Are You Ready for the PR Revolution?

Do you want to be more effective in your digital PR efforts? You’re not alone. Only 36% of practitioners say their efforts in digital PR are effective, according to the findings of the recently released state of digital PR survey - a global initiative conducted by Mynewsdesk in cooperation with Berghs School of Communication.

Given the emerging opportunities for PR, now is the ideal time to expand your efforts. Traditional advertising, once the favoured marketing approach of businesses, is often viewed by consumers as an imposition and an unwelcome intruder, as emphatically claimed by world-renowned marketing expert Al Ries in his book, The Fall of Advertising and The Rise of PR.

From interruption to involvement

Consumers no longer have to tolerate advertising. Advancements in technology enable them to resist those intruders with ad-blocking software, streaming television and music services, and apps. In some cases, for example Spotify Premium, customers are even willing to pay a subscription fee to avoid advertising.

We are witnessing a deep marketing transformation – from interruption to involvement. And while consumers’ ability to avoid advertising significantly threatens traditional publishers and broadcasters, it also triggers the digital PR revolution.

Why a PR "revolution"?

As PR professionals, we must find ways to be part of our customers’ days by providing value where they are. The revolution requires us to be more creative, to be part of the culture. We must give our customers the content they want – we must be part of their world and not expect them to be part of ours.

Results from the first comprehensive study focused on digital PR reveal a number of challenges and opportunities. It creates a collective insight with responses from 2,500 PR professionals, primarily managers and directors, in eight countries. They work in local, regional and global PR across more than 17 industries, including media and entertainment, business services, software and internet, government, and non-profits. Download the study here.

What’s in the way of PR pros achieving success?

The greatest challenges expected by PR professionals over the next 12 months include:

• Lack of resources/funds (61.9%)
• Finding the right measures/metrics to evaluate work results (57.7%)
• Lack of time to try new strategies/technologies (58.8%)
• Limited internal skills/competencies (51%)

Interestingly, a 2015 survey of practitioners by Mynewsdesk reflects similar challenges – ever-increasing workload, expectations to produce more without sufficient budgets, lack of quantifiable ROI evidence, insufficient training on new digital channels and not enough support from the C-suite.

You’re not alone

Given those ongoing obstacles, it’s not surprising that in 2016 almost one-third (32.1%) of practitioners say they’re trying to create a cohesive digital PR strategy and measurement plan, but find it challenging. In addition, more than two-thirds (64.6%) don’t have or don’t know if they have a documented digital PR strategy, and only one in 10 said they are achieving success with their digital PR by successfully implementing, measuring and aligning their activities to business objectives.

Do these challenges sound familiar? Are you struggling to focus on the long term because you’re so busy doing what needs to get done each day? Having examined the challenges, Mynewsdesk’s global survey uncovered what most effective PR professionals are doing in response, and the e-book “Global study sets stage for the digital PR revolution”shares key findings. Download the e-book here.