How Will the PR Industry Change?
This is a question that likely occupies many communicators. Numerous new trends, formats, and platforms continuously change PR work, challenging PR managers to be creative. Therefore, we, along with Landau Media, one of Germany's leading media observers, have explored this question.
We surveyed over 220 PR professionals and interviewed 9 renowned industry experts. What did we find? I'll try to summarize the 50 pages of exclusive insights for you:
PR in Social Media
This area is becoming increasingly important for PR work, as it gradually replaces traditional media like print, TV, or radio, especially among younger target groups. For the first time in our surveys, social media has even surpassed print. This means that more communicators currently rely on various social media platforms than on print.
In addition to the greater presence of young target groups, the reduced scatter losses, the possibility of more personal communication, and the diverse, creative formats are likely reasons for the growing popularity of social media PR.
Furthermore, more and more PR professionals are working with influencers. They leverage their reach, influence, and especially access to special interest target groups. This allows for the exploration of entirely new market segments and successful placement in them. However, such collaborations also carry risks, and there are several considerations to keep in mind when establishing them.You can read more about how this works here.
Another trend in this area is the increasing presence of CEOs on social media. They are expected to give the company a face, making it more personal and approachable. However, it is often not easy for CEOs to build a successful account, especially if they are less familiar with the platforms. In such cases, the initiative can quickly become counterproductive. We have summarized the success factors and when such a campaign is inadvisable together with expert Marie-Christine Schindler here.
Digitization of the PR Industry
Digitization has benefited from the Corona lockdowns like almost no other area. This is also evident in the PR industry, where digitization is progressing rapidly. Nevertheless, most PR agencies or in-house PR departments are still in the midst of digital transformation. Over 80% of respondents stated that they do not yet work very digitally. However, no one indicated that they had not started digitization at all.
This is an extremely positive development, as a year ago, 87% still saw a significant need for digitization in the industry, and only 13% considered the level of digitization to be advanced. Despite the numerous hurdles caused by the Corona pandemic, there have been significant advances in PR digitization.
In the whitepaper, we describe the status quo in Germany and provide tips on how you can become a pioneer in this area.
KPIs in PR Analysis
Finding the right metrics to measure your own PR work is often not easy, especially given the incredibly many KPIs that can be captured and analyzed. Over time, a widespread standard of KPIs has emerged, which communicators repeatedly mention when asked about their reporting.
These are primarily quantitative KPIs, which are usually not aligned with their own communication goals. Therefore, we discussed with Uwe Mommert, Managing Partner of Landau Media, whether these KPIs are even meaningful in the PR field. He also revealed what really matters.
So, we could go on forever. You can see that the market study is packed with valuable insights for your daily business and future competitiveness.
Because it also concerns
- the service offering that will differentiate you in the future
- the success factors for PR managers
- creating the perfect work-life balance together with Frank Behrendt
- measuring PR success using OKRs
That's enough info for now. Enjoy reading!
Sarah Amler
Digital Process & Marketing Manager
Sarah was responsible for performance marketing, social media activities and digital onboarding in our software at aclipp.