Technology has made it possible to reach and engage people across digital platforms. For public relations (PR) professionals, this means building stronger client relationships and streamlining business operations that put you ahead of the competition.
And who doesn’t want that?But those aren’t the only benefits of the so-called ‘digital revolution’.
The team at
media update spoke to Tracy Jones, founder and MD of Positive Dialogue, about how PR has created opportunities for innovation.
How has technology encouraged innovation in strengthening client relationships?We’re fortunate to have a plethora of digital options available to build client relationships. From Slack, Microsoft Teams, Trello to Google Docs, we’re able to show real-time project plans that are daily, weekly and monthly, which enables full transparency.
While clients see what their internal teams are doing daily, one of our previous challenges was giving peace of mind as an external agency. Especially in regards to what we were doing, when and to whom we were communicating at all stages of the campaign.
Now, we’re able to plot analytics across platforms (
in real-time) so that clients can view our progress at any stage of the campaign. This helps to build client trust in your methodology and experience in delivering on the strategy.
How has social media monitoring helped PR professionals to innovate?Mainly as a listening tool. We’re now able to track and research online conversations that are taking place in real-time. This allows us to inform and consult clients on when, and if, they should join conversations in an authentic and meaningful way with their target audiences.
Has the digital shift made creative problem-solving and critical thinking easier or more difficult?I’d say both. The challenge is this: Target audiences are able to consume way too much content and media, whether it be for business or their personal lives.
With that said, the opportunity is there for PR consultants to create compelling, informative, authentic content that finds client’s target audiences via the communication channel that they want to be found. It’s no longer predominantly through print magazines, TV or radio. It’s now also relevant to include podcasts, YouTube channels, online forums or influencers in your communication tactics.
This has opened up a huge opportunity to produce content that can be created in two-to-three different formats; it can also be amplified across multiple digital channels with measurable, meaningful results.
How can PR pros use innovation as a brand differentiator to overcome the stumbling blocks they may encounter?Firstly, if we’re not innovating it’s going to be difficult to remain relevant in the fast-changing marketing mix. Innovation can no longer be a consideration; it needs to be prioritised as a necessity.
Sharing from my personal experience, I started with taking a long, hard look at our business model and identified strengths and weaknesses within our client service, operations and implementation, measurement and service offerings.
We identified what was working and what could be further improved. Then we actively looked for digital tools that made everything more streamlined operationally, faster and more transparent with clients. Added to that, this allowed for a big focus on digital content creation, real-time consumer listening and ‘newsjacking’, as well as the versatility to be able to work digitally across Africa.
Some innovations worked really well, whereas others had to be scrapped and alternatives had to be found. The important thing is just to start and keep searching for better. At the rate of change and evolution that the media and marketing industry is currently going through, we cannot afford to be complacent regarding our own industry innovation.
We need to keep up or be left behind. Now more than ever we need to be able to show our value, and it’s now (
finally) possible with the digital tools available to us.
What metrics do you find useful for online reputation management?We’ve developed a ‘contagious communication’ efficacy scorecard for our clients where we’re able to measure the qualitative and quantitative content against a number of content metrics. These are assigned to a sliding scale of points, agreed to ahead of time with the client upfront.
This ensures we’re able to give an efficiency score percentage to our monthly activity, which ties back to the initial strategy and six-month activity plan. This is done to ensure that we’re delivering results that 100% align with the client’s business objectives. This online reporting and management help to constantly assess and realign with clients where necessary.
Would you say employees are your key ambassadors for online campaigns?Firstly, I think that companies need to ensure the inclusion and active involvement of their employees in campaigns
prior to wanting them to be tools for engagement. By ensuring their authentic support, and buy-in upfront, the rest will happen organically.
But often, we’re so busy communicating to external stakeholders that we forget about the internal ambassadors. The value that employees can bring to a digital campaign is immense due to their third-party authentic endorsement, rallying for support and involvement from others. Employees are able to share content that improves company culture and actively demonstrates company values.
We read all the time how we as consumers want to genuinely explore and get to know the brands they consistently engage with. What better way is there to get to know a company than through the people that work there every day?
Calling all pros, how are you able to maintain your PR edge with the help of digital tools? Let us know in the comment section.