Today’s media landscape is more competitive than ever. And with a seemingly endless number of brands vying for a feature in upcoming press stories, many marketers and PR teams question how they can sustain momentum in the media year-round, both when there’s significant corporate news to share and during quieter times for the business.
Brands strive for consistency in the press, especially in brand building and thought leadership efforts, given the many trending topics that offer room for a relevant brand perspective. Yet, with all the competition, establishing a dominant voice and presence for your brand and executives can be challenging.
Data storytelling allows brands to bring something proprietary and fresh to the table that the press can’t get anywhere else. A story that offers an informed perspective backed by unique, owned data helps brands and executives stand apart when surrounded by a sea of competing voices.
That’s why the Max Borges Agency leverages data storytelling as one of its primary tools when constructing effective brand-building and thought leadership programs. So much so that we even created an entire division dedicated to it.
What is Data Storytelling?
Data storytelling is the art of using data to tell a story. It’s about finding the most interesting and compelling stories hidden within your data and using them to create an informative and entertaining narrative.
These stories are typically built using internal company data and trends, consumer insights and behaviors gleaned from surveys and/or public datasets analyzed in new and unique ways.
Data storytelling can be incorporated into everything from content marketing and SEO efforts to public relations campaigns. Here are the many benefits that brands typically experience with a consistent data storytelling program:
- Proprietary Research for Content Marketing & SEO Combining data stories with narrative lets you publish unique content that no other brand can claim.
MBA can support brands by creating creative assets, whitepapers and more to publish on your website for use by consumers visiting your website, partners interested in your business and media looking for insight to complement their stories.
- Gated Content for Lead Generation Efforts Using the same data story, marketers can package proprietary research into downloadable content that you can gate with a request for company and contact information from prospective partners and/or B2B contacts.
- Social Media Content Graphics & Visualizations We can segment almost every data story into short-form social content—often as many as 30 individual posts—view examples.
- Editorial Stories for Timely PR Outreach Naturally, data stories are an excellent way to appeal to the press when paired with a brand-led story that aligns with the narrative and need-state for your product and/or service. Brands throughout the year often use this approach to keep a regular flow of ongoing press content that attracts attention and credibility to their brand.
- A Platform for Executive Expertise and Commentary Alongside the general press outreach approach for each data story is an opportunity to arm executives with key data points they can combine with their distinct perspectives on relevant industry topics. This grounds their opinion with facts and insight that no other executive can claim.
Building a Compelling Data Story
Creating a compelling data story with an angle likely to attract media and consumer attention is no small feat. It requires a deep understanding of the news landscape and how to analyze and interpret data into a cohesive narrative. Unfortunately, many data analysts don’t know what to look for when it comes to press-worthy data points, and many PR professionals aren’t familiar enough with data to be able to extract what they need to tell a story.
MBA’s research team changes this paradigm and successfully blends the art of PR with the science of data analysis through its team that is educated in both journalism and data analytics. With this structure, MBA can act more quickly on trending news, adapt the story as the media landscape shifts daily and earn the trust of the press looking to feature these stories.
When it comes to the technicalities of building a data story, the three main methods for data collection are:
- Consumer Surveys Surveying targeted audiences is a great way to explore consumer sentiment and behavior, drawing unique insights into topics that challenge existing norms and engage media and consumers alike.
Our internal research team partners with multiple global panel providers, giving us access to millions of consumers worldwide across various target demographics.
- Customer Data A brand’s customers can provide excellent insight into wider consumer behavioral trends.
We use our client’s internal data to extract key data points valued by media & consumers, translating them into easily digestible, shareable content.
- Public Data Online social channels and publicly shared data are excellent resources for identifying consumer trends.
For example, we tap into sources such as social hashtags and online resources like the National Retail Federation to extract data that can be analyzed and translated into a visually compelling story for your brand.
Data Storytelling in Action
Here are some excellent examples of how our team successfully used data storytelling to promote our client’s consumer tech and lifestyle brands.
Tapping Into Seasonal Coverage Trends With Strava’s Regional User Data
Client Need
Without any planned app updates or announcements in the pipeline, Strava wanted to find a new way to engage runners.
Data Storytelling Tactic
With spring approaching, our team chose to capitalize on the topic of spring break. Using Strava’s data cluster tool to determine the top running route in each of the top Spring Break cities, we developed data visuals to share with the results to target media contacts.
Results
VICE and Women’s Running picked up the spring break story, resulting in 13 unique backlinks to Strava’s website and quotes from local athletes in the Strava community. Additionally, top-tier running outlets such as Runner’s World, Women’s Running, and ESPNW requested exclusive running routes content resulting in feature articles in each outlet.
These outlets also invited Strava to do an ongoing “Run This Town” series on ESPNW and a city-specific series on Women’s Running, highlighting top running routes in Chicago, Boston, and other cities with major marathons.
Turning A Digital Frame Brand Executive Into A Privacy Expert
Client Need
Given ongoing consumer fears over connected device privacy, digital frame company, Nixplay, was seeking to demonstrate its knowledge of the data privacy issue within the media.
Data Storytelling Tactic
To provide an angle for the brand’s CEO to lean on, we conducted a consumer survey diving into the topic and encouraging consumers to inform themselves on how to protect their personal information.
Results
Nixplay executives were interviewed and quoted within top-tier data privacy stories. This led to an ideal quote from their CEO in Forbes, “Memories of our friends and family are meant to be shared, but privacy and safety concerns – especially regarding our children – are not something to be taken lightly.”
The data points also opened opportunities for newsjacking on violations of data privacy, such as the issue with FaceApp, which led to placements on sites such as ABC News and Digital Trends.
Client Need
The Zebra, a car insurance comparison tool, sought to earn exposure for its service within a wider audience of young, tech-savvy consumers.
Data Storytelling Tactic
To build a stronger search presence discoverable by younger consumers, our team surveyed 2,000 consumers identifying external factors such as Instagram, email and Netflix, contributing to the problem of distracted driving. We then provided a platform for the team to speak about how this results in higher car insurance rates. The results were then shared with lifestyle and national media.
Results
MBA earned 168 media placements across national, tech, business and automotive publications, including USA Today, Digital Trends, The Ladders, Cult of Mac, The Car Connection and Motley Fool. These articles were shared 1,110 times and earned 5.6 million estimated views. Additionally, 158 of the placements backlinked to TheZebra.com, with an average domain authority of 69, increasing the SEO value of its online insurance comparison tool.
Client’s Need
Tech and media reseller, Decluttr, wanted to capitalize on the new launch of Disney’s release of the new Aladdin movie.
Data Storytelling Tactic
Given the latest trend of “reimagining” Disney characters, our team worked with Decluttr to develop a campaign focusing on the biggest villains in Disney’s history. We calculated how they’d be punished if they’d been jailed for their crimes by today’s American law standards. Then crafted creative designs to show each villain behind bars with details on what their “sentence” would be had they been subjected to our legal system.
Results
We secured placement of 5 articles with top-tier entertainment and tech outlets, including CNET & Bustle. These articles were shared more than 700 times on social media, expanding their reach even further.
Whether you’re looking to capture the media’s attention, build on your content marketing efforts or generate new leads for your business data storytelling is a powerful tool that every brand should consider in their marketing strategy.
So next time you plan to run a PR campaign, let MBA’s data storytelling team curate a unique data story that will help elevate your brand and get the desired results.
