Earlier this year I shared five ways that PAN Communications is shaping the PR industry, highlighting our approach by way of: data-centric strategies, authentic and impactful storytelling, integrated channel combinations, and bringing it all together through unique creative. While most of this may feel like table stakes in the world of PR and integrated marketing, they all have one common thread that is the true game changer, the key that will continue to unlock many doors moving forward – data.
The days of gut-driven marketing strategies that don’t move the needle or scale are over. Today, if you aren’t using data to inform an ownable position in the marketplace, I hope you have your resume ready. That said, it’s important to know that while data can and should be harnessed, interpreted and applied to your short-term strategy needs, the true power comes from combining the right metrics that will set you up for long-term growth and future opportunity – enter the DiVA.
Here at PAN Communications, we developed a brand research tool appropriately named the DiVA – Digital Visibility Audit – due to the bold findings it enables earned media and marketing professionals to harness and use to influence revenue marketing campaign development. DiVA gathers specific information about a company’s digital footprint. Its benchmarking system identifies gaps in the awareness-to-consideration stage of the buyer’s journey – resulting in the data-driven insights that will help advance your marketing organization by thinking like your prospects.
I won’t use this blog to dig deeper into the nitty gritty of the DiVA – that’s what the eBook is for. Instead, here are three ways the DiVA helps you evaluate your online brand presence and advance your communication organization:
Lead with insights to ensure brand investment opens doors
Without access to the right information (data) knowing when, how and where to apply your marketing and communications budget becomes a guessing game that could cost you more in the end – in revenue and potential customers. That’s why the 12 DiVA metrics (which you can find here), when used individually and holistically, allow PR and integrated marketing professionals to learn how to turn pre-funnel marketing metrics into strategic marketing insight. It lets you examine when and how things like earned media coverage impact adjacent marketing metrics – advertising, media relations, events, sponsorship, etc. – not only helping to strengthen awareness, but build lasting brand equity.
Optimize quickly, but effectively
Every marketing or PR professional at one point in their career can refer back to that one concept, hook or angle they were sure was going to make it rain, am I right? Well, when it does, not only should coverage and impressions go up, but quickly on the heels of that should also be business demand on the rise, too. If not, don’t fret! That’s the beauty of data. To all those naysayers who think PR and marketing only results in fluff metrics – like your gut marketing approach – those days are gone. Not only can the DiVA help you think inside out to ensure discoverability as to why, and where a campaign might need improvement, but answer it and come back with a way forward. Whether a campaign is performing better than expected or not quite as hoped, PR and integrated marketing pros can use those same 12 metrics to drive problem resolution priorities and fuel ideation aligned to sales and revenue goals.
Improve the prospect buyer journey
Life (in this case the world and its consumers) moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. Ferris Bueller was on to more than you might think if you consider that quote through the lens of marketing. If you’re not paying attention to where your customers are and what they’re telling you, they will be gone faster than you can say twist and shout. The DiVA can help flag relevant low scores across the aforementioned metrics to help signal a missed interaction point with potential buyers, or bring to light feedback you might not even know was tied to your brand. By analyzing the holistic customer viewpoint that DiVA can capture, you will be better informed to map a modern prospect buyer journey and optimize touchpoints from earned media, social channels, search and web content to drive meaningful and impactful actions. Leading to an improved customer experience and a climbing bottom line.
While the term diva may have garnered a bad rap over the years, PAN is helping it make a positive resurgence with new meaning you need to experience to understand. If not for yourself, be a DiVA for your business and your customers.
