What’s New in the PR Industry?

The Public Relations Industry has long left behind the ‘spin doctors’ who simply rely on sweet talk and word of mouth publicity for market visibility. As the market becomes smarter, the PR professional is forced to innovate in ‘Investor Relations’. A company must set itself apart in its ability to create measurable value, as far as the investor’s attitude and marketplace dynamics in concerned. The Company needs to clearly define and articulate the business model. A PR professional needs to evolve from a technician to a strategist.

The Social Media and Technology, so available to a majority of the business population, has to be utilized in a proper way to put the company on the map. Here are the top trends that are revolutionizing the PR industry this year:

Blogging

Blogs are practically taking over the Internet, with an average of 30,000 new blogs being created every day! By far the most important development in the last year, blogs are the key factor in today’s PR industry that will revolutionize the way PR strategists think. Uninterrupted by, and independent of, any other media, the blog can be created in a few hours and can be used to communicate directly to customers, stakeholders and the public at large. It can be created without any of the hassle and the expense of a web page, and if current trends are anything to go by, are also more frequently followed. Since they are refreshed at regular intervals, unlike a web page, they reach a larger audience of people who are always on the look out for new information. What better place to promote your company or brand?

RSS Feeds

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, automatically sends your blog posts or new content to those who are interested. That may include customers, shareholders, journalists and interested readers. It works both ways, where you too can keep track of new content and changes in a related blog or web page of particular interest.

PR Measurements

The PR industry has moved on from gauging its visibility through print articles and clippings. It now consists of smart promoters who are measuring business outcomes. They want to know if their publicity changed minds, moved markets, if more of their product has sold since the launch of their campaign, and if they have increased their market share. The PR professional, then, has a specific goal, a target audience, that he aims to move before he launches the campaign. He then judges the success of the campaign based on how many of his goals have been reached through the campaign.