Top PR and communications trends for 2023

Making public relations and communications predictions can seem a pointless exercise in our current rather topsy turvy world … but I’m going to have a stab anyway.

While 2023 will continue to be unpredictable, here are some of the key trends you can anticipate this year.

(These are a compilation of what Parker Public Relations is witnessing first-hand and what other PR pundits around the world are saying.)

A more humanized approach to communication

This is a trend which emerged during lockdown and continues to grow apace.

A more humanised approach has resulted in an explosion in organisations telling their story, showcasing the people ‘behind their brand’ and articulating where they stand on key social, environmental and governance issues.

We’re also hearing more and more about how businesses are championing important causes, doing the right thing by the environment, operating ethically and sustainably and giving back to the community.

We’re also seeing more CEOs and business leaders emerging from behind the anonymity of their brands to become the “human face” of their organisations. They’re the ones communicating directly with customers and shareholders, building their personal brands, creating and sharing valuable content on social media and generally raising awareness about issues relevant to their clients.

Thought leadership content to focus on client needs

In keeping with the humanisation and personalisation of brands, thought leadership content is less likely to come from the organisation itself (aka the marketing or PR department), but increasingly from senior leaders and subject experts within the organisation whose names will increasingly appear on blogs and other thought pieces.

As a result, the content will be less formal and will express the opinions, points of view, language and tone of the authors themselves.

2023 will also see thought leadership content focus more heavily on client challenges, pain points and priorities and on analysing current trends likely to affect businesses.

This was always the intention of thought leadership so a return to its intended purpose will be a welcome one!

Social media will continue to dominate

For B-B businesses and leaders, LinkedIn and Twitter will remain the go-to platforms for showcasing their expertise and thought leadership.

The big LinkedIn trend will be the growing personalisation of this traditionally professional platform. There will be more images of people with their children (grandchildren), heart-warming stories of people doing good for their community, and images of adventure-filled vacations in far flung locations.

This move towards integrating personal content with the traditional work stories is in response to the rapidly dissolving line separating work and life. The artificial wall that once separated the ‘work’ version of people from the real-life version has all but disappeared, giving people permission to bring their full selves to work every day.

Big growth in employee advocacy

As the war for talent intensifies, we will increasingly see companies encouraging and supporting their employees to become their digital brand ambassadors.

And who better to spread powerful messages about a great company culture and work conditions than staff members themselves? They understand their organisation better than anyone else does and as a result their engagement is likely to be more authentic and believable.

According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, people are three times more likely to trust company information shared by an employee than that shared by the CEO!

Media coverage will still be highly sought after

Media coverage will continue to be a highly prized commodity in 2023.

However, with the number of staff in newsrooms in decline, there will be an even greater need for organisations to provide the media with as much help as they can muster.

This will mean providing them with well-researched stories and everything they need to turn a story around in a hurry, such as relevant data, images, video overlay as well as rapid access to spokespersons capable of providing additional commentary and further insights.

Podcasting popularity to continue

As organisations have discovered, regardless of their size, podcasts are a great vehicle for positioning them as industry thought leaders while also revealing the ‘humanity’ of their brand.

As a result, podcasts will continue for extended discussions of hot topics, particularly podcasts that allow for longer, more in-depth conversations on important topics that deliver credible information and analysis.

Email marketing will retain its long and continued popularity

Email marketing may be approaching its 45th birthday, but it will continue to grow in 2023 and beyond.

As businesses have long discovered, email marketing remains one of the best ways to build brand awareness and highlight organisational expertise ... and also one of the most cost effective! It enables organisations to regularly stay in touch with customers. As studies show, it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one.

I hope you found my crystal-ball gazing useful and that the year ahead proves to be a worthwhile and productive.

Parker Public Relations provides the complete end-to-end of public relations and communications services. We do the heavy-lifting and manage all communications on behalf of organisations. We also provide thought leadership, personal branding and business booking coaching for CEOs, business leaders, entrepreneurs, coaches and academics. 

To get in touch, call: 0422 694 503 or email: wendy@parkerpublicrelations.com.au