With technology advancing and digitization accelerating, the world of many industries, including PR, is changing rapidly. With this fast pace of change, here are the top 3 trends that will impact PR professionals, especially those working in PR firms:
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1. Convergence
Changes are happening in all PR companies. While low-end traditional agencies provide the social media and digital services, creative agencies, on the other hand, have hired digital experts, creative people, and sponsorship strategists. As a whole, public relations firms are delving into brand strategy as well as offering new services such as creative design; Video and digital Public Relations. The convergence of a variety of services is also a threat to PR companies. Because the more the company expands its service offer, especially in technology, the greater the chances that customers and potential customers will move in a conflictive space. Public relations consultants are needed to handle this as accounting and legal practices have.
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2. Video, the new star element of narration
Public Relations professionals are the storytellers. They tell their target audience stories about their customers through selected media. However, as the way people consume media and stories has changed, so has the pattern of storytelling in the PR industry. Many recent reports and studies suggest that people watch at least one video every day, and by 2020, 75% of mobile traffic will be video-only. This leads to the fact that live videos are the hot topics racking up billions of views on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms. With such a high bias towards video, it is a no-brainer for PR companies to start using video and other visual tools such as infographics, images, and slideshows in their PR campaign.
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3. Reputation is the main concern
Reputation management will gain prominence as a public relations service offered by public relations firms. The service has already been there, but in such a volatile and negative world, its importance is growing. From media coverage to political changes, cyberattacks, and online reviews, businesses, governments, organizations, and individuals will rely on public relations professionals to build, protect, and enhance their reputations. PR firms/companies need to upgrade and enhance their skill set to provide more in-depth and accurate reputation audit, management and recovery services, in a consistent and salable manner.