Aug 05, 2013 admin
One of the things we pride ourselves on at InkHouse is an approach to media strategy and content development that puts thought leadership first and emphasizes rooting a client’s point of view in authority. This often entails conducting research to produce unique data that can be used to support a client’s position, either through illustrating an industry need, demonstrating unique client knowledge or otherwise.
It’s an approach that has worked extremely well here, but I have a confession: I still find “data” pretty intimidating. Sure, I can read a chart or look at a percentage point and find some value. But as someone with a purely non-quantitative background, the process and results of quantitative analysis can seem daunting. So, like any good English major, I found a book to help me! Keeping Up with the Quants: Your Guide to Understanding + Using Analytics, by Thomas H. Davenport and Jinho Kim, is a very approachable introduction to quantitative analysis that walks through the process, from identifying the problem through presenting the results.
The book is mostly geared toward corporate executives looking to conduct internal research to support a business shift or identify areas for improvement, but the advice applies well to a communications research program. You’ll have to read the book yourself for the full details, but here are a few interesting takeaways that are particularly relevant for research-based PR:
Identify what specific decision will be made as a result of the analysis. As a brand conducting research for a PR campaign, what ideal action would this information spur? Some examples of potential decisions:
- An enterprise company deciding to change vendors
- An executive deciding their business needs to adopt a new approach to security
- A marketer deciding that the type of campaign they need will require a new technology stack
- A consumer deciding to purchase healthier breakfast foods for their kids
Know the stakeholders.If you’re thinking of conducting research, you probably already have an idea as to who will care about it. But drilling down to understand these stakeholders further can help you narrow down the questions to ask and plan for how to use your results. Some things to consider:
- Do the stakeholders involved already know or believe yet that there is a problem, or is your data aimed at convincing them?
- Are there any barriers (institutional or personal) to them accepting that there is a problem? (For example, risking client relationships, revealing past professional oversight, admitting personal flaws)
- Even if they are convinced, do they have the resources within their power to make a change or find the solution?
Iterate and re-frame. Establishing what results you hope to get shouldn’t stop with the initial research. While having a clear end goal and execution path is important, being willing to iterate and shift direction if needed is critical to getting the most valuable results. Did your consumer survey turn up one response that was surprisingly strong? Re-frame your enterprise survey to dig into that and illuminate related issues.
Most people don’t actually care about data on its own. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the process and results of research, but it’s important to keep in mind that data by itself isn’t interesting at all – it’s about the story that data tells and supports. The rise of data in our society has been accompanied by a tidal wave of reports, infographics and pitches on data. It can be difficult to “rise above the noise” and get the attention of reporters and target customers. A compelling point of view or narrative – supported by the numbers – is what will connect with audiences and propel your message.
For more tips on successful research-driven PR, check out these past posts from the Inklings blog: The Right Way to Mine for Newsworthy Data and When it Comes to PR: Less Product, More POV, Please.
