It’s that time of year again.
While we’re busy decking the halls and attending our umpteenth holiday party, it’s easy to forget that we should make time to consider what we’ve learned in 2017—and what we want to focus on learning more about in 2018.
Here are four skills and trends for PR pros to pay attention to in 2018:
1. Visual storytelling
The importance of visuals is only growing in PR.
As attention spans shorten, images, graphics and videos are becoming even more essential for telling stories. With more than 8 billion average daily views and 100 million hours of video watched every day on Facebook, the power of video is undeniable.
Where to go to learn more: Sites like Udemy, Skillshare and the Khan Academy offer online courses. Find a list here.
[RELATED: Join is at Walt Disney World for the Social Media Conference for PR, Marketing and Corporate Communications.]
2. Writing
Have you heard? Relying on earned media alone no longer works.
What can PR pros do to ensure they have a place in the ever-evolving world of marketing?
As branded (or sponsored) content and owned media play a bigger role in a company’s marketing strategy, PR practitioners should take stock of their writing skills. While you might believe you have the writing chops needed to excel, the truth is: not everyone does.
Work on honing this skill to create more opportunities for yourself.
Where to go to learn more: One of the best ways to improve your writing skills is to spend more time writing. Don’t have as many opportunities to write as you’d like in your day-to-day role? Start a blog. Contribute to other blogs.
If you want to check out a course to improve your writing skills, Udemy offers some. Also, follow writers like Ann Handley, Josh Bernoff or Ann Wylie for examples on how to up your writing game.
3. Measurement
While savvy PR pros understand the importance of measurement, the industry is still struggling to get it right.
First, you must know what the desired outcome is. Then, you can implement metrics from which you can determine the success of our efforts.
Where to go to learn more: There are many tools that can help you measure a PR campaign, such as Google Analytics or Trendkite. To learn more, follow Katie Delahaye Paine (@queenofmetrics) and take advantage of free webinars offered by vendors in the space—or check out Ragan’s Measurement for Communicators Conference.
4. Artificial Intelligence
PR veterans knew AI would be big—but the industry is just beginning to understand how big.
“Data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence should makepublic relations easier for most companies, from predicting when customer interest will be highest to identifying potential crises and mitigating them before they explode,” says Christopher Penn, vice president of marketing technology at Shift Communications.
Where to go to learn more: Follow Penn (@cspenn) and Shift Communications (@shiftcomm). The Marketing AI Institute published a list of AI courses online here.
And, don’t forget that Ragan Communications offers resources to learn more about wide range of PR trends and skills with yearly events and through Ragan Training.
PR pros, what are you looking forward to learning more about in 2018? What skills do you think are essential for the future of PR?
Michelle Garrett is a PR consultant and writer at Garrett Public Relations. Follow her on Twitter @PRisUs or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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