Public Relations & Social Media Trends for 2023
While we should be in the continual practice of evaluating our process, perspective, and approach, there is nothing like entering a new year to inspire renewed thinking.
As we dive into 2023, the team at Cultivate sees these major trends in public relations and social media:
Earned media’s continued rise in importance vis-a-vis paid or sponsored media. Public trust in organizations has never been more critical. Earned media offers what paid cannot — the opportunity for a credible, external endorsement of a brand. Add to that smaller ad budgets and mounting challenges in the paid media world, and it’s never been a better time to reconsider your communications mix.
Expanding breadth of what public relations is. What excites us about public relations at this moment in time is its expansion. Yes, it’s traditional media relations — but it is so much more. It’s strategic partnerships; it’s collaborations with influencers and content creators; it’s community relations. We are truly embracing the “public” in public relations.
Growing importance of a crisis communications skillset. With what seems like increased frequency, there’s a new brand crisis every news cycle - and PR professionals at all levels need to be prepared to counsel their clients strategically. That means crisis scenario planning and media training as well as individual skills in decisiveness, adaptability, self-control, empathy, and perseverance.
Moving beyond “doing it for good PR.” Brands started facing a true reckoning at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic with massive calls for transparency, meaningful action, and a goodbye to corporate social responsibility as window dressing. The best PR pros know how to support clients in building and communicating impact programs with real-world benefit.
Navigating a social media upheaval. As Facebook and Twitter face big challenges, new social media channels are on the rise (TikTok, anyone?). Another trend? Brands choosing to be “anti-social” (See Lush). It’s time to evaluate your social media program, assess where your audience is, ask yourself why you are there, and adjust your strategy.
Providing IRL brand experiences. In 2022, we saw a big shift towards travel (coming out of the pandemic) and a consumer desire for real-life experiences. It’s not all digital! As PR and social media pros, we can creatively strategize how to use our digital channels to bring people to fantastic real-world experiences, then inspire them to share those experiences in turn as a means of brand ambassadorship, advocacy, or UGC.
Setting the stage for a meaningful metaverse. It may be years off, but the metaverse is taking shape. Now is the time to build it with communications ethics in mind. It’s also a time for brands to consider there own future role in the metaverse. The possibilities are provocative, the pitfalls could be many.
That’s what’s on our radar for 2023. What’s on yours? Do any of these trends resonate with you? We’d love to hear your perspective. Something that is always on trend is a good two-way conversation.