Advantages: Social Media and PR

It has been said that if public relations is to move forward with the times, practitioners should be prepared to become as familiar with new technologies as possible. Now, this may sound like common sense to most students studying public relations because we are part of the “technologically savvy”. We understand blogs, social networking sites (like MySpace and Facebook) and we get the whole “YouTube” thing.

Now what I find that we tend to overlook because of our knowledge of modern technology, is how it can be used to benefit us in a work environment. We should not only become familiar and comfortable using technology for public relations purposes; we should also understand that this technology is becoming undisputable as the leading means to deliver a message. According to PR News Online, there are a few key reasons why social media is important to the field of public relations. Here are some of the advantages listed regarding social media and public relations:

1. Stickier than traditional media: By stickier it is meant that social media has the “potential to attract and hold the attention of a vast demographic of people who have grown numb to more traditional forms of marketing and advertising.”

2. Viral Nature: Now, we understand what it means to “go viral”. Simply put, it’s when something spreads from one place to another, quickly. Social media has tremendous viral capacity. It can reach wide audiences in a short amount of time.

3. Interactivity: People love to be entertained and we are so over stimulated that when an opportunity arises to become active participants in the news or information we receive, most of us jump on that opportunity. The same can be said for social media in which organizations can now communicate and get immediate feedback from their public. This enables the two-way communication that is so vital to public relations practitioners.

It’s important that we keep these advantages in mind when we enter the workforce. It is more competitive than ever out there and we need to stay ahead of the competition. That can be best achieved by applying all of the knowledge you’ve acquired while in school and putting it into action; but also by being creative in your approach to each situation and keeping an open mind when it comes to how social media can be used for you and your organization. So, what do you think? Are there other advantages when it comes to social media and its use in PR? Love to hear your thoughts. Have a great spring break and be safe out there.

--- Porsche

"Optimizing Your Public Relations with Social Media"
http://www.prnewsonline.com/Assets/File/whitepapers/socialmediawp.pdf

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