Social Media Forces PR's Evolution
Social Media has empowered people to become the new influencers and it is forcing PR to recognize and include them in their communications strategies. However, the PR industry is still unsure of how exactly to adapt to the new world of Social Media – regardless of how they currently sell themselves. The truth is that the PR model is not designed to engage with people directly, nor is it equipped to do so in a way that doesn’t insult those they try to reach. Social Media requires one-on-one conversations and unfortunately PR up until recently, has cowered in the shadows hurling messaging at people in bulk hoping that some of them stick. The new media landscape is forcing the evolution of PR, creating a hybrid of PR, online marketing, market analysts, and customer advocacy in order to effectively and genuinely engage in the conversations that define Social Media as well as creating relationships with the people formerly known as the audience.
