How Does Big Data Help In Managing Public Relations?

Big data is one of the most important trends in current technology regarding analytics.

There is a lot of information that is getting generated every single day, and this information is of value to most businesses because it provides insights that were not available a few decades ago.

Most businesses, across industries, want to use this data to gain an upper hand. And the PR sector is no different.

PR relies heavily on data and analytics to improve the performance of PR campaigns and generate more customer value.

Big data has become crucial to PR strategy, and PR professionals need a thorough understanding of it and how it can be used for the benefit of the brand. 

What is Big Data

The use of data has been critical across all industries, for a very long time. However, current technologies and the spread of digital media have made a vast amount of data available and transformed the way data is used.

Since every action taken by a consumer leaves a digital footprint, the collected data sets help provide insight into customer behavior and the patterns they follow.

The conglomeration of all the data and data sets generated, from e-commerce to social media, is called Big Data. Businesses generally use this data to gain advantages in a number of areas.

How PR Uses Big Data

Big Data has a wide range of roles in public relations. It can be used to develop better PR strategies.

It can also be used to evaluate PR campaigns and to gain insight into how they can be improved.

To accomplish these goals, the data is used by PR professionals in the following ways:

• Earned Media – Earned media is incredibly valuable since it relies on the customer’s positive experiences and recommendations. Before big data, earned media was measured in traditional ways that did not provide reliable results. There used to be no set standard on how earned media could be measured accurately. Currently, earned media is easy to measure in terms of the likes and engagement that a post receives. This provides PR professionals with information regarding what seems to be working and what isn’t.

• Sentiment Analysis – Through the combination of data and social listening, PR professionals can gain important data points about the sentiments of their clients. Understanding what the customer feels allows PR to tailor a strategy that will apparel to the target demographic. It can also help PR mitigate a crisis or negative press by understanding the point of contention of the customer.

• Trend History – Through data analysis, PR professionals can decode what caused a trend in the past, and predict when it can happen again. By accessing data regarding trending hashtags, what customers are talking about positively, and what induces a negative reaction – PR can create a more effective strategy.

Big Data and the Future of PR

Big data can be a game-changer for PR professionals if it is utilized properly.

PR professionals have access to a vast amount of content as well as data that can help them with insights that were never available to them.

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Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the United States.

With over 20 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America’s most prolific and well-respected Public Relations professionals.

Read more from Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian on Forbes
Ronn Torossian on DMNews
Ronn Torossian on 5WPR
Ronn Torossian on The Jerusalem Post