This year is my 16th as a self employed PR consultant.

Working life has changed dramatically since I established my independent PR consultancy business back in 2000.  Email was very much in its infancy and businesses with websites were few and far between. Mobile phones were gaining in popularity and digital photography was new and rare. Most marketing communication was done via the postal service or ‘snail mail’ as it became known.

Despatching a news release back then was a time-consuming administrative task. The media relations process involved ordering dozens of 7×5 photos, sticking caption labels on the back, printing out press releases on headed paper that had to be stapled and folded, stuffing board-backed envelopes and sticking on address labels – with media contact details gleaned from a CD-Rom. Then it was a matter of going to the post office and buying stamps – which needed to be licked! A few days later, a good deal of time was spent attempting to speak to journalists on the (landline) phone to follow up the news releases that had been sent out.

The digital age has had a massive impact on my day-to-day work as a PR consultant. Over the years email took over as the main communication channel for PR consultants, clients and the media. News releases are now despatched at the touch of a button via an online media distribution service. Copy writing to create engaging content for websites, email marketing campaigns and blogs is a key part of my business today. And with the huge rise of social media marketing over the past couple of years, the PR world and business communication is continuing to evolve.

There are exciting times ahead at Fay Marcroft PR HQ. Here’s to the next 16 years!