Today’s guest post is written by Kami Huyse.
Let’s face it, most people who go into public relations do it because our skill sets run in a certain direction. We are great writers, we love strategy, we think broadly about issues, we are connectors, and we “love people” (that is a little PR joke).
But math and analytics? Most of us would say, “Not really.”
However, we can’t let an aversion to our less developed skills intimidate us.
The era of Big Data has arrived, and social media big data will be a huge trend this year. This means public relations professionals have to step it up to keep up.
The monitoring tools we currently use are crude at best and provide only a glimpse into the mirror. There are mountains of data and we don’t really have the skills to see what they all mean and really connect the dots.
Up until now, we have used free tools such as Google alerts to monitor mentions or paid tools such as Radian6, Lithium, Custom Scoop, Cision and many others that give us ideas about what is being said and by whom.
If we are really sophisticated, we will use sentiment scoring, influence measurement tools, or text analytics which allow us to mine more information.
There is a whole new skill set we have to master to understand and be ready for the insights and opportunities Big Data brings to public relations.
Following are five essential skills to master Big Data you can undertake right away.
What do you think about this trend of Big Data and how do you think it will affect public relations and social media professionals? Are there other skills you think we will need to master?
Cartoon by Space & Light
Kami Huyse is the CEO of Zoetica, an agency that connects brands and nonprofits with their communities for social good. She blogs at Communication Overtones. You can also find her on Twitter @kamichat or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.