PR Agency In Essex: The Future Of PR In The New Decade
PR has long been one of the poster-boys of marketing strategies everywhere. A strong PR department can often propel your marketing & PR agency from one that’s simply getting by, into one that’s renowned.
A PR team does more than just secure leads for your company, it builds relationships. Relationships are absolutely vital in a communicative industry such as marketing and media. PR is also one of the most dynamic sections of the marketing industry. It’s always changing, never stagnant.
Going into a new decade, PR is in as vibrant a position as it has arguably ever been. The team here at VerriBerri, a PR agency in Essex, have taken an in-depth look at just where these future PR trends lie.
Traditional Pitching May No Longer Be Enough
In a digital world, we’ve more tools than ever at our disposal when it comes to sending out pitches. You may be able to pen an articulate press release, but it may not catch the eye like a high-quality video. That isn’t to say that the press release doesn’t still have its own important place within PR, it definitely does. It’s just that a more holistic approach will better showcase your ability as a PR department; it will display your versatility, and convey that you have something different to offer than every other PR agency. If we put it another way, journalists receive countless pitches and press releases every day. In most cases, what they receive will be an email – albeit a well written one.
If your PR team pitches out something different however, such as a short, snappy video, then the journalists are far more likely to have their ears prick up and take notice. As with so many things, it’s about being smart with this kind of strategy. Utilise video and interactive content, but don’t neglect the written word. Incorporate the more modern forms, whilst respecting the tried and tested. It’s all about balance. A good PR agency in Essex should recognise this need to diversify and adapt its strategy accordingly.
A Rebuttal Against The Digital
We’ve just touched upon the fact that we live in an increasingly digital world. There seems to be as little room, in today’s world, for real analogue emotion, as there has ever been. A world of algorithms, data and formulae that’s crowded out the emotive. As such, there’s been an increasing desire from journalists to see a revival in that more ‘human’ story. A good PR professional will be able to eke out every last drop of potential emotion from a pitch, whilst still maintaining the necessary professionalism and pertinent information. They’ll touch on the heart of the company’s message and draw in the prospective journalists in a way that a more generic, matter-of-fact pitch might not. The benefit of using a PR agency in Essex such as VerriBerri, is that our extensive work within marketing means our PR department are also incredibly creative. By the same token, you don’t want to come across as sensationalist, verbose or pretentious. So, as you can see, there’s a theme developing here, and that is that when it comes to PR, striking that balance is vital.
Data Is Set To Dominate
The sheer wealth of data online now is staggering. It is estimated that 1,200 petabytes of information is stored between four of the largest online companies – Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Facebook. To put that into context, a petabyte is equal to one thousand terabytes. These are bonkers numbers. A PR department should now have employees well versed in data analysis on their books. With so much data out there, there are untold benefits of extrapolating data to help mould your company’s PR campaigns. Data analysis allows your campaigns to be far more targeted; your PR pros will be more able to pitch to people that will genuinely be interested in the product or service that you’re offering out. This tailored approach is likely to yield better results than a scattergun approach, reaching out to any and everyone. You can’t neglect the information that’s out there anymore, you need to be making the most of it if you want your PR campaigns to garner the sort of success you’re after.
Collaboration Is Key, Now More Than Ever
A downside of an all-PR agency is that sometimes other facets of the creative sector are neglected. Marketing, media and PR are blurring more and more into one amorphous mass. It pays to have in-house specialists in these other areas to aid your PR campaigns and strategies. Content creators, for example, who have typically been the mainstay of the design and social media department, are finding their uses required to create content for the PR department, for press releases, for example. Collaborating with the other departments in your agency also helps towards that idea of a more multi-platformed PR campaign. A campaign that features social media, for example, as well as the more generic PR campaign. Collaboration isn’t just good for the pitches, however. An agency that incorporates PR and marketing into one package is a much more appealing prospect for potential clients. It makes it much easier for them having all their marketing and PR needs covered in one place; rather than having to have various points of contact with several different agencies. It streamlines the business’ processes and makes it easier for everyone involved.
Our PR agency in Essex cover all bases with both in-house content and PR teams who continuously work in tandem with one another. The PR world is in an exciting position, but it can be easy to fall behind if you don’t approach it properly; if you follow these tips, however, you’ll be well positioned to boss the market. If you think your company may be in need of a PR agency in Essex, then get in touch with VerriBerri today. Call us on 01376 386850 to find out more about how we can help you.