How data drives value for comms teams

Data is essential for making business decisions. But communications can sometimes lag other departments in integrating data into their work and demonstrating to leadership how it converts to impact.

Strong collaboration between comms and data teams can inform an organization’s strategy with greater context and analysis, which can produce better long-term results.

Speaking at the PR Daily Conference, Stacey Jaffe, senior vice president of analytics at Ketchum, Lauren Hasse, vice president of analytics at Ketchum and Martha Miller, senior vice president at Ketchum, addressed how data can bring stories to life and resonate with stakeholders.

Data tools are beneficial to “developing meaningful measurement framework to drive business value,” Jaffe said.

Measurement empowers comms teams to understand performance and impact in one holistic system, she said.

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” Jaffe said.

What should be measured?

Measuring metrics can vary from organization to organization. Analytics tools are evolving constantly, in an almost overwhelming fashion, Miller said.

The point is to measure the data that will be most relevant to a client or stakeholder, she said. This could include impressions, click-through rates, bounce rates audience demographics and engagement or any other numerous tools.

“What is the data that we need to really justify and improve our efforts?” Jaffe said. “How can we bring that story to life in ways that resonate with your team, with your leadership, with your clients and making sure you have the right resources?

To gain an accurate analysis of what is being measured, metrics should be standardized, Hasse said.

“Establish one source of truth,” she said. “The worst thing you can do is create confusion by using different measuring sources. Then, you can go from output metrics to real audience impact. Relevancy is sometimes more important than reach. Understand the outcomes: What worked? Why did it work? What does data tell you about the why?”

What worked and what didn’t?

A core tenant of a successful data and measurement strategy is being realistic and succinct with your goals to understand the impact, Jaffe said.

“Be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound,” Jaffe said.

In other words, set a realistic goal. Make sure that goal is measurable using a consistent metric and that it can be accomplished within the timeframe set by your team.

Impact can be measured not only in numbers, but also in what people are saying. Look at the comments section of a campaign to see audience reaction.

Measuring the ripple effect of a piece of content or campaign can inform a better data and measurement strategy as well, Hasse said.

“Once you land a really great piece of media or a really great post or influencer program, that should be a kicking off point to all the other ways that you can touch the consumer,” Hasse said. “What else can we do with this content?

There’s also value in “Sometimes you can learn a lot more from the misses than the wins,” Hasse said. “Not every report has to be about how well you did.”

Instead, it is perfectly okay to be truthful about what the numbers say and why. Have a real, honest dialogue about the outcomes. Reflect with leadership on what worked and why as well as what didn’t work and why.

This kind of self-reflection will drive better results in the future and provide greater learning outcomes, Hasse said.

Missed the conference? You can see more and get all the insights from our speakers on demand here.

Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at [email protected].