The public relations (PR) world is rapidly changing to keep up with economic conditions that are in constant motion, from increased inflation to supply chain issues to the latest piece of news threatening to sink an organization. Companies usually focus on cutting down their expenses, and unfortunately, business owners don’t often consider PR expenses as a necessity, so when economic conditions worsen, companies immediately cut down on their public relations.
To counter this, PR specialists are brainstorming about how to convince companies to stay committed to PR and its vast benefits. One approach that PR firms have been exploring is using advanced technology and stepping back from their traditional PR methods. Traditional PR is a tried-and-true strategy for boosting brand recognition; it uses conventional mediums like TV, radio, billboards, newspapers, and magazines to reach the intended audience. But this type of PR has been historically hard to measure. Technology is changing that and making it easier to prove the true impact of PR. Here are some of the trends.
What Is Public Relations?
To maintain a mutual understanding between the company and the public, a corporation engages in various activities known as public relations, or PR. PR also encompasses the different initiatives that support and safeguard the public’s perception of the business, its goods, and its services. PR can be especially helpful in crisis management.
Why Is Public Relations Imperative?
PR helps develop a corporate image and gives the public a favorable impression and sense of trustworthiness regarding the company’s goods and services. In addition, it contributes to creating buzz around the introduction of new items while sustaining public interest regarding the brand in general. PR can also promote goods and services in a similar manner as advertising, hence aiding businesses in selling their goods and services. Because most public relations is carried out through media channels, PR actually aids in lowering promotional expenditures.
What’s Ahead for Public Relations in 2023 and Beyond?
Public relations in 2023 will continue to incorporate more technology in its approach and management. The following are some speculations on what shape the PR industry will take in the near future.
1. More Focus on Customization
Technology that enables more customization will continue to be a favorite tool for public relations in 2023. Audiences expect high levels of customization from the social media posts suggested to them to the ads they view. Public relations campaigns are no exception to this rule.
PR specialists can also use new and improved media targeting technologies to build stronger, more authentic connections with publications and journalists. This is a more effective strategy than mass pitching, and it will also lead to better coverage for clients. Quality over quantity is now key in the PR landscape.
2. Use of Social Media
Social media comprises several platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Over the years, firm usage of social media has been expanding. For example, Twitter and Facebook are great tools for PR because they help brands to foster connection and engagement with their target audience. These platforms also continue some of the fastest, means to educate about your company’s brand, relevant information, or breaking news. Another flexible and practical medium used by business professionals is LinkedIn. It is an effective platform in the business-to-business sector, where CEOs can showcase their thought leadership for the benefit of their colleagues. LinkedIn may also assist B2B brands in establishing professional connections with members of the media and other industry professionals. What’s more it’s easy to track the results of PR in social media through likes, comments, and more.
3. Artificial Intelligence as a Staple of Public Relations 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere these days and has become fairly commonplace in public relations. Expect this trend to continue in 2023 and expand going forward. For example, automated emails using triggers from actions taken on a website already help to nurture customers down the marketing funnel. Chatbots are also a frequently used form of AI that makes PR easier.
But PR specialists can expect to see these same technologies in PR applied to other areas of the industry, like on-the-street campaigns and at in-person events and trade shows.
4. Influencer Relations Will Be Beneficial
Partnering with an influencer is another favorite public relations tool in 2023 if you can identify one who is the appropriate fit for your company, speaks to the demographic you need to target, is well regarded by their followers, and has high levels of continuing interaction with their fans. Gaining customers’ trust is a goal for public relations, and influencers are an excellent means to achieve this. Influencers convince your target audiences to try your products by leveraging the trust they’ve developed with their audiences through sharing moments from their lives and promoting products that are authentic to their personal brand.
5. Ability to Measure ROI
In the past, the success of PR campaigns has been hard to measure. But thanks to technology advancements, the days of relying on monthly readerships and arbitrary subscriber numbers are gone. And it’s a good thing, too, because PR specialists need to prove impact more than ever to keep their public relations 2023 budgets intact. As such, there’s growing interest in monitoring and evaluating PR campaigns and outcomes with solid datasets. As more brands layer paid strategies onto their public relations campaigns, tracking specific revenue-based metrics like cost-per-click, cost-per-acquisition, and others has become essential.
But with so many metrics to choose from, data-driven results are not one-size-fits-all. This means PR specialists need to work with the C-suite to determine which metrics matter most to your company!
Next Steps for Public Relations 2023
What has been presented above is just a glimpse into how PR in 2023 may take shape. As you can see, all of these examples incorporate the use of technology, which is essential in helping to prove the impact of public relations going forward.
