In the year 2022, you should be aware of these 20 public relations statistics.
Communication has seen a dramatic shift in recent years as a result of the pandemic, new technology, and an information landscape where a viral tweet or TikTok video may signal success (or failure). A 24/7 news cycle powered by cultural events aplenty has pushed the public relations industry to adapt just as fast.
For your benefit, we’ll go through the present state of affairs in the public relations field. Sprout Social’s State of Social Media Investment Report, as well as other industry statistics from reputable sources like Edelman, provide data on the relationship between social media and public relations. Here are some predictions for the future of public relations in the year 2022 and beyond.
A fresh look at public relations
Before we go into the numbers, let’s build a picture of the industry.
Professionals in the field of public relations must be multi-faceted.
Damage control, press releases, business news distribution, and pitching to journalists were all traditionally part of PR activity. Digital multi-hyphenates like today’s PR professionals demand a wide range of abilities. Competencies in search engine optimization (SEO), influencer marketing (IM), social media campaigns (SMC), link building (BL), and current trends are all high on the list of desired abilities.
Virality and a 24-hour news cycle have made multidimensional workers important in today’s environment. Social and political concerns continue to be a concern for customers, who hold their favourite brands and corporations to account. In order to maintain a favourable relationship with their target audience, public relations professionals must respond swiftly and effectively.
An Edelman survey found that 43% of professionals indicated that COVID-19 and the events of 2020 affected their communications agenda substantially. Almost three-quarters of CCOs say that social problems have impacted their communications priorities.
Communication has undergone a permanent transformation over the last decade, making it more difficult to disseminate information and engage an audience. In addition to news, corporate operations, sales cycles, and marketing, social media has become a crucial driver. Because of this, public relations has risen in importance and importance.
Building a favourable image in the eyes of the public today requires an awareness of how to boost online interaction, get backlinks, and find content possibilities. Storytelling, brand management, and connection all benefit from the power of the internet and social media.
- The technological arsenal of public relations practitioners grows
Although everyone uses email and video conferencing on a daily basis, public relations professionals also utilise a wide range of other digital media. SEO platforms like Moz and Ahrefs, as well as web analytics tools like Google Analytics and Twitter Analytics, are frequent PR aids. Media databases, news tracking, and email automation through platforms like Mailchimp and HubSpot are also often used by public relations specialists.
Stakeholders are shown how their investments are making a difference with the help of these tools. Public relations practitioners utilise social media in a variety of ways.
- Maintain contacts with journalists and media outlets
- Get a feel for the mood of the crowd
- Prepare ahead of time for potential crises.
- The ability to quickly gather and evaluate audience data is essential to determining the best way to communicate.
- Over the next few years, public relations will continue to change.
Companies and customers’ demands will alter as social media and other technologies become more widespread, necessitating a shift in the role of public relations experts. Increasing collaboration and redefining are also required as the distinctions between marketing and public relations become more blurred.
So now that we’ve established the current landscape, let’s get further into the specifics by looking at some noteworthy PR numbers.
In 2022, you cannot afford to disregard these PR figures.
Keeping up with the latest developments in public relations is critical to success. It’s also critical to keep tabs on the market and anticipate changes in how you develop plans, manage your brand’s image, and communicate with your target audience. Here are 20 facts about public relations to keep in mind in the year 2022.
Professionals in public relations must be able to combine old-fashioned and new-age talents.73% of public relations professionals don’t think the word “public relations” as it is understood now will characterise their work in five years, according to the Muck Rack State of PR Report 2021.
60 percent of those polled agreed that the phrase “public relations” needs to be redefined across agencies, brands, and organisations.
Many PR specialists believe that strategic planning is one of the most critical talents for success in five years, followed by media relations (77 percent) and the ability to use social media (64 percent) (72 percent ).
Data and analytics, written communication, diversity, equity, and inclusion were also regarded crucial abilities in the coming years. Sixty five percent of PR professionals say that written communication and data and analytics are crucial, compared to 67 percent who say that DEI skills are important.
In 2021, two-thirds of the top-performing PR companies focused on DEI with a pay equity audit, according to a new report.
This year, corporate reputation, strategic consultancy, and corporate social responsibility all saw increases in the number of PR executives employed in these fields.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, about 35,000 jobs in advertising, public relations, media, and associated marketing services have gone vacant.
Impact of public relations on data and analysis
Developing a great brand requires a planned mix of sponsored, earned, and owned media, which has created a new overlap between PR and marketing jobs. As a result, there has been an increase in the need for data-driven communications.
Sixty-one percent of PR professionals say they use web analytics tools on a monthly basis or more frequently. Email automation software is used by nearly half of respondents at least once a month.
Twenty-one percent of the PR firms surveyed in the World PR Report by the International Communications Consultancy Organization said measurement and analytics technologies will have the biggest influence in the future.
As opposed to in-house executives, PR agency respondents are more likely to consider their teams as more advanced in utilising data and analytics, as per the 2021 PRWeek/Boston University Communications Bellwether Survey (3.41 versus 2.87 on a five-point scale).
Fewer than a third of public relations professionals say they have a high level of confidence in employing data and analytics in their work.
What you need to know about social media and public relations
So it’s no wonder that social media continues to play a large (and rising) role in the public relations profession.
About a third of PR pros utilise social media platforms on a daily basis, while another 17 percent do so on a weekly basis. 43 percent of companies and nonprofit organisations utilise social media platforms everyday, however just 24 percent of advertising firms do so on a regular basis.
LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are the most popular social media networks among business professionals. LinkedIn was regarded the most significant social media platform by 81% of respondents, followed by Twitter (77%), Instagram (65%), and Facebook (65%). (64 percent ).
A survey by Sprout found that 89 percent of business leaders believe they would be left behind if they don’t invest in social media marketing.
Almost as widespread as word of mouth and commercials on TV and radio is the use of social media to learn about brands and companies. Three-quarters of customers think they will continue to use social media to learn about businesses in the future, with Generation Z being the most likely to do so.
When it comes to external communications, social media is quickly becoming the most popular method. Eighty-four percent of companies anticipate an increase in their company’s usage of social media for communications in the next three years. 48% now use social media as their major external communication route, and 58% expect it to become their primary channel in the next three years.
Consumers want companies with a social media presence to engage with their customers in significant ways (80% of consumers anticipate this).
Consumers prefer to engage with a brand or company on social media than to visit a brick-and-mortar location by more than half (58 percent).
Most CEOs (90 percent) feel that developing engaging experiences for customers via social media is crucial to the company’s success, according to a recent survey.
Nearly half (45%) of PR firms anticipate to invest more in social media management, while a further third (32%) expect to do the same in multimedia content production.
In 2022, we want to improve our communication.
In the public relations industry, social media is king.
Learn about some of the top social media skills business communicators need now that you’ve seen what’s coming.