In the olden days – aka 10 years ago – consultancies could produce great communications programs built on instinct and experience. A media hit was gold as well as a well-drafted article or backgrounder. Measuring success was measured in column centimetres, air-time and numbers of meetings. Fast-forward to 2022, and communication experts can take that instinct and experience and triangulate it with data.
Here are just a few ways modern communication teams are integrating instinct with data:
- Google analytics to understand which content is gaining traction, with whom and at what times.
- Which content and data has longevity that consequently brings people back to your organisation again and again.
- Which keywords are being used by your audience and which should be seamlessly integrated into content.
- Which data channels (traditional media, social media, EDMs, ads, events, etc) drive people to be more engaged with your organisation.
- What type of content resonates with your audience, for example, video, gifs, articles, research findings or cat memes!
- Whether your issue really matters beyond a small audience.
- What public issues are emerging, maturing, diminishing.
And so much more. Data driven communication doesn’t replace creativity or instinct. It sets you up for a more grounded implementation and monitoring approach, as well as content creation objectives.
