Sustaining the PR Buzz from All Directions
My colleague Mark McClennan recently posted Top News Source Surprise, which is a great introduction to what I’d like to talk about – blending what some might call “traditional" PR with social media PR. In other words, don’t abandon traditional PR.
In his post, Mark reported on a survey from the Pew Internet and American Life Project that revealed the top three news sources:
• 78% of Americans say they get news from a local TV station.
• 73% say they get news from a national network such as CBS or cable TV station such as CNN or FoxNews.
• 61% say they get some kind of news online.
Take note that the online venue came in 3rd.
The other day a fellow Schwartzer and I remarked at how much PR has changed over the last decade. Gone are the days of sending press releases to reporters by fax. Email was a huge productivity saver, but it now pales in comparison to the number of social media tools and channels we use. There’s no doubt that social media has shifted the way companies gain publicity and raise awareness. But it’s not going to replace what we call “traditional” PR – outreach to influencers at newspapers, trade publications, analyst firms, awards, speaking venues – the core elements and foundation of any PR program.
Sure, there are many newspapers and journals that have moved online, but they're still professional media outlets.
We like when clients ask, “What’s the best way to get my message across?” That gives us the opportunity to find the best strategies given the target audience and goals. While we’re creating that plan, we never forget the importance of traditional media. Where social media comes in is to build the brand at the individual and community level. To create a comprehensive, up-to-date communications strategy, a company must understand how its customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders receive and share information in today’s “always on” world.
It boils down to balance between traditional and new public relations techniques. The use of online conversation with tools such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogging should be combined with, but not replace, the tried-and-true.
One of the main reasons to stick with trade publications and other mainstream outlets is that a majority of most companies' audiences are still reading them. Social media strategies are critical and in many cases can generate mainstream media coverage. But companies breaking through and sustaining media attention using only social media are rare.
Smart companies are capitalizing on social media. Many are blogging, joining online communities and keeping their websites fresh and current. Social media has taken a potentially static material generated by professional media and turned it into something that’s dynamic and the subject of extended conversation.
Posted by Davida Dinerman on April 8, 2010 at 4:35 PM
