As dynamic as the PR field is, it usually surprises us with new trends and turns. With the increased involvement of social media and several Legal Marketing Companies, the PR industry has witnessed a significant change in the media strategies adopted by several Small & Growing Brands. It is more than inevitable to expect the traditional lines to be blurred and welcome the contemporary.
As unexpected as everything in the "new normal" seems, it only sounds reasonable for small and growing businesses to have a few essentials to add to their PR checklist this year.
1. Agility and versatility are the keys: About 88% of PR professionals believe the future of the field lies in digital storytelling.¹ In a world where trends change faster than ever, accepting the digital world more and more and acting on it is crucial and has been emphasised enough. It is essential to get the versatile nature of PR as it moves to digital, blurring the lines of marketing and advertising to lay importance on integrated communications as a whole.
Case in point, the State of PR 2021 report points to the fact that flexibility, agility and
attention to detail when it comes to personalising something as simple as a pitch
email is 96% more likely to grab a journalist's eyes rather than sending out a generic
email blast.
2. Practising empathy: If there's one thing that undoubtedly people care about is 'people'. Walking through a difficult phase, where the world is still wavering through recovery and anxiety, it is communication, development and most of all, an engagement that matters. PR has the advantage of reaching out to all such aspects of the audience. Be kind and empathetic with your narratives and messaging.
3. Prioritise through content calendars: Content chaos is a significant concern as nine out of 10 in-house communications team leaders reported having regular challenges with content creation ². Content calendars help in creative blocks. It serves as a pool of systematic thoughts with enough room for unexpected and crucial content. With shorter downtimes, especially as people continue to work at home with their families, people will have less time to consume content. PR stats 2021 point to short-form storytelling to capture and keep your audience's attention³.
4. Focus on storytelling: Businesses need to uphold their practice rather than advocate for beliefs and credibility. If the business believes in mental health and work-life balance and works round the clock on weekends and long hours, it just doesn't send the right message. While we are busy growing our business, we also need to be mindful of portraying our core culture and managing reputations.
5. Monthly refreshing of your media list and database: As obvious as it sounds, we still somehow manage to procrastinate this rather than prioritising and planning it. Our fellow journalists would agree on how important it is to be addressed as the right person from the right company and not a company they worked with ages ago. This also leaves room for personalisation in emails. The most cited reason for rejecting an otherwise relevant pitch is the lack of personalisation (33 per cent), followed by lousy timing (31 per cent).⁴
As we enter the second quarter of the calendar year, it is still not very late to change our business strategy. Exploring and experimenting with the PR landscape is the constant solution to put our best foot forward.
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