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Modern public relations was born in the early 1900s, although history traces its roots and origins of practice back to the 17th century. Two years ago, the press release celebrated its 100-year anniversary.

While the communications industry has iterated with every new technological advancement over the last century, including broadcast media and Web 1.0, none, however, have forced complete transparency prior to the proliferation of the Read/Write Web, aka The Social Web, aka Web 2.0.

It is this element of fundamental transparency of social media, combined with its sheer expansiveness and overwhelming potential, that is both alarming and inspiring public relations professionals everywhere. At the minimum, it’s sparking new dialogue, questions, education and innovation, and also forcing the renaissance of the aging business of public relations itself.

While some are already predicting the death of public relations, I fundamentally believe that it’s simply the death of public relations as we know it. As long as communications professionals want to learn and improve their craft, then we are positioned for evolution. No matter how much we think we know, we’re now equalized as an industry in order to reset, learn, and define and earn an invaluable role within the business cycle — again.

Contrary to popular belief, social media isn’t killing public relations, but the business of public relations IS in a state of paramount crisis. It’s not without merit however. Perhaps up until now we have been our own worst enemy.

Continue reading " The State of PR, Marketing and Communications: You are the Future (Part I) "

Who should own social media? Public relations professionals are certainly putting a stake into the ground, and not without reason. A huge component of the participatory Internet is seeding information: stories, content and news, and helping to foster dissemination.

Looking on with alarm are the SEOs. Search engine optimization is a form of public relations. Just as there are no guarantees that The New York Times will write a story based on your pitch, much less run it on page one, there’s no guarantee search engines will crawl or rank your Web content. But if you know what you’re doing, you can greatly increase the odds of a favorable outcome.

Left in the hands of public relations professionals, argue the searchies, social media marketing will turn into a tidal wave of spam. We’re the Web professionals — leave it to us!

They have a point. It depends on qualifications.

At one end of the spectrum is an acquaintance (let’s call her “Susan”) whose public relations business failed in the current climate. Susan just joined Facebook and uses it to send reminders that she’s desperately seeking freelance assignments. Beyond Facebook and e-mail, Susan’s knowledge of the Web is near zero. Much as I’d like to help an old friend in need, I can’t in good conscience recommend her to anyone in my network.

Continue reading " Who Owns Social Media? "

Public relations is much more than endorsements and what many of the media, bloggers and the public have defined as “spin.” The practice of public relations has and will always be the art and science of building relationships, connecting people and measuring how these relationships with various publics lead to long-term value for an entity or organization (whether it’s in regard to government, investor, analyst, media, community or employee relations). 

The social media landscape influences the way public relations professionals approach and execute the practice of public relations. Social media is forcing a reform of the public relations industry and now requires public relations and communication professionals to act as research librarians, sociologists and cultural anthropologists, and content managers, among other responsibilities.

The changes that we’re experiencing allow us to take back our rightful place in the boardroom as a strong asset to any organization. We’re practicing a bottom-up strategy of listening to the public and then engaging as a meaningful resource and partner rather than the top-down, messaging push strategy of the past.�

As professionals, we must adapt our attitudes and roles, level of technological expertise and commitment to completely embrace the new public relations 2.0 responsibilities. If you started out as media liaison like many of us, then your career today requires you to take an active part within an organization as an influencer. We are not just handlers of information or facilitators of interviews. We are creating and producing content that helps people to learn; we are educating our clients, peers and the public relations industry on this new public relations movement.

Continue reading " Social Media for Public Relations: Re-Inventing An Industry "