As we kick off a new year we can look back at lessons learned in 2017 and apply them moving forward. What changes might we see in PR trends in 2018?
We don't have a crystal ball nor can we use ESP to see into the future, but we can look at changing trends and see what trends experts in the field are anticipating.
Steve Goldstein, PR News, believes there are 4 key trends to look for this year:
- Brand Reputation will become increasingly important
- Brands are going to have to walk a careful line between the desire to promote positive messages and being seen as inauthentic
- Standard media relations tactics won't work - adaption is required
- Ad agencies will be fighting PR agencies for earned media
Robert Wynne tells readers of Twitter for Business that the most important trends will be:
- Media fragmentation and loss of trust
- Having to sell the value of PR to clients
- Battle between paid vs. earned advertising
- Increasing challenge of getting noticed in the sea of media communication
- Evolution of influencer marketing
- Artificial Intelligence taking on more PR functions
John Hall shares his top 6 PR trends for 2018 with Forbes:
- Personal branding and thought leadership will become increasingly important company wide-not just among the executives
- Thanks to the mass amounts of content available, owning your own digital landscape is more important than ever
- Specialty PR firms will need to be brought in to assist internal teams
- PR teams need to shift focus companywide
- Increasing influence of dark social media
- Measuring both qualitative and quantitative metrics
A new year is a new slate. It's the opportunity to start fresh with a blank canvas. What trends do see looming for the year ahead? How do you plan to adjust your PR and marketing efforts?