It’s that time of the year again! With 2015 now behind us, public relations professionals around the world are asking themselves, what’s next for 2016? Will developing creative, engaging content continue to rule the roost? How will social media communications evolve in the new year? And what are the things PR folks should be thinking about as they begin planning their next big campaign?

Below is a shortlist of trends in the communications world that are expected to either emerge or continue in 2016. As the year unfolds, be sure to check back in on the Communiqué PR blog to see if the predictions hold true or if something new and unimaginable takes a hold of the profession.

Content Amplification

Hours have been spent working to secure coverage for a client. Every key message painstakingly developed and rehearsed made it into the article. But nobody seems to be reading it.

Before any important piece of news or content is anticipated to be published, public relations professionals should be asking themselves how to increase its reach. In fact, specific content amplification plans are emerging as a norm for any comprehensive communications plan. Services such as Outbrain, which places links to earned coverage on popular websites for a fee, are expected to rise in 2016 and offer even more options to expand reach. How content is distributed and who it reaches may soon overtake unique monthly visitors and circulation as the most prized metric to measure success.

Mobile-Friendly

This is one that can be included in these types of articles for years to come (and should have been included in previous years). Basically, people today are digesting their news via mobile devices. Everyone has one and they aren’t going away anytime soon. Communications professionals need to understand this fact and what it means to the planning process.

For example, how does that new infographic look when viewed on a cell phone? If an image is being developed for Twitter, does it fit the dimensions needed to be seen in full? What about resolution? Can people read the text on a small screen?

These are just a few things to consider for any content being produced and distributed in 2016, but certainly not the only things. Creating mobile-friendly content today also has to account for the ever-evolving technology that is reaching consumers. Not only do people need to account for smartphones and the specific nuances of each model and operating system, but with the rise of tablets and wearable technology, it’s become critical to develop content that works across a wide variety of mobile devices along with desktops and laptops.

Integration

Communications professionals have come to realize integration provides a means to circumvent limitations faced with a singular approach and can ultimately improve results. From the onset, marketing and other vertical leads should be involved in all planning discussions. What are their priorities for the year? How can public relations help them achieve their goals? What properties do they have that can be leveraged in a communications campaign?

By integrating all communications efforts into one overriding strategy, every vertical will have a better understanding of each department’s priorities and ensure that its goals do not conflict with one another. With this understanding, communications professionals should take a step back before developing a plan to think about how an integrated approach will work and how to sell the ideas to all the different parties involved. Essentially, everyone involved in the plan should see how it benefits their area of focus to ensure buy-in and success of the proposed tactics.

Multimedia Announcements

Reporters are inundated with hundreds of press releases and pitches on a daily basis. Their time is limited, and getting them to look at a company’s latest announcement can be a struggle. Luckily, multimedia press releases continue to grow in popularity because they have that something extra that can grab the eye of a reporter.

Although nothing new, multimedia press releases are set to become standard in 2016. Including pictures, infographics, video, b-roll, social media links, etc. in major company announcements is a simple way to garner extra attention. The days of the long, three-page press release are nearing an end and in its place is a more visual and interesting representation of the same information.

But it doesn’t end with just press releases – using multimedia and different communication channels to reach reporters directly is quickly growing and being embraced by public relations professionals around the country. Sending direct messages to reporters via Twitter or Snapchat is becoming standard for many media specialists, and including embedded GIFs or video in standard pitch emails is a new, emerging trend.

Will these predictions hold true? Only time will tell. But one thing is for certain: Public relations will continue evolving and it is up to us as professionals to stay ahead of the curve or risk being left behind.