Inside the Profession

Friday Five: You Can Teach an Old PR Pro New Tricks

Every time PR professionals master the latest and greatest innovation, a new tool, new approach or new advancements slightly alter the way they do their job. Fortunately, if you signed up to work in PR, you probably understood the degree of flexibility necessary to survive in this profession. With the increasing use of digital and mobile technology and the speed at which information travels on account of social media, PR professionals have a world of change to look forward to and their skill set will evolve as a result.

In this week’s PRSA “Friday Five” post — an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary — we look at how old concepts, strategies and tools are evolving to offer PR professionals a more effective space for housing content, new approaches to business as usual, a wider landscape for reaching a target audience and tips for improving measurement strategy.

Why the Brand Newsroom Will Change PR for Good (Ragan’s PR Daily)

As press releases become more and more obsolete, PR agencies and other organizations are investing more time and money in online newsrooms, a space where essentially all news content and social elements can live together in harmony. The reach of this tool is only as good as the approach that PR professionals take when pushing out content. Edelman Digital recently introduced a concept called “brand storytelling at the speed of social,” which they describe as a brand’s attempt to create timely, visual content that matches their audience’s interests. PRDaily contributor and CMO of Mynewsdesk Adam Cranfield explores five shifts in how brands are successfully incorporating this approach into their daily communications.

How to Fight Pitch Fatigue (Fast Company)

Does telling your company story seem like a monotonous process? You may have pitch fatigue according to Brad Feld, the VC and cofounder of the TechStars incubator. While Feld’s particular experience is not directly related to public relations, the lessons that come from his spotlight on the founders and their mission to deliver their company story to various constituents are still relevant. Founders tell their company story so often that after awhile they get tired and the fatigue comes across in the emotion of the story. This is similar to the way that PR professionals pitch stories for their clients over and over and sometimes neglect to insert any real relevance behind the pitch. Read the full article for ideas on how to keep your pitch fresh.

How Mobile Technologies and PR Work Hand-In-Hand (EverythingPR)

Mobile technologies have changed the way people communicate and access their information. PR campaigns are more interactive as a result of incorporating various mobile and digital elements. EverythingPR examines this shift in communication and discusses the advantages that mobile technologies have brought to the PR profession.

  • Speed.  Information sharing has become instantaneous. With the click of a button news is reaching far more audiences now.
  • Easy contact with journalists. Journalists are able to read their e-mail on-the-go now, which means that the wait time to hear back from one that might interested is much shorter.
  • Targeting. Having access to information about a customer’s age, sex, habits and even geo location allows PR professionals to deliver their content to the right audience.

5 Ways Social Media Supports All Critical Areas of Any Company (Search Engine Watch)

Still having trouble showing the higher-ups that social is a key investment? Search Engine Land contributor Jasmine Sandler discusses how social media affects all critical areas of the organization. Here are a few of those areas:

  • PR. PR professionals know that social media is key to supporting the reputation of the company. Social media can used to build a loyal following and protect the brand’s integrity.
  • Sales. Sales can be a direct result of online relationship development and social is the space to make that happen. Sales people should be using social media as a relationship management tool as they look to connect with prospects.
  • The Big Boss. It is clear that CEOs are not tapping the power of social media. The social space offers CEOs a vast landscape for driving leadership that matters to their target industry.

Can Public Relations Be Measured? 6 Tips for Proving and Improving ROI (Huffington Post)

Every organization has different strategies and tools for measuring and proving results. Huffington Post contributor and Digital Media Leader at Linhart PR Paula Berg recently spoke on a panel where they discussed measurement in various markets. Berg found that while there is no “one size fits all” for effective measurement, PR professionals have proven time and time again that incorporating measurement into the planning process leads to a more focused and more effective communication strategy. Here are a few simple tips to follow in your mission to compile clear results based on your measurement tactics.

  • Mission & Objectives – Goals first, creativity second. Determine what you are trying achieve, who your audience is and what a successful outcome looks like.
  • Strategic Planning – Develop programs that can be measured. When developing a PR campaign, incorporate elements that can be clearly measured.
  • Metrics & Benchmarking – First things first. At the beginning of any campaign, it is necessary to identify metrics that you can measure and use the right tools to develop trackable elements within the campaign. Track the progress of the campaign, this way you have time to make changes and then evolve the campaign in a way that may deliver better results.

Nicole Castro is the public relations associate at the Public Relations Society of America.

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Nicole Castro

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