Growing and carving out a hard-charging PR career requires that you be well-informed. Being in the know will open up new entrepreneurial avenues and place you well ahead of the curve. Traditional PR skills are on the decline as technology continues to expand, especially in the sphere of digital communications. This, then, creates a need for a PR professional to learn about emerging trends and to embrace them to keep their careers rolling towards success. As the CEO of 5WPR I know that it is essential to recognize the value of traditional PR techniques; though newer trends may enhance them, traditional skills remain a crucial piece in making a successful PR professional.

Mobile Optimization

There has been a constant increase in the use of mobile by PR professionals. Mobile has been leveraged as a standard component of both campaign strategy and daily business. In spite of this trend, many PR professionals still do not fully comprehend the extent to which the mobile platform can be exploited. The mobile industry is a powerful driver of business and can be a tool that propels any PR career to new heights. Since most clients already realize this and ask for utilization of the mobile channel to achieve their goals, it is essential that a PR professional understand the vital nuance mobile optimization adds to their endeavors.

2. SEO

A renowned author and successful blogger was once quoted saying that the effective acceleration of content discovery and distribution is an essential accomplishment that can only be achieved with the proper SEO skills. Further, the alignment of SEO and PR is closer than ever; and the trend should continue in 2015.

3. Advertising Copywriting

Any PR professional understands that online advertising is a vital tool in their career. The various channels here include social media management, Google AdWords, Facebook advertising and e-newsletters, among many others. Successful online advertising is founded on the ability of creative and effective messaging. Copywriters can tell a client’s story with compelling content. PR professionals and agencies must determine how best to drive online advertising, but the need for impeccable skills in advertising copywriting remains as important as ever.

4. Social Content Creation

Creating content, also known as curation, is part and parcel of digital marketing. Already, the content pieces of digital marketing are owned by far too many marketers and salespeople. This leads to a scenario where there is a lot of useless content that doesn’t generate the desired effects. As a PR professional, one is expected to be a terrific storyteller. Generating valuable, engaging content will, consequently, be a ticket to success. These are some tools that can help with content generation for a brand.

5. Analytics

More people are gradually realizing the value of the proper acquisition and utilization of data. With the large amount of data PR professionals can now access, it is vital they be able to analyze it for maximal benefit. Proper analysis will provide essential information about search behavior, engagement and patterns of use of various social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Analytics, when properly applied, will help in gauging and understanding the contribution of PR techniques and their impact on business objectives and communication programs. In 2015, nobody will forgive a PR professional who can’t develop insights from gathering and analyzing data. While one does not have to be a data analyst oneself, it’s a good idea to become comfortable working with one.

6. Speed to Information

Being up-to-date is an infinitely valuable quality in a PR professional. Always appearing fresh and informed will be a tremendous boost for PR careers in 2015. This will put you in sync with the news and give you useful insight into the world around you and how the events that unfold will affect business. Understanding the complex interplay between the larger world and your client will help you fashion your PR strategy more effectively.

7. Programing

Anyone in PR aspiring to be a pro ought to be skilled in handling the tools used for creating, managing and analyzing digital content. These include being able to work the code in content management systems and web hosts.

8. Virtual Teams

Collaboration and cloud storage are the realities of our time. There are also many other offsite productivity tools that have been developed. Therefore, productive PR professionals need not focus on time spent in the office but on generating profitable results faster. As long as one can manage a virtual team and equip it with the right tools, successful PR can be realized outside of traditional office environments.

9. Video Editing and Production

A PR professional will be expected to create, edit and distribute unique content including video and photos.

10. Blogger Outreach

As a PR professional, one will be expected to deliver profitable messages to the proper audience. Various tools are available to help with this. PR Professionals must know how best to incorporate blogger outreach in their PR strategies.

Ronn Torossian is the 5WPR CEO and the Founder of the Ronn Torossian Foundation. Ronn is the author of the best selling PR book For Immediate Release, and is a life long New yorker.