87. 2020 for the PR Industry

With the information clutter in the market, the consumers have become more selective of the content they consume. This makes reaching the target audience more difficult and crucial. Everybody who has the access to internet possesses the power to produce content. In such a situation where everybody has a portal to voice their opinion and influence people at the mass level, reputation management professionals play an important role.

Public relation is the industry of reputation management professionals who communicate on behalf of a corporate with different stakeholders. The art of getting the communication right is important to understand. The language, core message, channel used to communicate, all has to be aligned based on the understanding of the target group.

The industry is evolving rapidly with the change in consumer behavior and advancement in technology. In this article we will understand what 2020 will be like for the PR industry and why it will be a crucial year. Following are some of the trends the industry will witness in 2020:

Increasing Digital PR and the measurement:

With over 560 million internet users, India is the second largest online market in the world. This makes digital a very important platform for a brand. As PR professionals, we must leverage this while communicating about our brand in the best way possible. One of the most prominent issues with the work of a PR consultancy is the measurement of PR. The influence a PR activity had on the customer’s mind is hard to quantify. But, the technology makes it possible for us to claim the impact that we create. The measurement could be in terms of impressions, customer engagement, etc.

Big data and its growing scope:

According to the industry experts, Big data is the new big thing in the PR industry. Thanks to the internet algorithms and advancement in technology, we have data in abundance at our disposal. It is comparatively easy now for a corporate to understand their target group based on the data available. As reputation management professionals, we need to bring out unique and relatable insights from the data to give it an attractive shape. Data driven campaign have huge scope of succeeding with the audience.

Under one umbrella:

By this I mean that the communication needs to be integrated now. The activity needs to be earned, owned and a little bit of shared at the same time for corporate reputation management. Integrated communication will provide the brand more platforms for content dissemination and will increase the reach and impact.

Strategic Storytelling:

Any type of content narrated in the form of a story has better chance of sticking with the target audience. Strategic storytelling can play major role in the corporate communication space. The content needs to be curated and further modified keeping in mind the target audience.

Rise of niche media:

This point is all about quality over quantity. Consumers mostly prefer organic content over something sponsored or promoted. With big media outlets engaging in sponsored activities to increment their revenue, people are moving towards niche media outlets with quality content. Placing the brand in such media outlets is going to garner quality results in comparison.

Rise of audio:

Audio content is gaining popularity day by day. Podcasts are making their way into the niche market category catering to a particular set of audience. This type of content is engaging and convenient for the consumer and leaves a lasting impression.

Corporate beliefs (Brand with a thought):

With the change in content consumption, brands are changing the way they communicate. It is less of ‘in your face’ promotion and more of ‘insight based messaging’. It all relates to concepts such as Thought leadership or corporate value, etc. The idea here is to identify what your organization stands for, and believes in. Make that the very core of your communication. All messages should resonate with the corporate beliefs.  This will enable the consumers to relate with your brand and will build a sustained brand reputation.   

2020 will be a critical year for the growth of PR industry. The evolving patterns and upcoming trends can ensure change in the reputation management industry for the better.