Better Decisions Begin with Data and Artificial Intelligence
Even now in its early stages, artificial intelligence (AI) is positioned to change the way we do business forever. CEOs understand this as well. Business leaders specifically believe AI is going to be fundamental in the future. According to PwC, 72 percent termed it a “business advantage.” In fact, that future may already be here. A 2016 survey from Narrative Science found that 58 percent of enterprise business executives are already using predictive analytics within their organization.
What this means for PR
Companies spend about $30 billion on PR per year, and executives rightfully demand to see a return on that investment. Unfortunately, 82 percent of practitioners say they have no way to evaluate the return they receive on PR.
PR coverage has typically been measured by media outlet audience size. For example, if a PR pro gained coverage for their brand in Forbes, they may report the circulation of Forbes as the potential audience size that saw the message. This method of measurement does not tie back to business objectives and these softer metrics often do not resonate with the C-Suite. The MarTech and AdTech revolutions have forever changed the way marketers work and measure their success. The methods they use to attribute business achievements and even revenue back to marketing efforts have given birth to bigger budgets and new skills. In 2012, Gartner predicted that by 2017, the CMO will spend more on technology that the CIO. That’s a radical shift over a decade. Public relations professionals are now discovering that they need to figure out how to attribute their campaign success to business objectives to stay relevant in today’s world of marketing attribution.
With this explosion of content and demand for measurement, PR responsibilities are growing exponentially. You strategy has so many options because content is now omnichannel and not just about media relations: Earned and Owned Media are now digital channels measured amongst the larger marketing mix across brand- and sales-driven KPIs. You are no longer accountable for just impressions and AVEs, but web traffic, customer engagement and conversions. These challenges can seem insurmountable with limited time and budgets.
Fortunately, we now have two major tools at our fingertips: data and insights.
Enter the era of data-driven PR through artificial intelligence.
AI can now help communicators in every aspect of their strategy and campaign cycle. By taking advantage of massive quantities of data, normalizing it and using AI to draw insights on it, PR pros can now:
- Cut noise to be a thought leader
- Quantify the buzz
- Properly attribute revenue
- Know which tactics are working
- Spot brand & revenue indicators
- Identify PR funnel accelerators
Onclusive has been on the cutting edge of the New PR and its ties to content marketing and marketing technology. We’ve seen the evolution of what the C-Suite is looking for, how multi-channel digital communications has impacted the day-to-day work of a PR pro and how measurement has evolved from AVEs to truly driving business impact.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by massive amounts of data, little time to produce content and confusing metrics, request a demo to learn how Onclusive can help.