SHIFT Archives: The Best of Q1 2016

As each year comes to a close, we like to sneak a peek into the SHIFT archives to see our content hits and misses. When devising a content strategy for a new year, it’s important to take note of what worked (and why) to plan what’s to come next year. Want to see how to do this for your blog? Here’s how.

Our top posts from the first quarter of 2016 focused on the different ways data and analytics have transformed the efforts of public relations professionals and how they affect client expectations.

TOP DATA-DRIVEN PR TRENDS OF 2016: INTERACTIVE INFOGRAPHICS

It’s no secret that improved access to data is changing the way marketers and communicators work. From drafting pitches to assessing campaign success – taking a data-driven approach to public relations has reshaped the communications industry. This includes the evolution of the traditional infographic.

The over saturation of media with infographics has killed the effectiveness of the once widely-used supplement. Our analysis shows that you only have a 3% chance to place a regular infographic in any kind of traditional media coverage. All hope is not lost, however, as many top-tier publications like the New York Times and Washington Post have moved on from static infographics to dynamic, interactive infographics powered by complex web applications. If you have the budget and resources to create one of these interactive infographics, you’ll give yourself a substantial advantage over companies cranking out the same old thing.

USE IBM WATSON ANALYTICS FOR ADVANCED SOCIAL MEDIA INSIGHTS

Almost every social media strategy is now driven by data, and those that aren’t should be. Our clients are always asking for help getting more followers, more engagement, more clicks, etc., but up until this year marketers and communicators could only identify what happened – not why or what could be done next to improve results.

IBM Watson Analytics has changed that. The tool bundles powerful statistical tools in an easy-to-use package for professionals like us to learn how to find, and use, advanced social media insights to inform our approach. Watch this short tutorial video to see how you can use IBM Watson Analytics on your own data to build out a more well-rounded, data-driven social media program that delivers better results.

BORING PRESS RELEASE BINGO IS BACK!

After receiving so much positive feedback from 2015’s Bingo game featuring the most overused words in press releases from the year before, we decided to bring the interactive activity back to the blog in 2016 with an updated version of “Boring Press Release Bingo.”

We again analyzed thousands of press releases to determine what words are popping up in press releases over and over again throughout the year. What words did we see most this time around? Generic business terms like ‘company’ and ‘market,’ as well as ‘more’ and ‘new.’ To no one’s surprise, ‘data,’ ‘development,’ ‘growth’ and ‘leading’ were also amongst the most used – see the full list and try your hand at a round of Bingo here.

Casey Egan
Marketing Analyst 

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