I received several calls about my previous post so I want to complete the thought of “it is public relations.”
Many agencies and corporations are feverishly putting together a social media strategy “because they should.” But social media is about being part of your community of choice and applying influence. It has little to do with the traditional relationship-building that is so critical to successful public relations.
Social media is a new toolset, but that doesn’t mean that it’s right for every message, product, or service. While you can pitch some reporters via facebook, for example, you should only do so if the journalist “friends” you. Many still want to keep their work and personal lives separate and it’s best to respect that. Unless journalists contact you, they generally still expect PR people to reach them at the office, using phone or email. That may change in the future – some of us can remember a time when reporters preferred mailed press releases over email.
The key is knowing your audience and using the right PR tools to build – not to replace – the relationships that make PR an art. Trying to reach savvy members of social media? Twitter away. But if your audience members are residents of an assisted living center, perhaps your most effective “social media” is a bright yellow flier in the cafeteria.
At BurrellesLuce, our audience is made up primarily of corporate communicators and agency pros who are on the leading edge of the social media wave. So, it makes sense for me to Twitter about this blog post and provide a tiny URL so followers can easily link back.
My advice is to get out there blog, micro-blog and nano-blog to your heart’s content. Just don’t let this medium replace your other tried-and-true public relations tactics of talking, listening, and relating.
