Where are we now
and what are the
barriers to best
practice?
Social and digital media for PR in
the Higher and Further
Education sector
Tracy Playle MCIPR
Vice Chair
CIPR Education & Skills Sector Group
tracy@picklejarcommunications.com

The study: what are we doing?
• Where are we now?
• What do journalists want/use?
• How do internal management structures
impact on practice?
• What does ‘good’ look like?
• How can we make this happen?

The study
  
Today July 5 November

Today
• What you told us – survey
• What you told us – qualitative research
• What journalists have told us

First – some questions
Is online media challenging you
to develop new skills?

First – some questions
Do you feel you are developing
new skills in online
communications?

What you told us - survey
• March – May 2009
• 153 responses
• 46% FE; 54% HE
• Approx 1/3 press and media relations roles
• 56% HE respondents write press releases
• 94 % FE respondents write press releases
• 79 % publish press releases online themselves
• >60% adapt press releases for online use

What you told us - survey
We asked ...
• Whether you write press releases
• Whether they go online
• Who puts them online
• Whether you adapt your press releases online
• What ‘social’ media you use for media relations
• About management structures for PR and web
• Your views on impact of different management
structures for PR and web development

What you told us - survey
Target audience - FE

What you told us - survey
Target audience - HE

What you told us - survey
Use of online media for PR - FE

What you told us - survey
Use of online media for PR - HE

What you told us - survey
Line management of PR and web (same)
• Same directorate: 73% in FE, 84% HE

What you told us - survey
Line management of PR and web (different)

Another question ...
Do you monitor online media to
listen to what is said about your
brand?

Another question ...
Do you monitor social media to
listen to what is said about your
brand?

Another question ...
Do you monitor social media to
spot PR opportunities?

What you told us – qualitative research
• Personal use = greater professional use
• ‘We plan to do this but ...’
• ‘Journalists prefer telephone’
• Social media can be a distraction and create too much work
• Social media is forcing us to move faster
• Social media is doing away with mainstream journalism
• Barriers to use of social media:
• technical (blocking)
• skills
• resource (time/staff)
• don’t think journalists want this approach
• can’t keep up with pace of change
• management lack of understanding
• management structures
• IT department is ‘all powerful’

Another question ...
Do you think journalists use
social media more than you do?

What journalists told us
A mixed bag!

An example ...
Video clip came from YouTube

An example ...
Photo appeared in Guardian and on iPlayer

An example ...
Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC
Digital Britain conference in April
He ‘tweets’ ...

An example ...
Joanna Geary, The Times
Shares the order in which she checks
everything in the morning ...

Another question ...
Can you afford to do nothing?

Another question ...
Can you afford the resource
needed to do something?

Another question ...
What are the barriers to
progress and change?
Over to you ...