Cision Leads Shift to Data-Driven Communications with Latest Cloud Release

Chris Lynch, Chief Marketing Officer, CisionThe shift in the media landscape over the last two decades has flipped the traditional communications model. The role of marketing and communications professionals and their ability to not only reach the end consumer but also to provide quantitative success metrics that the CMO and CEO demand has more than just changed, it’s completely evolved. And, while most technology providers have been focused on the owned and paid media space, Cision has been building the Cision Communications Cloud^TM. Cision’s integrated communications stack delivers the tools to better target influencers, craft multichannel campaigns and attribute the value of earned media -- enabling marketing and comms professionals to effectively manage their earned media programs in coordination with paid and owned channels to drive business impact.Through recent updates, Cision is bringing together PRNewswire’s largest distribution network alongside its industry-leading media database and monitoring solutions. For the first time in the communications technology space, comms professionals can orchestrate all aspects of their earned media campaign and track its success in one comprehensive application. This gives communicators a holistic look into their earned media efforts and provides them with the data they need to share with decision makers -- a big step forward in our post-silo paid, earned and owned media landscape.Multi-Channel Marketing with Sophisticated Comms CalendarFor communicators and marketers, multi-channel marketing has historically been defined by an orchestrated marketing effort across all channels in order to reach the end consumer and drive business value. But, in a number of organizations, this typically leaves the communicator as the one coming to the table with excel spreadsheets and minimal data points. Cision is poised to change that through the new Campaign Calendar which enables real-time coordination across channels. Communicators can simultaneously schedule a press release, social posts, influencer outreach and launch email campaigns all from one central location. Additionally, Help a Reporter Out (HARO) capabilities are now available in the platform, giving communicators the ability to search for journalists’ requests that match areas of expertise.Influencer Recommendations Helps Communicators Identify TargetsOver 70% of PR professionals say that uncovering influencers is their biggest challenge.Cision’s media database enables communicators to quickly search and find influencers by their beat, audience, and coverage area. But, with the ever-growing list of potential influencers, it’s hard to keep pace. To assist with this undertaking, Cision introduced Influencer Recommendations to proactively send an alert when a new ideal contact has been added to the database which fits a targeted set of criteria -- giving communicators a head start on building new relationships with important influencers.New Social Profiles, Search Criteria Ensure Communicators Deliver a Relevant PitchReporters from major news outlets receive on average nearly 38,000 emails per year and 80% of journalists say they don’t feel PR and communications professionals do enough to research their outlet and deliver a relevant pitch. With our latest release, we’ve added thousands of new social profiles to our media database full of information on each influencer, allowing communicators to craft a better message. Social Profiles give communicators access to influencer’s Twitter stream, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, SoundCloud, and more. New search criteria and filters give communicators even more granular capabilities to drill in and find the right contact to reach their end consumer.Data-Driven Approach to Earned MediaAs the earned media space follows in the footsteps of digital paid media and owned media, the expectation is that the quantitative metrics will follow. Communicators and PR professionals must move beyond the implicit value of a placement in their targeted media outlet to a state where they can attribute buying behavior to that coverage. The Cision Communications Cloud’s latest analytics capabilities include updated dynamic and personalized dashboards, which not only provide deep and insightful information to the communicator, but can also be easily shared across the organization. Email templates allow the communicator to personalize the success of their campaigns specifically for their CFO, CEO, CMO, and other decision makers, ensuring that the metrics these leaders are looking for are communicated clearly.The Cision Communications Cloud is bringing together powerful capabilities into one unified platform, giving marketers and communicators the tools they need to effectively and efficiently manage earned media campaigns across the communications lifecycle. [author]About the Author: Chris Lynch oversees Cision’s global marketing teams. Serving as Chief Marketing Officer, Lynch is responsible for Cision’s global marketing strategy—spanning communications, product, and digital marketing. Previously, he ran product marketing and go-to-market strategy for Oracle’s Marketing Cloud business and also held leadership positions at companies like Badgeville and TIBCO. Based in San Francisco, Lynch attended Northeastern University where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. Follow Chris on Twitter @cglynch. [/author]