2017 was a wild ride for all of us, especially in public relations. So what will be important for this year? Here are five key predictions to keep in mind for your PR:
1 Expect us to ask who cares, so what and why.
These are hard questions to answer when you’re discussing your public relations strategy, but the ability to ask – and answer – these critical questions gets to the heart of what’s needed to develop a critical relationship. And meaningful relationships mean effective public relations.
2 Integration. Integration. Integration.
Yes, I still hear “we just need some PR” as we are approaching a project or situation. But complex communication challenges require a holistic approach, especially as new technology and channels continue to evolve. We’ve been predicting and recommending an integrated communications effort (instead of stand-alone efforts and budgets) for some time using the PESO model: paid, earned, shared and owned.
3 Let’s accessorize.
Most media outlets are multi-media. Those that care about your service, product or situation might tell you that they heard your message on television, when in fact they caught a post in a digital channel with video. Tell your story in multiple ways.
4 Speed? It will only get faster.
On the earned media side, with digital platforms your news is accessible within seconds. Live and streaming approaches mean real time. Prepare for proactive instead of reactive messaging and medium use.
5 Measurement of what matters.
Effective measurement of your public relations efforts doesn’t mean you spend your entire day – or budget – tracking data, but rather focus on what will help you make better communication decisions. Numbers are meaningless if they aren’t mapping back to your objectives.
What do these predictions mean for you? I’d love to discuss that – just contact us.