11.10.16

Times are changing, and changing fast. Especially when it comes to how the media is delivering content to readers. We’ve already talked about how individuals are increasingly curating their own news content, thanks in large part to social outlets like Facebook. But we also think it is important to examine the flip side of the coin: that is, how media outlets — and we, as communicators — can use data to target those increasingly segmented audiences.

Many traditional media outlets are taking full advantage of greater access to data. Two months after taking over POLITICO’s Playbook and making changes geared for a new generation of readers (images, graphics, new content streams), Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman and Daniel Lippman have seen Playbook achieve its highest-ever open rates. Recently, Sherman attributed Playbook’s success to increased quantitative and qualitative data sets stating, “We’re using data and audience data to … help build an audience.” Similarly, BuzzFeed has built a massive data operation to better understand content and platforms.

At Blue Engine, we’re already using data to help our clients identify key audiences down to the granular level, determine which messages best resonate with them, and even more importantly, identify which content is most likely to move opinions on our issues. As communicators, greater access to data means we no longer need to guess (educated, of course!) when it comes to crafting messages or telling our clients’ stories — delivering our clients a greater bang for their buck and upped odds of success.

This data-focused approach to communications has already begun, and here at Blue Engine it is reaping dividends for our clients, from corporations to non-profits to issue-based coalitions. Big data is here to stay when it comes to strategic communications, and over the next 10 years will become even more necessary for reaching the right audiences with the right content.