For many, the best illustration of the current media landscape that we now find ourselves in would be the social media account of President Trump. Looking back even a few years, it would have been hard to imagine how a short message under 280 characters could completely change, and even dominate, the global news agenda for that day. But this is now the case in the digitalised world we inhabit, while on a broader scale, the rise of “clickbait” headlines and proliferation of so-called fake news articles make it harder than ever to ensure that a business’ key messages are reaching the end users.

The temptation for many may be to attempt to match this trend via their media relations efforts – to go for ‘quick-hits’ and hope that views and messages are potent enough to stand out from peers wanting similar attention in a crowded space. However, while staying on top of the latest news and developing stories should remain vital elements any media outreach strategy, this shouldn’t be at the expense of the substance of the message itself. Indeed, with more voices than ever before clamouring to discuss key industry topics, it must be remembered that messages much be succinct, but also unique – what makes your business or your views stand out?

Alongside this, the need for starting, developing and nurturing effective long-term relationships with the press has taken on even greater importance. With the need for fast responses, and clear descriptions of developing stories or themes, understanding the working practices and methods of journalists is vital to creating streamlined communications processes. Indeed, while technology has now become an irreplaceable feature of communications, it remains the people involved that are at the centre of this process. Knowing how to best work with each other should not lose its value among the ‘race for press space’.

All this said, while there are negatives surrounding technological advancements of communications, the ability to reach a wider group of people, in real-time, should not be underestimated. In the financial services sector, it is clear that the uptake of these developments has been slower than that of other industries, creating huge opportunities for businesses who do this effectively to reap the rewards.

Ultimately, it would seem as the communications sector is going through something of a technological revolution, and this has further emphasised the great need to do things ‘the right way’ with a view of preventing messages being lost within the sea of virtual noise that social media has produced. The values of effective message development and relationship building will remain crucial pillars of public relations as digitalisation continues to transform the communications landscape.