Don’t ‘spray and pray’! Instead, test and learn.

Test and learn is an iterative, data-driven approach to developing consumer engagement strategies.  It tests the likely performance of activities by gathering insights about how real consumers respond to them.  Taking the guesswork out of planning, test and learn optimises activation budgets and increases the likelihood of creating the desired consumer reaction.

For example, in advertising and marketing, split testing (also known as A/B testing) compares two versions, for example of an ad, email copy or landing page, to see which performs better with different audience segments.

As media effectiveness data becomes more sophisticated, it gives PR and Corporate Comms teams the chance to adopt a similar methodology for figuring out what works. Rather than pushing out press releases to a standard media list, it allows them to analyse what content is most likely to hit the mark and generate interest. This goes right down to the level of being able to identify the most effective named media for a particular brand, product or issue.

The key to this is having daily media audience data. This reveals which online media content is having the greatest impact over time. Armed with this knowledge, teams can adjust their business-as-usual campaign strategy to reflect what consumers want to read.

Combining media audience data with real-life consumer feedback from brand tracking studies also helps take the guesswork out of understanding the impact of news coverage on audiences. Now, brand and communication teams can quantify how news coverage is helping shape consumer perceptions and behaviour. This intelligence informs future activities, helping to articulate and influence desired outcomes.

Unlike advertising, PR is a cost-effective tool in the communications armoury. This makes it even easier to apply test and learn, to discover insights including:

• How media content influences different demographic groups

• The impact of news coverage on consumer response to a brand

• The named media providing the best ‘bang per buck’ for a brand, product or issue

• The topics and issues which are most likely to capture audience attention

• When news coverage supports advertising to predispose consumers to choose a brand over competitors

• Which content has the strongest impact on different types of website session

• Whether news coverage increases consideration or sales

• Which PR campaign tactics amplify advertising or other marketing outcomes – for example, using an influencer or staging a PR stunt.

Media relations is both an art and a science. With the right data and an open-minded, data-driven approach to crafting the message and selecting the highest performing outlets, the science can be a powerful contributor to business results.

To discover more about how Metricomm media audience data can support your PR & Comms strategy and planning, including measuring and evaluating the impact your media coverage is having on actual consumer behaviour, drop us a line on hello@metricomm.com or complete the form below.