PR Outlook May Not Be As Rosy As You Think…But The Opportunity to “Win” The Social/Digital Game Is Strong

The survey also suggests that PR firms might have a somewhat inflated view of the long-term health of the PR industry. 73% of PR executives state that they are “somewhat”, “very” or “extremely” optimistic about the outlook for the PR industry – which of course, in and of itself, is great. Unfortunately, this compares to only 51% of Marketers feeling the same way about the PR industry.

While this is by no means a doom and gloom scenario, it certainly suggests that PR executives need to not take anything for granted. Stay alert, stay ahead of the trends, and as we’ll note later, it’s important to know all you can about the ins and outs of the value of social/digital media, as it can provide a real competitive advantage for the industry as a whole.

It’s not just enough to know about what’s available in the social/digital space and have the resources available outside your four walls to satisfy client needs, it’s very important to know how to most effectively measure, integrate, and activate programs so more people see them and act on them.

With only 39% of Marketers believing that they are actively being supported by their marketing services firm with social/digital information and programs, there is clearly an opportunity for PR firms to help Marketers improve the way they do business in these mediums. PR firms might carry a slight advantage over Ad agencies in providing these insights and sharing expertise, as more of them (66%) believe that they are actively supporting their clients (versus Ad agency execs, where only 55% believe they are doing a decent job of supporting their clients’ social/digital needs).

In addition to having what appears to be a slight jump on the experience and resource game, PR firms also appear to have a jump on the measurement game as well – which also can be used to a PR firm’s advantage. 60% of PR firms (as compared to only 49% of Ad agencies) state that they measure the return on social/digital media.

This survey also confirms that on the whole, Marketers do not feel like they are on the cutting edge of the goings-on, in the social/digital space. This also presents opportunities for PR firms to educate Marketers on the benefits of social/digital programs by drawing from the insights and the knowledge that PR firms can more effectively bring to the table – given what could be for some, a longer-standing use of these mediums. Only 46% of Marketers state that they either “somewhat” or “strongly agree” that they are on the cutting edge of digital/social technology, as compared to 78% of PR executives and 66% of Ad agency executives. Clearly this presents an opportunity for PR firms to step in and leverage their broad-based experience to help Marketers better navigate this relatively new frontier.

So bottom line is, PR firms have a window open to help Marketers – and potentially own the social/digital space. Key is showcasing expertise, insights, and knowledge of what’s available to clients today and how to best utilize programs and measure programs to help them maximize their success. Do this…and indeed, the outlook for the PR industry is bright and rosy.