Trends and Transitions for a Happy New Year

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone. This past year has been exciting for Linda Wise PR & Marketing, as I have had the opportunity to again work with clients from my former consulting firms, as well as people I have known for years but have just now retained me to help them with their marketing communications programs. I'm looking forward to continuing to help those companies grow in 2009 and to work with the new clients that have recently signed on with us.

For many, affected by natural disasters and the sudden economic downturn, the end of 2008 is a welcome relief and 2009 is looked upon as a time for regrouping. Both individuals and businesses are assessing where they are and evaluating what they need to do differently in the new year to move forward in a positive direction.

So what does this mean in the way of marketing and PR? I have a few predictions for 2009:

1) The Great Social Media Experiment Will Continue. The number one topic at every marketing conference in 2009 was "how to incorporate social media into your marketing mix" and yet very few companies have yet to adopt social media as part of their mainstream communications program. Nevertheless, the list does appear to be growing, as marketers and PR professionals figure out what works and what doesn't for their particular businesses. One thing is clear: one size does not fit all. Sometimes the best answer is surprising. For instance, who would have ever guessed that Israel would choose to use Twitter as a venue for a press conference to answer questions about its military encounter with Hamas?

2) Public Relations Will Overshadow Advertising. When budgets are tight, smart businesses don't just quit promoting their services. They have to keep their names out there or the competition (who is continuing to advertise) will eat their lunch. Advertising can be expensive, though, and so many firms choose instead to use public relations tactics that can sometimes provide more bang for the buck. Proof of this trend comes from a recent employment statistic, showing that PR jobs have increased 4.2% in the last year, compared to a 2.1% decrease in advertising jobs (source: Advertising Age).

3) Measurement Will No Longer Be Optional. There is no topic more talked about in the communications world, but less implemented, than measurement. We all want to do it...to show the return on investment from our work. But somehow, it's just not that easy. For one thing, it requires an investment up front, and measurement tools are not inexpensive to buy or to build. It also necessitates cooperation between departments in an organization. For external communications programs, that means the sales department has to be involved in the process of collecting the data. Internally, it's usually human resources. If those "partner" departments aren't interested or motivated to help gather the feedback required to know if a communications program is working, then it's almost impossible to get an accurate picture of the program's ROI. Nevertheless, if companies are going to not only survive but thrive in 2009, they are going to have to invest in and promote the use of measurement in their communications programs. It is the only way to know what works and what doesn't so that programs can be refined in order to really generate the returns that stakeholders are looking for.

For more information on Linda Wise Public Relations & Marketing and our communications programs, visit http://www.lindawisepr.com/.