Accurate content analytics skills and versatility in the social media space have been identified as some of the factors that would ensure the survival of practitioners in the Public Relations space, in the new year.
According to a recent edition of PRnomics, a Public Relations Journal, while the new year presents a new set of opportunities for PR practitioners, it has, however, become imperative for such practitioners to continually enhance their skills, to enable them to maintain relevance in the industry.
For instance, the ability to analyze the performance of their content and not just focus on media appearances, would go a long way in ensuring the survival of such professionals, in 2020, since analytics will help determine the pages that get the most traffic, the headlines that attract clicks, and the best performing content format.
“These data will help you perform your duty better as a PR or marketing professional. That way, you will also see through the difference between output and outcome,” the Report stated.
It however recommended the Google Analytics, as one of the best platforms for analyzing content; since it helps tell the performance of the content.
Social media skills have also been identified as a factor that would shape the space for practitioners. The Report stressed the need for PR practitioners to be familiar with all forms of social media currently in use, and adopt different strategies for different platforms, since social media platforms vary widely in terms of how they function, and who they appeal to.
“A good PR person should be social media savvy for sure and be familiar with the major channels,” the Report stated.
The Report also urged practitioners to brace up to the idea of conducting more business meetings, remotely, this year.
According to the PR Journal, the future of work is already here, since more business meetings are being conducted via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google virtual hangouts. It therefore charged practitioners on the need to enhance their skills on how to work remotely, since more meetings will still be conducted virtually, this year.
The growing influence of multimedia, especially video, has also been identified as key for practitioners in the new year.
With comedians, celebrities, athletes and more regular people turning to YouTube as their first line of communication, it has also become imperative for PR pros to understand the role of video in a communications strategy.
The Report also believes that ability to organize virtual events, should not be seen as an option, but as the main issue, by any practitioner, desirous of making an impact in the practice in the new year.
“In a post-pandemic world, it may take a while before we feel at ease in big groups. Although some Nigerians have not changed their party ways and still gather like nothing is happening, more news events will shift to the virtual realm.
“To stay competitive as a PR specialist, you must be prepared to produce and host online events,” it says.
Another future-proof skill for PR consultants, the Report added, is being able to predict global or local sentiments on specific topics. It advises PR pros to have a feel of how people will react to their story to avoid what it called an ‘out-of-tune message, before launching such campaign.
It believes that to be successful in the profession, a PR pro must move beyond covering and reporting events, to extracting value from numbers and transform data into actionable insights. Such information extracted, it added, will provide context for messaging strategy, and demonstrate PR’s contribution to the bottom line.
The Report also identified marketing as another essential skill needed by PR pros, since the continued evolution of communications roles has further blurred the lines between marketing and PR. This, it argued, therefore makes it imperative for PR pros to adapt skills and techniques, already implemented in the marketing world.
Source: www.tribuneonlineng.com
