expertSEM

Ink has been used as a slang term for publicity for many years. It first was used to refer to print publicity—write arounds, quotes or feature stories published in any paper and ink medium—but grew to include all types of media exposure. As the public turns more and more to online sources for information, ink no longer applies and should be replaced with something more appropriate, like pixels. And those that work to get more pixels for their clients must also replace old strategies with new ones, ones that focus on social media networks.

As a PR specialist for an online marketing agency, I have an advantage that my fellow PR professionals do not have—I have a team of experienced and knowledgeable social media experts no more than ten feet away at any point in the day. Bloggers, link developers, SEO technicians and social media coordinators are available for me to pick their brains and utilize their techniques. Social media and SEO are constantly evolving, but thankfully, our team knows the latest features, strategies and networks that help distribute information, increase visibility and monitor results.

Some PR professionals are loath to get involved with social media. They look down on it as a base practices with fleeting results. However, what these traditionalists need to remember is that, their job is to create a link between the client and the public. That means, as PR professional, you must go where the public goes. If the people start relying on singing telegrams as a source of information and communication, then you put on gorilla suit and start knocking on doors (well, probably hire someone to do to, but the point remains the same). Thankfully for everyone involved, that is not what the public prefers. The public does, however, like Facebook, Twitter and many other social networks—so that’s where you must go to do your job efficiently and effectively.

Social media isn’t just for teeny boppers and socially inept adults—people of all ages use it to locate information and communicate with peers, business associates and family members. The days of constructing intricate press kits and snail mailing to every editor at every publication are over. In fact, those publication’s days are numbered. The ones that have survived are the ones that intelligently assimilated to the online environment. And wise PR professionals will do the same.

With all the options out there, where do you start? I’d argue that there are three main social media outlets that you must embrace—Bloggers, Facebook and Twitter.

Bloggers

They’re people, too! Although traditional journalists scoff at the assertion, bloggers are also professional writers with just as much, if not more, clout in today’s world of information distribution. Add bloggers to your pitch list and provide them with the same information you give to traditional journalists. But remember this: bloggers are not unbiased, as most journalists claim (claim!) to be. They may end up ripping your story apart and mocking your pitch. Along with being opinionated, bloggers are typically more passionate about their subject and thus, feel more offended when they receive an irrelevant pitch. Be sure to pick only the most pertinent bloggers for your clients.

On the other side of the spectrum, some bloggers may be so psyched to be contacted (“Company XYZ’s publicist is contacting me?! I must be important!”) that they’ll write a glowing post. It can be difficult to tell if the blogger will be snooty or star-struck just by reading their blog. I really don’t have to tell fellow PR pros this, but feel out the situation and act accordingly.

Facebook

Creating and managing your client’s Facebook page is a great way to go viral. The client must create the account and give you admin rights since all business-related pages must be created through a personal account. It’s better to have the client start the page—while Facebook swears that nothing crosses between the two pages (the company’s fans can’t see your friends and vice versa), I’ve had some issues with my company’s tweets updating on my own personal page. This is not an problem with Facebook, rather it’s a problem with Twitter’s application for Facebook; but having your client create the page and incurring any potential crossover makes more sense than having it on your page.

After your client creates the page, you can begin to trick it out—add a logo, description of the company, photos and videos. Getting fans is more difficult as you can’t reach out like you can with personal pages, but by constantly updating the page, sharing it a few times and creating frequent events that you invite your entire fan base to, you can go viral and get noticed somewhat quickly. The client’s blog and Twitter account can be linked up to Facebook as well, providing a simple way to keep all elements update and consistent.

Twitter

Twitter lets you announce news and events on the fly. It’s great for occasions and announcements that are positive and interesting, but don’t require the whole press release rigmarole. The old school press release has its time and place, but I’ve seen some companies put them out on a daily basis, detailing mundane happenings and uninteresting stats, just to have a presence. No one cares that your client hired a new intern or switched to a different roast for the office coffee pot. That is not press release worthy news! But it is Twitter worthy. In fact, you can document the entire intern-hiring process: “Sorting through resumes for an intern. We really need the help.”; “Interviewing interns tomorrow. A few look promising.”; “It’s down to two candidates for intern. I’m torn. Need to call them both back and ask a few more questions.”

Twitter also adds that personal, “real” touch that many corporate PR specialists struggle their entire careers to create. Just like our giddy blogger, customers feel better about a brand and will be more loyal if they believe the company cares about them.

The line between marketing and PR has always been thin, but it is being stretched more so each and every day. Those that aren’t afraid to try something new and be open, honest and transparent about the client stand to get more pixels than ever before.