Why Use Social Media For Public Relations

Recently, I presented at PubCon on the intersection of social media and PR.  The session title was “experts on PR and Twitter,” however the session description went on to discuss a variety of networks.  Therefore my interpretation was to speak on the intersection of social media and PR, and not just PR and Twitter. The social web is far more than just Twitter, and if Twitter is the extent of your participation you’re missing out.  Lee’s diagram of social media and channels of distribution presents a visualization of a strong approach, where the centerpiece is a blog.  The centerpiece could be anything of course, not just a blog – but the essential element is that it’s a place you control and not an external network.  Using Twitter or any network you don’t control as the centerpiece is a mistake, because you’re building the value of a digital asset that isn’t really yours (no analytics, no control, no SEO benefit and if that network falls out of favor all your hard work is devalued). Additionally, while today we speak about channel-specific PR or marketing, the future will be different.  Traditional and digital PR will merge and it will just be seen as PR. A quote from William Gibson adds clarity to this: image credit:  will lion via flickr Segmentation will end when the digital divide is bridged.  In the meantime, the idea of digital PR continues to proliferate while we see a decline in traditional. A recent digital readiness report states 18% of marketing decision makers have no interest whatsoever in traditional marketing.  This shows a good percentage are already embracing digital fully and is a potential harbinger of the future.  Other data in that survey adds to this:  a majority agree that knowledge of social networks (80%), blogging, podcasting and RSS (87%), and micro-blogging (72%) is either important or very important when it comes to PR and marking hiring. Many marketing/PR professionals and agencies are already on board and becoming more sophisticated in their strategies daily.  But for those who are new, I’d like to discuss why it is such a great platform for interacting.  These are points I touched on during a recent panel on PR and Twitter however I wanted to follow up with more detail. Authenticity/personality – the world and web crave it There are too many faceless brands, companies and even, amazingly, people on the planet.  We crave authenticity – and digital channels reward it higher than traditional.  This is because they are personal versus the fact that traditional channels produce content as the result of a polished, refined process.  The truth is the web is not meant to be a finished product; it is merely an avenue to express ourselves.  Additionally, the web enables you to talk with consumers and prospects, not at them.  Embrace PR with this in mind and you’ll nurture a very different kind of relationship than those who treat it like a broadcast tool.

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Why Use Social Media For Public Relations