Is There Something New?

Is There Something New?

By: Matthew Wilson

Oh, life in the world of public relations. We are always searching for that new communication tool to draw the public towards your client. Whether it be your client’s website, Facebook or Twitter account or using new social media like Foursquare (hmm…Dr. C), there is never a lack of trying something new.

But why do organizations try to find the next thing to catch the attention of the consumer? It is trying to catch that next popular communication tool and tap into the rush of usage in relation with your client.

The next three sections are trends that could be on the horizon for the PR community, if not already.

1. Social Media: According to a Brigham Young University PRSSA newsletter, one of the top trends in the PR profession is social media. The development of social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter will drive out some of the old techniques.

“The importance of print media and classic channels of public relations are soon at an end,” says Stephanie Hunt, a writer for the BYU newsletter.1

2. Searching for PR: According to the ProActive Report, the Google search for public relations has been declining for years now. In 2009, the searches for social media and networking surpassed searches for public relations on Google.

“It will become an integral part of PR programs in 2010. And PR people have to master social media and use it strategically to be effective,” says Sally Falkow, a contributing writer for the ProActive Report.2

3. Transparency: One of the knocks on PR is that there is a lot of trash that goes into the communications to the public. According to Small Business Trends, “With the advent of transparency, open communication and the integration of social media into everything that we do, our industry can’t help but weed out the good from the bad.”3

The new way to reach the public is through short and sweet messages that will not try and waist the public’s time. With the new trend of being open and transparent, a PR organization should not try and sugar coat their messages.

There are quite a few options to choose now in this day in age but a company need to watch out for over-stimulation of the public. In the search for something new a company could alienate someone who likes the old ways.

1Hunt, Stephanie, The Professional, http://www.byuprssa.org/uploads/1/4/7/0/1470586/december_newsletter_final.pdf

2 Falkow, Sally, The ProActive Report, http://www.proactivereport.com/

3 Perkett, Christine, Small Buisness Trends, http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/01/public-relations-trends- for-2010.html

GET UP AND GO

By: Shea Cannon

Get up and go is the biggest theme for new and upcoming trends in 2010. According to Chris Turner, Senior analyst for trendwatching.com, the biggest trend in 2010 will be the uprising of mobile usage. The mobile industry boomed this year with every company putting out devices with all access mobile phones. People have this “get up and go” attitude. They no longer want to go find something in the phone book or online. They want to be on their way. It’s the convenience of instant access and the ability to do anything while carrying a small device that has the capability of a phone book, a computer, and more all at your finger tips.

Other trends are still emerging for the future, including going green. Every company will be going green, because of the high rise of the concept in communities, but also because Turner believes new restrictions will arise placing limitations on companies and organizations to better the environment. Another trend that goes along with the get up and go attitude is the idea that companies and organizations need to be easier to find. Consumers do not want to have to search, they want to be able to find what they are looking for easily. Turner gives an example of a great way this is incorporated. Kogi Koren BBQ out of LA have two trucks that drive around the city. As they drive around they tweet their locations to make it easier for customers to find them. According to Turner and the professionals at trendwatching.com, they believe this is going to be a huge way for businesses and organizations to get more awareness and raise their profit margin. One other trend that I find really interesting, is the trend for generosity. The idea that companies are pairing with the community to be able to give to those in need, is a growing concept that the public is really taking a liking to. For example, Tom’s Shoes. His shoes don’t have much to them, but the idea that people are helping someone in need and can make a difference, gives them the incentive to purchase Tom’s Shoes.

While all these trends are rising, the one I find most interesting is the mobile boom. I think this trend is going to have the biggest impact on public relations and the way we promote products and services. I think this will have the biggest impact because if we can’t reach consumers this way, we may be loosing out on a whole generation of consumers. Public relations has to be able to roll with the punches or they might miss huge opportunities. This is why knowing trends and how to incorporate them is so important.

Public Relations in a Digital World

The future of public relations is turning increasingly to social media. As the world of media keeps evolving, we will see an increasing reliance on social media. However, perhaps the use of social media is not as important as the social capital it can bring. Social capital is the value that comes from being known and trusted within a social network. Much like monetary capital, it can reap real benefits for a business or organization. Social capital is especially important for PR practitioners since our share of monetary capital is often notoriously low. The real beauty in social media then, according to tech expert Tara Hunt, is its capacity to build social capital for an organization. This also means, however, that one cannot just throw some information at a Facebook page or Tweet whatever randomly comes to mind. The old PR principles of researching, knowing your audience and what they want, answering the “What’s in it for me?” question, and common sense still apply. We can’t simply throw these ideas out the window but must be prepared for the future, which apparently, we are not. According to social media blogger Jason Falls, many colleges around the country are not teaching students to deal with social media. I feel very lucky to be here at Gaylord College, where most faculty understand the need for a more digital education and the facility and mindset of the college reflect that. In the end, relationships and networks are still going to be our most valuable asset, and we need to learn how to build that social capital in a digital, modern way.

by Laura Bennett
image courtesy of Amy Abrahams at amyabrahams.com

It is all about the people...

By Christa S.

Every month, it seems, PRSSA Tactics includes a new article about the usefulness of social media and how to most effectively utilize them. There is no doubt…there are countless ways that social media forms are effective in reaching new, underserved and youthful target publics in exceptionally innovative and creative ways. Social media outlets have infiltrated society as a primary means of staying connected and informed. The benefits of using social media include rapidity, the ability to hit a large audience with 140 characters and the dialogue that ensues as a result of wall posts, blog comments, tweets, text messages, e-mail responses and other forms of consumer insight. However, while, as public relations professionals, learning and growing with the times and technologies is requisite, we should also keep in mind the key to our profession—building mutually-advantageous relationships based on personal, one-to-one communication with our publics. We must make sure that our publics feel valued and this value comes from using various media forms and communication outlets to bring our messages to the people. 

We must ensure that the personal touch of our profession is never lost. 

In fact, utilizing a variety of communication tools will further enhance the messages we send to our publics.

Additionally, it is also easy to become sloppy when typing a quick tweet on our iPhone or Blackberry. Yet, we must always remember that everything we send out into cyberspace can be accessed by anyone*. Thus, while we understand that we should always have other eyes view and edit our news releases or brochure text, we must pay as much (if not more attention) to the messages we communicate through social media.

As we enter the new age of public relations where social media is sometimes considered our responsibility, we must also remember that this is a people business. Let’s keep it about the people! 

What Can Public Relations Do For You?

What can public relations do for you?
By: Lacy Barnes

Any public relations major can attest to the difficulty of explaining to an outsider what public relations means. I believe defining public relations is difficult because of the fast pace that public relations is changing at. As technology advances and the world becomes more reliable on social media, so to has public relations.

The most recent trends in public relations have been geared towards social media. In today’s world of instant information, public relations has turned to resources such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and constantly updated news feeds.

According to Public Relations Trends for 2010, “Social media helps PR executives to build more new relationships, across a wider landscape and in a sustainable fashion never before possible.”

Blogging has emerged as the social media that has the most mystery surrounding it. While Facebook and Twitter are limited to status updates and event invitations, blogs can be uncensored. According to an article on ebscohost.com about Wal-Mart and social media, blogging allows people on the inside of a business to have a real conversation with the public and vice versa. Blogs allow for feedback and also help give a personal face to a company. A common concern is that a corporation can’t control social media as tightly as traditional media, so organizations need to be extremely careful of what they post. Companies need to remember that social media is not a replacement for traditional public relations tactics, only another tool to interact on a more intimate level (ebscohost.com).

The trend that I find the most interesting however, is that of corporate social responsibility (CSR). While the concept is not new, its popularity has skyrocketed. It relates to public relations in a very simple way; a company partners with a non profit, the non profit benefits from the financial sponsorship and the company increases its image among the public.

With the recent downfalls of several top-notch corporations, gaining people’s trust and having quality public relations couldn't be more critical. According to an article by Lori Tripoli, corporations partner with non profits in order to reach out to the community and receive kudos for their efforts. One key to a successful partnership is to know what each expects out of it. Careful time and research are needed to make sure the non profit fits with the corporation’s mission and vice versa.

CSR is a great idea in my opinion. I’m glad to see the trend is increasing because I think it provides great opportunities for all parties involved. While social media is definitely here to stay for public relations practitioners, I am most excited about the partnering up of non profits and corporations. For corporations, I think there is no better way to start earning back trust. You have to put your money where your mouth is and take action verses only talking about how your company supports the community. Public relations can make so many positive differences within organizations and CSR best exemplifies this.

This business agreement has found a unique place in public relations. The sky is really the limit for the creativity that could emerge on the public relations side of the equation because corporate America has found itself in a deep hole regarding public trust placing non profits in a rare position of power.

Article cited:

Tripoli, Lori. Opposites Attract: Corporate and nonprofit partnerships yield benefits for both
http://www.edf.org/documents/9234_opposites-attract.pdf

Caliendo, Heather. The Wal-Mart model: Using social media to engage customers
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=13&sid=dee77698-cc33-42c3b02cc041dab325cd@sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=n5h&AN=L54459618FACO

Antoelli, Rebecca. Public Relations Trends for 2010
http://meetthenewmedia.com/2010/01/public-relations-trends-for-2010/