Our PR industry never stays the same for long. Here’s how our Advisory Board suggests you invest in yourself to reap the rewards of the dynamic year ahead.
Here at the beginning of a new decade it’s time for some reflection.
PR has come a long way in the last 10 years, with disruptions in digital and social media, shrinking newsrooms and new realities for communication professionals. Who could have predicted in early 2001 the way social media would change how we consume information? How about fake news? Artificial intelligence and voice search?
PR pros know that the future will always be a changing, moving target, and being an effective communicator means being highly adaptable. That flexibility can be supported by diligent preparation—and savvy pros are already thinking about how they might ready themselves for the next seismic shift in the industry
We spoke with members of our Advisory Board to discuss how PR pros can prepare for the year ahead, both the challenges and the immense opportunities.
What will challenge
Laura Kane, director of communications for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, predicts that the 2020 election will provide plenty of obstacles for brand managers.
“2020 will be filled with election news, making it hard for brands to get stories placed unless they are big or relate to a key election or voter issues,” she says.
Larry Parnell, associate professor of strategic public relations at George Washington University, agrees.
“Communicators will need to monitor and learn to interpret the signals that the campaign and presidential election send daily about where public sentiment is and how the candidates might govern after the election,” he says. “The connection between public opinion, politics and business is increasingly clear. We can see the stock market react to developments in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals, and we can see how public opinion and sentiment impact consumer behavior and corporate performance.”
Other pros are more concerned about how PR proves its worth.
“In 2020, more business leaders will question the real value of PR,” says Tiffany Guarnaccia, founder and CEO of Kite Hill PR, and founder of Communications Week. “As an industry, we need to advance the conversation, or else we will watch our PR budgets shrink. We can overcome this challenge by advancing measurement and aligning PR goals with overall business goals.”
Guarnaccia isn’t the only pro thinking about measurement. Johna Burke, global managing director for AMEC, says rethinking what and how you measure will be crucial.
“Communicators need to link all goals and activities to organizational goals,” she says. “There are too many professionals chasing attribution metrics and declaring ‘ROI’ even before a sales cycle has occurred. If the focus of your communications is clear, then you can be outcomes-focused and avoid metric distractions that detract from the value of measurement and analytics throughout the process.”
Carmen Collins, senior social media and talent brand manager for Cisco, says PR pros should also remember the basics.
“We’ve started to lump social media into digital marketing, and it’s not. It’s social media—not ‘I say what I want and that’s the final word’ media,” she says.
“We have to stop being lazy and start being strategic storytellers. That includes lazy hiring. You should hire social media practitioners for those roles, rather than hoping a jack-of-all-trades is going to take you to the next level.”
Where to invest
Where should your money and time be spent in the coming year?
“Content is still king, so I would invest in good content,” says Kane. She also asserts, “AI is a great technology for coming up with interesting angles and proof points.”
Connected to content is storytelling. Collins says it is crucial to double down on storytelling. “It’s a crowded space, and you have to stand out,” she says. “How do you do that? Give your audience the ‘feelz.’
Agency pros say it’s crucial to invest in your people and your culture.
Guarnaccia says: “Every communicator and business leader must invest in their people and culture. In order for a business to succeed, it’s crucial to think internally first, questioning how you can help your team to achieve their career goals. Actively encourage employees to focus on their professional development and advancing their skill sets, even if that means their ultimate career goals are outside of the four walls of your organization.”
Burke argues that it is time to go out and add to your skill set.
“Up-skilling needs to be constant in every person’s career,” she says. “Learning can be effective both through formal training (think about the AMEC Certificate program) or through mentors, but we should never stop learning.”
This is especially true for all the ways technology is changing the PR practice. “Up-skilling and technology are closely related,” Burke says. “In an age of ever-changing access to information and data, working with and leveraging insights is a skill that requires ongoing development.”
Parnell agrees and specifically names homegrown video and photography as important skills to add to your arsenal.
What to be excited about
Guarnaccia says she is excited for PR pros to reinvent how they manage their workflows, adopting the “Agile” model.
“In 2020, I’m most excited to see a change in perceptions around workflows in our industry, particularly as we adopt an agile mindset,” she says. “I also expect to see more agencies investing in their people and culture, aligning their core values with business goals. It’s thrilling to see the true value of our work changing, as it creates new opportunities for our industry to grow and redefine the future of PR.”
Other pros are also excited about how tactics and strategies will adapt to new tools and platforms.
“I’m really enjoying sitting back and watching the innovation that is coming from the battle between the old guard (Facebook/Instagram) trying to keep up with the new kids on the block (Snapchat and TikTok),” says Collins. “In the end, brands can’t be everything to everyone, and I think the smart ones are going to find their niche and really shine.”
PR pros should strap in for the year ahead. Facing change and handling adversity can make the wild ride worthwhile.
By: Ted Kitterman @tedkitkat
Source:PR Daily