Today our world seems to almost completely revolve around social media. I know for myself I spend a large amount of time with my nose in my phone seeing what my friends are up to.
What does this mean for Public Relations? Is it good or bad? And what about the press release and all the old fashioned PR, does that mean that they’re on their way out? Well I sought out to answer these questions.
To my first question, this can mean great things for PR! When used correctly it can bring a whole new dimension to public relations. Through my search I found 7 ways social media is changing public relations. Research is now easier, PR professionals can use social media to find target markets, it can also be used for costumer service.
However with the good there is always the bad. Social media is hard to control and can also be time consuming. Consumers expect to have the comments replied to quickly. Timely two-way communication is key.
I watched a video produced by PRSA-LA that stated it all very well. One thing that was said that I really liked was “social media has brought the public back to public relations.”
There is still that popular question “is the press release dead?” In many peoples opinion the answer is yes, some even go as far as saying that its a “worthless bother.” However there are still those that disagree, they believe that it is surviving! They even say that social media is making the press release even more important. Social media allows to the press release to be posted anywhere and seen by everyone.
In this interview they say it all.
Social media is on the move and its taking public relations with it. Its been said that social media is transforming PR, and in my opinion its for the better. Companies are now able to interact more easily with their clients and promote products on the go. Videos can be made viral on youtube in a matter of minutes, a new product can be launched through Twitter and in seconds the worlds knows.
There have been many successful campaigns done through social media. Companies can post videos on twitter and Facebook, and their consumers can interact and talk about it right on the web. I have seen many brands post about new products and ask for peoples opinion. Victoria’s Secret is always asking Facebook and Twitter friends to vote on a new bag or whatever there next up coming thing is.
As stated earlier Social media is great for Customer service, consumers can post right on the companies page or tweet at them and expect a response quickly. They know that they don’t have to wait on the phone forever hoping to find a human.
So like it your not public relations is changing, and we all need to change with it!
Public Relations as Seen by Me. 