With PR at the very top of a company’s sales funnel, we often forge the way in the marketplace – making new technologies more accessible to target audiences. But, as they say, it’s often lonely at the top and this is especially true for us PRs. Our job is to craft compelling, digestible stories about bleeding-edge technologies that will really stand out for journalists who receive hundreds of pitches and news stories every day. It is equal parts education and sweat equity in the world of PR, simply because the world is always chasing after the next big thing. With technology changing rapidly and digital transformation fully underway, PR has to adapt quickly to communicate the value of these innovations with key audiences.
Case in point: cloud computing used to be the next big thing, but now we’re beyond that as digital transformation takes hold. Smart PRs are now looking past cloud computing and cloud migration to the future where machine learning and AI are being used to make people’s lives easier. With this technology, there is still so much fear about the potential for robots to take the place of humans in the workplace, so PR has the added task of alleviating those concerns while communicating the facts and merit of how this innovation benefits not just a company, but our entire society.
A big technology trend calling for b2b tech PR expertise right now is blockchain. There is currently still a lot of misinformation about what blockchain is exactly and how it works outside of a financial context. If you happen to be a company in this space, or one that could greatly benefit from using it, this is where your PR team plays a pivotal role. Our job is to cut through the noise, clarify the salient message points and dispel any negative impressions that could be standing in the way of general acceptance of blockchain.
Along with this, we have to identify and build connections with those media that are now covering this trend. There are brand new media titles to target such as CoinDesk and other cryptocurrency publications that were not around 10 years ago. Blockchain is even being covered by media such as The Inquirer, VentureBeat and TechCrunch. To be in the conversation, PRs have to first find a connection between the company they represent and the trend (sometimes this is obvious and other times it takes creative brainstorming to find relevant media angles). Developing messaging is the next step and it’s important for PRs to realise here that the right messaging needs to focus around the outcome while at the same time clearly explaining how their client company either delivers value with it or creates value that benefits their customers/prospects.
It’s not a matter of jumping on the bandwagon when it comes to evolving technology trends, b2b tech PR is in the lead and, with the right strategy in place, it can play an essential role in educating the world on why these innovations are life-changing. Let’s talk tech — our favorite topic — Please contact TechComms, a b2b tech marketing and communications agency on + 44 (0) 203 322 8928.
