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Public relations methods that are cold and disconnected to its audiences no longer make an impact. More businesses are cutting the red tape and loosening the grip on PR practices that are too formal and outdated.
Brands now realise that audiences need to relate with them more and have started to adopt a personal touch in their dealings. When brands show that they are human by engaging with customers, apologising for mistakes and interacting with new audiences they gain a personal connection that is much needed.
Gone are the days where people used to accept messages without putting a face to it. When brands use storytelling and relatable human experiences they are able to get more of a positive response. There are so many digital tools that brands can use to improve the public relations of a business. When used effectively, digital PR trends can increase business revenue, positively impact on brand power and retain clients.
Gaining a dominant digital footprint for your brand
Brands need to have a strong digital influence to gain traction that will put them ahead of competitors. With the consumption of digital media at large, it is crucial for brands to have a digital impact. Digital media statistics show that almost every person has access to digital devices that are connected to technology.
Achieving digital dominance is essential in increasing awareness for your brand. If digital marketing is used effectively it can influence and elevate business sales and boost brand loyalty. By using social media tools such as paid content, a business can spread the word about who they are, what they offer and it can attract new clients.
Overcoming content shock with compelling content
The belief that ‘Content is king’ has prompted many businesses to invest in creating digital content for more reach. It has been proven that content has many progressive benefits for business but the amount of content that people are exposed to has resulted in “content shock”.
What is content shock?
Content shock refers to the rising volumes of content available online. One of the effects of so much content available online is that audiences now have limited attention spans. This is because they are exposed to so much content and this affects the marketing strategies of the business. With over 200,000 stories being published daily, what can brands do differently to produce content that will stand out?
Content marketing and the use of artificial intelligence in learning
By using technologies that allow them to access data to their advantage, brands can ensure that their content is effective. Using artificial intelligence learning tools provides brands with consumer insights that they can use to advance the content strategy for companies. It is extremely vital for businesses to be on top of their content game, in this fast-paced era of abundant content. Effective content marketing can result in improved consumer engagement and enhanced brand familiarity.
Use influencers as part of your marketing strategy
‘An influencer’s voice—whether a blog, a review or an expert who moves the market at the speed of a tweet is worth gold.’- Forbes.com
Leveraging the help of influencers to increase brand awareness is an undeniably effective marketing strategy. Influencers are people who have an effect on social media and the digital space for various reasons. These digital influencers have millions of followers who value their opinions and mentality. There are multiple reasons why you should include influencer marketing in your PR strategy. Influencers have a tremendous impact in swaying audiences to make them want to know more about your brand and products. As they share tweets and Facebook videos associated with your brand, this can have a positive impact.
However, you have to choose influencers who are relatable to your brand and appeal to similar audiences that you are targeting. Brands need to be aware of the risks involved in aligning their brands with the influencers that they select. They have to be reputable influencers who are not involved in controversies, as this can be damaging to the brands associated.
Using live video in your marketing plan
With the immense growth of mobile traffic, live video is said to have surpassed even that. A report made in 2016 by Cisco revealed that Mobile video traffic now accounts for more than half of all mobile data traffic. The Live Video Traffic report predicts that global mobile data traffic will increase sevenfold between 2016 and 2021.
Most social platforms are dominated by videos and people love watching video snippets. When brands go live on social media and share interesting moments of what they are up to or creating it builds interest around the brand. The response that a business receives from social media when they engage with audiences using live video is a great value.
Hiring digital savvy PR professionals
It is crucial to have PR officers who are good at putting your business on the map and build up the business for industry success. They have to possess skills that will enable them to incorporate current PR trends for a strategy that will have an impact. They have to be digitally and socially-savvy which is advantageous for the business. When they understand the impact of digital media they can effectively use this as part of their game plan.
It is also a benefit when PR professionals are active on their social media accounts. A trend that brands are embracing is tagging their PR managers in posts or allowing them to publish content from their accounts. This allows audiences to connect with your business through your PR manager and this makes your brand more personal.
Gaining PR skills for the win
As a public relations professional, you can up your game by staying on top of PR trends. You have to know what works and improve your digital expertise to accomplish more.
You can gain more PR expertise when you study a Public Relations qualification that will equip you with advanced PR proficiencies for success. To help improve the businesses that you represent you have to use PR approaches that are dynamic and have an impact.
Achieving brand power is essential for brands to gain prominence in the industry. Your public relations teams must have more than enough marketing tools to capitalise on this for success.
