As the year comes to an end, (
Yes all my clients have already gone on leave so apart from a few parties that
I will be attending, I can comfortable say that the PR year has come to an end.
Well, I know one friend who has an event on 31st, the Bacardi party.
You may choose to disagree with
me on this but one area that many practitioners have struggled with this year
is the impact of new media to our business, many are ill-equipped to capitalize
on this new age platform because of the fear of technology.
Friends, the terrain of public
relations practice is continuously shifting with new media bringing about
substantial increases in stakeholder strength through facilitating
communication within stakeholder groups and between different stakeholder
groups. The most sort after information now pours out of digital spigots from
different directions, various sources that are either genuine or not genuine.
Place a goon on any computer with internet connection and the chap will have
the ability to publish information for potential global consumption.
But all is not lost, the Internet
has given public relations practitioners a unique
opportunity to collect information, monitor public opinion on issues, and
engage in direct dialogue with their publics about a variety of issues. When I
joined one of the local agencies earlier this year straight from the
telecommunication sector, I was not vastly knowledgeable with the banking sector,
but nine months later, I can sit with bankers and chat about the banking trends
and industry expectations.
While, we had the excuse of
blaming our clients for not being keen on new media, we might not get away with
blasting information out at an audience come 2014. The two-way communication
social media based channel will be a tremendous opportunity for our clients to
gain real-time feedback on messaging coming from their spokespeople. The
hundreds of Facebook pages and twitter handles that we started for our clients
have to create deeper connection with our target audience. We have to move the
audience closer to a brand and soften the barrier that exists when people feel
as if they’re talking to a company that views them strictly as a potential sale.
One thing I will not expect as a
consumer is to be subjected to mass, non-targeted information because I believe
my concerns should be addressed quickly and personally, after all social media
is here to stay.
