Return on Investment Archives - Making Every Word Count

Why Storytelling is the Secret Weapon Product Marketers Need

People remember stories far better than they remember facts. That’s not just opinion – it’s science. Studies show the brain engages more areas when listening to a story than when hearing data alone. I recently attended the Product Marketing Alliance Positioning, Messaging, and Storytelling Summit held on July 10th this year. It was a great conference and a good reminder of the importance of storytelling.

In 1993, cognitive psychologist Roger Schank, a scientist who made influential contributions to the field of artificial intelligence and focused much of his research on how people learn, explained that human memory is story-based. We recall life as episodes, not as bullet points. In another study, researchers at Stanford found that stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone. That’s why anecdotes beat slide decks.

When someone hears a list of specs, they might nod politely. But when they hear about someone like them solving a real problem, they lean in. Stories light up the brain’s sensory regions. They create empathy, emotional connection, and recall.

The Right Metrics to Measure Analyst Relations Performance

In far too many enterprise software companies, analyst relations is treated like a box to check. It’s viewed as something that “just needs to be done.” Brief the analysts. Send the slide deck. Analyst relations performance is measured by showing up in a quadrant next year. Done, right?

Wrong.

This mentality is costing companies real momentum. When leadership sees analyst relations as a compliance function instead of a strategic lever, the program becomes misaligned with growth. It gets funded without being understood. It gets evaluated using shallow metrics. And worst of all, it misses the chance to position the company as a true force shaping the industry’s future.

The culprit? Bad assumptions—and worse KPIs.

3 Ways Public Relations Can Boost Event Return on Investment

Technology has come a long way in mainstreaming remote working. Yet, despite all of these advances, it is still important to meet with people in person at events and conferences. As important relationships are best maintained in this way, events should be part of your marketing mix. The challenge is that it can often be difficult to quantify or justify the Return on Investment (ROI). And, picking the right events to attend can sometimes be difficult. Combining PR with your event strategy is a great way to boost event return on investment. This approach will increase overall marketing effectiveness and drive greater engagement with your audience.

Read this article to see how the role of PR and marketing is now merging, “The Future of Public Relations.”

The Role of PR at an Event

Given the large investment of attending an event, anything that can be done to help ROI is a good thing! The costs can be substantial. Examples include sponsorship fees, booth design, graphics, and labor set-up fees (paying union wages). Then, you need to travel to get there. This can include airfare and lodging costs. Add to this the collateral or swag given away, and the total cost is significant! Anything you can do to amplify the benefits and reap future dividends will go a long way to justifying attendance.