As social media becomes more entrenched as a corporate tool, one of the beliefs that seems to be gaining traction is that social media can replace public relations as the way to tell the world what you’re doing.
For some companies with the Midas touch, this may be true but for the vast majority of companies, public relations continues to play a key role along with social media. I would argue that companies that ignore to public relations as a valuable communications and marketing tool are making a major mistake.
The realty is social media is shiny, new and, as important, free (at least the tools are free). On the other hand, public relations is yesterday’s tool, and seen as something that worked well when traditional media ruled the roost.
As well, many public relations agencies continue to use the old-school billing-by-the-hour model, which doesn’t work for clients looking for financial flexibility and a way to reward suppliers based on ongoing performance.
This has encouraged many companies to embrace social media or, at least, experiment more with it. Meanwhile, public relations budgets are being scrutinized and questioned.
The biggest issue in turning away from public relations is it brushes aside the value that a good public relations agency can bring to the table in terms of engaging with key constituents, including traditional media, which still provides plenty of great opportunities despite the rise of social media.
A good public relations agency delivers more than simply sending out press releases and media package; it also creates campaigns that feature stories tailored to the needs and interests each constituent.
The other thing that a good public relations agency brings to the table is relationships – relationships not only with reporters but bloggers and analysts.
In an ideal world, public relations and social media work together to provide companies with a solid one-two punch. While public relations is a good way to create and deliver compelling stories, social media can be a valuable tool to reach out to target audiences to drive engagement, conversations and relationships.
While public relations agencies can certainly provide social media tactics on behalf of clients, these efforts tend to work better when a company is doing the heavy lifting because they’re the ones drinking the corporate Kool-Aid.
Even with smaller clients, I advise them to consider using a public relations agencies as another way to cover the media landscape. Of course, these clients tend to work with boutique agencies that offered lower prices but still deliver great service.
The bottom line is when a public relations agency and a client can work together make beautiful public relations and social media music together.
