With 2012 a whopping 3 days old, it’s time for—Out with the old, and in with the new! What better way to jump-start the New Year than to begin thinking about where and how you can improve your business? No matter how big or small your company is, these PR and marketing trends will show a strong presence this year.  So, get to know them inside and out!

Social Media Platforms

While traditional social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have held their own in PR and marketing, in 2012 we’re going to see a huge rise in Google+ usage and other social media platforms such as Pinterest. With the increasing popularity of these tools, companies can extend their reach and engage with their consumers more than ever before.

While Google+ was quickly adopted by techies, as Peter Pachal from Mashable states,

“Google+ has had favorable growth and many positive reviews, but it’s still relatively unknown among “real” people. And those that do know it have the distinct impression that it’s the social network for hard-core nerds. That’s something Google has to change if it wants people to use its service instead of competitors, and going mainstream has to be a primary goal in the New Year… and most of all it has to find its voice — its one-sentence description that doesn’t have the words “like Facebook” in it.”

So watch out in 2012 to see where the Google innovators take Google+, and how it’ll appeal to the masses, not just the “nerds.”

Pinterest on the other hand has proven to be a quick and easy way for companies to engage with their consumers, techies or not. Companies have become increasingly present on the Pinterest prowl and many have found that this platform is a quick and easy way to improve business. With Pinterest seeing a 4,000% increase in visits over a 6 month span, it’s no wonder why businesses are jumping on the bandwagon. Pinterest is an effortless way to collect your favorite images  (products, clothing, furniture, art, you name it, it’s on there!) and pin them onto inspiration boards. Just click your images, and you will be taken to the original site that pinned it and voilà, just like that a business can make a sale.

Reputation is Everything!

Maintaining a strong reputation online is going to be more important than ever this year.  With social media spreading like wildfire, it has never been easier for consumers to quickly voice their satisfactions or lack thereof. Instead of allowing negative feedback to impact your business, devote several hours a week to clear up any misunderstandings or complaints you may receive.  Keep those Facebook accounts clean by determining when and how you will deal with an issue. It’s the best policy to maintain responsibility and offer a resolution if one of your consumers is upset. Better yet, give that consumer a specific person and email to direct their concerns to. Not only will it help resolve their problem, but it also takes the conversation off social media. If you are proactively showing your followers that you are willing to fix the situation and doing it publicly, other followers will see that your company takes responsibility. Your responsiveness will NOT go unnoticed.

Specific Pitching

Let’s face it, people are not picking up their phones and they’re barely replying to email. So, as a PR professional, how are you going to stay ahead of the game when it comes to pitching?

A Few Rules of Thumb to Use in 2012

Take the time to build some meaningful relationships. Are you pitching mom bloggers or tech ninjas? Then you need to start following their blog, Twitter and Facebook and comment on their work! As we learned from BlogWorld 2011, bloggers respect and notice when you write meaningful comments and in turn will be more likely to recognize your name when you officially pitch them. Pitching editors and journalists? A little background research can go a long way. If you are writing a customized pitch, do your homework! Always mention a previous article in your pitch, it shows you took the time to read their work and therefore gives you more credibility.

With more and more agencies moving towards “niches,” it’s important that your media lists are continuously evolving and being updated. Starting from scratch with those bad boys? Start with the basics and go through all your media lists. Are they out of date? Are they relevant to what you’re pitching? If your company has moved away from representing clients from all walks of life, to specifically just food and beverage, then maybe it’s time to re-think having all those “other” lists.  If you don’t need them, throw them away.

Next, start building from the ground up. Even though it’s tedious to pull new media lists, you won’t be sorry if you take the time to do it right. You would be amazed at how far a few good media lists can take you. Lastly, once you’re ready to pitch those amazing bloggers, journalists and editors that you have cultivated relationships with, make sure you are using an attention-grabbing, quick and to the point, informative subject line (did you get all that?)

Follow Up? Yes Please.

Like we said, a phone call won’t cut it, so instead of wasting precious time. Get online! Using social media is a great way to connect with the people you’ve pitched. Second, don’t be afraid to send multiple emails. Oftentimes, journalists and editors are inundated with emails from people just like YOU (yeah, you). If you have done your research and you know your story is exactly what that writer covers, keep emailing them because they might’ve erased your original message. Don’t forget, nothing beats face-to-face interaction. Go beyond normal office hours (who are we kidding, we’re in PR) and take the time out of your schedule to attend events and meet the people you are pitching, this will make future pitching that much easier and fun!