humbler shetland: How Social Media Is Changing The Face Of PR -

Saturday, December 1, 2012

How Social Media Is Changing The Face Of PR - | Profit Guide to ...

Varghese Thomas is Director of Corporate Communications for Research In Motion in India and recently published an excellent post about the ongoing transformation of public relations in the age of social media.

Few industries have been disrupted by social media more than traditional PR, and Varghese does a fine job articulating what some of the biggest shifts in the PR industry have been in lieu of the always-on, hyper-connected world brands and companies must now navigate.

?There are three areas that are being transformed from a PR perspective. The first, and the most obvious, is the fact that PR professionals are writing fewer speeches for leaders, government officials, statesmen, business heads, etc. The emphasis is more on creating on-going two-way or multi-way engagements, where conversations are key to success. Dialogue is helping PR professionals understand better what their audiences are thinking, how they react to impetus and information and what their real needs are. The second is an incredible improvement in the ability to gather information from social networks to craft effective communication strategies.
Today?s arsenal of PR tools includes an understanding of keywords, sentiment analysis and the ability to seek out and distill stories ? many of which could be potentially damaging stories ? around their brands and events. It has become easier for PR professionals to listen to their audience and understand what the networks are discussing. The intelligence gathered in this manner helps transform the third area of communication that is personalization. Mass, templated communication is a thing of the past. Effective PR is that which can personalize information and the message for different audiences and individuals, speaking to them 24X7 in a language they understand and at networking locations they prefer.? - Pitch