How Much Does Research REALLY Matter?

July 2, 2008 | Posted by: Tom Rice

A lot I would say when it comes to PR. Easy to say I guess but, as PR professionals, doing the research before a major campaign can fall to the bottom of the pile very easily with everything else we have to be concerned about.

From just getting off a major media/analyst "tour" with a Client, I can say that you've got to be a lot smarter about research given the nature of publications, the blogosphere and the "de-specialization" of reporter beats. While the usual tools such as Bacons and Vocus are still needed, you've got to really go out and dig to find the right targets. Even with the traditional print pubs shrinking in terms of numbers and size, there are more sites out there to keep track of. And time is so precious, so you can't waste cycles going after a certain reporter/blogger when he/she might not even be a fit.
Even with these challenges, there's really no excuse not to have the right research in place. It just takes a little discipline to carve out the time to do it. With so many free tools out there now from Google, Addict-o-Matic, del.icio.us, etc, it's really just a few easy steps and some good thinking and, bam, you've got a great target list for your next campaign.