Is Twitter killing off the PR consultant?
Somebody got shot recently. The news spread online before it was announced by major networks. Twitter apparently experienced a high of 3,440 tweets per second as the news spread. A premiership footballer had an extramarital affair with some woman off Big Brother, according to Twitter he’s Welsh and apparently quite good (at football). A bloke who talks about cars quite a lot is also trying to suppress a story. It’s all there if you care to look online. We live in a new age don’t we? The communications landscape has changed to such a degree that PR consultants are not needed anymore. PR is dead, long live social media.
I don’t really believe that. Have I ever had a story that has had global significance? Not really. Am I constantly being called by tabloid journalists? No. Am I ever going to make front page news? Not unless I shoot somebody or bed a royal. Have I come across a client who wants to make their entire communications strategy social? No. So why is the PR world so worried about social media and the impact it’s having? Probably because we recognize its importance, but currently can’t predict to what extent it will change what we do. We can make assumptions, but technology has a way of changing everything and nobody can predict future advancements. Remember sending your first email? I do and that certainly did change things. Will social media have the same impact?
Twitter is an ideal mechanism for breaking news and networking. But it only works if your target audience is on Twitter and is receptive to the information you send it. Take manufacturing as an example. Do you think it is a sector that embraces change and leads the way in new communication techniques? I don’t. Yes, it has to be aware of product innovations and significant budget is allocated to research and development. But is it awash with Twitter hardened activists breaking news about the latest end-of-line warehousing game changer? Technology is crucial to many business models but not the way those models communicate.
You are always going to have sectors that lead the way and salivate over Twitter driven campaigns that break boundaries. But many sectors still aren’t convinced and the majority are currently happy to keep a watching brief.
However, the PR sector has quite rightly positioned itself as the main advocate of social media. It has had to change and take onboard new channels. It has had to learn to be more concise (about time too). It has had to become more interactive. It has had to learn to share. PR professionals are in the process of learning many new things, which is why the industry is nervous. It’s like learning a new language. Remember that first time you ordered steak and chips in French? It was uncomfortable, but necessary.
The shooting highlighted how far social media, and in particular Twitter, has been accepted but it also demonstrated to me the type of news that it is relevant for. When planning a PR campaign there are various messages that need to be communicated, some will have viral appeal where as others will be more suited to traditional channels. The upshot being that PR is right to take ownership of social media activity but it shouldn’t ignore its history. Some of the tools that we have always used are still very appropriate today.
Believe the hype, but don’t get too drunk on it.
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In that case i agree.
Darren – You’re a strong voice of rationality in the midst of raging social media hype. Strongly suggest the PR biz has always been changing with the coming of various communications technologies. Often, what’s old becomes new again. Certainly agree that well proven strategies and tools can continue being applied. What’s interesting is many new to the profession don’t know how to use them and opt for only what’s new and considered cool. That’s great because it leaves that many fewer PR pros tilling what’s unfortunately becoming a somewhat smaller field.
Channels and audiences (or communities), as you wisely point out, require a range of approaches. Social media may be one of them for a given brand, or it may not. Its clearly not effective for all, for a variety of reasons.
Thanks for the input Ford.
Hi Darren,
Very well written and a genuine concern. However, PR consultants will never be a passe. Let us not forget that be it traditional media or new age social media, they are all tools of communication and not necessarily… the communication itself..( I mean, the message and brand image we intend to highlight)
As you correctly pointed out, we never know what impact the social media will have, but the PR consultant’s role will depend on strategy creation and advisory role rather than moderator of communication tools.
[...] in which we look for news stories, contacts, opportunities, entertainment and personality. However, as this article by Darren Cottom highlights, it should not be the only place we use. Technological advances are supposed to help and improve [...]
Darren: Thanks for such a frank and to-the-point article. I have been in public relations for over 20 years, having worked at agencies, in-house corporate PR and as a consultant, which is what I do now. (Yes, I admit it — I conducted PR before the internet — when we used to stuff 80+ envelopes with our press releases and during the advent of the fax machine to distribute press releases which some considered the best thing since sliced bread…at the time.)
I agree with you whole-heartedly — I think social media, particulalry Twitter and Facebook, enhance a PR consultant’s job — these are new tools in which to reach journalists using the same basics — making sure that we provide more targeted information to the media, rather than spamming them. That means we still need to do our research and make sure that we send bloggers and journalists information that they cover. Just like when the web became commercialized in 1993, and everyone was “jumping” on with a website that looked like a print ad, people are trying to figure how to best communicate using the social media channels. Things will continue to evolve and shake out, just like the web did, and PR consultants will be at the forefront.
Cheers, Diane R. Castro, CEO
Young at Heart Communications, LLC
“Bringing heart & communications together to get the word out”
Thanks for the feedback Diane. Yes, I used a fax machine and spent many a hour stuffing envelopes!
Twitter is one medium for the marketing message. Most of our clients still seek third party endorsement and press in major media outlets.