The Role of PR in the New Media Lanscape

When public relations first started back in the early 1900s it was defined as a ''management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interests of an organization ----followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.

People relied heavily on other people for the information they used to make their decision. One of the most important functions of Public Relations at that time was reaching opinion leaders in the media- journalists and analysts were top of the list. And it was not hard to find them.

A more recent definition from the Encyclopedia of PR says ''Public Relations is a set of management, supervisory, and technical functions that foster an organization's ability to strategically listen to appreciate and respond to those persons whose mutually beneficial relationships with the organization are necessary if it is to achieve its missions and values.'' That seems more appropriate for the media landscape we are operating in today.

The web has given people the power of voice. Peer reviews and opinion are more influential than ever before. Social media has made it a lot easier to foster the ability to listen and respond. But how do we identify the right people?

Are they the same as they were before? Not at all. In fact journalists, analysts and A-list bloggers, although still important, are now only about 40 per cent of your influencers. The other 60 per cent are probably unknown to you.

Only 9 per cent of companies are identifying and making an effort to build one-on-one relationships with those influencers, says Nick Hayes of Influencer 50. ''Influencer marketing is at the same stage PR was at a few years ago with a small number of firms that understand the benefits reaping big rewards.''

David Phillips in the Journal of Communication Management says ''building and managing relationships with those who influence an organization or individual's audiences has a central role in public relations.'' If the role of PR in the past was to find and work with the journalists and analysts (who were the major influencers) then PR's role today is to find these unknown influences and build positive relationships with them.

You may not immediately know who your influencers are. There is no universal ranking system. Someone who is an influencer for me might not be for you.Work with the people you identify and watch your analytics. The proof is in the decision and the action people take as a result of information they get from an influencer.

Correctly identifying influencers is a large part of your social media strategy.

Social Media Is an Exclusive Domain of PR Professionals

Social media is a method of communication. To be effective in social media, whether as a marketer or just as an ordinary participant, a person, first and foremost, must communicate well.

Yes, social media tools are mostly driven by technology. But they are driven by technology to deliver a message or messages.

We are in an era of technology transition. Communication professionals are learning quickly that to be relevant and effective in the age of social computing, there is more to competency than communication skills. Technology has become a requirement of the skill set. Yet, so many communication professionals- from public relations to customer service staff and writers to journalists- are horribly deficient in average computer understanding, much less that of web-based technologies and tools.

Therefore, it is not fair to plant social media efforts totally on the shoulders of the public relations staff today, unless of course PR department can exhibit the kind of tech-savvies required to accept the responsibility. It will be in the best interest to employ a specialist in social media who reports to the same person or department as the public relations director with both instructed to work hand-in-hand on social media projects.

What is most telling in social media efforts is the message. As soon as three to five years from now, I see social media marketing as an almost exclusive domain of public relations professionals so long as we get our collective heads out of our assess and learn how to do it.

Social media is essentially public relations in the online world. Divide the category up by components- blogs, social networks, micro blogging, podcasts/Web TV/collaborative software- they each ladder in some way to a component of public relations- writing, corporate communication, community relations, media relations and event management.

PR as social media in many ways also addresses the concerns of the online community that marketers don’t belong. Assuming we can trim away the corporate speak and manage transparent communication efforts in years to come, public relations representatives are the least likely to sell and most capable of speaking as humans to humans, rather than selling hucksters to ‘’consumers.’’

Where must social media fall in the corporate structure? Right now, it depends. Tomorrow social media will evolve into components of a sophisticated public relations effort. The only question in my mind is will public relations evolve to embrace it?

GOOD PR PRACTICE CAN SAVE SMALL COMPANIES IN CRISIS

The thinking goes that big companies face the most daunting crises, based on sheer size, number of employees and scope of operations.

David Brimm, corporate counselling expert, says even small companies can have big PR problems. Small companies face the same types of crises as large companies: physical damage to the company (flooding, fires, etc.), lost of a large account, quality issues (customer complaints, governmental intervention, recalls, etc.), employee injury or death, corporate malfeasance, and negative media attention.

Brimm suggests that depending on the crisis, it is important to create a plan to address the emergency. As a sole owner with a small staff, you will want to be the point person to demonstrate your personal involvement and concern. Outside public relations counsel will be critical, if the emergency impacts the community and becomes newsworthy.

Brimm who has 25 years of experience in the corporate, agency and association sectors, says whatever the path company takes, it is important to speak as one voice so that the constituents don’t receive confusing or inconsistent information.

He says communication is the key. In a crisis, the first thing to understand is that there are internal and external constituencies. The most important of these is the employees. In a small company, the rumour mill works very quickly. Bad news will likely immediately impact productivity and morale.

In such a situation it is important to meet with every employee as a group so they get the same information at the same time. Brimm says this accomplishes two goals:

·         It stop the rumour mill

·         It creates an atmosphere of trust, so that employees are less likely to spread disinformation about the company and its management.

Brimm points out that this is an important PR tactics to handle crisis situation.

Customers and vendors have to be addressed. The company’s future is tied to those of their customers and vendors. Consequently, any perceived business setbacks will be of great interest. Reassure these stakeholders with information about the crisis, it’s possible duration, and what, if any, impact this might have on the business relationship. There is a need to keep them apprised as conditions unfold.

Talking about the media in such crisis situation, Brimm says if a crisis impacts the community, local news reporters may want to cover the story. It is important that at this point, a single manager is the spokesperson for the company. A spokesperson must be equipped with three talking points (i.e. what happened, what is being done, how long might the situation last).

If there is a concern about public relations strategies, bring in an outside PR consultant to take through the crisis. The PR consultant can bring in an outside perspective and formulate a plan.

Brimm says never say ‘’no comment’’. In a void, reporters will fill in the unknown with their own opinions.

Important suggestion is ‘’Don’t Panic’’. Brimm says the key to addressing a crisis is to approach it with calm and forethought. Think about the options and take the time to formulate a plan. Don’t jump into the fray without a response.

At some time in every business’s future, a crisis will emerge. There is a need to address it with confidence by creating a crisis plan that outlines potential emergencies that could impact business. It may not cover every contingency, but it will be a good starting point.