How Cision Helped One Agency Deliver Results at Each Step of the Customer Journey
OVERVIEW
Winstanley Partners is a national advertising agency based in the Berkshires outside of Lenox, Massachusetts. For 30+ years, the company has focused on branding, communications and more recently, social media for a clientele based largely in the outdoors/recreation industry. Winstanley Partners provides regional and national work spanning digital and traditional earned media needs.(click to tweet)
CHALLENGE
Provide clients with the full data picture quickly and effectively
As a smaller agency, Winstanley Partners strives to invest in platforms and software that will check off as many client boxes as possible, along every step of the project. “We don’t like to invest in resources that we won’t use on a daily basis,” said Jaclyn Stevenson, Director of Communications at Winstanley Partners. (click to tweet)
They also focus investments on tools that help with data mining and analysis. “Data helps our agency show clients the results they aim to deliver,” said Stevenson. “Later into our client relationships, data helps us back up our work and show the return on investment.”
APPROACH
From business wins to showcasing tangible ROI results
Winstanley Partners uses Cision’s full analytics suite to build new business proposals, create client case studies, and build ROI reports for campaigns. ”We’re able to show a breadth of earned media placements to clients in easily downloadable formats,” said Stevenson. “Screenshots from the platform go directly into our reports, because the data not only looks nice, but is easy for clients to understand.” (click to tweet)
With a strong focus on digital marketing and communications, Stevenson also takes advantage of Cision’s social media profile feature for journalists and influencers. “I see what topics they talk about, where they’re located, and what they’ve been working on recently.”
Additionally, on a day-to-day basis, the company uses Cision targeting features to build and refine media lists. “Media relations is still a very human field, and Cision’s database helps us get to the right people quicker,” said Stevenson. “You can start very refined with your media targeting and expand, as opposed to spending a lot of time refining a very basic search.” The database also helps Winstanley Partners identify editorial opportunities for its clients.
RESULTS
Delivers results and simplifies the client-business relationship
Creating polished reports helps Winstanley Partners seal the deal with new opportunities. Cision’s client-ready reporting prevents backlog created by back and forth conversations with a graphic designer. “Having data that’s both aesthetically appealing and easily digestible right at my fingertips is so important,” said Stevenson. (click to tweet)
Winstanley Partners used Cision to target journalists in the Berkshire area to cover the upcoming performance of a local touring company. The campaign was a success, resulting in coverage online and over local airwaves, which helped boost ticket sales for the three-month residency. “We were able to demonstrate ROI with a limited budget and unique campaign ideas,” said Stevenson.
Use of Cision services have expanded beyond Winstanley’s PR practice and into the digital, creative, and project management sides of their business. “Many of our team members, who aren’t on the public relations side of the business, are trained on Cision platforms because it plays such a big role in our day-to-day operations,” said Stevenson.
Quick and friendly customer service has also helped Winstanley Partners execute and report on campaigns efficiently. “We can always call and get someone on the phone really fast,” said Stevenson.
FUTURE PLANS
More data, but less collection
Eager to streamline a process of piecing together data from multiple platforms and resources, Winstanley Partners has turned to Cision Communications Cloud to provide an integrated targeting, distribution, monitoring and reporting solution. “We’re really excited for Cision Communications Cloud because it will do all of this work for us,” said Stevenson.
As the company evolves its focus and develops its services, it has also grown its relationship with Cision. “We have received veracious competitor calls, but we truly never had a reason to leave,” said Stevenson. “It’s clear to us that Cision is also in the business of building good relationships.”