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There are countless ways in which public relations has changed in the past decade, but I believe the biggest reason and contributor to change to be the Internet and social media. There is so much it does for customers and companies alike; the opportunities it provides leads me to advise everyone to take advantage of the connections it can create (so long as it makes sense to use it for you). While relationships created online are quite different than relationships created offline, buyers are looking for a connection of any sort, especially when they are online already, interacting with other buyers and companies.
The best thing about the whole social media scene is that it's free. (Internet, not so much, though in the right neighborhood, you can be set for life.) That's right; it's free. That means that you get to use these social media tools and sites at no cost to you. The only thing it doesn't do is update your status for you (though I do foresee a new version of foursquare that automatically checks in for you). The only investment you need to make is one of time.
Though the Internet is an amazing creation (one such that I still have no real answer as to how it works), offline public relations and marketing isn't going anywhere, at least for now. The lines between what is classified as TV, newspaper, magazines, and other sources of entertainment/news are ever blurring; you can watch television shows on any network's website and you can surf the web on your TV. What does that mean for PR? That you simply need to be in more places at the same time.
More importantly, it means that you cannot ignore offline media, publications, etc., as they still play a large role in the lives of people who are offline and still receiving their news that way; who these people are, I don't know, but they appear to have money to purchase things. So long as these people fit into your target audience, you must incorporate them into your messaging tactics so that you can have the greatest reach. There is really no harm in going for a media vehicle that is still in contact with the offline world; they'll post it to their blog and Twitter account too as they want to cast a wide net as well to reach as many people as possible.
Another important thing to remember: buyers and your target audience are doing more than just absorbing your news and maybe telling their neighbors or family members. They are immediately sharing it with their 200 friends on Facebook and Twitter because they can and because something therein was enticing enough to pass along. Some ways to encourage your news gets passed along:
PR Online & Getting Your News Passed Along
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There are countless ways in which public relations has changed in the past decade, but I believe the biggest reason and contributor to change to be the Internet and social media. There is so much it does for customers and companies alike; the opportunities it provides leads me to advise everyone to take advantage of the connections it can create (so long as it makes sense to use it for you). While relationships created online are quite different than relationships created offline, buyers are looking for a connection of any sort, especially when they are online already, interacting with other buyers and companies.The best thing about the whole social media scene is that it's free. (Internet, not so much, though in the right neighborhood, you can be set for life.) That's right; it's free. That means that you get to use these social media tools and sites at no cost to you. The only thing it doesn't do is update your status for you (though I do foresee a new version of foursquare that automatically checks in for you). The only investment you need to make is one of time.
Though the Internet is an amazing creation (one such that I still have no real answer as to how it works), offline public relations and marketing isn't going anywhere, at least for now. The lines between what is classified as TV, newspaper, magazines, and other sources of entertainment/news are ever blurring; you can watch television shows on any network's website and you can surf the web on your TV. What does that mean for PR? That you simply need to be in more places at the same time.
More importantly, it means that you cannot ignore offline media, publications, etc., as they still play a large role in the lives of people who are offline and still receiving their news that way; who these people are, I don't know, but they appear to have money to purchase things. So long as these people fit into your target audience, you must incorporate them into your messaging tactics so that you can have the greatest reach. There is really no harm in going for a media vehicle that is still in contact with the offline world; they'll post it to their blog and Twitter account too as they want to cast a wide net as well to reach as many people as possible.
Another important thing to remember: buyers and your target audience are doing more than just absorbing your news and maybe telling their neighbors or family members. They are immediately sharing it with their 200 friends on Facebook and Twitter because they can and because something therein was enticing enough to pass along. Some ways to encourage your news gets passed along:
- Say something interesting. (This may seem like a somewhat trivial thing to post, but it apparently needs to be listed.) This means something not only interesting to you (and maybe sometimes not even something you're interested in) but something that your target audiences are interested in.
- Say it well. This means that you fix your typos, reread what you write, and articulate your meaning in a manner that most people can understand. So, avoid jargon and, if you have to use it, define what it is you're saying for others who may not know its definition already.
- Speak to a "cause". This can be something as controversial as you'd like, though, as a business trying to make a revenue from a more "conservative" group, this may be something you should avoid. Instead, think of other causes that people are fighting for every day: saving money; furthering education; helping others; being part of the group; etc. There are many, many causes that you can speak to, so take some time in crafting your message.
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