On the first day of Christmas my PR team gave to me podcast in a SoundCloud tree
On the second day of Christmas my PR team gave to me two national media opps
On the third day of Christmas my PR team gave to me three social calendar treats
On the fourth day of Christmas my PR team gave to me four video case studies
On the fifth day of Christmas my PR team gave to me five gold star events
And so on…
It’s nearly Christmas. Where did that come from? It was only yesterday that the sun was shining, and we were working out the best air con spots to covet in the office.
2019 has been another year of PR stretching its wings in terms of its scope and capability. We are adding value to businesses and brands in so many different ways whether it’s new media relationships, protecting or building reputations on and offline or generating great content across multiple channels. The way consumers and businesses interact with brands has changed fundamentally with the advance of digital. With its heritage in earned media, PR is in prime position to take advantage of this new environment. My poor take on the ‘12 days of Christmas’ shows the diverse ways we as PRs are working to ensure that the communications we deliver is making an impact.
An important question is are we measuring the impact we are making? Ho, ho, ho, yes (see what I did there?). PRs are savvier than ever in using the data at their fingertips to show the correlation between PR and its impact not just on brand awareness but the bottom line. The myriad of tools at our disposal and support by the likes of AMEC and their newly launched (free) Interactive Evaluation Framework means we have no excuse if we aren’t able to answer the fundamental question ‘what difference are we making?’.
In its 50th anniversary year, the PRCA is looking to the future of PR. With digital, SEO and online communications increasing massively in importance over the last two years and only set to grow going forward, the PRCA has a range of digital training courses for everyone from beginners to advanced practitioners. Again, take advantage of resources around you to help your teams maximise the value they deliver.
2019 may have been a tricky year with some becoming increasingly cautious about their PR and communications budgets due to an ever-changing political environment but I am excited about 2020. Now is the time for businesses and brands to make their mark.
We are able to engage with audiences in a more relevant and personal way than ever before, to deliver exciting, creative campaigns across multiple channels that allow us to add value to audiences in so many different ways. Goodbye 2019, welcome 2020!