The PR Blender: Mixing Traditional with Social Media

Traditional media has been the long-standing centerpiece of public relations —print, TV, radio and their online entities. But, with the advent of all things social media, from RSS, podcasts and wikis to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Digg del.icio.us and widgets, the tide of public relations and marketing communications has changed dramatically along with the flow of information and the audience it reaches.

A social media strategy is now an integral part of PR campaigns. The fundamental shift in the way businesses communicate key messages has engendered a new generation of influencers and means of communicating, allowing businesses to reach out from the computer screen and touch their customers, partners and investors.

This virtual interfacing can and will define a company’s marketing communications strategy and set the pace for all future outreach mechanisms while creating a culture of global interaction that brings a product or message to life. The tremendous impact social media has had on our daily lives and culture has changed the way we interact with friends, family, business associates, employees, etc. Now, you can put a face with an email and add a personal touch to a business correspondence or become a friend or business contact with anyone across the globe.

Furthermore, social networking has become one of the best tools for building buzz, establishing a corporate image or building a brand, offering the broadest reach imaginable in the shortest time possible.

Take, for example, the Starbucks' “Free Cup of Coffee if you Vote on Tuesday” promotion on Facebook and other Web sites. It reached millions of users-- almost a half a million Facebook users alone. Throughout the day today, I personally heard countless voters say they were headed to Starbucks with their “I Voted” stickers for their free cup of coffee. Some said they weren’t even coffee drinkers. The campaign built the brand, created a buzz and drove tons of traffic into every Starbucks across the nation.

Ben and Jerry’s had a similar campaign on Facebook: “Democracy Never Tasted So Sweet.” Customers received a free scoop of ice cream from the Ben and Jerry’s closest to their polling location, any time between 5:00pm and 8:00pm on November 4. More than 300,000 people became Facebook “fans” of the ice cream company.

These campaigns not only gave us the opportunity for some free coffee and ice cream, it gave the companies an opportunity to do what so many retail outlets need to do in this economy—drive store traffic and sales! It also gives organizations the ability to build a community of customers where everyone feels like they are a part of and directly involved with the movement.

That said, the past few years have shown just how crucial it is for PR efforts to target not one or the other, but both worlds of traditional media and new media, which ultimately helps you create a powerful, all-encompassing PR campaign.  The combination only heightens awareness while reaching your audience and influencers on their terms. There are new and exciting ways to use this to your advantage, and as a PR professional, I am excited for the continued exploration of the media and its impact on our daily lives and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Along with our strength in working with the traditional media, our social media expertise includes blogger relations, social media consultancy and developing awareness, branding and reputation campaigns on social media and networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIN. We will also help you create and manage content for your own blog as well as podcasts and viral videos.

Comments

[Rick Villars]

Interesting comments on the growing role of social media in PR strategies. I wonder about two things:

How will the sites and the companies on them deal with the reality that the people behind the profiles change, grow up, move on to new stages in life?

While companies can use social media to improve and promote, it is also a force that can quickly take on a life of its own. How can companies prepare for that possibility in terms of setting the right tone up front and not over reacting after the fact?

[Henri Duong]

It would be great for companies to realize this force. This would mean that they understood the power of social media and integrated PR.

How do you prepare for your customer as they grow? Create or Market new products to meet them for every stage of their lives...key is not to fear the unknown (loss of control), but to grow your business with them (your customers).

[Kelly Reeves, President and CEO of KLR Communications]

I think companies and marketers deal with the fact that people behind the profiles move into different stages in life much in the same way as they have dealt with the people behind the television sets changing and evolving in life. Certain products and services always have a target demographic. So regardless of the promotional medium, it is important to keep up and remain consistent with your target audience.

Sometimes a company’s target demographic will out-grow the product, such as Barbie or Legos, but there is always the next generation of kids to whom to market. However, if you take for example, a product like an MP3 player that has a broad audience- from high school and college age kids, to post-grad and professionals, men and women; it is important for those companies to develop a consistent message while customizing it to appeal to each audience so the people behind the profiles grow and evolve with the product. They still feel like the message pertains to their particular stage in life.

As far as companies setting the right tone and not over reacting to unanticipated outcomes, it’s important to control your message and your audience. Just because social media is very broad and universally accessible, doesn’t necessarily mean companies have no control over it. There are many ways to utilize social media to focus-in on your target market and reach out to that market without a lot of superfluous access and outreach. Sites such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIN, etc. offer various marketing and advertising options that allow you to avoid the problem of your message getting out of your control.

If it does get out of control, is it positive or negative? Is it enhancing or increasing your brand awareness or is it hurting your brand? If it is the former, then that is pretty much what every marketer dreams of – their brand exploding beyond what they thought was possible. A little college band called “Vampire Weekend” posted some songs on MySpace, and now they’re one of the hottest alternative bands in the country. However, if (God forbid) it all goes horribly wrong, then there is definitely some damage control needed. Perception is reality in the social media world, but try to remain calm and not over react. See how you can use the negative buzz to your advantage and find a way to counter it. I think companies get far more respect when they are open and honest about addressing a controversial situation. I mean, wouldn’t we have rather heard Bill Clinton say from the get-go, “Yes, I had sex with that woman, and I am deeply sorry for my indiscretions.”? That would have definitely saved him from House impeachment and many others a lot of time, money and troubles. Monica Lewinski used the negative publicity to her advantage. She launched a line of handbags, although the company is no longer in business; she made an appearance on Saturday Night Live; and became a spokesperson for Jenny Craig. Go figure. :)