Media’s New World Order in Public Relations
Tuesday, January 4th, 2011There is a dramatic change in how the world receives its news. Public relations has developed into a varied range of communications to try to handle their need to have information quicker.
People are not waiting for the six o-clock news or going out in the cold for the morning newspaper. The consumers of the world have evolved into journalists. They now have Twitter, a tool to update each other and become social commentators. Businesses are also engaging their customers to rate their products and share their thoughts instantly.
Businesses, brands and individuals no longer have the luxury of relying solely on planned marketing and PR strategies. Though those aspects are an integral part of every business, they cannot ignore all of the new ways consumers and media are being influenced.
In the new digital world of communications, consumers are immediately updated through e-mail, text message, Twitter, and Facebook. Media outlets and customers normally wait for official statements, but now they can use the responses from consumers and special interest groups to put together a story to publish.
In this landscape, companies are looking to marketing and public relations firms who remake themselves to capture their audiences and adapting their products and messages. Marketing and public relations has to be done in real time, keeping their consumers updated through social media, online news releases and instant dialogue with consumers through blogging. Failing to adapt, the message that you plan on sending will be lost in the mass media, and the credibility will be tainted.
Now having a marketing plan that incorporates a public relations angle will make it that much more effective. By doing this, you can merge your branding and advertising with a plan to get your message, image, or product out to the consumer.
Releasing your message in an interesting way is only part of a good PR campaign. Using methods like community relations, investor relations, public press conferences, crisis communications, and media events are all arranged on behalf of your company. The old method of calling a press conference alone would get you coverage from at least one media outlet.
In the current economy, newsrooms are scaling back and newspapers are laying off journalists, it takes some creativity to get the press’s attention at a press conference. Therefore, trying to place an article in the paper is only one part of the job. A successful public relations campaign now includes placing the articles on blogs, Facebook, and other multi-media outlets to reach the audience that gets its information on as quickly as hourly basis.
Research and clever timing is now the key to public relations. Sometimes influencing the public is the key. In many case, the public’s interest can be the story more than the story itself. The best PR is telling the story to tap that energy and interest. The better the story, the more likely the public will bite and make your PR job easier.
Even though marketing is made up of multiple components, public relations is becoming just as valuable a strategy in the way you communicate to your consumers and clients. Public relations’ cost and effectiveness have now passed that of marketing when your message is relayed through the media and on the web in with your target market.
The objective is to get the word out. You want the world to know about you, your company, and your services to those who use your services or want your product. So keep in mind when you are developing a marketing strategy, it is important to integrate a strategy that draws upon your true constituents from the modern media markets. This discussion of developing your methods of delivering your message will help you succeed in adapting to the progressively efficient media landscape.
Author Sarah Oehler-Maronn provides a wide variety of specialized services to Denver Public Relations firms, including Press Release Preparation and Public Relations specialized services. Specializing in marketing and business development counsel, Sarah also creates specialized campaigns to increase revenue for a wide variety of organizations.
