Learning new tricks: how social media is revolutionising the role of the PR professional

Learning new tricks: how social media is revolutionising

the role of the PR professional

Tracy Playle MCIPRtracy@picklejarcommunications.com

Saturday 27 June 2009EUPRIO conference, Portugal

Please read out loud ...

“I may have had one too many beers last night, but I promise that this morning I am ready to be creative.

Please read out loud ...

“I am ready to think about how social media may change some of the way in which I work.

Please read out loud ...

“I promise that if I have a question, I will ask it, and if I have a story to tell, I will tell it.

Please read out loud ...

“Finally, if I like Tracy’s session today I will tell others about it and I will buy Tracy a beer tonight to say thank you.”

A little about me ...

• 5 years working for University of Warwick, UK• 2 years as Head of Research-TV• Vice Chair CIPR* Education and Skills Group• Started my own company in 2007• Now spend my time:

a) ‘doing’ communications workb) helping others understand social media

*Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the professional bodyFor PR practitioners in the United Kingdom: www.cipr.org.uk

Today

What is social media and why is it important to universities?

What does this mean for the PR professional working in a university?

Let us ‘tweet’: a brief lesson in using Twitter

Meet your new best friend

Part 1

What is social media and why is it important to

universities?

What is social media?

What is social media?

Blogs

Online video

Podcasts

Social bookmarking

Social networks

WikisMicro-blogging

Forums

Slidecasts

Individuals in conversation with other individuals, online

What is social media?

“A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations.”

Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Groundswell

For universities this means ...

• Information is everywhere• Information is free• Universities no longer the only place to find expertise• ‘Partners’ in learning rather than providers of learning• Demand on universities to put content online• Changes in teaching and learning methods (e-learning)• Demand for ‘personalised’ learning

Part 2

What does this mean for the PR professional working in a

university?

How does your message change?

• Information is everywhere• Information is free• Universities no longer the only place to find expertise• ‘Partners’ in learning rather than providers of learning• Demand on universities to put content online• Changes in teaching and learning methods (e-learning)• Demand for ‘personalised’ learning

What is different?

What value do you add?

Why bother at all with university?

What can we offer you as an individual?

The facts ...

• More popular than email• Fastest growing online sector

The facts ...

Facebook• 95 million accounts at beginning of 2009• Massive global growth 2008-09:• Italy: 2900 %• Spain: 600 %• France: 400 %• Switzerland: 400 %• Argentina: 2000 %• Indonedia: 600 %

Source: www.insidefacebook.com

The facts ...

• Most popular on YouTube: 122,000,000 views• 300,000,000 MySpace accounts• 14 billion comments on MySpace• Wikipedia: >10,000,000 articles• Wikipedia: >75,000 contributors• According to a survey in the UK, the term ‘social networking site’ was recognised more by parents than children, this means ...

Technology part of life for children

So, for you this means ...

Your audience is already there!

(and probably already talking about you)

How are communications changing?

We are moving from ...

... to ...

... interruptions are not welcomed

New opportunities for ...

• Listening• Monitoring your reputation• Understanding your ‘customers’• Identifying PR opportunities• Communicating directly with individuals• Capturing positive feedback• Identifying an emerging crisis (or causing one!)• Getting your brand out there by yourself• Joining up with e-learning activities

Some useful tools

• Google alerts• blogsearch.google.com• technorati.com• www.whostalkin.com • search.twitter.com• www.perspctv.com• www.sm2.techrigy.com

How does it change our role?

• More ‘noise’ to listen to – need tools!• Different channels = different approaches• Does the press release work in this world?• Reduced reliance on the journalist• More ‘noise’ to cut through• Individuals want to speak with individuals• Intermediary instead of spokesperson• Need basic understanding of web development

We also need to let go ...

Part 3

Let us ‘tweet’: a brief lesson in using Twitter

Twitter – what is the fuss about?

• ‘micro-blogging’• 140 characters or less• ‘Follow’ each other• Can be public or private• Share information, share useful things

Twitter – the do’s

• try it out for yourself first• use a more ‘informal’ voice• speak with your audience• listen to what they have to say• share interesting news• share ‘fun’ things• communicate important things• do something different

Twitter – the do not’s

• refuse to have a conversation• use it as a ‘push’ marketing tool• tweet 10 press release links all in one go• use new tools but with an old approach• ‘spam’ people• forget that you are representing your organisation

Twitter – more advanced

• use ‘favorite’ button to mark up nice things that people say about you, then link to it

twitter.com/picklejar/favorites

Thank you – questions?

Tracy Playle BA MA DipCIPR MCIPRtracy@picklejarcommunications.com

@picklejarwww.picklejarcommunications.com