Digital Storytelling and Social Listening will Impact the Future of Your Brand

June 28, 2017
2:57 pm

Posted by DMA Solutions Team

DMA Solutions is constantly on the hunt for good data to help guide the marketing and public relations strategies that we lead for our fresh produce clients. We certainly look at trends happening within the industry, but also take a close look at what’s happening in the general marketplace that will indeed impact how relevant and effective our marketing and PR efforts will be.

A recent study conducted by the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations and the Association of National Advertisers revealed some incredible insights into the trends that will define the future of public relations. Because these trends should reshape how fresh produce marketers prioritize their brand strategies, we wanted to elevate the conversation here on The Core and share these research findings with you:

The two most important trends impacting the future of public relations as identified by both PR and marketing professionals was digital storytelling (88% of PR professionals and 80% of marketing professionals) and social listening (82% of PR professionals and 88% of marketing professionals).

It’s interesting to note as you look at this chart how these two trends took the lead by a pretty significant margin. Nearly 1,000 study participants all agree that digital storytelling and social listening should be our top two public relations strategies before behavioral research, influencer marketing, branded content, and even Donald Trump!

So let’s break down what these two trend categories mean for you:

Digital Storytelling – This includes your website, blog, social media posts, videos, infographics, photography and email campaigns. Whatever digital content you have the budget to produce, use it to communicate a cohesive, succinct and engaging message that provides value-based connection points for your target audience to plug in to. This requires ongoing content generation which can sometimes feel like an impossible commitment, but it’s important to start somewhere and just keep plowing ahead.

Social Listening – Not to be confused with social media posting, social listening requires dedicated time (usually several hours per day) be spent monitoring streams and engaging in relevant conversations that are happening organically on social platforms. While social media management can get a bad rap for being a frivolous waste of time, marketers who have already made this time and resource investment are reaping the benefits with community growth, increased engagement and a prospering tribe of online evangelists.

If either of these trends are something that you’re ready to invest in but don’t know how, we’re happy to point you in the right direction. We’d love to have a conversation with you to understand your goals and resources so that we can offer particular ideas and recommendations specific to your brand needs.