what strategies worked in a campaign and what didn’t work. Data is a history of tactics that will predict future behaviors that will provide a previously unknown clearer direction for the next steps of a campaign.
Data is the future (and for people in-the-know, the present) of the public relations industry.
Try it Out! Questions provided by the PRSA article, On the Horizon: Unleashing the Power of Big Data in Public Relations
· What are your communications goals and how will the data help achieve your objectives?
· What is the source of data?
· How is big data already being applied within the organization and how can you take
advantage?
· Does the PR team have critical thinking and statistical-analysis skills?
· Are tools available to capture relevant content to produce accurate data?
· Is there an environment that encourages discovery and learning through data (rather than data as a scorecard)?
· How much investment is needed? Do the results merit the investment?
Employers are looking for these skills. Check out these real-life job descriptions!
On-Campus Resources: Cardinal Metrics
“Cardinal Metrics allows Ball State University students to receive professional analytics certifications while working with real-world clients and building skill sets useful for emerging media trends. Professional certifications will include Google Analytics.
They focus on media research and creating data-based solutions in an agency-style setting for media clients. Partnering with Parse.ly allows them full access to its media analytics tools to enhance their team's expertise.
Their current clients include Unified Student Media and the Academy of Model Aeronautics.”
Connect: Instagram, Benny Link, Facebook, and Twitter
Learn More:
How PR Can (And Should) Be More Data-Driven On the Horizon: Unleashing the Power of Big Data in Public Relations IRREVERSIBLE: The Public Relations Big Data Revolution Why Big Data is the Next Big Thing in PR Where Did That Number Come From? ‘Data Public Relations’ For An Age Of Data Journalism
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