Data Analysis & KPIs in Comms
In the latest #PRChat, we spit facts.
Thanks to special guest The Work Crowd, we were able to uncover the truth on how freelance pros use data analysis & KPIs in comms. The Work Crowd is a global marketing community that connects businesses directly with specialist freelancers in marketing, PR and communications.
Along with answering our questions of the hour, they took this chat a step further. The Crowd posed the questions to their freelance community, too. This way, they were able to share tons of timely, original research-based stats from the pros’ responses, within their own.
Let the learning begin…
How important do you feel data and analysis are for better outcomes as a #PR professional?
By opening this Q to their freelance PR community, The Work Crowd found, “80% said they believe data and analysis is VERY important for better outcomes. 15% said data and analysis is somewhat important. 5% said they were neutral.”
So, 95% of freelance #PR pros think data and analysis are at least somewhat important for delivering better outcomes! Shameless plug: Propel can help with that!
Tom Basgil, a lead generation and social media consultant for B2B brands, builds on these findings by explaining how data and analysis are crucial tools for those in the marketing and comms world…
“With more data and faster analytic platforms, it's imperative that marcom pros make data-driven decisions….” Basgil said, “And let that data prove the efficacy of their efforts to stakeholders.”
This is super important advice for all comms pros to consider. The more data you incorporate in your work, the smarter your decisions will become. And, it will be much easier to prove ROI to different stakeholder groups!
A great summary from Communications Consultant Claire Simpson, “PR *without* data and analysis is, as my old English teacher would say, ‘a bit like throwing your decorations at the Christmas tree and hoping something sticks.”
Do you collect and use data as part of your pitching process? If yes, what kind of data do you collect and why?
The PR community said…
Data-lover and Comms Consultancy MD Darryl Sparey shared, “At @HardNumbers we use tools like @semrush, @Majestic and @sparktoro to do our own research on companies, their competitors etc. We often ask for access to a prospects’ @googleanalytics too, but don't always get that pre-pitch…”
Basgil added that he also follows certain thought leaders like @RandFish for his particular insights into measurement and analysis, in addition to using various tools for assistance.
Ultimately, incorporating data in the pitching process gives your points much more power, said PR pro Sheena Thomson.
“Data can provide the muscle and strength to any compelling conversation you are seeking to win people over with. Pitching is a perfect example,” Thomson said.
What KPIs do you track to measure PR outcomes?
According to PR pros, ✨ it depends ✨
Propel CEO and cofounder Zach Cutler expands on this list with the following must-track KPIs:
PR agency founder Rich Leigh believes in tracking whatever is best for the particular client at hand. He emphasized the importance of being flexible and thorough with KPIs…
What KPIs do your clients find most important?
Our community agreed that client KPIs are often tailored to their needs & requirements, however, this means the importance of gaining coverage in the right media, The Work Crowd said. A lot of the common metrics seem to focus on digital:
- Reach
- Social engagement
- Conversions
What tools do you use to collect and analyze data?
The Work Crowd shared, in no particular order, some of the tools its PR freelancers use to collect and analyze their data:
- Google Analytics
- AP
- Reuters
- PR Newswire
- Hubspot
- Kantar
- Endeavor Analysis
- SEMrush
- Tableau
- Social Sentiment
- Surveys
- ZOHO
No bias whatsoever, we would venture to say that Propel has everything you need. :-) Including…
- Campaign Measurement and ROI
- Media/Broadcast Monitoring
- Social Listening
- PR CRM
- Media Database
- And more!
Without long-term contracts – and starting at $0/month. Anyways…
Basgil chipped in a few other tools he enjoys using to collect and analyze data, in addition to Propel:
- Native analytics on Twitter, Facebook/Instagram, and LinkedIn
- Google Analytics
- @Buffer Analyze
- @Squarespace Analytics
Sparey shared awesome freelance advice, that some tools like Google Analytics and LinkedIn Analytics via Google Data Studio can prove much more affordable than some of the more expensive tools on the market when working independently. This way, you can still provide great data and analytics to your clients without breaking the bank.
And... That’s a wrap! We hope you learned lots from The Work Crowd’s PR community and our various contributing comms pros.
If we got you curious about Propel PRM and what it can do for you, feel free to book a demo below!
