Learning new tricks: how social media is revolutionising the role of the PR professional Tracy Playle MCIPR [email_address] Saturday 27 June 2009 EUPRIO conference, Portugal

Please read out loud ... “ I may have had one too many beers last night, but I promise that this morning I am ready to be creative.

Please read out loud ... “ I am ready to think about how social media may change some of the way in which I work.

Please read out loud ... “ I promise that if I have a question, I will ask it, and if I have a story to tell, I will tell it.

Please read out loud ... “ Finally, if I like Tracy’s session today I will tell others about it and I will buy Tracy a beer tonight to say thank you.”

A little about me ... 5 years working for University of Warwick, UK 2 years as Head of Research-TV Vice Chair CIPR* Education and Skills Group Started my own company in 2007 Now spend my time: a) ‘doing’ communications work b) helping others understand social media *Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the professional body For PR practitioners in the United Kingdom: www.cipr.org.uk

5 years working for University of Warwick, UK

2 years as Head of Research-TV

Vice Chair CIPR* Education and Skills Group

Started my own company in 2007

Now spend my time:

a) ‘doing’ communications work

b) helping others understand social media

Today What is social media and why is it important to universities? What does this mean for the PR professional working in a university? Let us ‘tweet’: a brief lesson in using Twitter

Meet your new best friend

Part 1 What is social media and why is it important to universities?

What is social media?

What is social media? Blogs Online video Podcasts Social bookmarking Social networks Wikis Micro-blogging Forums Slidecasts Individuals in conversation with other individuals, online

What is social media? “ A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations.” Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Groundswell

For universities this means ... Information is everywhere Information is free Universities no longer the only place to find expertise ‘ Partners’ in learning rather than providers of learning Demand on universities to put content online Changes in teaching and learning methods (e-learning) Demand for ‘personalised’ learning

Information is everywhere

Information is free

Universities no longer the only place to find expertise

‘ Partners’ in learning rather than providers of learning

Demand on universities to put content online

Changes in teaching and learning methods (e-learning)

Demand for ‘personalised’ learning

Part 2 What does this mean for the PR professional working in a university?

How does your message change? Information is everywhere Information is free Universities no longer the only place to find expertise ‘ Partners’ in learning rather than providers of learning Demand on universities to put content online Changes in teaching and learning methods (e-learning) Demand for ‘personalised’ learning What is different? What value do you add? Why bother at all with university? What can we offer you as an individual?

Information is everywhere

Information is free

Universities no longer the only place to find expertise

‘ Partners’ in learning rather than providers of learning

Demand on universities to put content online

Changes in teaching and learning methods (e-learning)

Demand for ‘personalised’ learning

The facts ... More popular than email Fastest growing online sector

More popular than email

Fastest growing online sector

The facts ... Facebook 95 million accounts at beginning of 2009 Massive global growth 2008-09: Italy: 2900 % Spain: 600 % France: 400 % Switzerland: 400 % Argentina: 2000 % Indonedia: 600 % Source: www.insidefacebook.com

Facebook

95 million accounts at beginning of 2009

Massive global growth 2008-09:

Italy: 2900 %

Spain: 600 %

France: 400 %

Switzerland: 400 %

Argentina: 2000 %

Indonedia: 600 %

The facts ... Most popular on YouTube: 122,000,000 views 300,000,000 MySpace accounts 14 billion comments on MySpace Wikipedia: >10,000,000 articles Wikipedia: >75,000 contributors According to a survey in the UK, the term ‘social networking site’ was recognised more by parents than children, this means ...

Most popular on YouTube: 122,000,000 views

300,000,000 MySpace accounts

14 billion comments on MySpace

Wikipedia: >10,000,000 articles

Wikipedia: >75,000 contributors

According to a survey in the UK, the term ‘social networking site’ was recognised more by parents than children, this means ...

Technology part of life for children

So, for you this means ... Your audience is already there! (and probably already talking about you)

How are communications changing?

We are moving from ...

... to ...

... interruptions are not welcomed

New opportunities for ... Listening Monitoring your reputation Understanding your ‘customers’ Identifying PR opportunities Communicating directly with individuals Capturing positive feedback Identifying an emerging crisis (or causing one!) Getting your brand out there by yourself Joining up with e-learning activities

Listening

Monitoring your reputation

Understanding your ‘customers’

Identifying PR opportunities

Communicating directly with individuals

Capturing positive feedback

Identifying an emerging crisis (or causing one!)

Getting your brand out there by yourself

Joining up with e-learning activities

Some useful tools Google alerts blogsearch.google.com technorati.com www.whostalkin.com search.twitter.com www.perspctv.com www.sm2.techrigy.com

Google alerts

blogsearch.google.com

technorati.com

www.whostalkin.com

search.twitter.com

www.perspctv.com

www.sm2.techrigy.com

How does it change our role? More ‘noise’ to listen to – need tools! Different channels = different approaches Does the press release work in this world? Reduced reliance on the journalist More ‘noise’ to cut through Individuals want to speak with individuals Intermediary instead of spokesperson Need basic understanding of web development

More ‘noise’ to listen to – need tools!

Different channels = different approaches

Does the press release work in this world?

Reduced reliance on the journalist

More ‘noise’ to cut through

Individuals want to speak with individuals

Intermediary instead of spokesperson

Need basic understanding of web development

We also need to let go ...

Part 3 Let us ‘tweet’: a brief lesson in using Twitter

Twitter – what is the fuss about? ‘ micro-blogging’ 140 characters or less ‘ Follow’ each other Can be public or private Share information, share useful things

‘ micro-blogging’

140 characters or less

‘ Follow’ each other

Can be public or private

Share information, share useful things

Twitter – the do’s try it out for yourself first use a more ‘informal’ voice speak with your audience listen to what they have to say share interesting news share ‘fun’ things communicate important things do something different

try it out for yourself first

use a more ‘informal’ voice

speak with your audience

listen to what they have to say

share interesting news

share ‘fun’ things

communicate important things

do something different

Twitter – the do not’s refuse to have a conversation use it as a ‘push’ marketing tool tweet 10 press release links all in one go use new tools but with an old approach ‘ spam’ people forget that you are representing your organisation

refuse to have a conversation

use it as a ‘push’ marketing tool

tweet 10 press release links all in one go

use new tools but with an old approach

‘ spam’ people

forget that you are representing your organisation

Twitter – more advanced use ‘favorite’ button to mark up nice things that people say about you, then link to it twitter.com/picklejar/favorites

use ‘favorite’ button to mark up nice things that people say about you, then link to it

Thank you – questions? Tracy Playle BA MA DipCIPR MCIPR [email_address] @picklejar www.picklejarcommunications.com