Performance Communication – What communication can learn from marketing

Author: Jens Christmann

How can corporate communications benefit from the methods of performance marketing? What can be adopted 1:1, what can be adapted or at least used as inspiration? I have been working on these questions for some time and will also be holding a workshop on this topic at the CommTech Summit in Hamburg on November 27.

What is performance marketing?

Performance marketing is a data-based and results-oriented marketing strategy. The focus is on achieving measurable results and maximizing the return on investment. All marketing activities are measured using specific key performance indicators. Instead of focusing solely on reach or visibility, interactions and transactions are what count. All measures are constantly analyzed and optimized based on the data collected.

Tools and methods of performance marketing:

• Search engine marketing (SEO/SEA): Better ranking in search engines through website optimization and paid ads.
• Display advertising: Advertisements such as banners or videos.
• Email marketing: Personalized emails to attract and retain customers.
• Affiliate marketing: cooperation with partners who advertise products in return for commission.
• Content marketing: Creation and distribution of relevant content to address customers.
• Personas: Representative customer profiles for a targeted approach and marketing optimization.
• Customer journeys: Analysis of customer contacts to optimize interactions.

How can corporate communications benefit from this?

Corporate communications can also make very good use of some of these approaches. Some, such as content marketing, are in principle borrowed from PR: Content that is “voluntarily” and actively consumed by target groups because it is relevant and meets editorial quality criteria. Push instead of pull.

Here are three examples that, in my view, still offer a lot of potential for communication:

Use of personas and their simulation by AI

Personas can also help to better understand stakeholders in corporate communications. These profiles are based on the needs and behaviors of the target groups (demographic factors are only of limited relevance in my view) and make it possible to address their potential challenges and expectations in a more differentiated way. There should be a maximum of three to four personas, as otherwise the complexity increases very quickly – especially if the content is also optimized according to other criteria.

AI can then be used to adapt and continuously optimize the content from the perspective of these personas. To do this, ChatGPT or other large language models are trained to slip into the role of the personas and evaluate the content from their perspective. For example, Anna, the tech journalist, Max, the investor, and Sophie, the end customer:

• The technical depth is checked for Anna.
• Financial aspects are analyzed for Max.
• Comprehensibility is assessed for Sophie.

In my experience, both steps – the development of personas and the simulation with AI – lead to enormous leaps in target group orientation within a short period of time and the interaction with stakeholders increases accordingly (and measurably).

Customer journey for PR campaigns:

In a PR campaign for a new product, the customer journey can be used to better manage communication. As in marketing, brand PR should also be planned in several stages and based on the information needs of the target groups.

• Awareness phase: Press releases, social media posts and events attract attention.
• Consideration phase: Interviews, blog posts and reports highlight the benefits of the product.
• Decision phase: Exclusive offers for journalists and partners to enable in-depth articles or reports.

This example shows why fewer – and clearly distinguishable – personas are often more: Each of the personas is likely to have different requirements in the respective phases – thus multiplying the complexity. Nevertheless, the advantages are obvious: messages and formats are strung together like a string of pearls as a journey instead of being poured out onto the target groups like a cornucopia.

SEO optimization of content for more visibility:

SEO tools help to find relevant keywords that potential readers or journalists use. Press releases and blog posts are then optimized with these keywords, as is common practice in marketing and is often only done for websites in communications.

The optimization of online content for AI applications such as ChatGPT and Perplexity is important. They are changing online searches. It is no longer just about keywords, but about the user’s intention. Content must be optimized so that it addresses entire sentences and questions and provides contextual information, i.e. is embedded in a larger context.

This can be information about the background or related topics that help the search engine to better understand and categorize the content. For example, an article on sustainable fashion could not only explain the term “sustainability”, but also specifically address environmental factors, consumer trends or production methods to give the search engine more clues as to how and why this content is relevant.

Conclusion

Performance communication is a great opportunity for corporate communication. The use of data-driven strategies not only makes communication more targeted, but also more measurable. Stakeholders receive exactly the information that is relevant to them and corporate communication can more clearly demonstrate its success.

About the author

Jens Christmann advises companies and manages complex corporate affairs projects. As an expert in marketing, communication and change management, he supports various companies in German-speaking countries in the digitalization of their external communication and the transformation towards more sustainability and health. His international experience as Head of External Affairs at Mars Wrigley in the USA, as a member of the management board of Wrigley in Germany and as Head of Digital Transformation at Mundipharma in Switzerland gives him a diverse perspective.