How to use data creatively in your digital PR campaigns

It’s no secret that digital PR campaigns and data go hand-in-hand, however when it comes to thinking creatively about how you want to execute your next concept, that can mean many things.

At connective3, we always try to think about using data differently, to tell our client’s story in ways that it might not have been done before. If you’re in a bit of a data slump or want to try something new that isn’t a survey, read on for our top tips on how to use data creatively…

Internal data

It’s worth noting, that this type of data might not be relevant for all clients but if they offer a product or service, chances are they will have internal information that you can either turn into a campaign or utilise to elevate or add an additional angle.

An example of how we do this at connective3 can be seen with one of our clients, Compare the Market, and our First Cars campaign. Utilising their customer insights from 2018-2020, we were able to reveal the most popular first-time cars for those aged 17-24 years old, linking it back to the young drivers’ report to help those with a vehicle work out how much their insurance will cost, taking into account their location.

Not only was the young drivers’ report a great opportunity to leverage internal data, but it also meant that connective3 were able to collaborate with Compare the Market’s corporate communications team, allowing us to effectively utilise a traditional marketing channel for SEO benefit.

Expert tips to answer the nation’s needs

As those working in digital PR will know, it’s important to provide your audience with useful information that will benefit them and their needs, whether it’s answering their most asked questions, providing them with a solution, or key takeaways. One of the best ways to do this? Work with your client and their in-house experts.

Keeping with Compare the Market, they have a whole host of experts across areas such as home insurance, broadband insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, and more, meaning that they can provide tips to people that search engines or other sources might not have the direct answers to.

Looking to the future with forecasting

If you were to take just one thing away from these tips, it should be to never overlook the potential of historical data… and Excel’s forecasting function.

Journalists love to report on how things might look in 10, 20, or even 30 years’ time and a great way to provide them with data like this is to make use of tools such as Excel, and its formulas. We utilised this method for a campaign we worked on last year, The Future of Homeownership, and it landed us results in Marie Claire, Daily Mail, Ideal Home, and The Star amongst others.

We knew that themes such as first-time buyers and the rising cost of properties were hot topics but getting cut through with something that is trending requires you to think outside of the box. With this in mind, we compiled historical ONS data for the years 1992-2020 and then used the in-built linear forecast function for Excel to forecast the estimated prices for the years 2021-2040. Then, to source and predict the average age of a first-time buyer in the UK, we gathered data from both Statista and ONS from 2006-2020 and utilised the same linear forecast function for Excel to forecast the estimated age for the years 2021-2031.

Social media

Although many of us use social media in our day-to-day lives, it can be easy to overlook how useful each platform can be when it comes to digital PR campaigns. From collating the number of hashtags specific posts have on Instagram, to spotting emerging trends on Pinterest, the world really can be your oyster when it comes to using data creatively.

There are also tools such as Linkfluence, that allow you to monitor what those on the internet are talking about when it comes to popular news or trending themes, looking into things such as positive and negative sentiment, giving you further insight to weave into your idea and shape hooks from.

So, if you find that you’re struggling to switch up your data or methodology for your next campaign, we hope these four tips help to position your client in a new way and tell innovative stories that benefit your audience, and results.

Author: Megan Packer, Creative Strategist at connective3