“Without big data analytics, companies are blind and deaf, wandering out onto the web like deer on a freeway.” — Geoffrey Moore, author and marketing consultant
Big data and analytics have become crucial for integrated marketing and PR because they enable marketers to achieve more accurate and effective targeting. “Instead of just relying on the client information and media/channel interest to guide the message and related aspects, we can now sift through data and analytics to be able to actually advise the client. Not just on the content and shape of the message, but who the target audience should be, what format will be appropriate, the timing of the broadcast or delivery, the context in which it has to be done,” explains the Holmes Report.
Today’s marketing relies on harnessing data — information that renders the marketer focused and knowledgeable on consumer needs and behaviors rather than deaf and blind.
According to Datanami, two-thirds of companies understand this concept and place data at the center of their marketing and sales decisions. These companies report good results from analytics investment. But then why are only 21 percent of marketers using analytics to measure their marketing ROI?
It could be that you or your firm lacks a clear vision where data is concerned. There’s no longer an excuse in a fierce market for companies that fail to leverage data, but they may need a little help in knowing what direction to take. How do you identify and deploy the type of accurate, timely information you need to deliver a consistent, seamless experience to prospects and customers?
Learn more about integrated marketing and PR, read: Defining Your Integrated Marketing & PR Strategy.
Leverage the Burgeoning Big Data Pile
Data Techniques
We use techniques – such as SOV Analysis, insight and buyer behavior analytics, integrated marketing and PR assessment and buyer persona development – to combine our insight with comprehensive client reporting in a holistic method we call PANoptics.
Data and analytics go hand in hand, but insights are hidden without analytics and analytics are useless without data. Simply obtaining data is not enough to ensure that a brand is visible with market longevity. Data analytics can make sense of the noise and lead to sensible marketing strategies.
TriCore Solutions’ Analytics Experience
Sources of data include customer touchpoints, martech, social media and marketing campaigns. Analytics at PAN measures each part of the buyer’s end-to-end journey to optimize the experience and ensure best practices.
TriCore Solutions used our analytics intelligence to identify key industry trends and create strategic PR strategies. The company had 86,000 impressions in a one-week period from its content marketing, an increase of 146 percent in click-through rates for email campaigns with premium content, a 41 percent increase in coverage over the previous year after only six months, a 38 percent increase in web traffic year over year, and a 22 percent increase in the share of voice year over year.
By developing top-of-the-funnel content pieces and pairing them with existing assets, PAN executed successful, measurable campaigns aimed at TriCore’s prospects and its existing customer base. PAN’s complementary PR tactics drove important industry conversations with influential media.
Sort Through the Noise
It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the noise to the point where a focus on content quantity detracts from the quality of a campaign. At PAN, we’ve seen the number of marketers who confidently use a content plan built off buyer profiles drop by 12 percent since 2014. For content to resonate with a target audience, it must consider their preferences, behaviors and intent.
For example, data tells us that mobile users prefer bite-sized content with quick and flashy headlines, infographics, stats and images that are fast to consume. Data analytics identify the true KPIs of a campaign to craft the perfect strategy across traditional and digital channels, and measurable outcomes provide strategic guidance going forward.
Fuze’s Rebranding
Fuze, a global cloud-based communications platform, needed to rebrand and reposition. A fresh narrative extended the company’s reach through promotion, engagement and social channels. The results were 39.8 million earned impressions from social media, an increase of more than 65 percent in engagement in LinkedIn and Twitter, and brand visibility in top media including The Boston Globe, Forbes, Fortune, TechCrunch and VentureBeat. With a focus on quality, the Fuze campaign repositioned the company to the forefront of its industry.
Business analytics disruptors, such as Halo and Clear Analytics, have relied on data to drive their success because analytics is the engine of marketing in the digital era. But don’t just listen to us: The market research firm IDC predicts a 50 percent increase in revenues from business analytic services from 2015 to 2019. Additionally, data and analytic projects dominated InformationWeek’s Elite 100 list in 2016.
Don’t keep randomly digging through the big data pile. Use analytics to develop real-time best practices and build a visible, more robust brand.
