Public relations is not what it used to be. Previously, it was the PR executive's job to get their clients' names into as many media outlets as possible — so that their brand and company name would get under the noses of members of the target audience.

Now, with the advent of digital media, PR executives are able to accurately measure the reach of their pieces. And, more importantly, they are able to ascertain what avenues are most profitable for the brand.

PR has become more scientific because more and more publications are preferring to have a digital presence, as opposed to an offline one. If you place articles with these digital platforms, you are able to see the number of readers who click through to your website, thanks to analytics programmes.

A look into the future of public relations

PRs will have more opportunities to get their clients' pieces seen by relevant members of the target audience. Another thing that we're going to be seeing is digital PR being used as an integral part of businesses' SEO strategies in an effort to make them become more visible from an algorithm point of view.

The more links that you have pointing to your website from trusted sources, such as well-respected publications, the higher your site will rank on the Search Engine Results Pages.

The way in which businesses communicate their value propositions has changed exponentially as e-commerce sites have become more popular. Public relations has not escaped this change, which means that PR executives will need to figure out how to get their clients more exposure using digital marketing techniques.

However daunting this may be to people who are unfamiliar with these new techniques, it's not impossible to learn them. All it takes is a good grounding of best practice principles and a lot of creativity.

The Digital School of Marketing is an online provider of accredited social media courses and digital marketing education.

For more information, visit www.digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za or contact [email protected]. You can also follow the Digital School of Marketing on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.  
As 2019 draws to a close, it’s a time to reflect on the year that has been and to look forward to a new, better year (where we’ll all have 20-20 vision). Here are Five PR trends to look out for in 2020.