A light-hearted discussion in the Catch Comms office recently led to a team member asking, “Will PR ever become obsolete?” The obvious answer was no; PR and the need to communicate and communicate effectively will always be a requirement for businesses. 

Injeel Moti

Having said that, trends and mediums through which we communicate are ever evolving and all those in the profession and related, be it agency teams, in-house marketeers & even SME owners leading their marketing and comms verticals, must continually upskill and stay on top of industry trends.

Video Content to Flourish

We have already witnessed an increased use of video in 2022, this will continue. There are conversations surrounding platforms like twitter to embed longer video formats into the application to engage users. Communication professionals, if not already doing so, need to incorporate added video content as part of their strategy which also means there will be an increased use of video across all channels when communicating

Embed Brand purpose 

Leading with brand purpose is of extreme importance. Every piece of communication that goes out on behalf of a brand must amplify the brand’s purpose. Consumers today are a lot more conscious when it comes to choosing what brands they conduct business with. Much of that is due to market size, saturation, an abundance of choice, and the expansion of digital marketing that allows people to connect with brands well outside their geographic area. One of the best ways a brand can stand out from this crowded pack is to develop and lead with a strong, confident purpose that is authentic, mission-forward, and values-centric.

A clear, powerful mission statement serves as the foundation for every brand. It governs how a brand positions itself to its audience and customers and thus shapes overall equity allowing authentic connections with the end consumer as well serves an opportunity to build an emotional connect. 

Diversified outreach – Meet your customer everywhere!

As the nature of PR opportunities available continues to evolve and change, PR pros will continue to use more varied channels to identify the right ones for their clients. 2020 saw the emergence of podcasts and certain social media platforms that feature video content saw a huge increase in usage and consumptions from users such as tiktok, IG Reels among others.

One of the greatest things about the rise of podcasts over the past several years is that there is truly a podcast for every audience. Is your client an expert in space research industry, there’s a podcast for that. Can they speak expertly about issues in the fintech space, there’s one for that too. You can be as niche and as specific and work with a highlight engaged audience. Bring on guests and speakers from related industries that can share knowledge too.

These podcasts may not have huge numbers in terms of listeners or subscribers because they are about very specific, niche topics. However, their audience members will be highly engaged and interested in the topic at hand. 

Newsletters are another great way for companies to build brand awareness with the individuals who would have the most interest. Whether you’re launching your own or receiving a mention in another company’s monthly email, you’ll want to highlight your expertise and value through every line of copy. Stay on a consistent schedule of publishing your newsletters and provide different insights in every edition. This new PR medium is a great way to promote your products to the people who need them the most. 

Data Measurement

There has been a lot of conversation around data measurement and measuring ROI for campaigns. Historically the actual return on campaigns have been difficult to quantify. 

While media outlets can offer information like the number of monthly unique visitors, ad impressions, etc., it doesn’t really offer the full data picture that brands are looking for. Brands want to know how their PR efforts are actually changing brand perception, convincing clients to make purchases, and increasing loyalty, among other metrics. 

One way to work around this in 2023 is for brands and their agency partners to begin with strong KPIs so they know what they want to measure, and how important each metric is to their stated business goals. In addition, utilizing increased digital PR as part of a bigger, integrated marketing approach (which every brand should be doing anyway) gives brands more analytical context to work with—instead of looking at PR metrics alone, they can see how that data fits into their larger marketing analytics picture. 

Owned Media

Let 2023 be the year where your reliance on earned media to create a comprehensive PR strategy lessen, and instead, shift gears and focus on creating owned media. This includes blog articles, newsletters, and social media posts on a brand’s personal channels. The goal of owned media is to reach a company’s desired audience organically, without the need for paid advertising. It is also fully controlled by the brand itself, which allows the brand to express its values and mission statement on its own terms. PR professionals should not rely on journalists to bring their campaigns to life. Striking a balance between earned and owned media is essential in 2023. Not only will this give companies the freedom to create the content they want, but it will also boost a business’s SEO and increase visibility on all platforms.