One of the most significant developments in the realm of digital communication has been the ability in recent years to track, trend and analyze data to gain insights into the effectiveness of communications programs. Member data analytics provide valuable insights to credit unions and their public relations executives that might otherwise have been ignored or lost—insights that are now helping CUs develop more accurate targeting programs, drive automation and better recognize and capitalize on member trends.

For years, communications professionals have tracked program outputs and end-goal measurements (such as the number of press releases drafted or average media mentions) to determine the efficacy of public relations campaigns and programs. Talk to PR representatives for any credit union, and it’s overwhelmingly likely they’ll have their own take on the best time to send out a press release, who they think is reading their content and in which format or on what platform they believe the media and members want to receive that content.

Traditionally, these preferences and biases would’ve been predicated on the PR executive’s own personal assumptions and experience. The problem is that these assumptions often prove wrong. What worked before does not guarantee success a second time, and the level of effort dedicated to a project may ultimately be unrewarded without the proper justification or proof points.

 

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