New Year’s Resolutions for PR and Marketing Pros

Every year, people around the world pledge to make New Year’s Resolutions. These promises come in all shapes and sizes, but ultimately serve as a way for folks to set goals to better themselves during the year ahead. While personal resolutions will vary, although maybe not as much as you think, there are a handful of professional resolutions us PR and Marketing professionals should consider adding to (or keeping on!) our lists.

Focus on measurement as a first step, not an afterthought.

Professionals in our industry are sometimes so focused on delivering the next big, innovative idea to their clients that figuring out how to measure the success of an initiative becomes an afterthought. This year, try developing your programs around how you will measure them. Figure out what ‘success’ means to your client and how you can measure it, then work backwards to figure out what will drive the most results.

Break out of your comfort zone.

Both the PR and Marketing industries are evolving more rapidly than ever, offering tons of opportunities to test out new tools, services and platforms. Additionally, well-rounded, integrated communication programs are becoming more and more popular with clients. I shared an overview of some of Google’s most user-friendly, publicly available tools for collecting data here on the blog a couple of weeks ago. The post walks through how to easily uncover relevant search engine data to bolster your traditional PR programs, you can read more here. Challenge yourself to learn something new this year, and encourage your team members to do the same. The more knowledgeable you are as a group, the more impressive and valuable you’ll appear to your clients.

Be honest, even brutally honest when necessary.

In all client-service industries, professionals have to walk a fine line between being a good partner and doing what the client asks. Make 2017 the year of honesty. Don’t think a specific campaign will be very successful? Tell your client that. Setting more accurate and realistic expectations will increase client satisfaction with your services in the long run.

Cut down your word count.

Whether we’re speaking out loud or writing thoughts down, it pays to be succinct. In today’s digital world, there is an endless amount of information available at our fingertips. The challenge is no longer finding the information we need, but has instead become finding information that is presented in a clear and easily-digestible format. Keep your earned and owned content concise and to the point to help position yourself and your client as a true thought leader in your space.

Whether or not you choose ringing in the new year as the time to set your goals, identifying professional and personal aspirations is something everyone should consider doing on a regular basis. Resolving to improve various aspects of your life not only encourages personal growth, but it increases self-awareness and forces people to figure out what matters most to them.

What were some of your professional resolutions this year? Share them below in the comments!

Casey Egan
Marketing Analyst

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