Professionals working in public relations use digital channels to connect with consumers and build relationships that create trust in the company and its offerings. Good PR can be a game-changer for a business that relies heavily upon a positive public perception to fuel its profitability.
With so many aspects of communication and human connection evolving in this digital age, however, the ability to innovate will be a determining factor in the success of PR teams and professionals in the future. Here, members of Forbes Agency Council share their insights into how PR can continue to embrace innovation and remain a relevant and critical discipline.
Forbes Agency Council members share ways PR can innovate to remain a critical discipline.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Link PR To Building Brand Equity
PR needs to be linked to building brand equity and be part of an integrated marketing and communications strategy. Getting others to speak about and write about your brand hasn’t changed, and it is still tremendously valuable. The problem occurs when it’s managed in a silo. The strongest brands have broken down those silos and have had an incredible impact with stronger campaigns and narratives that resonate. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications
2. Define The Role Of PR In The Multidisciplinary Marketing Ecosystem
Define the role that PR plays in the multidisciplinary marketing ecosystem. It should not be considered as a stand-alone tactic. PR can help build a brand from consumer awareness to consumer relevance, and it can be most effective when integrated into a holistic brand marketing solution. – Carl Fremont, Quigley-Simpson
3. Dig Deep To Find Opportunities Where Others See Challenges
Post-pandemic, PR practitioners are needed to create pivotal messaging while highlighting those who are impacted by new decisions. It’s time to dig deep and find opportunities where others see challenges. Uncertainty, for example, could open up doors for creativity, thought leadership and restructuring. These opportunities need to be checked against those affected and communicated accordingly. – Ahmad Kareh, Twistlab Marketing
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4. Stop Anchoring PR’s Fate To The Media
We have to stop anchoring our fate to the media and start focusing on goals, not tactics. I define PR as “the art of securing trust at scale.” While that’s a specific objective, it opens up limitless possibilities for PR professionals to help brands achieve that goal. PR practitioners should consider their chief role to be serving as experts and advocates for trust—to be the “keepers of trust” for brands. – Scott Baradell, Idea Grove
5. Innovate Around Where And How Messages Are Delivered
The fundamentals of PR will never change: Find messages that resonate with the right audience and then communicate them in the right way. The big difference is the medium in which PR does that. It will be important for PR to not rely on channels simply because they’ve always used them, but to find the right channels for the job. Innovation should be around where and how messages are delivered. – Stefan Pollack, The Pollack Group
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6. Use Social Media To Its Full Potential
In the modern day, PR needs to embrace social media and use it to its full potential. There is no better way to contact the world than through social media. Consumers are looking for connections, and that is the specialty of social media: establishing a link between people, be it friends reconnecting or brands informing users about the newest product or service. – Lisa Montenegro, Digital Marketing Experts – DMX
7. Go Digital And Don’t Be Passive
As with everything else, PR needs to evolve with the times. While radio spots and physical magazine placements are still prevalent for certain niches, the world has gone digital, and PR needs to follow suit—think an announcement from the CEO that is filmed and leveraged on social media, posted on the site and emailed to the client base. PR can’t be as passive as it once was. – Bernard May, National Positions
8. Test Out New Techniques When You Hear Of Them
Remember that PR is about staying ahead of the curve. When you hear of a new technique, test it out! For example, we blend our PR with SEO, incorporating both strategies into interviews and op-eds. Digital marketing is also becoming increasingly visual. With this in mind, pivot your PR strategy accordingly to continue creating fresh ways to intrigue journalists and your target audience. – Evan Nison, NisonCo
9. Use Media Monitoring And Reporting To Demonstrate PR’s Value
We emphasize to our clients that they need metrics demonstrating how great their products or services are, and we need to do the same when it comes to our PR activities. Media monitoring and reporting isn’t just about showing ROI; it also allows us to easily assess which campaigns and tactics are successful and which ones aren’t so we can easily pivot and innovate to gain maximum ongoing results. – Jodi Amendola, Amendola Communications
10. Be More Relevant With Search
PR needs to be more relevant with search. It’s one of the few ways to legitimately link back to your brand. The focus should be on building the expertise, authority and trust for the brand. PR can drive improvements in the space, connect with your audience and humanize the brand. – Albert Moufarrij, MACH9
11. Integrate PR Campaigns Throughout Media Channels
PR cannot be siloed into television, radio, live events and so on. You need to integrate your efforts across media types, bridging from the earned media of traditional public relations to paid media, such as online/offline advertising, and owned media, such as one’s own website. A campaign integrated throughout media channels means there’s consistency, support across messages and a unified marketing effort. – Katie Schibler Conn, KSA Marketing
12. Stay Savvy About What Is Newsworthy
Something that hasn’t changed over the past 50 years is the concept that news is something that is unique, timely, true and provocative. I see too many “PR pros” urging the media to write about products and services that aren’t particularly newsworthy. Soon, AI will play a huge role in pitching, and decisions about what to publish will be informed by automation. So, PR pros need to stay savvy. – Nancy A Shenker, theONswitch
13. Learn How PR Can Help The Media Face Evolving Challenges
Learn about the challenges that reporters and editors face and continue to serve their changing needs and preferences. These changes might be in regard to deadlines, breaking stories or even their need to have your client write a bylined article because their magazine has fewer writers. Artificial intelligence tools can help you write or edit, but a knowledgeable human must guide the use of these tools. – Jim Caruso, M1PR, Inc. d/b/a MediaFirst PR – Atlanta
14. Stop Relying On Vanity Metrics Alone To Show Value
To become a critical piece of brand strategy, PR needs to be tied directly to an organization’s marketing objectives. For example, is increasing organic traffic a metric by which marketing success is measured? Then tie key PR results to it that involve the percentage of coverage with backlinks and the average domain authority of secured coverage. – Lindsey Groepper, BLASTmedia
15. Align PR With Content Marketing And Inbound Funnels
To remain a critical discipline, PR professionals need to focus more on measurement. They need to be able to draw the connection between a press campaign and a positive business result instead of relying on vanity metrics such as social reach or unique views. This means that PR needs to be aligned with content marketing and inbound marketing funnels in order to get the most impact from press. – Kelsey Raymond, Influence & Co.
16. Consider Niche Media Outlets, And Incorporate Paid Tactics
PR is moving beyond impressions and reach and putting a greater emphasis on delivering the right message to the right audience in the right way. Take a closer look at niche media outlets, and don’t be afraid of incorporating smart paid tactics alongside traditional earned coverage to really move the needle for your brand. – Ilana Zalika, Resound Marketing LLC
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
