I’ve always held an admiration for people who have
mastered the art of speaking knowingly, convincingly, and eloquently on any
subject at the drop of a hat. I used to
wonder, what is this magic skill that allows some people to have super-secret
direct line to words and ideas, neatly lined up in a row? And so I watched and listened, and I observed
that those who speak well also listen well.
They also read a lot, and they converse – they don’t talk “at” others,
they talk “with” others. And when it
seems that they’re talking “at” a group, they are also keenly aware of the
group they are talking to. They are
aware of the group’s values, level of comprehension, prior knowledge, and the
ways that what they are saying will resonate with - or enrage - those being
spoken to. In a nutshell, perhaps it’s
part magic, but it’s also part PR.
With these thoughts of words and magic floating around,
it may seem like PR is all fun and games – but then I hear that the first step
to a good PR plan is research. My initial
reaction to this was, unsurprisingly, a big yawn. But then research was reframed in our textbook as listening, and it started to make sense. All of the attributes I observed among my
pool of revered, eloquent, public speakers, involved research - or in other
words, listening before speaking. And
though one element of research is the act of being aware, being acutely
curious, and taking in reams of information from multiple sources, it seems
that there is also quite a bit of more focused research that goes into building
a successful PR plan.
Seeing as research, in itself, is a methodical approach,
it doesn’t surprise me that it can be grouped into categories. Primary research defines types of inquiries
that generate new information, while secondary research reviews information
that already exists. Secondary research
can include Internet and database searches, poring over your organization’s
archives, and reviewing previous PR and marketing plans. You may also look at customers or clients of
your organization, to determine which demographics are most likely to be your
target audience. Secondary research is
kind of like an environmental scan – it involves looking at what is already out
there, and what the context that we’re working in while developing this PR
plan. Primary research is less directed
at pulling context from information that already exists, rather, it seeks to
reveal the unknowns, and gather specific information about the
environment. For example, primary
research would include asking questions of the public, or other stakeholders,
in a formalized conversation, such as an interview, a focus group or a phone
survey.
The information collected through research can also be
categorized either as qualitative (“hard” data) or quantitative (“soft”
data). I found the best way to remember
the difference between the two is to think that hard data leaves a clear mark, while
soft data leaves an impression. For
example, perhaps you are considering using Instagram as part of your campaign,
but you’re not sure if it will really take off.
You could collect some soft data through a focus group, and invite some
of your customers in to talk about how they use social media. This would give you a general idea of the
behaviors of your target audience, and you could learn some interesting
things. However, these facts might not
hold true across a larger audience. So
then you might look at some hard data, and conduct a survey where you learn
that – in hard numbers – Instagram has far fewer users than Facebook, however,
those users interact with it more often.
If you’re looking to reach a broad audience, research might lead you to
decide to forego using Instagram. But
perhaps those few who are on Instagram are the key influencers that you’re
trying to reach, and besides, your secondary research found many tech blogs
that championed it as an up-and-coming platform that’s enjoyable, and easy to
adopt. If you didn’t do the research,
then you’re making decisions on a hunch and a gamble. And if you were still unsure, then you would
do more research!
In short, good research is about knowing your
environment, defining your audience, and determining the best way to
communicate with them. Without this foundational knowledge, your PR plan would
be all talk and no listening.
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