I realized the other day that in 2017 I will have worked in B2B tech PR for 20 years – having got that sobering fact out of the way, I then started to think about what ups and downs I had experienced in that time; working for a Dotcom in Silicon Valley in 1999, seen the worst of the Dotcom Crash the following year, thin client v fat client, Linux v Windows, PC v Mac, virtual machines, VOD, the 2008 crash, the rise and partial fall of social media, cloud computing etc. In all of that, some things have stood firm in the PR professional’s toolkit.
For 2017, here is a list of those basic, but critical, tools not to lose sight of if your clients, or business, is going to benefit from the continuing strength PR brings to revenue growth and commercial success in global markets:
- Press Releases (still the cornerstone and main vehicle for sharing news)
- Keeping your news page top of mind and near the top of your website (not buried at the bottom of the page like an afterthought and two layers down)
- Case Studies (these remain the Gold Standard of successful PR and marketing)
- Thought Leadership (tell us what you think)
- Analyst Relations (a strange cult to some, the way to salvation to others – this remains a critical channel for the vendors that know how to do it well)
- Leverage PR content for social media (PR coverage and content provides much needed credibility and stickiness to social media and owned content)
Did I miss anything? I hope not, but if I have please let me know and all the best for 2017.
