From Taylor Swift to Amazon, everyone knows the need for a good public relations strategy. PR, as most people would call it, helps shape the brand of a company, product, or person which in turn affects how the public will react to it. Needless to say, that bad PR will result in bad public reception that will affect your sales and image.
PR, or public relations, refers to the creation of a favorable image for an organization, product, or person. It used to just involve press releases and statements. Today, PR is moving towards a different direction and broader scope.
PR is very dynamic. With the rate media and different mediums are going, those who do not adapt to the new PR trends will definitely move out. No one knew that online content would be that influential, but here it is and a zero media presence will definitely hurt your business.
What are the 2020 PR trends to look out for?
Need for a Story
Everyone loves a good story. Whether it’s short, long, dramatic, or funny, a story is always better at relaying your message. Why? It builds a connection with your audience; therefore, increasing the chances that they will notice your brand.
A compelling story will help you connect with your customers. Create a story that’s relatable enough, and people will start associating your product with a similar experience of theirs. In spite of the technology that drives a lot of platforms today, the human element is seen as a very important part of it all. Without connecting to your customers, your business will just be added information that they can easily ignore.
Content Creation
Content creation is one of the strategies some tech PR agencies like Interdependence use. This refers to the creation or contribution of any information on any medium. This is more commonly done on digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and even Instagram.
Content is one of the drivers of a brand’s reputation. By spewing out relevant content, you will be able to increase your views and followers. For example, you want to create a reputation where people idolize you for your food choices. The content, then, that you create should revolve around healthy eating, tips and budgets for healthy food, and the like.
Collaboration with Influencers
With the age of Instagram came a new set of people who promote a certain product. They are called influencers. They are those who are able to affect a person’s or a group’s choices in terms of buying products, forming views, etc. They are often seen as people who have authority and credibility simply because they were able to use the product in a personal way.
If you will notice, the most effective influencers are those who are experts in their fields and have a strong and large following. These key traits help drive a brand’s reputation especially when the influencers share their own experiences with the product.
Automated Emails
Just because there’s social media does not mean that emails are dead. In fact, email remains to be one of the most effective PR strategies simply because consumers prefer email as the primary means of communication in terms of business.
Creating automated and personal emails is one of the most effective ways to reach your audience. If you’ve noticed emails with your name being used to address you, then this is an example of an automated email. The use of bots to send a number of emails at the same time addressed to different people is one way of deploying effective emails.
Crisis Management
All notable organizations and people go through a crisis. Whether it’s the Royal Family, Uber, or Pepsi, no one is immune to making mistakes and being exposed for it. This is where crisis management comes in.
With the fierce competition among PR firms, handling crises becomes a value-adding service to any future client. It is when difficult times arise that PR firms are needed more than ever. Crisis management then is not just your typical press conference, it includes a whole strategy on how to recover and reshape the public’s view of you.
This 2020, expect that PR will no longer be confined to press releases and statements posted online. It will start to encompass content creation and crisis management together with other business strategies. PR will continue to be a big driver of a business’s success especially now that the public’s view becomes an important factor in product or service sales.
If you haven’t adapted to the newest trends in the market, chances are your product or service will become irrelevant to the public. When this happens, it’s hard to make a comeback unless you totally revamp your whole marketing strategy. So what are you waiting for? Start preparing for these trends and take part in the PR evolution!