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Reading the Tea Leaves for 2007

By Mike Nikolich
Tech Image Ltd.

Asking someone to predict the future is about as reliable as my golf game. All I can assure you is that I will play 18 holes, some better than others.

The truth is that no one knows what the future will bring. But savvy businesspeople can make an educated guess based on patterns from the past. We know, for example, that the Internet continues to grow in importance as a channel of information. We also know that social media is changing the way certain segments of the population talk to each other and gather data. With that in mind, here are quick takes on a few trends public relations people need to watch for in 2007.

C-level executives will continue to look to measure the ROI on public relations

Although dashboards and qualitative metrics, such as the tone and tenor of placements, is a big improvement over advertising equivalencies and pass-through readership, I continue to believe the only true measure of public relations should be the effect that your campaigns have on a company achieving its strategic business goals.

The stronger the connection you can make between public relations and sales, the better chance you have of convincing the C-level suite that public relations is more than just spin. Affordable products such as Leadlander provide immediate information about the companies browsing your Web site after major stories appear or press releases are distributed. News discovery engines, such as Personal Bee, have the potential to dramatically simplify how we filter the maze of blogs, RSS feeds and e-newsletters that clutter up our lives and inboxes every day.

Social media will cause a lot of heartburn for public relations executives

Life used to be fairly simple in the public relations world. You worked with reporters, built relationships and placed stories about your clients. Social media, including blogs, wikis, MySpace and other tools, is changing that equation. It has reduced the influence of some media members, increased the influence of others and made influencers out of ordinary folks who never had a voice before. It has also turned the rather organized world of media into the Wild West. No one really has a handle on what it can do or how it can help businesses, especially in the business-to-business space. But it’s definitely a factor. My advice to you is to get smart, and get smart today.

Satellite radio, podcasts, vodcasts, etc. will make heads spin

This space is even more uncharted than blogs and other online media, but I believe it will spawn unlimited public relations opportunities for savvy professionals who understand how to place stories in these channels.

The status of online placements will continue to rise

When media first moved online, an online-only placement was viewed as being second rate, especially by those executives who grew up with traditional media. That perception has been slowly changing over the past few years and will change even more in 2007. Rather than being the “leftovers” or stories not fit for the print edition, online stories are coming to the forefront. Even surveys have been showing that busy executives turn to the Internet as their primary news source. Reporters’ blogs will also be taken more seriously, although it’s doubtful that they’ll have the same status among executives that full articles do. But wait until next year.

Opportunities for thought leadership will abound

This is not so much about expertise as it is about economics. Limited budgets and more media options are driving down revenue at most publications. Less revenue means less cash on hand for reporters. Yet the need for content is still there, which will drive the symbiotic relationship between media outlets that need articles and organization experts who are looking to establish a need for their products and services.

Predicting the future is always dicey. But these trends are already in play and are highly likely of accelerating even more in the coming months. Savvy public relations professionals would be wise to pay heed to them and make sure they’re included in 2007 plans. They may not be earth-shattering, but they’ll have a direct impact on your life.

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Mike Nikolich is CEO of Tech Image®, one of the nation’s fastest-growing independent technology public relations firms. Tech Image helps position growing technology companies as market leaders through comprehensive public relations programs.