Editor’s note: This is the 9th in a series of 12 guest posts from industry thought leaders predicting key trends that will impact the public relations industry in 2013. Hosted under the hashtag #PRin2013, the series began Jan. 7, 2013, with a compilation post previewing some of the predictions.

The momentum of mobile is dazzling and inevitable, but we’ll be in danger of making the same mistakes we made with social media if we fail to understand the nature of mobile’s expanding role on the marketing stage.

Continue reading " Reality Check: Mobile "

Editor’s note: This is the eighth in a series of 12 guest posts from industry executives predicting key trends that will impact the public relations industry in 2012. Hosted under the hashtag #PRin2012, the series began Dec. 19, 2011, with a compilation post previewing all 12 predictions.

It’s no secret that the line dividing consumer and professional technologies is blurring. You’ve probably heard of “the consumerization of IT,” and it’s more than a trend — it’s a profound shift toward a technology market where consumers have unprecedented influence and businesses must acknowledge the impact of consumer technologies on their operations. In 2012, and beyond, I expect this movement to significantly transform the way technology PR professionals support and counsel their clients, and the way agencies approach their own IT.

The technologies, particularly those emerging in the mobile space, which IT departments need to accommodate under this “trend,” are first making waves in the consumer market, so it radically upsets the balance of influencers in the technology space.

Along with appealing to the IT decision-maker for whom consumerization presents both a complex challenge and opportunity, traditional B-to-B technology brands need to identify where they fit — if at all — within this movement  and capture consumer awareness and preference, something that may not have previously been a chief concern. The opposite is true for those brands that have traditionally marketed to the consumer. They must learn to communicate to satisfy commercial enterprise demands to fully develop their product’s market potential.

As a technology PR firm, consumerization demands that we present our clients with data and insights to inform how their marketing strategies and messages must adapt for the increasingly powerful consumer segment.

Continue reading " #PRin2012: Consumerization of IT Changes PR from the Inside, Out "

Editor’s Note: Throughout this week, we will be featuring PRSA members who also happen to be entrepreneurs, running their own PR firms or consultancies. We’ve asked our guest bloggers to provide insight into the realities of running an agency and how others can get started. Janet Tyler, APR, president of Detroit-based Airfoil Public Relations, kicks off our series.

Prior to launching Airfoil Public Relations, my partner and I worked together at another firm where we had launched and nurtured a technology practice that grew 100 percent over the course of three years.

Through this experience, I came to understand two significant things that would ultimately make my life and my career fulfilling beyond imagination: first, that my partner and I were very successful at complementing and maximizing each other’s talents and business instincts; and second, that we would need to strike out on our own to fully capitalize upon those strengths.

We also shared a desire to simply have fun doing what we love, and realized we needed to create our own space where we and our team would have the freedom to do that.

So, nearly 11 years ago we did it. We set up shop with five employees, a modest office, a white board and great aspirations of becoming a technology public relations firm of respect and renown.

And we never looked back.

Continue reading " Start Making Cents: Starting a Firm During Economic Downturns "