SHIFT combines data and strategy to deliver thought leadership through its blog

Too many business blogs are filled with content based either on guesswork (“I wonder what our audience wants to know?”) or the assumption that readers want to read what the organization wants to talk about (like a blogified version of a press release). The mid-sized PR agency SHIFT has taken a more scientific approach consistent with its recent revamped adoption of a data-driven strategy. That approach has won SHIFT first place for Best Blog in PR Daily’s 2016 Digital PR and Social Media Awards.

Decisions about daily content for the blog are based on trending keywords, seasonal developments, and trending topics in the industry. The actual post is designed to answer a pressing question when the reader is asking it, with the post surfacing in search results. 

SHIFT employs Google Analytics to track visitors and determine how they arrived at the post, enabling them to make data-driven decisions about promoting a post and syndicating it. For example, if a particular post is resonating with CMOs, SHIFT may opt to pay to promote it further within that audience. 

The results of SHIFT’s efforts are undeniable. At the most important level, the blog is a source of new business. SHIFT’s lead flow increased by 108 percent year over year. As the blog’s organic search volume increased in 2015, so did web conversions and lead generation. Organic search traffic alone drove almost 20 percent of the agency’s total conversions. 

SHIFT also repurposes content into everything from infographics to ebooks, deriving even more value from its content. 

For producing a compelling, fascinating blog with daily posts that achieve real, measurable results—and all from a foundation of sophisticated use of data—congratulations go to Chris Penn, Katie Lioy, Amanda Grinavich, Tori Sabourin, Angie Goldman, Savannah Whitman and Amanda Loewy.