The number of software platforms that the average PR uses from day to day has risen significantly in recent years, and so long as the most suitable tools are selected, that’s no bad thing.
If you’re looking for ways to take even more sharp edges off your workflows and processes, take stock of the following platforms and consider whether adopting them in 2024 is a good move.
Image Source: Microsoft Copilot
Influencer relationship management (IRM) platforms
The power of influencers in shaping public perception is undeniable, and since a typical person spends 143 minutes using social media daily, their grip is unlikely to slip anytime soon.
In this context it makes sense for PR professionals to rely on advanced IRM platforms to manage and enhance these relationships effectively.
Essential tools include:
- Traackr: This offers a robust database of influencers, complete with engagement metrics and performance tracking.
- AspireIQ: It facilitates seamless collaboration between brands and influencers, providing detailed campaign analytics.
- HYPR: It can deliver deep audience insights and influencer demographics to ensure the right match for brand campaigns.
- Influencity: By providing comprehensive relationship management features, including ROI tracking and influencer scoring, it ensures that influencers are pulling their weight once contracted.
It’s worth mentioning that if you do establish relationships with influencers, keeping them on-side in an efficient way is important. And by using the best recurring billing tools in conjunction with IRM platforms, you’ll achieve this with your eyes closed.
Real-time data analytics solutions
Another fundamental tool in the arsenal of PR pros right now is real-time data analytics, particularly when it comes to calculating campaign success. The aim is to gain actionable insights that drive impactful strategies, rather than relying on trial and error. With spending on analytics anticipated to hit $32.4 billion by 2026, it’s clearly valued by many firms.
Key tools include:
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4): This offers enhanced tracking capabilities with predictive metrics and cross-platform data integration.
- HubSpot: In combining CRM features with advanced analytics to monitor campaign performance and optimize customer interactions, it offers multiple benefits in one package.
- Tableau: The party piece here is its ability to provide powerful visualization of complex datasets, enabling clear interpretations of otherwise impenetrable information, and thus enabling strategic planning.
- Sprinklr: For unified social media management with real-time reporting on engagement and sentiment across channels, this is the tool to choose.
Blockchain
Transparency and security in communications are much needed in the world of PR, and both are part and parcel of what blockchain-based solutions bring to the table. And with Gartner predicting that this tech will mature in 2025, now is the time to get involved.
Essential tools include:
- Storj: It can provide decentralized cloud storage, allowing for secure data management and sharing.
- VeChain: This facilitates supply chain transparency with immutable records, thus making it well suited to forming the basis of corporate responsibility campaigns.
- Factom: Here you get access to document authentication through blockchain, meaning that maintaining the integrity of press releases and official statements is as easy as pie.
Predictive analytics
We’ve touched on tools that offer real-time analytics, but it’s also worth investigating those geared towards predictive analytics, since they can have a positive effect in a crisis management context. It’s a case of ensuring that PR professionals can anticipate and mitigate potential crises before they escalate.
Key tools include:
- SAS Advanced Analytics: This offers powerful forecasting capabilities, making it possible to identify emerging threats from vast datasets that couldn’t be dealt with manually.
- IBM Watson: A long-standing option, this is an AI-enhanced platform which has the ability to predict crisis scenarios by analyzing historical data and current trends, among many other use cases.
- Palantir Foundry: It can provide comprehensive data integration and analysis, delivering actionable insights for proactive decision-making.
- Splunk: In spite of its quirky name, this vendor delivers real-time monitoring and anomaly detection across various digital channels.
Final thoughts
Your definition of ‘essential’ tools as a PR professional will of course rely on the types of campaigns you’re dealing with and the nature of the clients at hand. However, having these tools on your watch list will help you work out how to handle whatever obstacles you encounter in the course of your work this year, so set out to embrace change rather than settling for how you do things right now.
