PR has changed in many ways, but some essential traits remain the same. Here, we give you a peek into the current PR landscape and what’s hot and what’s not!
Earned media is the start, not the end
Many business people tend to think that once you have received publicity in the media, that’s the end. However, this is only the beginning, it’s about how effectively this coverage can be utilized. It must be published on social media, utilized in business proposals and presentations, promoted in ads and so on.
Communication is two-way
PR is not just about pushing content about your brand. It also means that you must have a strong team who will constantly keep responding to customer queries and a spokesperson to address larger issues related to the brand. There must be a team that is also constantly collecting data on customers, their preferences, feedback, insights and so on. This is valuable business intelligence that can be harnessed to propel the brand to a different level altogether.
Greater use of technology
This is a no-brainer and we are sure that you already figured this out. In addition to traditional print or mass media, social media has a big thrust. With smartphones, news on the go is the new trend. Technology has also shortened the lifespan of news, while news is getting disseminated vat lighting speed, it’s value also goes down faster.
At the heart of PR is a good story
The methods of getting your message across may have change but at the heart lies a good story. You may be trying out an audio message, a meme, animated video, video clip, multimedia content and so on but if the content is not engaging enough, it will simply not work.
PR is not magic
Many business people look at PR as a magic fix, in fact it’s not. It’s a systematic and planned method where credibility and trust are built while getting your message across. Different kinds of media houses have different approaches and the PR agency tailor news as needed to suit their sensibilities.
Social media does not replace mass media
There is the increased temptation to replace mass media with social media. However, this may not really work, both have their pros and cons. Social media needs to supplement the mass media, it can act as an amplifier but not replace. For instance, if the brand gets mention on prime-time news, this news clip can be shared on social media to increase the reach.
Analytics
Analytics today are highly advanced and no longer is PR analytics restricted to collecting clippings of published articles or saving video clips. Today, PR professionals have on hand, a large arsenal of analytical tools that allow more accurate measurement of results especially online. The emerging patterns help clients to plan and execute marketing and PR campaigns even more effectively.
These changes are enhancing the PR landscape and its time to embrace them and reap the benefits.
