I’m a sucker for data. It’s something that all agency owners and executives should be carefully studying.
Despite my own interest, I can’t hold a candle to Christopher S. Penn on this subject. Few have more passion or knowledge about the intersection of data with PR and marketing.
Chris is a content machine. He produces a fantastic weekly email newsletter that includes practical advice, industry news, useful data, and one of the more entertaining unsubscribe buttons you’ll ever see.
For those who like video, he has a rich YouTube Channel with many practical how-to videos, recordings of his keynotes, and an excellent “You Ask, I Answer” series.
His videos amount to a free master class on digital marketing and data. Sample topics include:
- How to Improve Marketing Analytics Dashboards
- How to Measure Traditional PR
- How to do a Social Media Audit
- Establishing Marketing KPI’s
- Proving Marketing’s Impact on the Bottom Line
Prefer audio? Chris has you covered there, too. He co-hosts the excellent long-running Marketing Over Coffee podcast with his Trust Insights partner, John Wall.
Speaking of Trust Insights, Chris also produces content there, including the In-Ear Insights podcast where he recently talked about Public Speaking Tips and Tricks with Trust Insights CEO Katie Robbert. That conversation provides lots of useful perspective for agency leaders — especially those who may not be accustomed to public speaking or simply want to step up their game.
He delivers practical education and actionable ideas related to data-driven communications on the Trust Insights blog. It ranges from high-level perspectives like “Top Data Challenges for Marketers” to hands-on guidance like “What Marketers Need to Know About Google Search Console.”
Lest you believe that Chris just creates online content, he is also a published author, with numerous books to his name: AI for Marketers: A Primer and Introduction, Marketing White Belt: Basics for the Digital Marketer, Marketing Red Belt: Connecting With Your Creative Mind, and Marketing Blue Belt: From Data Zero to Marketing Hero, and Leading Innovation.
You can find Chris on most of the major social networks, including:
I have only skimmed the surface of all of the value that Chris creates and shares.
For all that he does to contribute to the thinking of the public relations and marketing community, Christopher S. Penn is this week’s #FollowFriday recommendation.
