A.I. And Your Communications Approach In 2024

We've all heard the famous quote from philosopher Heraclitus, who said "the only constant is change". With the rise of A.I. and how to use it with impact, could anything be more true in 2024? Change brings terrific potential for growth, improvement and innovation, so let's look at some of the ways we are embracing the opportunities provided by A.I. for greater success, and avoiding some of the mistakes we are already seeing others make with these new tools

A.I. Has Amazing Benefits For Communications

There is no doubt that A.I. offers incredible creative, time-saving, insights and data collection benefits when it comes to communications...and that's just the tip of the iceberg. We also know that it will be some time before we realize the full potential of these tools. As we become more familiar with A.I. and its capabilities, one mistake that we need to avoid is treating A.I. as a panacea, like many did with social media and with digital advertising. Both were treated as a cure-all before their potential was fully understood, and in a rush to capitalize, many brands and businesses had already thrown caution to the wind and upended their marketing budgets.

The potential for A.I. is even larger than it was for social media in many instances, but understanding how to utilize it now is more nuanced. Don't make the mistake of overhauling your existing plans to take advantage of these tools. Instead, look for opportunities to implement A.I. in a way that provides deeper understanding, saves time and makes the customer experience easier - without sacrificing quality or high-touch service that you have already established with your customers.

The Future For A.I. Is Even Brighter

When it comes to a long-term vision, it is hard to imagine A.I. not playing a substantial role in many areas. Unlike other industries, public relations relies on nuance, which is not a current strong suit of the tools. In fact, it may never be, but that doesn't mean that A.I. can't provide invaluable benefits. We see a huge opportunity in using A.I. to categorize and conquer the never-ending firehose of chatter and information, extracting what's truly important from a mass of noise, benefiting greatly in crisis situations as well as brand listening and monitoring.

Another area of opportunity is in trend monitoring and pitch development, which may never fall to A.I. completely, but can be greatly helpful to the humans who are charged with converting this information into creative communications.

Educating and Activating Team Members

With tools like A.I., their effectiveness is directly tied to the buy-in of those utilizing them. That's why educating and activating your team through training, first-hand engagement and understanding of A.I. is so essential.

Take time to explain A.I. with your team, how you plan to use it in the short-term and what knowledge and understanding will be expected of them. The more familiar and comfortable that they are with the tools, the more likely they are to utilize them.

Set regular 1:1 and group check-ins to track progress, understanding and utilization. Some will gravitate to it automatically (think again about the rise of social media) while others may require more motivation. Still, if your company is committed to utilizing A.I., you must ensure that the entire company understands the benefits - and the expectations.

Educating and Activating Your Clients

If you're a PR Agency or practitioner, you know that there is an added challenge of educating and activating your clients when it comes to artificial intelligence tools. Much like social media, some are ready to jump right in without a plan while others avoid anything related to A.I. like the plague. The key is to demonstrate the value more than highlighting the tools themselves.

When data is collected and shared using A.I. tools, be sure to call it out to the client, and share the role that A.I. plays in creative, strategic and reporting initiatives. Also, it is incredibly helpful to share examples of how other companies are using A.I. to aid in their communications, so that they understand how it is being used, and sparks initiative on how it can be used for their company as well.

Guardrails And Watch Outs

Like any emerging technology, A.I. is not perfect - far from it. The worst thing that you can do is completely trust the technology without double-checking the results. This means being extra meticulous when it comes to sharing anything A.I. - generated or assisted. When possible, double check information and data to ensure accuracy. Don't blindly trust anything without reviewing it as the expert editor.

Finally, if A.I. is simply a shortcut for you, chances are you aren't using it correctly. It can save you time and increase productivity, that is certain, but the ultimate goal is utilizing a tool that creates a better crafted, better informed and better communicated end product. With this as your mindset, the opportunities to implement A.I. to create and share impressive communications initiatives are gigantic.

New Growth for Evins Communications in 2024

We are excited to announce our own changes for the new year - including a new address. Evins Communications is now located in the heart of Rockefeller Center at 600 Fifth Avenue.

We look forward to a 2024 filled with amazing opportunities with clients existing and new, and creating and sharing stories that drive awareness, adoption and advocacy. We want to thank our friends and partners in welcoming another exciting new chapter in the storied legacy of Evins Communications as we enter our 38th year of business.

How are you planning to embrace change this year? Share your thoughts with us on social media, or feel free to reach out to us directly.