We hear it all the time: public relations is getting irrelevant with the rise of technology. The rise of technology is deemed to be the fall of Public relations since predicted by Neo salatasi over 8 years ago.
Public relations experts use tools that are most effective for campaigns, this includes constant evaluation and scouting of innovative developments that can be used to influence public perception of a brand or concept. Let’s take for example: Newspapers are not as powerful in delivering quick and effective messages, so PR agents engaged the public on a more interesting aspect, we took to Social media.
Everyone is on social platforms and controls some level of communication channels and groups. We not only took to social media but engaged social media developers to make the platform more professional, this lead to the analytical algorithms that is available on all social platforms for measuring results of campaigns.
So the question is, does it take professionals to influence public opinion and ensure your following gets the relevant message? If the answer is yes, who then better understands the advantages and disadvantages of communication channels than professionals. This is why technology would keep PR professionals in business and not out of it.
Constantly evolving, with new technologies and new ways of interacting with people through media changes the way we do our jobs. With information and technology moving at an unprecedented pace, it’s no wonder that our profession is evolving as well.
As we move further into the future, a clear division can be seen between “old school PR” and “new school PR.” Old school PR claims that the press release is alive and well. New school PR prefers to put out news through social networks, email, referral networks, peer to peer, application tools, strategical base methods.
Although there is the old way and the new way of doing things, PR pros can fuse the two in order to have a blend of stellar PR skills.
Not so long ago, email, social media, online publications, phone based community applications didn’t even exist as part of a PR job. Faxes and snail mail were the rule, and the phone was a much more important tool. Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine working in PR without access to email and information on reporters found online.
However, it’s important to do things the “old school” way as well – actually sitting down with a reporter face-to-face to tell them about your client’s news rather than through email correspondence. Even if it’s not possible to meet with a reporter in person, today we have the next best thing: Skype. This technology allows for an in-person briefing, albeit through a computer screen.
Reporter lunches are also quickly becoming a thing of PR past. Both PR practitioners and reporters are very busy and typically don’t have time to meet for lunch – they are on deadline or just can’t afford to take a break from their work. The new way to connect with reporters is through Twitter – it’s a quick, convenient way to build relationships with journalists and stay abreast of any updates or reporters’ changes in beats. Even though you’re not physically meeting the person, you’re still forging important relationships through Twitter.
Although the tools of the trade have changed over time, the skills essential for being an effective PR pro have stayed the same. Keeping these skills sharp and knowing how to use the new tools of PR will ensure your success.
