Social Media and Research: The Effects on PR

The use of social media in public relations has undoubtedly broadened the industry within the last few years. While multiple businesses and companies have been forced to make cuts and lay-offs, specifically over the last two years, the PR industry has not been tainted. In fact, the PR industry has continued to thrive. 75 percent of agencies surveyed by the Council of PR firms said that their companies have actually grown since the beginning of 2010. Over 80 percent of agencies surveyed also noted growth in 2010 of overall revenue. For more details, check out this article.

PR professional’s understanding of the uses of social media is the main explanation why PR is a growing field in a perishing economy. PR agencies have played the most vital role in developing social media outlets and digital efforts for key clients. Ketchum has worked on social media projects for many recognizable clients like Kodak and Best Buy, while PR firm Edelman has handled the social media for large corporate clients such as eBay.

It is undeniable that the relationship between public relations and social media is not only very much alive, but will continue to flourish. Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman PR Agency, notes that the new digital age of public relations is a necessity for any business to expand. The digital age presents many more challenges and obstacles for a company, and more specifically, the company’s reputation. This factor has forced PR pros to respond quickly to challenges, and knowing which outlet is most suitable to reach their audience. This has inherently placed public relations professionals at a higher level of worth in every company or business. 

Social Media public relations is becoming such a critical component of the PR industry that professionals are learning how to target research tools specifically towards social media. Social media monitoring companies have developed software which allows companies to review online posts and conversations for further analysis. Once a client has developed their research goals, pr professionals have the ability to build data and then take feedback from consumers and turn it into metric results. These metric results will allow a PR pro to evaluate consumer’s attitudes and opinions on the company’s product, service, etc. Check out this article for a more in depth analysis.

I believe that having a firm grasp on the importance of social media and having the skill set to use multiple media outlets is essential for all PR professionals. Building an online campaign through a “digital media shop” is simply not sufficient in the world of constantly evolving internet. PR practitioners who know how to actively run a social media website will have an edge over competing public relations pros because they not only have the necessary writing skills for the profession, but most importantly, know how to reach their prospective audience through appropriate media outlets.