Allen Mireles is a strategist with an affinity for technology who lives/works at the intersection of social media and traditional marketing/public relations.
It’s 2014. Public relations has really changed. The Internet has transformed not only how we communicate, but with whom, when and even where we communicate. We have 24/7 access to the world at large, creating exciting new opportunities and myriad potential pitfalls.
Traditional media is experimenting with new business models and online activity; frantically trying to find ways to hold on to its audiences. Journalists are scrambling to stay on top of their assignments. Brands now go directly to their customers and powerful new media tools are introduced almost daily. And there are the bloggers…
As Walter Lippman stated in 1927, ”The publicity machine will have become mechanically perfect when anyone anywhere can see and hear anything that is going on anywhere else in the world.” Sound familiar? He could be describing life today.
It’s a mad, mad world.
Yet—this is the world we live in in 2014, and it’s vibrant and exciting and filled with information. All of us are being challenged. All of us are being forced to change, some willingly, and even eagerly. Some reluctantly, and with great fear, and concern.
We’re evolving, and so are the professions, industries and marketplaces we participate in. Public relations is being transformed, albeit more slowly than many of us would like to admit, in in response to the world around it. Calling for the integration of new skill sets and traits with the traditional and accepted practices we’ve grown up with.
How Do We Define Public Relations in 2014?
According to PRSA, “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” This definition was crafted anew about two years ago, in an effort to more accurately describe the profession’s transformation.
Wait. Isn’t public relations the same thing as publicity?
While the terms publicity and public relations are often used interchangeably, publicity is a subset of public relations, not the sum of the profession. Other areas of specialization within the field of public relations include media relations, blogger relations, public affairs, investor relations, crisis management, employee relations, public affairs, lobbying, and international relations.
And, while public relations is often misunderstood to be solely about “spinning” the facts into a palatable story, ethical and successful PR pros practice the “art of telling the truth,” while crafting a compelling story.
“Public relations…is a strategic counseling function that helps clients look into the future and identify courses of action that will enable them to move forward successfully meeting the needs, wants, and desires of their stakeholders while also fulfilling corporate goals.” Kirk Hazlett, APR, Fellow PRSA, Associate Professor of Communication (Undergraduate) at Curry College in Milton, MA.
What Is the Anatomy of a Successful PR Pro?
To be truly successful in public relations today requires a blend of skills and abilities and personality traits. A person who has mastered new media channels, and is updating and tweeting vociferously, but has a tin ear when it comes to understanding social cues and signals, may struggle to get ahead.
The kindest, and most intelligent individual on the planet, with many years of experience in PR but no knowledge of emerging digital tools, may find herself being left out in the cold.
The new graduate with complete confidence in his ability to edit video and create content will surely struggle if he doesn’t understand the difference between strategy, goals and objectives, and communication vehicles—or why any of those things matter to his client’s stakeholders.
So, to be a successful PR pro today you need to be able to:
- Develop strategy (know the difference between goal and objective and communications channels)
- Write well and often (and fast)
- Monitor and measure digital campaigns
- Understand mobile and how it impacts communications and behaviors
- Know basic rules of SEO and be aware of changing practices
- Research (online and off)
- Work with video
- Understand content strategy (and know the difference between paid, owned and earned)
- Differentiate between promotion and problem solving
- Translate complex ideas into simpler language
- Navigate the social networks and understand the differences between them
You also need to have:
- A sense of humor
- Common sense
- Impeccable manners
- Courage (this stuff can get hard at times)
- Creative problem solving abilities
- An awareness of world, industry and local news (and trends)
- Willingness to adapt to change (sometimes quickly)
- Unending curiosity and the desire to keep learning
- A habit of active listening
- Genuine interest in other people
- Great relationship building talents
- A healthy amount of humility
- Great attention to detail
And then, after all of this? It does help to dress well and make a great first impression.
Public relations is changing and demands new skills from all of us. Success in public relations often comes to those who are working to integrate the new tools and skill sets needed with common sense, practicality and traditional training.
Sound hard? It’s totally doable.
One step at a time. One new social platform; one new SEO rule; one new measurement tool; one new relationship; one very cool story placement; one happy client at a time. Starting now.
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Image: Junior Melo, absoluteSteven (Creative Commons)
