Public Relations, Social Media
Understanding' is a two-way process. To be effective, an organisation needs to listen to the opinions of those with whom it deals and not solely provide information. Issuing a barrage of propaganda is not enough in today's open society.
Organisation' can be a government body, a business, a profession, a public service or a body concerned with health, culture, education - indeed any corporate or voluntary body large or small.
'Publics' are audiences that are important to the organisation. They include customers - existing and potential; employees and management; investors; media; government; suppliers; opinionformers.
What is PR? In today's competitive market, reputation can be a company's biggest asset – the thing that makes you stand out from the crowd and gives you a competitive edge. Effective PR can help manage reputation by communicating and building good relationships with all organisation stakeholders. Our definition of Public Relations:
Do I have good communication skills?
PR practitioners must be confident talking to a wide range of people – for example, your role may involve presenting to clients, dealing with journalists and meeting with groups of people important to your organisation or client. You also need to have excellent writing skills as you could be producing press releases, annual reports, articles and newsletters. There are certain essential qualities and skills that you will need to get ahead in PR. These include: Good verbal and written communication skills An ability to multi task and manage your time effectively A good level of organisation and planning An interest in all forms of media
Do I cope well under pressure? PR roles can be incredibly varied so you will need to be able to organise your workload in order to meet strict deadlines. The ability to multi task is essential, and a flexible attitude important. If you are looking for a 9-5 job, then PR is probably not for you – your position may involve early starts, late finishes or time at the weekend.
According to a survey undertaken by Cranfield School of Management and the CIPR, the following skills and qualities are important if you are considering working in public relations: Ability to: analyse management needs counsel management identify causes of problems, analyse future trends and predict their consequences research into public opinion, attitudes and expectations and advise on necessary action plan, organise and co-ordinate tasks monitor and follow up set goals and objectives motivate and influence others communicate effectively with individuals and groups in meetings and through presentations write and edit press releases and reports work effectively with journalists identify major social issues affecting organisations establish financial control.
Our definition of Public Relations: Public Relations is about reputation - the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you. Public Relations is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics.
Be curious… insatiable in your thirst for knowledge! Learn, learn, learn. It’s never been more important to ALWAYS continue learning – fresh skills are critical to your success as a marketing or public relations professional. Whether you are a seasoned pro or brand new to the industry – challenge yourself to constantly learn and apply new skills/technology to what you are doing, and adapt processes to fit your environment. It is critical to invest in YOU.
How do you define digital PR and what strategies are vital for success? PR has changed massively; it isn’t just about media relations and churning out press releases like it used to be a decade ago.
Digital PR is all about combining traditional PR with content marketing, social media and search: transforming static news into conversations and bypassing media to speak directly to your target audience online.
The Gift Economy in the digital age
With the emergence of a networked society, and largely thanks to the Internet, the Gift Economy has become a powerful yet often misunderstood facet of late capitalism. Given the relatively low costof producing and sharing digital property (software, music, video etc.) and the massive networks that can now be accessed for distribution, the Internet has opened up a powerful channel for large-scale gift-giving. These days, the free digital gifts we regularly receive from distant ‘gifters’ draw us into relationships that reinforce their prestige and control of key markets.