Report: PR pros should focus on ‘influencer’ marketing, VR

Here are a few takeaways on what to expect in 2017—and what communication managers should focus on to make it work for their brands.

The year of “influencer” marketing

2017 is going to be a monumental year; eMarketer predicts it to be the first year that digital advertising dollars will surpass TV budgets.

How will brand managers accomplish this? “Influencer” marketing.

A recent survey revealed 84 percent of marketers plan on executing at least one marketing campaign with influential social media users during the next 12 months.

In Edelman Digital’s 2017 trend report, the agency breaks these online powerhouses into two categories: mass “influencers,” which have several million followers, and “micro-influencers,” with 1,000 to100,000 followers.

Edelman gives the following tips to brands regarding mass influencers:

· As brand managers pursue social media users with several million subscribers, it’s important to align organizational values to that of the “influencer.”