The Rise of Social Media & the Fall of Old School PR

The Rise of Social Media. .. . … and the Fall of Old School PR

Nikki Stephan Identity Marketing & Public Relations Social Media Strategist

Early Years at My Previous Job

First Year at Identity

The PR world is still growing and thriving.

Employment of public relations specialists is expected to grow 24 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Public Relations Specialists

But the tools, platforms & tactics have changed thanks to social media.

5 Traditional PR & Social Media Takeaways

The fall of old school PR
5 takeaways

The new press release:
Less words and fluff, more value
Less reliance on newswire services
Goodbye mass blasts
Must live online
Multimedia and sharing options
SEO – keywords & anchor text

2. Media are no longer your only audience.

There are several channels available to reach target publics directly rather than relying on media to report the news.
People consume news via social media. 51% of people said they get news items from people they follow. (Pew survey)
WordPress, Posterous, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Quora, SlideShare, Scribd, etc.

3. It’s no longer acceptable to measure by ad equivalency value or clips.

Why was it ever acceptable to measure PR results this way?
More clients want to know how PR efforts will increase sales.
Three goals for integrating online/social media with PR efforts: create awareness, drive sales, build loyalty (credit: The NOW Revolution )
Google Analytics, share of voice, inbound links, mentions on social networks, sentiment, conversions, traffic referrals, offer redemptions, comments/tweets/likes

4. You must know how to research, qualify and work with bloggers.

Bloggers deserve the same respect as journalists.
Do your homework first.
Many bloggers don’t want a press release.
FTC guidelines – full disclosure is a must.
Research tools: Alltop, Google blog search, blog rolls, Technorati, BlogDash, blogger Twitter lists

5. Shrinking media outlets & staff means PR pros must work smarter.

Write media materials like an article.
Have accompanying photos/videos.
New trend is hyperlocal news (Example: Patch.com).
Train clients to use Skype and CNN iReport.

The rise of social media
5 takeaways

1. Information spreads like wildfire. So do mistakes.

Immediacy of information flow on the social Web can be both positive and negative.
It’s no longer an option to collect your thoughts for 24 hours and then respond when there is a crisis.
Real world example: Domino’s president was both applauded (using already established social channels) and criticized (waiting too long, insincere apology) for how he addressed the prank video made by employees.

2. Just like with traditional media, strong relationships with online content creators and consumers is critical.

Create relationships by providing value through content, being a trusted source, making your business human/real.
Do not use social channels to only push out company information/messages.
Connect with online influencers and brand ambassadors.

3. Missed opportunities happen if you don’t monitor online conversations.

Think monitoring traditional media times 100.
Monitoring/listening for online mentions about your company/brand is just as important as engaging/interacting online.
Tools: Google alerts, Google Reader, Tweetdeck, Twitter search, Netvibes, Radian6, Sysomos, Engage121, Viralheat, Scout Labs

4. The social Web enables content to spread quickly and go viral, but viral is not a viable PR strategy.

Setting a goal to make content go viral is not realistic.
Better goal: Create quality content that speaks to and is of value to the people who care about your brand/product/service.
Viral doesn’t always produce sustainable results. Real world example: Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” video campaign. Videos went viral and produced buzz across social and traditional platforms. According to data from The Nielson Co. and SymphonyIRI Group, sales of Old Spice Body Wash increased (as reported by BrandWeek) during the effort.
Smart strategy for long-term sales goals? What happened to the focus on customer/fan interaction now that campaign is over?

5. Use social media to connect with journalists, bloggers and other PR pros.

Read and comment on blogs.
Follow/interact with journalists and bloggers on Twitter and share their content.
Connect with journalists/bloggers on LinkedIn.
Participate in industry Twitter chats - #PR20chat, #journchat, #u30pro, #HAPPO, #commschat, #prstudchat, #blogchat, #measurePR, #HCSM (health care) #tweetea (locally)

So what does all this mean for PR pros?
PR pros must be Swiss army knives – traditional + social skills.
Relationships/trust still remain supreme.
The foundation of PR remains the same, but the communication channels/tools have changed.

QUESTIONS?

Connect with me:
Twitter - @nikkistephan, @identitypr
LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkistephan
Blogs – http://nikkistephan.com, http://identitypr.com/blog
Email – nstephan@identitypr.com

Photo credits
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/383458761/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11864250@N00/369136782/
http://newsone.com/entertainment/newsonestaff5/old-spice-guy-creates-videos-for-fans/

The Rise of Social Media & the Fall of Old School PR

by Nikki Little on Mar 25, 2011

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The Rise of Social Media & the Fall of Old School PR — Presentation Transcript