Social Media and PR - A Practical Primer
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Social Media and PR - A Practical Primer
All too often, the practice of PR has focused on 'Press Relations'. The PR tactic somehow became the PR objective - transmit a message, perspective, or information as widely as possible. The journalist became the target, the conduit and the gatekeeper. They had the reach. They had the audience. They had the final say about what stories made the cut. Aside from advertising, they were the only controlled path to the public for many years.
There are a few assumptions in there worth exploring.
- Who is 'the public'?
- Where did the real PR objective go?
- Is mass communication the only path?
- Is control possible? Desirable?
- Is dialog more interesting than oration?
The 'Public' is social.
Since the advent of the consumer Internet around 1995, the dynamic has changed pretty dramatically. People aren't just passively consuming media. They're participating, remixing and contributing in a global conversation about everything and nothing. The public now has unprecedented access to information gathering, tagging, aggregating and publishing tools. Free. And they're using them.
The first generation of media was about one-way communications and mass markets. The social media era is about completely decentralized bi-directional and many-to-many dialog; individuals, niche markets, microcasting. Not as a replacement for the traditional press - but in addition to it.
Not all news or information passes the 'mass market' test of the journalist, but it might be perfect for an important and influential group of bloggers, or it could even reach your target audience directly. Social media opens up opportunities for a return to the fundamental objectives of public relations:
- Help people who actively care to find you and locate content of interest
- Give fans and enthusiasts materials they need to help spread the word to others
- Tell the story in your own words
- Educate, inform, persuade
Talk back
Activating social media channels takes a little commitment, and some initiatives require more effort than others. We have presented a few pragmatic starting points here in order to help you get started.
The modern communications landscape
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
The modern communications landscape is a continuum.
Social media purists have argued that the world has flipped from a top-down, traditional media driven landscape to a bottom-up, social driven landscape. There is some truth to this, however it is more than offset by the influence the traditional media has over the social realm.
People tweet about what they encounter in the mass media, and the mass media reports on memes that first evolved in the social media world.
It's a continuum - the modern communications landscape ranges from real-time microblogs and status updates to long-lead print and broadcast.
While the platforms remain relatively distinct, the content, links and thoughts regularly ricochet between them in a mix of original reporting, iteration, discovery, sharing and conversation.
Grassroots-up tends more toward short real-time communications, where top-down can take days, weeks or months. Mainstream press delivers mass audience, while individuals may reach a small group of highly interested others. A Twitter post can trigger broadcast coverage of a breaking issue while an article in a daily regional newspaper may spread worldwide through blogs and social networks.
People. Press. Brands. Perception. It's all interconnected now, and most everything is searchable.
Measurement can be tough, but ignoring it is tougher.
With the whole web becoming social, measurement has become somewhat amorphous as there are now a near infinite number of channels to monitor. What do you measure? Which metrics matter?
In short...it depends. A video with 100,000 views on YouTube, but which results in zero impact on your business, might be less valuable than a single Twitter message that leads to a highly positive blog post that ranks well in Google.
When measuring social media, quantitative measures are very useful to measure total reach and exposure to a message, but be aware of the widely disparate quality of such measures. YouTube counts a view whether a user watches a video over and over, or simply surfs away after ten seconds. Conversely, web analytics on a corporate blog can be very granular and paint an accurate picture of user interaction on your site.
Qualitative measures should also be factored in - media attention, user sentiment, or customer interaction may be some of the most important benefits of a campaign.
Choosing a PR agency today
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
As search, blogs, social networks, YouTube, Twitter, mobile and other evolving digital forms have joined television, radio and print as powerful, yet very different communications channels, the nature and scope of managing the relationships between organizations and their various audiences has become much more complicated, risky and potentially rewarding. The brands that will create significant and new opportunities for themselves are those who can successfully manage across the new and evolving communications continuum, positioning correctly, creating the right balance of push and pull, taking advantage of the strengths of print and broadcast media, and engaging authentically in the right mix of online activities and conversations. Brands who don't are at a serious disadvantage.
There are many resources to help you choose the right PR partner for your organization. The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) offers several checklists for guiding the agency selection process: http://tinyurl.com/ou7dxq. Most of these guides cover all the basic issues to consider: credentials, relevant experience and client list, case studies, senior executive qualification,; fit with team leader, how quickly the agency comes up to speed, chemistry with team, fee structures, etc. These are all important to consider and most are fairly unchanged from 10 years ago.
But things have changed, and more things are important to consider today. In addition to the solid classical PR credentials and capabilities that all top agencies should have, the digital factor is becoming more and more important. In September, 2008, Sapient released results of a survey that asked 200+ Chief Marketing Officers what they wanted from their agencies in the coming year (http://tinyurl.com/57fykh); here are the top 10 items on their wish lists:
The 13 things senior executives need to know about working with a PR firm
Thursday, 28 May 2009
(we just couldn't limit ourselves to 10)
PR can be such a slippery animal. Just when you think you've got a handle on what it's all about and how it works, something new happens to confound you yet again. Contrary to popular belief, however, PR is not a black art and there is some method to our madness - it just doesn't always appear so.
If you're a senior executive working with a PR firm but without deep experience in PR, here are a few things you need to know and that will help you get the most out of a PR campaign, culled from the collective brains of the Atomic PR team.
PR more is more than media relations
Seems obvious. But too often, PR is thought of as 'press relations.' Somewhere along the line, the PR tactic somehow became the PR objective - namely to transmit a message, perspective or information as widely as possible. The journalist became the primary target, the conduit and the gatekeeper. Aside from advertising, they were the only controlled path to the public for many years.
There are a few assumptions here worth exploring:
* Who is 'the public'?
* Where did the real PR objective go?
* Is mass communication the only path?
* Is control possible? Desirable?
* Is dialog more interesting than oration?
PR is not just a business development tool
It can most certainly contribute to the business development effort and help to drive sales, but that's not its sole purpose. PR manages much of the public image of an organization and its relationships with all its audiences and stakeholders. Done well, it builds relationships, competitive advantage and increases value. Done poorly, it erodes positioning and drives value down. Ignored, it places the image of an organization in the hands of competitors and chance events. Category leaders and contenders make PR an integral component of business strategy, and use it as a strategic weapon.
PR is not 'spin'
While we're on the subject of what PR is not, it is most definitely not spin. Yes, it is about presenting yourself and your organization in the best light. But it's not about pulling the wool over people's eyes. Your customers are not stupid and you shouldn't treat them as such. Being authentic is the key to earning respect, especially when it comes to social media. So put your best foot forward, but don't try to game the system or subvert the truth - it will inevitably come back to haunt you.
