How social media is changing public relations

Public relations has long relied on traditional media outlets as a means to obtain publicity. A particular dynamic exists between ‘the media’ and PR professionals where journalists receive pitches via standard communication mechanisms like media alerts and press releases. In the past few years, an emerging information sharing system called “social media” has become increasingly prominent among internet users. PR professionals must make an important decision about social media: should they compete with it or should they embrace it as a useful tool?

Many bloggers come down on public relations with accusations that social media will replace the need for PR because essentially it has the capacity to do exactly what PR professionals aim to do—reach target audiences with strategic messages, only free of charge. PR industry experts keeping up with the latest social media tactics argue the opposite; they suggest jumping on the bandwagon to reach consumers and reporters alike (Swisher, K., 2008). There is a fine line between public relations’ downfall to social media, and the prosperity the new medium could bring to the industry. Social media can be a progressive, useful tool for public relations if used in a creative, proactive and informed manner. Rather than contributing to the downfall of the industry, social media may in fact be the ticket to saving public relations in a dynamic, unstable period of change.

A vast array of social media exists today; deciphering which may be relevant to public relations can be difficult. Podcasts (audio recordings similar to short radio programs), social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, blogs (short for Web logs) and micro-blogs are some of the more popular social media used today. Blogs and micro-blogs are arguably the most useful new media to PR professionals. A blog is a website that can belong to anybody, where the creator updates followers, or those who read the website, with stories about specific topics. Companies have blogs to tell customers about the latest products, promotions, and hold discussions about the products. Blogs can also be helpful in crisis communication to control negative messages that may spread. Anybody can comment on a blog in response to a post, to ask a question or to make a suggestion. The administrator of the blog can read the comments and create a discussion where interactive conversations take place. This dimension of blogging exemplifies the significance of social media: the nature of communicating with mass audiences has changed from being one-way to two-ways.

Micro-blogs are similar to web logs in that anybody can post anything, but different because as the name implies, they are much smaller portions of text. Micro-blogging is intended to give followers quick, concise, newsworthy updates about something. Generally no more than 140 characters long, users can subscribe to different users’ posts. Followers read about updates from the micro-blogs they subscribe to in a compiled homepage. Many micro-blog services exist, but the most popular is called Twitter.

Social media has changed public relations, but perhaps for the better. Changes in PR can be noticed as a result of the influences of social media. Generic information dissemination practices will no longer be received well by reporters and consumers, as they once were. On the other hand, social media opens the door to new practices in an industry that could become stagnant in the future. These new media call for more creative, direct and transparent communication with the public; and it is important to remember that reaching the public is ultimately the goal of PR.

It is clear that social media is relevant to the public relations discussion as it is the new media of today, and will be the media of the future. PR professionals have to choose whether they will ignore the increasing significance of the new internet technologies or if they will take advantage of the incredible opportunities for success that are created by social media. Public relations will not fail because of these new technologies’ growth, but it could fail if traditional thinking impairs the vision of PR professionals who are unwilling to make the most of the new tools offered by social media. New media lend themselves to creating change in a particular way of thinking, and the field of public relations has the opportunity to prevail by embracing social media, and accepting the change.

Sources:
1. Arrington, M. The PR Roadblock on the Road to Blissful Blogging. Retrieved November 16, 2008 from http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/13/the-pr-roadblock-on-the-road-to-blissful-blogging/

2. Cain Miller, C. (2008, November 4). In Era of Blog Sniping, Companies Shoot First. The New York Times, B1.

3. Swisher, K. Is Social Media Killing PR? (Or Maybe Vice Versa?). Retrieved November 15, 2008 from http://kara.allthingsd.com/20081113/is-social-media-killing-pr-or-maybe-vice-versa/