Lorraine Emmett, managing director at Emmett and Churchman, considers how to harness the power of personal relationships and data.

As ever, the way businesses engage with their audience is evolving rapidly. For marketing leaders in dynamic tech companies, the challenge is not just about keeping up, but staying ahead. Ultimately, people buy from people, so the key to unlocking unparalleled engagement and success lies in harnessing the power of personal relationships and data. Here’s how our journey with Catalyst, our personal branding for the C-suite service, has transformed the way we approach public relations and brand building.

One of the most compelling examples of our data-driven PR approach is the success we achieved with Catalyst. Designed to support senior executives in finding their voice and building and enhancing their personal brands on LinkedIn by sharing their insights and knowledge, Catalyst has delivered outstanding results. 

Over six months, we increased the reach (impressions) of one Group managing director’s LinkedIn profile by an astonishing 690%, growing from 15,768 to 124,529 impressions. Engagements, including likes, comments and shares, soared by 659%, and the executive’s followers grew by 141%. More impressively, 25% of their opportunities are now generated through LinkedIn.

Another success story involves a senior sales director whose LinkedIn reach skyrocketed by 1,698,400% in just 28 days. This dramatic increase saw their impressions jump from a mere 1 to 16,895. Engagements rose to 317 likes, comments and shares, compared to none the previous month. Additionally, their follower count increased by 16,700%  as part of a targeted approach. These figures are more than just numbers; they represent the tangible impact of a well-executed, data-driven PR strategy.

Our journey: from idea to innovation

The idea for Catalyste came to Rachel, our senior account manager and head of our Innovation pillar, in the middle of the night, and she proposed a bold concept: a personal branding service for senior executives that promised to deliver increased brand awareness, elevated thought leadership status, and new business opportunities. We knew that for such an innovative idea to gain traction, we needed concrete proof of its efficacy. Thus, we decided to use our own agency as a testing ground.

We began by identifying our guinea pig—and we set about piloting it. We gathered baseline data to understand our current reach and engagement levels. Armed with this information, and one of our senior executive’s thought leadership content, we crafted a series of bespoke social media posts, each tailored to specific audience segments identified through our data analysis.

From there, we created reports that tracked and analysed the data and the impact of the activities in real-time. Our goal was to see how effectively we could refine our new service based on these insights.

As the campaign unfolded, we monitored the data closely. We saw which messages resonated most with our audience and adjusted our strategy accordingly. When a particular message garnered significant attention, we amplified that message and built on the campaign. Conversely, when a post fell flat, we quickly pivoted, using insights from the data to craft more engaging content.

The results were nothing short of remarkable. Engagement rates soared, website traffic increased by 37%, and interest in our services exceeded our wildest expectations. The data-driven approach allowed us to fine-tune our efforts with pinpoint accuracy, leading to unprecedented success. The results? A five-fold increase in revenue on the previous year, a return on investment of 18:1 and substantial growth in LinkedIn engagement.

At EC-PR, we understand the fear of missing out, wasting resources, and being underestimated. But, by leveraging insights and real-time analytics, we can craft PR strategies that smash growth targets and enhance the reputation of our clients. Our experience with Catalyst underscores the power of a data-driven approach. 

As we strive to maximise the impact of public relations, one thing remains certain: data is an invaluable asset.