Social PR - The New Age PR

The Indian PR landscape is continuously evolving and it's fascinating to see clients adapt to the

integration of our digital efforts. As a communications consultant we need to realize that today, majority of our audience is online and we need to think of different ways to reach out to them.

Digital media and technology has paved way for innovation and creativity in our communications approach and we should embrace these new media platforms and tools. This evolution has given birth to what we call today as 'Social PR.'

While the clients are realizing the value of communicating to the stakeholders in an integrated approach - bringing online and offline together, PR professionals in India still seem to be reticent to this change. Of course, change isn't easy and it takes a while to adapt and evolve with change but if we don't embrace this change "now", we might not be relevant in the industry for too long.

How is Social PR different from Traditional PR?

"The principles of good PR don't change. What makes Social PR different is that it uses technology to socialize our work." - @Shonali

Social PR goes beyond social media platforms and is about conversation, engagement, connection and collaboration with the community that matters to you/ your brand. It also means reaching out to the right community and audience through online news portals and blogs.

"Social PR is just a cool way to spice up PR to make it more efficient" - @IvaIgnjatovic

The new age PR/ Social PR is about identifying the right influencers to build a community of like minded people.

It's like creating a safety net for your brand

If you empower and educate the community, be honest and transparent with them, they will stand by you at all times. They can become a brand's biggest ambassadors and can help you reach where you want to be.

Everyone on social media is an influencer in some regard and it's imperative to listen and identify the real influencers for your brand. A real influencer doesn't necessarily need to have a huge social following, but should definitely resonate with the brand's message and should have a strong hold of the content and engagement with his/her community. 

Social PR content strategy is built keeping in mind not just the media but a larger set of stakeholders

In my opinion, content strategy for Social PR should be crafted in a way to spark conversations, not just with the media but with a larger audience and community. Social also gives the ability to re-purpose content which isn't usually the case in regular PR. Content for social can be targeted much more accurately as compared to that of regular PR.

To incorporate meaningful conversations on social, it is very important to listen to what your audience needs, wants and desires. Unless you learn to listen, it will be hard to crack the Social PR strategy.

With the rise in Social PR, a question that's often asked is whether there will be a fall in media relations. In my opinion, the role of media will still be very crucial and important to the overall PR strategy. However, the way media relations is conducted will change overtime.

Who is considered as media is also changing with the rise of influencers

A Social PR strategy will include targeting the influencers and media will be a sub-set of those influencers.

Given the changing dynamics of the communications landscape, it's important for communication professionals to understand that Social PR is just an extension of PR. To stay relevant in the industry and provide strategic communication counsel to the clients, we need to change our mindset, believe in the power of integrating marketing, embrace and accept this change with open arms.

What do you think?

The Continuing Evolution of the Indian PR Landscape

As the Indian PR landscape continues to evolve, it is fascinating to see clients adapt to the integration

of digital efforts.

For example, a press event is not restricted to just calling reporters on the ground. It also means creating content for a tweet stream per the flow of the event, and continuously engaging with the reporters online and offline.

Just this past month, #GoogleHouse was a fascinating press event where updates about Google’s new product/features were unveiled. Not only did Google India have a house full of reporters, the hash tag also trended in Mumbai (where the event was held) at #1, and which also saw engagement by the reporters. 

It is equally fascinating that while clients are jumping on board, Indian PR and communications professionals still remain reticent.

According to this IAMAI-KPMG report, India has over 350 million Internet users as of June 2015; this number is expected to increase over 500 million by 2017. With such a huge chunk of the audience online, it becomes increasingly important to reach them outside of the traditional ways of communicating (newspapers/magazines/TV/radio).

Though the “what” to communicate remains constant, the “how” to communicate is constantly changing.

Here are some compelling PR trends executives need to adapt to if they want to stay relevant in the industry in the long run:

1. Building the social profiles of C-suite executives.

C-suite executives have started understanding that their social presence matters. Their customers are online and, in order to connect with them, it is essential that they have a social presence to connect and engage with their target community.

PR executives can play a vital role in positioning and building such social profiles, keeping in mind the customer and media perspective.

2. Multimedia & crisp communication.

A quick crisp e-mail with images or infographic has a better chance of catching the media’s fancy than long pitch notes or press releases. An innovative way of sharing information is what the media looks for.

If you can communicate the message in 140 characters, you’ve nailed it!

3. Online & blogger engagement.

Given the increasing Internet connectivity in India, PR executives need to start interacting with the online and blogger community from various industries to keep themselves and their clients relevant and up-to-date.

While print media still has a wide reach in India, the audience is glued online, and frequently seek feedback about product and services from the online/blogger community.

4. Twitter chats.

The trend of Twitter chats is catching on in India. While these digital events are still primarily held on a one-off basis, many brands have started interacting with their audience through such chats, helping them form a community of evangelists over time.

An interesting example: a Google Twitter chat that invited entries to share an app idea for the Prime Minister’s office. This initiative was undertaken by Google India in collaboration with MyGov.in (compare this to the White House’s We the People effort).

Influencers in the tech blogger space were roped in, along with spokespeople from Google and MyGov.in. The 30 minute tweet chat reached 2.7 million unique users and garnered over 6.3 million impressions on Twitter. Needless to say, #PMOIndiaApp trended in India.

Similar Twitter chat models are being adapted by various companies in India to discuss topical trends in the industry. Usually, they rope in company’s spokesperson and an influencer/celebrity to maximize reach.

In closing

To understand their clients’ industries better, PR executives should start listening to the brands’ communications online. This understanding will go a long way in developing a more effective strategy.

Have you observed any more interesting trends in the communications Industry in India? I would love to know your thoughts!

Image: yourmarketingdepartmentct.com via Google, CC 4.0