Why PR and Research Go Hand in Hand

For account executives in the PR team here at CIB, strong research skills and information gathering is paramount. Such research can present itself in many forms, whether it be finding out about a potential client’s products for a pitch, looking into the latest Building Regulations to enhance our feature writing capabilities or exploring the latest technological advances that can boost our clients’ coverage levels.  Indeed, in the last week alone, I’ve undertaken two projects where research was key. 

With an upcoming pitch, I took myself off to a local merchant in Staines, to familiarise myself with the store and the type of products it stocks. During my visit I undertook a one-to-one interview with a member of staff, in order to ascertain the types of coverage they currently receive in the local press, in addition to the types of tradesmen that frequent the store.  Such research provided me with a greater understanding of the business and they way in which merchants operate.

The week ended on an entirely different note, but still with research in mind, as I undertook a Web 2.0 audit for each of my clients.  Essentially, Web 2.0 is just a fancy way of measuring any online presence clients have through mediums that include Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, blogs and forums.  The research enabled me to determine how CIB can help all of our clients embrace the social media revolution from their own networking pages to plumbers’, handymen and building forums.  Keeping on top of all the opportunities will enable CIB to plot out new tactics and strategies that should hopefully see an increase in clients’ online presence in the upcoming year. 

So whether it’s getting out and about speaking to those in the industry face-to-face or trawling the Internet - research can keep account executives very busy!