In January, I read an article on the top PR trends for 2021. I didn’t think much about it because everyone writes those type of things at the beginning of a new year. But this morning I was thinking about the state of PR, more specifically news and relationships, so I resisted it. In January nothing seemed to be much different than December, but moving into the later part of spring there’s definitely change in the air. Now seems more like the time to be planning for the rest of 2021 and beyond.
In the article (you can read it in full here, https://www.prdaily.com/7-pr-trends-to-follow-for-2021/) the author highlighted seven trends worth watching:
-Embracing humanity
-“Raw video” as the new “produced video”
-Content gets “real”
-Online meetings becoming more human
-Changing content consumption habits
-Social media becoming the new department store
-Executives and senior leaders renewing their voice and purpose
The article provides perspectives for thoughts all communicators have had over the past year, but the most thought-provoking points to me were at the beginning and the end of the article. The first point, the idea that brands ought to “embrace humanity” hits a content communicators heart just right, the belief that now more than ever people want to be relational.
The gamut of situations people are faced with, around the globe is varied (like always), but now there’s a central force responsible for pulling and pushing us all; it’s impossible to deny, many, if not all, of the changes we’ve experienced over the past year are a direct result of COVID-19. Some people are thriving in their careers while others have been unemployed as a result of the pandemic. Students are learning in a variety of ways, depending more on the parents’ availability and work situation to keep them home or send them off, which cyclically affects everyone differently. Families are relocating to better suit their needs. Politics around COVID have strained relationships and tensions are higher than we can remember circling around issues like race and gun control and a variety of other topics.
Reaching an audience with hopes of engagement is a balance, always. But, now your audience is all over the place. Instead of barking qualities of what you’re promoting, selling or sharing, how are you connecting and meeting them where they are at? Are you sharing images that align with their lifestyle right now? Tapping into your audiences psyches is important when they are bombarded with so much change already.
Are you showing and sharing real life in your content or are you missing the mark by leaning into their virtual and artificial personas? It’s easy to get wrong. Don’t let what you think they wanted to see pre-pandemic confuse you. Where is your audience now? How are you showing humanity in your brands’ “voice”. You may have to rework everything you had planned right now in order to pivot and humanize yourself in the current environment. If you’re getting “likes” but not engagement, make sure your messaging is reaching people and invoking the action you’d hope to create. We may all be available digitally, but if your audience isn’t engaging, then the content isn’t doing what it could for your brand.
As for the last point, it suggests that “executives and senior leaders have a new voice and purpose”. That is a breath of fresh air for brands who have excellent leaders. People are watching, listening and learning. We’re all searching for something. The messages your top leaders put out are important. Leaders get the limelight and are invaluable when it comes to trust. With the vast amount of information being shared daily, give your leaders a voice. Let them encourage others, share your vision, show humanity and that will make a real difference in people’s lives and the in the life of your brand. Thought leadership and leadership campaigns are critical as people work to align themselves with organizations of similar values and beliefs. People need people and brands need good people. Choose your team and your teams’ messaging strategies carefully, everyone is watching these days.
I’ll end this post with with a deep breath, literally and figuratively. Sometimes it feels like the world is changing so rapidly that none of us can keep up, but when you sit back and really think about what matters to brands, it’s a tale as old as time.
People crave believable content that feels inclusive and shares a perspective that they can cling to. No matter what your brand is trying to accomplish, remember your customer—the audience—that’s who will make you successful, not just the likes on your posts. The “likes” must translate to engagement. And to create engagement, you have to do a whole lot more than make your brand look pretty these days. You need to walk the walk and talk the talk. You need to get back to the basics and meet your audience where they are at. What I’m trying to say is, what’s trending on TikTok isn’t always trendy with reality; don’t confuse the two so much that you walk away from your brand.