10Fold CEO Shares Communications, HR, & Tech Predictions for 2022

With 2022 well underway, it is clear we have one thing for certain to look forward to, and that is more change. The combination of the pandemic and weather conditions (such as drought and fire, along with hurricanes that caused destruction) in the U.S. created extreme conditions that caused us once again to adapt and evolve rapidly. The good news is that much of what the New Year will bring represents a more rapid evolution of technology that creates better opportunities for citizens all over the world.

  1. New Avenues to Find Talent. The U.S. labor shortage has caused communications agencies to become far more creative in delivering services. In 2022, we predict that a much higher percentage of the labor for agencies will come from contract workers and those contractors will not be limited to U.S. citizens, many are hiring overseas talent. Also, contracting will continue to be a popular career track for comms pros, as the work is readily available and offers the convenience of avoiding commutes to offices. No doubt agencies in California will see much stricter policing by the state employment department, enforcing strict hiring regulations and passing out steep fines to those not complying. To avoid the hassles and the fines, we predict that many more temp organizations will crop up, saving companies from hiring full-time staff that they only need temporarily.    
  1. Comms Professionals Link Results to Marketing Performance. Many companies complained productivity suffered from employees working-from-home during the pandemic. And although many workers have been called back to the office, those that remain working remotely will likely be subject to a renewed emphasis on metrics and KPIs.  With a little ingenuity, marketing and comms groups will begin measuring how their work is increasing web traffic, web session times, the time people are spending on specific pages and how many page pathways visitors are following on your website.    
  1. Pervasive Use of Technology for all Aspects of Life. Technology is not just for IT departments anymore, it’s part of every aspect of our lives.  We have seen how tech has improved healthcare delivery and made consumer mobile banking and financial transactions a no-brainer.  We’ll see exciting advancements in smart cities that protect and make communities more convenient to live in, we’ll see more implementations of virtual reality-based business processes, and we’ll see an even bigger push in crypto (as we continue to move towards a global currency).  Also, technology that connects business partners and allows for collaboration and more insights will be important to enable business agility. If you are one of these innovative new tech companies, look for agencies that offer specialists for vertical markets that can speak to the specific buying persona you are trying to reach. 
  1. Crisis Preparedness. Cyber threats and the number of bad actors initiating cybercrimes will continue to rise – which means that PR and marketing, more than ever before, must anticipate and prepare for crisis. We’ll see more bad actors demonstrating their bravado by attacking cybersecurity companies.  These crimes mean PR pros must have proven crisis strategies and a strong grasp of your business so they can respond very quickly. 
  1. Think Globally. If you believe the World is Your Oyster – we believe you are spot-on come 2022. Amazon and other tech giants have enabled even developing countries to connect with customers all over the World. No matter where your company is located, you’ll likely need to work with partners and serve customers everywhere. You will need an agency with a strong partner network (or at minimum feet on the street in a wide range of regions) to fully leverage these economic opportunities. 
  1. Hire Communications Teams with Technical Chops. Technical sophistication, even among business and consumer journalists, continues to be on the rise. You can no longer afford to hire your comms agency based on “relationships” or basic writing skills. You must find talent that specializes and understands your market well enough to be trusted by social influencers, analysts, and media serving business, consumer and technical audiences.   

10Fold is looking forward to what 2022 brings and is preparing to make the most of the opportunities that come our way. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the new year, so hit us up @ our contact page.

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