One Prediction Each for PR, Content Marketing and Social Media  

There’s more than one way to look at the annual cycle of prediction posts that surface on the web, as the final days of another calendar year wane.

Some see them as fun and a break from the usual content routine.

Others see predictions as idle, fruitless and little more than a cocktail of digital backslapping.

Still, others see predictions as an annual moment of reflection and the chance to stretch one’s thinking.

As for me, I tend to fall into the final category. Predictions are a license for liberty in mental exercise.  And whether right or wrong, predictions are a bit of fun too.

Here are my predictions for PR, content marketing and social media; one each.

1) Predictions for PR in 2017

In 2017, PR professionals will be increasingly viewed as strategic business advisors championing integrated communications across the silos of digital marketing, PR and social media.

PR will recognize the important role it has in content marketing, as both a means for building relationships, and as a philosophical approach to marketing communications it has always embraced.

Finally, the savviest of corporate communicators will recognize that paid media in a digital environment, is a cost effective and highly targeted channel by which to augment existing communications efforts and an opportunity to reach influencers that cannot otherwise be reached.

Our world, the world of communications, is no longer defined by what is and is not PR, but rather how the professional can master the skills required across owned, earned, paid and shared media, in order to influence and frame market conversations.

Recommended Reading:

• Why Content Marketing and Public Relations Need Each Other
• PR is the Best Kept Secret in Effective Content Marketing
• Survey: 5 Top Ways Reporters Find Sources and Stories

2) Predictions for Content Marketing in 2017

After a hiatus last year from the annual list of predictions by the Content Marketing Institute (I was off being a Soldier for the very last time when CMI polled the community) I was honored to be included again this year (slide #59; last but not least!): 60+ Content Marketing Predictions for a Successful 2017:

“In 2017, B2B organizations will shift recruiting efforts from digital to strategy talent to tie content marketing to business objectives.  Successful organizations will reduce content volume for fewer but more thorough and longer pieces.  Many will jettison the click addiction in favor of trust as a means of measurement.”

There are many interesting predictions on the list this year and I’ve embedded the presentation below for your consideration. I recommend reviewing predictions from Rebecca Lieb, (slide #13) whose research I often cite on this blog, is onto something with context; Debbie Williams (slide #28) is speaking my third-party validation language, and Colleen Jones (slide #36) is a trend that is undoubtedly emerging.

• Marketing Strategy: The Looming Knowledge Crisis
• Repurpose Does Not Mean Regurgitate in Content Marketing
• Game Theory: Content Marketing as an Infinite Game

3) Predictions for Social Media in 2017

Erica Abbott, an associate editor with Business2Community graciously included my prediction for social media in her round-up: The Future of Social Media: 37 Experts Share Their 2017 Predictions:

“For brands, the future of social media will remain a path paved in payment. The ability of social media platforms to monetize centers on first creating a dependency or affinity for seemingly free distribution, but later introducing a fee for the same distribution. As a consequence, in 2017, brands have will be less enthusiastic about adopting new social media platforms – and far more considerate in choosing platforms in which to invest.”

In addition, I found Emily Sidley’s (#25) concept of “social media exclusives” intriguing.  She’s thinking differently and that’s what I think these predictions are all about.

Recommended reading:

• Survey says PR Best Positioned to Manage Corporate Social Media
• Are Facebook Ads Any Good for B2B Marketing?
• Future of Social Media Marketing is a Path Paved in Payment

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What predictions have you made or see that gave you a moment of reflection?  Please feel free to share in the comments.  I’ll be running a curated list of predictions for the Unscripted Marketing segment this Saturday.

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If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
Marketing Budgets, Planning and Benchmarks for 2017 [UML]  

Photo credit: Flickr, Flavio~, Crystal Ball Photography Variant (CC by 2.0)