Public relations campaigns are well-proven means of attracting and retaining audiences to your brand through consistent messaging and ethos promotions. The lines between marketing and public relations continue to blur as we enter 2019; many emerging trends cross multiple defined strategies, take a look and see which could bring the greatest impact to your business.
Artificial intelligence
Integrating artificial intelligence in your PR strategy can help you create a story to your audience, alongside enhancing your role as a company. However, by generating an effective story for your audience, try not to create fake news. In 2019, it’s thought that AI usage will increase by 26% and consumer personalisation will increase by 29%. This improves SEO and helps find relevant content based on the searchers previous queries and pattern.
CSR
Corporate social responsibilities are prominent aspects of many businesses, this is expected to grow rapidly in 2019 with more brands and SMEs expected to build marketing plans inclusive of their social actions. External issues that could influence these CSR objectives include social, political and environmental elements. Examples of good CSR objectives would be; environmental efforts, philanthropy and ethical labour practices.
Earned media
The best type of media you can generate as a company is online likes and shares as it is an extremely cost effective way of marketing because, it’s free! Earned social media is the new and improved “word of mouth” public relations. When customers share positive feedback or comments online, or an influencer decides to share brand content, it can create an overall positive image for the brand. It is a beneficial way of creating customer trust through a third party.
This type of trust can be built through many different channels like social media, press releases and blogs. In 2019 it is predicted that there will be a decrease in highly branded content and more authentic content will come to the forefront of PR strategies. This has already taken place with Google going back to basics and emphasising its natural, high-quality content. So 2019 will be the year to create natural, more authentic messages from the heart of your business.
Social listening
Social listening is the process of monitoring digital communication from customers to understand their view of the brand and using this feedback as a way to differentiate their/your product. Social listening is a highly effective tool that can help control the narrative of your public relations and marketing. The brands that invest in this crucial strategy will be rewarded, responding in real-time to customer concerns or issues can help minimise the possibility of a PR crisis. Further engaging with the outside world on current events and news will ensure your brand stays relevant and will help create an authentic brand image by showing your unique perspective to the audience.
Trust in brands and their content
The place for traditional advertisements in marketing is still prominent; however, consumers are now more concerned about how relevant and valuable the advertisement is to them personally. If ads are not going to become more tailored to the consumer then content marketing, influencer marketing and referral partnerships will be the future’s most used methods in marketing. They are perceived to hold actual value to the consumer and are designed more directly for them rather than a ploy for mass attention.
New Year, new you doesn’t necessarily stop at personal traits, take the time this January to implement some of the coming year’s latest trends to remain one step ahead of the competition. For any assistance with your Marketing requirements, Brighter Directions are always on hand to provide outsourced services covering PR, Social Media, Content and more. Call our office today on 01246 586 330 to discuss your requirements.
