Public Relations specialists work to maintain the image and reputation of their clients in the market. They may also serve as communications specialists on behalf of an organization and devise all external company communications or act as a spokesperson liaising between the stakeholders and the company.
Career Trends for Public Relations
They may also be responsible for strengthening and maintaining relationships with a company’s external parties like collaborators, bloggers, artists, opinion leaders, or critics. Companies need public relations specialists, especially if they find themselves in hot waters with the media or other parties frequently, to help protect their reputation and enhance their image in the eyes of the stakeholders. Their market value and shareholder value may depend on it.
Career Explorer expects the job outlook of public relations specialists for the next ten years to grow at a moderate rate, with 29,800 new jobs, 23,000 additional specialists, and the possible retirement of 6,800 public relations specialists.
PR specialists with a Bachelor’s degree can expect to earn a median salary of $62,800 annually with a per-hour rate of $30.19 per BLS. The PR field is growing 11% faster than the national average with an increased demand for public relations officers.
Therefore, let us delve into some emerging trends in the field.
Increasing Importance of Data, Research, and Analytics
One of the most important public relationship skills involves the ability to collect data, conduct research, and analyze the outcome. The trend toward using data skills is apparent in the public relations field.
PR specialists now have to predict the outcome of each of the company’s actions to take relevant corrective measures before its reputation can tarnish in any way. They are also responsible for portraying the company’s messages, communications, and campaigns positively and help retract anything that might land the company or its representatives in hot waters.
It helps eliminate chances of a bad PR, maintaining or enhancing its brand image. The PR team can only do this by analyzing company data and market trends and conducting relevant market research to see what the stakeholders want and do not want. Sending the right message across all platforms is necessary.
The Rise of Digital PR
Millennials and Gen Z communications and PR students must stay updated with digital PR strategies since most people now consume and rely on digital information and trends. It includes digital campaigns and content creation, including digital magazines, newsletters, contracts, and social media platforms.
They must learn to be adept at digital PR strategies and ensure that all digital communications filter through them. It requires constant monitoring, updating digital marketing trends, filtering spam and unnecessary content, and ensuring quality.
In addition, when communicating directly with consumers on digital platforms, they must communicate using the right brand tone. Customer representatives and the digital team must follow the right tone of communication and ensure the proper delivery of messages.
Growth Hacking
Startups and small firms are looking to expand their operations in a limited time and budget. Public relations representatives provide these firms with the tools and platforms needed for instant growth, called growth hacking.
They do this by using their resources and connections in the journalism and media field to help uplift the business’ brand name with various PR strategies. They help the company collaborate with established brands and consultants to gain rapid traction in the market.
It is a highly successful and lucrative strategy if done right. The PR representative must ensure the right allocation of resources and that all the parties involved can harvest the fruits of the collaboration, especially their client.
Creative Element
Working in public relations is highly demanding when it comes to creativity. Due to its fast-paced nature, PR specialists have to come up with quick and creative solutions to daily problems. Strategy and creativity go hand in hand regarding public relations and critical problem-solving.
For example, expert PR specialists know how to handle damage control and show it in a good light. This skill set especially works well for the PR team of a public personality or a celebrity if something negative is released in the press that could potentially compromise their image and, ultimately, their career.
A PR rep typically releases official statements or contrary evidence that puts their client back in the positive spotlight in the eyes of the stakeholders.
Measurable PR
Despite popular belief, PR is now measurable but is still a new concept for many large organizations. For PR specialists to provide value in their role, they must possess the ability to measure their PR strategies to show their competency and compare with others.
Companies like Vidyard and Iris PR provide datasets and analytical tools to their PR reps to help them understand the messages resonating with current customers and prospects.
For example, Air PR uses attribution software to show how much site traffic resulted from a blog post or a press release article and show it to customers as a result of a PR campaign.
PR efforts currently may go uncredited, but using PR attribution is necessary to track their performance and correlate it with business growth and success. It further helps build the credibility of the PR specialist.
The Emergence of PRTech Ecosystem
Now that you know that PR is measurable, you also need to be able to budget your PR campaigns and use visual storytelling and trend-tracking tools. After all, you cannot manage what you cannot budget.
Organize your PR techniques using PRTech ecosystem, a C-suite software capable of proper measurement, budgeting, evaluation, and analysis.
The ‘PRTech Ecosystem’ would soon be widespread across all PR firms. Therefore, if you are struggling with your role or are new in the field, make your job easier and better by abandoning the manual ways and delving into software solutions. The trend-tracking tool it provides will further help you keep up with the emerging tech software solutions for quick delivery and quality service.
Conclusion
If you are new in the public relations field or planning to launch a career as a public relations specialist, you must be aware of these trends and adopt the required skills to stay ahead of the game. PR is a highly lucrative and fast-paced career option for creative individuals who love devising strategies and specialize in communications.
To prove your competence, you must understand the importance of data-driven analytics and measuring your PR campaigns and performance. Additionally, learn digital PR skills as digital marketing is on the rise. Help businesses grow with growth hacking techniques and keep up with the PRTech ecosystem to stay updated with the latest PR trends, as these will help you perform your job better.
