By Peter Boyes
1. We know how to
tell the right stories to the right people
Public relations is about telling our clients’ stories using
a range of carefully chosen communication styles and media. We have to be great
journalists. Social media is another way to tell and share your stories. It is
not an IT function or an advertising copywriter’s blank sheet.
2. We are strategic
communicators.
Just because ‘technology’ is involved it doesn’t mean that
IT people, or video producers or ‘digital experts’ are the right people to
handle an organisation’s strategic communications. An understanding of visual
storytelling is needed but the paramount importance of words cannot be
underestimated in social media. Social media is another form of conversation
and conversations are essentially about using words effectively, then listening
to the response and reacting accordingly.
Public relations is about effective conversations. We have
to be experienced writers, editors, proof-readers and listeners. These are the
essential skills for blog posts, tweets, status updates, and online debate.
3. We understand what
is relevant for your business.
Social media is not just about random posts that interest
the poster. It is about supporting an organisation’s strategic business
objectives. To do that posting has to be timely, interesting, and relevant. There
is a Goldilocks factor, not too much, not too little, not too bland, not too
blatant.
Public relations is
about understanding when to say something and when not to. We are experienced
in creating content relevant to a specific audience. If we are pitching to a
journalist, or your clients, politicians or key opinion leaders, talking to
your staff or your customer base, we know how to tailor the type, tone and topic of the content we
share.
Yes social media provides us with excellent tools to measure
our interactions and better understand our publics and communicate with our
stakeholders. But it is only one part of a complicated series of interactions
all of which are important in maintaining your social networks and meeting your
customers’ expectations of you.
4. We are experienced
in building and maintaining relationships.
At the very core of PR
practice is the development of fruitful relationships for our clients through
effective communications, whether that is with journalists or stakeholders.
Many of these professional relationships are maintained by phone, email and now
social media. To do that we need to understand your business intimately.
Social media is all about understanding and maintaining those relationships.
That is not the role of IT people, ‘digital experts’, website developers or
advertising executives. Only public relations has the complete skill set to
manage relationships with people we have never met, find accurate information quickly,
and meet customer service expectations.
5. We are the issues
managers.
Public relations
practitioners are highly trained in issues management and crisis
communications. It is our job to be aware of issues that are sensitive for you
and your business. These are the skills required to identify and manage a social
media crisis. At these times you must get your organisation's point of view into
the conversation as fast as possible, answer any questions, correct
misinformation, and be as helpful as possible. PR is the best agency to handle reputation
management within the essential but potentially dangerous digitally viral environment.
6. We are the ears.
Our longstanding experience is getting feedback about our clients' reputations is easily transferred to social media. We know which questions to ask and when
and of whom. And most importantly we know how to use that information to inform
future communications, create positive organisational change, and improve
customer experience. There’s nothing more deadly to an organisation’s profile
than surveying or asking questions of its audience and then not using that
information to deepen the relationship. Yet with most online surveys, that is
what happens every time.
