PR 2.0: The Evolution
We’ve been taught that PR is the managing of relationships between a company and their publics. With the introduction of broadband and social media into the mix we are seeing new publics forming and finding new ways to manage those relationships.
As this generation’s PR practitioners we must be well versed in the online world of social media. It is crucial that we can identify our consumers and target markets and where they are online so we can follow and listen to them.
The publics we are concerned with are no longer limited to journalists, consumers, etc. but now include citizen journalists and bloggers. Anyone well-respected with a following in the online community is now our target because they can sway many opinions. It is our job to find these people, and the communities that surround them, in whatever niche our organization is working in to better spread the word and company name in a positive light.
The way communication is managed has also changed. PR used to be more proactive but with social media it has taken on a more reactive form. It is reactive in the sense that we are no longer just telling the consumers what we want them to think but are listening to them online and making marketing decisions based on what they are looking for. “Brands are able to have conversations directly with their customers in niche Web communities,” says Deirdre Breakenridge. “Brands can hear what their customers have to say and answer their questions and respond to their needs.”
The online public now holds a stronger power and presence over organizations. They now direct the companies next steps in marketing to their target markets. I believe this is what Breakenridge means when she says “PR 2.0 puts the public back in public relations.”
We are entering a new and exciting time in the field of public relations. Like Breakenridge says, “PR 2.0 places a whole new meaning and value on PR and marks the true convergence of PR and the Internet.”
Watch the video below to see Brian Solis discuss putting the “public back in public relations.”
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