Data-driven Communications 

In the olden days – aka 5 years ago – consultancies could produce great communications programs built on instinct and experience. A media hit was gold. And a well-drafted article or backgrounder was often what was needed. Measuring success was measured in column centimetres, air-time and numbers of meetings.

Fast-forward to 2016, 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 has longevity and brings people back to your organisation again and again.
• Which keywords your audiences are using and which should be seamlessly integrated into content.
• Which 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 (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.