What are the biggest challenges faced by a Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the 21st century and how to combat them?

Public Relations has been somewhat reinvented in the twenty-first century. The Internet has made it easy to put out a message and at the same time, has made it hard to be heard due to competition. The clutter of PR messages can desensitize readers and viewers, but a message goes viral often enough to make the possibilities intriguing. Today’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) has to face and overcome a number of challenges which are as follows:-

1. Credibility:- Through most of the twentieth century, Public Relations Officers had to work hard to gain access to media outlets. This meant editors at those outlets tended to screen PR messages for accuracy, professionalism and quality. In the twenty-first century, anyone with an internet connection can get a message out in seconds. This has resulted in a lot of exaggeration, boasting and untrue claims that hurt the credibility of promotions that utilize PR. Solution:- Today’s Public Relations Officers have to find ways to establish their credibility when putting out a message. This can include their own credentials and background, getting third parties to endorse their message and offering facts and figures to support their PR claims.
2. Multiple Channels:- The days are gone when television, radio and newspapers were enough to reach your audience. Nowadays, we have multiple channels of communication. Solution:- A PRO in the twenty-first century must choose the pathways to the target audience. For example, a PRO could focus his/her campaign on text messaging as a way to target young people, switch to an email campaign for the parents of those young people and rely on traditional newspaper stories to reach seniors. In addition, each message might have to be stated differently to suit the method of distribution. A PRO must use the right channel with the right message to reach his/her audience.
3. Measuring the impact of Social Media:-Social media can look like every PRO’s first choice nowadays. It’s simple to spread the word on the various social media sites. In fact, many of these link to each other so that a message appearing on one appears on the others. What’s difficult is measuring the impact of using social media. For example, Facebook users often object to Advertising and PR messages that appear on their personal pages. PR messages may be dismissed and ignored. Solution:- Public Relations Officers must craft their PR messages in ways that social media users will welcome. In addition, PROs must survey customers to see if they got the message accurately that was supposed to reach them.
4. Two-Way PR:-A public relations message was once a one-way effort. In the twenty-first century, the target audience can reply to the messages immediately. Solution:-  PROs must monitor social media responses to see if they are positive. This means they must be prepared to alter their message as they get feedback from their target audience.

Technology, globalisation, innovations and new media have changed PR :

-Transparency

The risk of a company losing control over negative news is substantial. Brands can only address and repair bad customer experiences and crisis-causing 

news with honesty and transparency.

-Real-Time Crisis Monitoring

Nearly 38% of company crises spread internationally within an hour, and over two-thirds of crises gain international reach within 24 hours. Most crisis 

experts agree: it’s not a matter of if your company will experience a crisis, but when. Fortunately, comprehensive media monitoring services allow brands to maintain their reputation and quickly spot a brewing crisis on the Internet, 

social media, print, broadcast TV and radio. The key:  PR agencies and 

corporate staff must  act  quickly when they identify one of the warning signs of a crisis.

-Measurement

PR campaigns require measurement to demonstrate success (or failure). 

Clients demand (rightfully) to see results for their money. PR firms must 

commit to measurement-driven approaches.

-The Power of Images

Image-driven content not only increases consumer engagement and 

retention; it also drives more sales. Facebook and Pinterest lead in most 

revenue per visitor among all social media platforms thanks to their focus on 

images and videos. Beker predicts next-generation press releases to be 

disseminated via videos and social media posts.

-Brand Values

More companies are projecting their values in PR and marketing materials. 

Brands like Red Bull and Nike make it the focus of their campaigns. Companies are also recognizing the benefits of corporate social responsibility program 

to elevate their values and give back to the community while doing so. CSR 

programs are effective: a recent study shows more consumers are choosing 

cause-based brands over charitable giving as their way of “giving back.”

-Integrated Communications

Companies must tear down PR, marketing and advertising silos to improve measurement and ROI. Beker’s assessment is on-point:

-The role of media organizations as gatekeepers of information and audience 

has faded. Brands can take over the role of reporters and tell their own stories and news in an engaging way.

As the technology advances, reaching time is reduced and the feedback instant, PRO is expected be sharp enough is the challenge that continues.

Thanks Mrs Farhana for invitation

I agree with your answer Mrs Farhana

The foremost issue facing international PR specialists is the language barrier. Although English is the most common language, not everyone speaks it.

Because of differences in attitudes, beliefs and language, even a simple message may have very different meanings when transmitted to various cultures. Companies can often find themselves in large trouble for unintentionally violating a cultural norm.

Many PR specialists will also run into challenges relating to the politics of particular countries, all of which have different codes of laws regarding speech.

Agree on your explanation. Thanks for your invitation.

This is a great question Farhana because it looks into how PROs can strategically cope with our changing and challenging business world.

Many perceive PRing as being nice to people. The functions goes much more than just being nice. It is about providing a relationship of confidence, support, and dependability.

The challenges of today include,

1- People in the business world are becoming much busier and they have limited time.

2- Relations are rapidly moving from the real world to the virtual world

3- Globalization has given access to big and powerful competitors.

All this make the PRO function more important for organizations but more demanding and intricate for the PRO.

What PROs can do to combat the challenges?

1- PROs have to relate to their customers time convenience and this means that they have to manage their own time very very well.

2- PROs need to be able to live in the digital world side by side with their vivacious existence in the real world.

3- PROs have to widen the scope of understanding their business competition locally as well as globally.

Thanks

Social media can look like a PR person’s dream. It’s simple to spread the word on the various social media sites. In fact, many of these link to each other so that a message appearing on one appears on the others. What’s difficult is measuring the impact of using social media. For example, Facebook users often object to advertising and PR messages that appear on their personal pages. PR messages may be dismissed and ignored. As a small-business owner, you face the challenge of crafting your PR messages in ways that social media users will welcome. In addition, a small-business owner must survey customers to see if they found out about the business through social media or by other means.

Thanks

Totally agree with your answer Mrs. Farhana

Thank you ms.Farhana

I suggest you brows URL :http://www.cyberalert.com/blog/index.php/10-challenges-facing-public-relations-right-now/

and you will find 10 Challenges Facing Public Relations Right Now

Public relations has been somewhat reinvented in the 21st century. The Internet has made it easy to put out a message and at the same time, has made it hard to be heard. The clutter of PR messages can desensitize readers and viewers, but a message goes viral often enough to make the possibilities intriguing. A small business that utilizes PR will have to overcome a number of obstacles.

Through most of the 20th century, public relations professionals had to work hard to gain access to media outlets. This meant editors at those outlets tended to screen PR messages for accuracy, professionalism and quality. In the 21st century, anyone with an internet connection can get a message out in seconds. This has resulted in a lot of exaggeration, boasting and untrue claims that hurt the credibility of promotions that utilize PR. As a small-business owner, you have to find ways to establish your credibility when putting out a message. This can include your own credentials and background, getting third parties to endorse your message and offering facts and figures to support your PR claims.

The days are gone when television, radio and newspapers were enough to reach your audience. PR in the 21st century must choose the pathways to the target audience. For example, a PR campaign could focus on text messaging as a way to target young people, switch to an email campaign for the parents of those young people and rely on traditional newspaper stories to reach seniors. In addition, each message might have to be stated differently to suit the method of distribution. Your campaign for your small business must use the right channel with the right message to reach your audience.

Social media can look like a PR person’s dream. It’s simple to spread the word on the various social media sites. In fact, many of these link to each other so that a message appearing on one appears on the others. What’s difficult is measuring the impact of using social media. For example, Facebook users often object to advertising and PR messages that appear on their personal pages. PR messages may be dismissed and ignored. As a small-business owner, you face the challenge of crafting your PR messages in ways that social media users will welcome. In addition, a small-business owner must survey customers to see if they found out about the business through social media or by other means.

A public relations message was once a one-way effort. In the 21st century, the target audience can reply to messages immediately. A small business may need to designate an employee to monitor social media responses to see if they are positive. This means you must be prepared to alter your message as you get feedback from your target audience.

Like all specialists in their respective professions,  PR people  want to know the “next big thing.”

Rather than look for the hot topic or innovative tool of the month, public relations specialists should focus on the long-term and fundamental game-changers that challenge the PR profession. In an article for The Holmes Report titled The Winds of Change, Boris Beker identifies the following ten challenges for defining the future of PR. 

Optimizing PR for mobile means thinking beyond how your content will look on a smaller screen. It is a mind shift, Beker asserts, and PR must determine how client brands fit into consumers’ constant communication and reliability of mobile devices.

Customers desire information that is personalized, sent through the right channel at the right time. PR must advise clients to shift from traditional channels to hyper-personalized and more engaging tactics. Examples of these tactics include Coke’s personalized bottles, Apple’s product engraving and Google’s Art, Copy & Code project.

PR clients and stakeholders tend to look for support in their immediate neighborhood. At the same time, understanding geographical and cultural specifics of different countries is central to learning the markets’ conditions. The solution: network PR teams in different countries to share knowledge and insight with each other for an effective, integrated approach. One example: universal PR measurement standards set by the Coalition for Public Relations Research Standards.

Nearly 30% of company crises spread internationally within an hour, and over two-thirds of crises gain international reach within 24 hours. Most crisis experts agree: it’s not a matter of if your company will experience a crisis, but when. Fortunately, comprehensive media monitoring services allow brands to maintain their reputation and quickly spot a brewing crisis on the Internet, social media, print, broadcast TV and radio. The key:  PR agencies and corporate staff must  act  quickly when they identify one of the warning signs of a crisis.

The role of media organizations as gatekeepers of information and audience has faded. Brands can take over the role of reporters and tell their own stories and news in an engaging way.

The risk of a company losing control over negative news is substantial. Brands can only address and repair bad customer experiences and crisis-causing news with honesty and transparency.

PR campaignsrequire measurement to demonstrate success (or failure). Clients demand (rightfully) to see results for their money. PR firms must commit to measurement-driven approaches.

Image-driven content not only increases consumer engagement and retention; it also drives more sales. Facebook and Pinterest lead in most revenue per visitor among all social media platforms thanks to their focus on images and videos. Beker predicts next-generation press releases to be disseminated via videos and social media posts.

More companies are projecting their values in PR and marketing materials. Brands like Red Bull and Nike make it the focus of their campaigns. Companies are also recognizing the benefits of corporate social responsibility programs to elevate their values and give back to the community while doing so. CSR programs are effective: a recent study shows more consumers are choosing cause-based brands over charitable giving as their way of “giving back.”

Companies must tear down PR, marketing and advertising silos to improve measurement and ROI. Beker’s assessment is on-point:

“Technology, globalisation, innovations and new media have changed PR, marketing and advertising. In a connected world, companies and brands can’t tell and live different stories on these three levels. They must provide the public with one face and one storyline.”

remedies:

CHALLENGE: Lack of formal public relations training or experience

Some factors that negatively impact promotional efforts include: improper messaging, poor timing, and targeting the wrong audiences. It’s common to see businesspeople muddling their efforts with inconsistent language, improperly identified promotional goals, products pitched during the wrong time of the year, ignoring relevant lead times for the media, or targeting the wrong media to begin with. These are all obvious challenges for brains marinated in marketing-oriented mindsets, but for the un-anointed, these challenges are breeding grounds for time consuming trial-and-error.

Solution: Spend a little more time researching and thinking about who is most interested in your product and where you might reach them. Pick up a couple of books from the library that explain the basics of marketing and public relations and read them six-months before launching your product or campaign. 

CHALLENGE: Lack of time

Running a business is time consuming, and the nuts and bolts of daily operations often get in the way of the nuts and bolts of your marketing and public relations efforts. It’s important to take time to regularly check in to see if your efforts are in keeping with your 5-year plan, your one-year plan and your goals for the month.

Solution: Find some time throughout the month to visit less-stressful pastures that allow you the freedom to ruminate on your approach. Research upcoming media opportunities related to holidays, anniversaries, celebrations or other relevant dates on the calendar; keeping in mind that media lead times differ between print publications, radio and digital media.

CHALLENGE: Overconfidence

There’s nothing wrong with being confident, but sometimes overconfidence stands between identifying and achieving relevant goals, and obtaining the success you deserve. Think of marketing as you would accounting. Marketing should be planned for as a cost of doing business, just as accounting, production and payroll would be. Too often we see businesses with great ideas, but they can’t afford to tell people about them because they were overconfident in word of mouth. Remember the Harlem Shake? This article points out that you didn’t make the Harlem Shake go viral, corporations with marketing teams did.

Solution: Include marketing costs in any business plan or product idea. Whether you hire an in-house public relations professional or hire an outside team of professionals to guide your marketing and public relations efforts, a long term approach will ensure you have properly identified future opportunities. Developing a marketing plan also ensures consistency, budget efficiency and offers a roadmap for meeting objectives. 

CHALLENGE: Keeping pace with communications trends 

If you’re not constantly consuming media and keeping up with the latest trends, you’re missing out on opportunities. Imagine if Don Draper were parachuted into the 2013 media landscape – his ideas would be sexist and archaic (not to mention his daytime drinking habits would be a bit off-putting). During the past five years the media has experienced another sea-change and if you haven’t been paying attention it’s time to get with it, or reach out to someone who has.

Solution: Read the newspaper, magazines and industry-related blogs. If possible, find the equivalent of Don Draper’s grandson. Join us for Speakeasy and present your challenges to the group.

Conclusion: We hope these challenges/solutions are helpful. Feel free to post a comment if you have a specific question.