As part of this episode, we hear from Muskaan, who comes from a literature background and shares how she became involved in the communications field. She discusses that multi-channel approach can strategize your campaign and can give it a 360-degree audience reach.

Introduction

1:05 Actually, my back story of coming into the field of PR is very, very interesting, at least for me. So actually, you know, I come from a literature background. So when I actually joined the field, I had no prior experience or any kind of knowledge about PR or marketing or communications for that matter.

So I actually did my graduation in english honors from University of Delhi and then you know, I joined Pearson education which is one of the world’s leading learning companies in India. So, you know, I started my journey as an Assistant Manager for PR marketing and Communications and there I was actually managing the entire scope of communicate, external communications, internal communications, crisis communication, social media, overall brand marketing, so also Digital PR, which is actually becoming very, very critical these days, you know, influenza collaboration reaching out to industry stakeholders, CSR communication. So I was doing all of that and I think that was the first point of my exposure into this dynamic field of communications.

So yes, it has been an interesting one.

Favourite campaign

2:12 You know, when I talk about my favourite campaign throughout this great journey of PR, I think one of the greatest campaigns which I did during my time at Pearson was that, you know, we actually started a very interesting video series and the main objective of that video series was to you know, engage with industry, stakeholders. You know, we’re actually able to share some great insight about, you know, how the education system in India needs to be reinvented in line with the kind of trends that we’re seeing in the profit space because, you know, it was an education company, so our main objective was to see that, you know how education can be aligned with the industry, so as you know, we are able to provide the current generation with the required skills and the required knowledge which they will need to, you know, shape up their careers in the future.

So that was the main objective of the series and we’ve got some really great industry leaders, you know, who shared their perspective around, you know, and they were from all the spaces of the world, you know, we’d education, we’d HR Tech and you know, they shared some great insights, so I think that was one of the interesting campaigns because, you know, it actually led us to measure a lot of data and say that, you know, how going forward, you know, we can leverage our strategy based on that data.

So I think for example, if I can have a few minutes, you know, I think PR is all about sharing information from one point to another, right?

Be it in terms of brand messaging your brand narrative of new press release, something, you know, it’s all about sharing content and a lot of it depends on, you know, how much of that content is relevant to your audience as well as to your business. Does it make sense for you how that content is created and then finally how that content is distributed and what is the impact of that content on the overall business? So what we did is that, you know, while we identify the right industry leaders, we identify the right kind of topics, a lot of it depends on that, you know how that content is finally created and distributed and that actually involves a lot of data, right? So, you know, you have to see that, you know, what kind of topics, for example, are training in the media, what are the kind of topics that, you know, people would be most interested in talking about? And then when you come to the distribution part of it, you have to see that, you know, what are the kind of channels which are using the maximum amount of traction? Is it LinkedIn or Facebook? Where is your target audience? What is the kind of media, you know, which are talking about that specific topic? Is it urban media? Is it the national media? Is it a regional media?

So you have to, you know, take care of all those data, all those metrics in order to be able to, you know, strategize your campaign accordingly. So I think that was one of the most interesting campaigns which we did during my time at Pearson.

Metric to measure

5:12 Some of the very important metrics, I would say, because it was a video series. So definitely, you know, we used to track that, you know, what are the kind of impression that we’re getting on each and every video? What is the average amount of time that a viewer, you know, spends on that video? Is it like that, you know, via clicks on that video and then goes back to his business or a video, all of you actually spends the entire time, you know, watching the video and then we actually know that the content actually makes sense to him or her.

And then, you know, we have to see that, you know, what is the average CTR and then what are the kind of platform where we are getting the maximum amount of traction? So I remember that when we did our first video, we actually just launched it on one single platform and that was LinkedIn. But then, you know, gradually we started seeing that, you know, a lot of people, you know, search for this kind of content actually on YouTube, on Facebook, on Instagram. And then, you know, we actually built into a multi-channel approach where, you know, we were showcasing our content across all the social media platforms. And then I think by the third or fourth video we started seeing that, you know, people who are actually viewing this content, they are you know, actually liking more short forms bites of it, right? So people don’t actually like to, you know, sit and you know, see an entire 20 minutes of a video. They actually like, you know, the key highlights to be taken out and then, you know, view them into short bite sized videos, right?

Maybe just five minutes, two minutes for example. And then, you know, what we did is that, you know, we used to put the entire video on YouTube and then, you know, we would take out the key highlights and post it on various social media platforms. So I think those were some kind of metrics in sessions, clicks ctr average duration spent, you know, which we were packing for the videos and then we were actually saying that, you know, what kind of re shares are happening internally as well as externally. How many employees are, you know, talking about the video? What is the kind of engagement rates which we are seeing on social media? How many comments are we seeing on each and every video? How many people are re-posting that content?

So yeah, that kind of data was very, very critical for us.

Measuring data

7:17 When we talk about, you know, what was that point where we were actually befuddled by the data, you know, before arrived and which actually motivated us to take a leap into the strategy. I think that point would be when we recognize that, you know, one platform isn’t enough to, you know, showcase your data to all kinds of bodies, Right? So, you know, if I talk about the campaign from the starting, I think our objective was to, you know, share some insights with the people, you know, position assets as the thought leaders and you know, maybe increase some kind of traction on a LinkedIn page.

However, when we actually got down to business, we saw that the content had a lot of, a lot of potentials, there were a lot of viewers, you know, not only on LinkedIn because you know, it’s very, very limited to the professional set of audience, but you know, when we started seeing that even parents of school kids, you know, they are setting out Facebook and they actually want to say that, you know, what kind of trends are emerging in the education space. There are people on Instagram, you know, who are just scrolling reels and they are looking, they’re hungry for this kind of country, There are people on twitter, you know, who actually want to see that, you know, what kind of revolution is going to happen education space in the next 10 years. So when we saw that kind of data that you know, there’s really an audience sitting out of there and we are not cap in that audience, we are not even tapping that potential. That is when, you know, we started with a multi-channel approach that you know, we have to really make this campaign a 360-degree type of campaign, you know, where we are getting all sets of viewership we are getting, we are covering all sets of audience because you know, that is what our business is all about.

It’s actually about, you know, how do we service our learners and the community at large in the best way possible.

Key metric

8:58 I think some of the things which we generally track about media is that, you know, one is that, you know, what is the level of traction a media has? So, you know, I mean, it, in terms of, you know, is it a national media, is that the regional media is media? Is it a T or two media right then? I think one metric, which personally for me, has become very, very important that, you know, what is the kind of social media awareness that that media enjoys?

So I know that a lot, I think all of the media media publications today, they have a social media account. So I just want to see that, you know, what kind of engagement do they have with their users on their social media pages then third is that, you know, obviously the leadership of each and every media that, you know, how many leaderships do they enjoy? Then, you know, what are some of the top journalists writing about, you know, what are some of those trending topics, themes, you know, which are actually gaining a lot of traction in the media. So, I like to be updated about that. So, you know, so that even when we’re doing any kind of outreach for any kind of survey for any kind of topic, we know that, you know, these are the right journalists to reach out to.

And yeah, those are some of the key metrics.

Dream metric

10:07 I think you use a very light term called magic one because, you know, the feature which I would really like to see in the future, it actually you know can only be achieved through a magic wand. And I think it’s the dream of every PR professional is to just you know what is the kind of sentiment that your brand is generating amongst Laurens and sometimes it’s very, very difficult to calculate, even though you know, you can see that you know how many engagements you are getting on social media, how many media mentions you are getting? What is the share of voice that you have in the media, but it’s very difficult to calculate that. You know what is actually the sentiment going on in people’s minds when they approach your brand, when they see the name of your brand new newspapers, when they see the name of your brand on social media or whenever they even think about you know making a purchase from your brand, what is that kind of sentiment that people have in their minds and this is a field you know, which has deeply interested me over the past couple of years because you know, as I mentioned, I’ve just recently completed my code and digital marketing and strategy. There was a concept called neuro marketing and you know what actually neuro marketing does is that you know it actually tries to see that you know when people approach your brand even you know when they’re going in a store and they just you know, see brand’s name written over there, what are the kind of, you know, chemical functions, you know, which happen in their brain and then, you know, what are the kind of perceptions that they create about your brand almost, you know, very instinctively not by even thinking about it.

So, I would like to say that, you know, how this can be, you know, more productive in the future, how can we get some tools which can actually show us that, you know, this is how people perceive our brand, because I think pr is all about establishing a strong brand identity and strong brand presence in the mind of her audience.

It’s all about that when we talk about the future of fear and you know, how the feel is going to evolve.

My two cents

12:05 I think one thing you mentioned very rightly is that, you know, people right now are liking more of the organic side of marketing, which is PR and less of faith marketing, and I think that got to do with the human element of storytelling, as you say in fear, You know, when we do pr it’s not about, you know, just promoting your brand and, you know, just talking about your brand, it’s actually talking about the industry and the community at large, and, you know, showcasing those messages which actually have a human which actually tells a story which is relatable to the audience, So, you know, when the audience reads about your brand reads about your story, they can actually see the presence of that brand in the everyday life, right? They can actually relate to the kind of offering that your brand has to offer, right?

So I think that is where you know, PR comes in and I think for me personally, I would like to suggest to every you know, aspiring market or aspiring communication professional that you know pr is the field to be in in these times, because you know, we have been hearing a lot of negative view these days, we are hearing a lot of, you know, changes happening in the world. So I think we are is something, you know, which helps you to, you know, keep aligned with those changes and you know, how can you actually change your brand’s narrative aligned to those changes happening in the world? So, in terms of the future, like I already said that, you know, it’s all about you know, how do you communicate your brand messages and you know, by brand messages? I mean the kind of content that you want to communicate to your audience in the most effective and efficient manner possible. And like I said, it has to do with the three legs, what kind of a relevance that content has its creation and its execution and impact.

Right? So for all the marketeers, you know, who are presently in the field of PR or you know, for students for graduates, you know, who are aspiring to enter into the field, I would just like to say that, you know, data analytics is becoming very, very important.

You have to use data in every single step of appear to be able to see that, you know, what kind of an impact your efforts are having on the overall business. Right? So for example, even when you write a very basic small article, right, you might think that, you know, it’s a very, very small thing and it’s just one article and you know how it’s going to create an impact on the overall brand, it is not like that, it is not a small thing. Even today, when I write an article, I actually make it a point to, you know, do a thorough keyword research to see that, you know, what are the kind of the work that I need to use in that article for it to rank very well on the issue. So that is the kind of data which you have to integrate into the day-to-day pr things, which you are doing right, it’s not just about, you know writing the right kind of content and you know, giving the right kind of perspective, it is also going to do with what is the right kind of execution you are doing with that content, right?

What are the kind of data points which you are integrated into that article, which you are integrating into the overall work that you’re doing?

Yeah, that is my bit for the future generation and I think eventually data driven PR is actually becoming the new rocket fuel to for people to you know, establish a strong brand identity, right? So I think that is it and to every marketer and every peer professional out there please, you know, harness the power of data, I think it’s going to take you places and I think it will also provide you with a lot of confidence, you know, when you talk about your work. For example, many times it becomes very difficult for professionals like us to say in front of people that you know what is the kind of impact your work has created for the overall brand, right? Because I think traditionally the impact of fear used to be very qualitative, we couldn’t quantify it and measure it in terms of data, but I think with the district technologies coming in now you have a lot of tools you know, which actually create automated reports on your behalf to say that you know how a particular campaign has performed and you know what kind of business impact has it created.

So just use that kind of potential in data and you know, be out there, be a great communicator and share your brand messages of course