Why is Research so Important in Public Relations?

In public relations, research is a principle to use when conducting strategies for a brand. Researching for a client is very prime to help them grow in numerous ways. Being in public relations you have to manage strategic communication between an organization and its public to build relationships within the company and its audience. Companies can't solve a problem if they don't know what is going on, this is where research comes to play. There are numerous ways that I will describe to you why research can impact a company in several different ways.

In today's society, everything is easily accessible on the internet. You have to be careful. People tend to forget that sometimes what people say on the internet is not accurate. It is intense to find the truth but it takes research to get the right answer. Concepts are said throughout every social media like Youtube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, the list goes on. Do you think

everything announced on those platforms is completely 100% true? Well, those “words” can be factually accurate or a complete lie. Just keep in mind is that the words that are said on the internet can be easily manipulated by anyone, that information may not all be true. By presenting genuine information you will gain a loyal audience, grow your company, grow funds, and succeed. For example, Youtube star, Emma Chamberlain has a wide audience. On her Instagram, she has over 15 million followers.

She carries a bright, outgoing, very herself personality and that is very admiring to some people. Emma owns her own coffee brand, through all of her Youtube audience and other social media, it has risen because of how people think of her through how she communicates with the public. In some eyes, she is a very intelligent human being and that is very trustworthy to her audience.

As we talked about how trust is a big impact on public relations, now you are probably wondering why are building relationships important in public relations? Trust is a key concept for building friendships, negotiating situations, management, and resolution of conflict. People that sound very knowledgeable on any platform, are going to inspire other minds. Do you want to gain a bigger audience and make them want more? You have to have certainty, and that means research.

Public relations is based on strategy. Having strategy will help induce a company’s goal. When needing to describe a companies goal you need to be good at storytelling.

WARC’s 2020 Health of Creativity report found that more than 26% of the ideas used storytelling as a creative strategy. Being creative is a key factor in the PR field especially. Researching for facts and data has been potential for making stories more emotionally compelling to the audience. According to an ANA survey, 89% of respondents said public relations can demonstrate its true value most effectively by proving how its programs achieve measurable business outcomes and improving measurement of the results through factual storytelling. When having educational facts in a story, people tend to really think more about what topic you are talking about and are intrigued to hear more. These behavioral shifts mean that brands and practitioners need to keep in mind to be more proactive and challenging in the way they are using measurable search in order to recognize the full contribution to growth.

Overall, research is very important to gain a wide audience, build relationships, and solve problems within a company. You have to be honest and truthful to your public to make them fully commit to your brand. It is the research that will impact you.