Stories by Greg Barkley

While 2021 may promise a return to previous practices, SEO and the online landscape are permanently altered. We see the below as major themes for 2021. Many spring from forced changes brought about in 2020.

Though PR service companies are underrepresented in our industry’s history, they are responsible for much innovation in the sector. In fact, a few services companies date back to the late 1800s. Let’s look at some of the people behind these successful businesses that helped shape PR.

Data is data, right? Not if it’s dirty. Considering how many businesses have downsized, closed temporarily or shuttered completely, it’s a good bet that a significant number of contacts on your marketing lists are out of date. Ditto employees, some of whom were furloughed, terminated or work from home (do you have their correct address and phone number?). Now’s the time to begin cleaning.

Those who thought PR crises were finished for the year probably hadn’t counted on Hilaria Baldwin’s identity issues popping into the news just days before 2020 ended. OK, so Ms. B. isn’t who she’s claimed. Instead of coming clean, she and her husband have made things worse. Fast, someone, get them a PR pro!

It’s said that life sometimes imitates art. For many PR pros in 2020, it was difficult to separate life at home from life at work. For at least one PR pro, the confluence of home and work was beneficial as she learned that training in PR helped her stage a wedding during the pandemic.

It’s nearly time for a break. Yet social media never really takes a breather. That’s why it’s crucial that brands continue to monitor the social conversation during the 2020 holiday season.

TikTok can be friendly to brands, or a terror. Here are tips to help brands navigate the sometimes-difficult waters of the hottest new social media platform.

You thought 2020 was difficult? It was. But what about 2021? Successful communication amid the coming year’s highly sensitive environment will require more authenticity, empathy, and innovation to meet new and evolved expectations.

This holiday season will be different from others. As a result, the margin for error is slimmer. This means if you employ influencers, vet them a bit more than normal. Perhaps even restructure their contract to reflect the moment.

Vaccines for COVID-19 have arrived and logistics for distribution seem to be in place. Now another hurdle exists: convincing enough of the public that the vaccines work as advertised and that they’re safe and necessary. Reciting data and statistics to bolster trust will work only to a point. The communication piece of the vaccine effort must proceed carefully, speaking to people in language they can understand.