Influencer marketing is one of the hottest PR trends that every brand should be implementing right now. Marketers should not ignore the burgeoning trend that is more powerful than any traditional marketing tactic that helped companies in the earlier years.
Using trends in your press release can help you reach your target market effectively. Today, it’s more about personalization. How you can send your message directly to your potential customers and stakeholders.
How Trends Work on your Content
It’s important that you understand the most popular trends that will help you gain a wider exposure. Know the topics that are ideal for discussion and conversation online.
Identify the trending topics that people are interested to talk and share online. If you apply these trends in your content marketing, you can attract more leads, buyers and sales.
1. Influencer Marketing
Influencer Marketing is a popular trend that companies use to collaborate with influencers to help promote their brand. Brands should identify relevant influencers in the niche who can help them market their brand online.
An influencer is a powerful and effective person that can influence the purchase decisions of other people. They can accomplish this because they are an authority, position, knowledge and connection with their followers.
Influencers can get your story out right to your target. They have the credibility and trust because they are experts in their niche. They are effective because they are the one talking directly to your customers.
These days, there is a study showing that it is more effective to connect with micro-influencers. They are the one who has 15,000 followers and below.
They are seen as more effective because they have a deeper and more established relationship with their audience. In return, they easily build loyalty.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In the previous years, AI has created noise in the PR industry. What exactly is it?
AI is the introduction of computer systems that can perform tasks that are usually done by humans. It can accomplish the following: create media list, write data-driven stories, predict trends in PR, assist in crisis management, social media monitoring activities and transcribe video and audio into text.
Some brands are already using AI in their process. It relieves people working on PR a lot of tasks on their hands.
AI helps brands write follow up emails, arrange meetings or do content better than humans. The human skills, such as building relationships, building trust, storytelling and creative strategy development remain as their responsibilities.
AI isn’t designed to replace the work of humans, but enhance it. For instance, people are still the one in charge of writing a newsworthy release, AI helps companies to have better targeting of the content.
3. Studies or research
Another trend is using research or study results in writing a release. For instance, if studies found that small companies or startups are popular in the industry right now, you can use it as a basis for you to jumpstart your business. You can check newswire https://www.newswire.com/features/distribution.
4. Data-driven analytics
This may sound new to you. But yes, social listening, digital storytelling and data are going to be a big thing in PR. Use digital storytelling to have connection with the audience.
From the words digital, it uses computer-based tools to share stories. This type of storytelling is also known as computer-based narratives, interactive storytelling, digital documentaries, electronic memoirs and digital essays.
It uses various media, such as audio, video, graphics, computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips, music and web publishing. Like traditional stories, it concentrates on a particular topic and provides a unique perspective.
You can use data to adjust your technique and content to reach more audience. Data shows the trending issues and topics in the industry. It helps brands deliver their own opinions on hot issues, before their rivals in the industry can even provide their reaction.
Social listening is an ongoing trend in the PR industry. There are tools like Mention and Hootsuite that helps brand monitor the conversation surrounding their brand and their niche.
When they are fully aware of the discussions involving their brand, they can easily pinpoint issues that impact them. It makes them responsible of handling issues right from the start before it escalate to something serious.
5. Leveraging on thought leadership
Do you want to be known as an industry leader? Building a company’s expertise is an ongoing trend in the industry. For example, if you want to be renowned as a thought leader in your niche, you can concentrate distributing different content, including blogs, articles and releases.
After writing it, distribute it on various social media platforms to ensure that it reaches different segments of the market. To maximize your reach, use paid ads like LinkedIn Sponsored Updates, Facebook Ads and Twitter Promoted Tweets.
6. Dark Social
Is it your first time to hear about dark social? Dark social such as email, text and chat apps are slowly gaining its place in social communication. Unlike other methods, it is almost difficult to monitor this kind of method.
Brands need to develop their own tactic to create, own and manage their digital property. Brand must create their own channel to place their own file of significant content.
Doing this can encourage the audience to come back again and again. It promotes engagement with your prospects and customers.
7. Real-time Marketing
Live tweets and live videos are growing trends in the industry. Real-time marketing is when marketers use data to make an informed decision based on the available information.
It’s not based on a plan in advance, but creating tactic that is based on present and relevant trends. Its goal is to connect customers and products.
It is important to use real-time marketing due to the changing trends on communications. Companies can now easily collect information of their target market through social media channels. That information can be transformed into a marketing message within a matter of minutes.
Brands should use these tactics in their communication. When their marketing message is based on the current trend, they can easily attract customers.
A personalized message to consumers appeal to them better. They are more likely to buy a product or a service when it provides them benefits.
[Image credit: Google Images]
