3 Trends Communicators Can Expect to Expand in 2021

The events of the past week in America have shaken any sense of normalcy we hoped to usher in with the New Year. At best, the chaos serves as a reminder that the best laid plans—including our resolutions and intentions—can soon be shredded like old receipts. My plans to write about what’s ahead for communications seem almost laughable now, when the “unknown unknowns” keep stealing the show.

If history is our guide, we can light the way with lessons from long ago. What we know of power, corruption, sanity and insanity can serve as safety tools as we spelunk into the dark and foreboding caves of the future. For communicators, it may already feel like we rewound the tape on 2020 and pressed start to play from the beginning. That’s why it’s important to look back, as we forge ahead. Adaptability will continue to be the gauze in our emergency kit.

Without much more ado, here are my predictions for 2020 communication trends you should expect to expand in 2021.

1. DEI comms and commitments expand – I’ve already been proven right about this one and we’re not even half a month into the year! With last week’s events at the Capitol urging action from leaders at the highest levels, communicators quickly churned out statements from CEOs condemning the destruction and threat to American democracy. Many went as far as to point out the disparity in police response between the spring and summer’s BLM protests and the protest-turned-riot at the Capitol.

As with any CSR initiative, companies must put their money where their mouth is, lest consumers call them out on empty virtue signaling. Your statement is all well and good, but don’t stop there. Use your people, profits and power in your industry to make real, positive change. And then tell us about it.

2. SEO research drives PR and content marketing – PR has been slow to jump on the digital bandwagon, but as marketing (content marketing in particular) and PR continue to converge in the digital space, keyword research and site optimization will expand the horizons and success of PR and media campaigns like good headline writing helped secure more clicks for news sites and marketers alike. PR pros can bring tremendous value to their journalistic counterparts with thoughtful and well-researched pitches that use the principles of SEO to be helpful and relevant.

3. Authentic and trustworthy influencers will make or break brands – Gen Z in particular was hot for “no b.s.” influencers this year, eagerly lapping up advice and clicking affiliate links for the tell-it-like-it-is types on TikTok, the likes of Mikayla (@mikaylanoguiera), Vi (@whatsonvisface), and Hyram Yarbo (@skincarebyhyram), from the skincare space. If your brand is squad-approved, lucky you! If not, you’ll need to think carefully about damage control before you blast an influencer’s “opinion.” Good luck, St. Ives.

This year may give 2020 a run for its money, but if we plan for the best and prepare for the worst, most of us should make it out of the cave alive. If all else fails, we can listen to the letters of our literary greats, like Kurt Vonnegut. When a reader named Joe requested that Vonnegut, “Please tell me it will all be okay,” Vonnegut said: