Here come the nuggets of gold. What worked in PR in 2022 and what am I taking forward in 2023

It’s that time of the content cycle when we’re all busy doing preview and prediction blogs for our clients, so it feels tight to do one for myself. I also genuinely do take time out at this time of the year to consider what worked, what didn't and maybe what we'll be recommending to clients in 2023.

I’m obviously doing all this reflection in the context of some uncertain economics. I don't want to be a naysayer—trust, that isn't in my personality, but talk of looming recessions or any form of market unease always get me a little bit twitchy. At the start of the pandemic I did come out pretty strongly that cutting back on PR as the phones go a bit quiet is a terrible idea—but at the same time, I do really believe that an honest reflection about PR and looking closely at what we do to ensure it delivers value (or at least wipes its face) is a great personal exercise.

Fave PR tech

So: what did we do right in 2022? I’m going to start with our own Sarum version of what our B2B Tech & Life Sciences clients do for their customers: use tech to operate better. The standout here has been our investment in Releasd—a next generation coverage reporting tool that allows us to quickly share coverage success metrics.

I have to say I love it, and so it seems do Sarum clients. It’s meant goodbye for good to mind-numbingly boring PowerPoints about mentions or cobbled-together coverage sheets and hello to agile, informative, engaging and really visually appealing coverage success dashboards. As busy PRs and busy clients, moving to this to get proper data-driven analysis of campaign progress has been a great 2022 Sarum decision.

Ditch the blue bird and ramp up LinkedIn

Another great Sarum decision I felt was our move (before it was fashionable!) to dump the blue bird. Back in August, I posted on our decision to ditch Twitter based on my revelation that even pre-Musk it holds very little relevance anymore, if indeed it ever did, for B2B. I simply don't believe that B2B audiences engaged with this form of social media—so that was a good decision all around: a bit of decluttering that immediately and subsequently has freed up more time for me to put our B2B effort firmly where it should be for our clients—LinkedIn.

Our survey says....

This has been another bumper year for some clients conducting research and surveys. Our trusted global survey partner is Censuswide, and this year I am delighted to say we delivered many client satisfaction surveys, market awareness surveys, polls on the take up of regulations in pharma, integrated product development surveys, pharmacovigilance surveys, product development trends, etc.

The list goes on—as do the benefits, the spin-off content, the coverage, the insights have been off the scale, so targeted market research is also definitely on my list to keep doing in 2023.

You gotta love a great podcast

Podcasts is another one. I have blogged a couple of times on why they might be your next big comms channel, and my feelings are even stronger than they were then about the value of well-executed—though I do stress that—B2B podcasts.

I do firmly believe that a podcast done really, really, really well by a sector rockstar, ideally, could well be your next big come success. We’ve now built up a lot of expertise here at Sarum about how to do all this very well from the podcast to creating it to distributing it to and getting participants in it etc., and how to promote it.

We love this kind of work and we've built up the expertise, ?so look for me sharing lots of ‘how tos’ on this channel in 2023, as we hopefully creating a few more rockstars amongst our client base.

Get on message

Next: you can never not do the basics, no matter the fiscal temperature outside your door. In our world, that’s always about the core brand message. Is it simple and accessible—another of my obsessions throughout the year, and one that delivers huge value across so many channels. It really is as simple remember as the elevator pitch: get that right, and so much of the hard work is done for you.

Why? Because you have five seconds to impress in the hero area of your website. Five. You must be able to say what you do in very, very few words very succinctly and hugely accessibly. We love this kind of work at Sarum, it’s one of our specialties and we’re happy to help--but don't wait till it's broken to fix it. This should be an ongoing exercise, and it’s one that pays dividends, believe me.

Not just any old content

Next is don't just create content; become known for creating great content. And I think the target here is what I call McKinsey-level content. In tricky recessionary times, you need to stand out, and give value, so make your content add that value and give that advice.

It can't all be a thinly-veiled marketing brochure, which I think is a real separator between brands at the moment. Have the courage to let your subject matter experts be just that; encourage them to give advice and showcase what you know, with there always being a catch at the end. Align your messaging with your subject experts, be confident in that association—and so will your prospects and customers be.

Always 'their' voice - not 'yours'

Finally—and probably most importantly—I’ve blogged much this year about putting people, customers and employees at the centre of your communications. Their voices are way more persuasive to a potential buyer—and along with the above techniques, we'll be working to help our clients build and deliver that, centred on those real voices, in 2023 and beyond.

Happy New Year everyone. Here's to smashing it again in 2023

Carina