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: : Social Media and Public Relations : :

@sam_hart89

@dordtcollege

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Social Media and Public Relations

#introduction

Public relations (PR) has been a staple of business and marketing

practices for a long time. The generally accepted definition of public

relations, per the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) says that PR,

“Helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other” (2011).

Ever since the early part of the 20th century, public relations has served as

the communication vessel between corporations and the community. In

recent decades as the emphasis of business perspective shifted from

production and sales to customer satisfaction, public relations has been

paramount in effective communication from the business to the consumer. In

fact there are entire public relations agencies that offer their services to

companies, taking over the need for an in-house PR department.

Because it is such a long-standing component to the business model,

many public relations techniques have been around for years. However with

the advent of the World Wide Web and the capabilities of what is being

called Web 2.0, public relations has been forced to take on a dramatically

different appearance. And it is especially challenging because both methods

require wildly different implementation schemes. While in traditional media

proven formulas can be easily adjusted to meet a specific company’s needs,

digital marketing requires a bit more experimentation. Essentially, the “tried-

and-true” practices associated with public relations are being swapped out

for a “try-and-try-again” approach.

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As marketers continue to learn more about the capabilities of the

digital component, businesses adopt new methods of communication to the

public. Though the promise of the web is not a new phenomenon, it has been

—for the most part—untamed. The premise for my research this semester

has been threefold: first to understand the fundamental principles of public

relations, next to learn how to use a variety of social media sites, and finally

to develop ways to unify both social media and PR in one effective approach.

Although many businesses and marketing textbooks have embraced the

generic idea that social media can be used, they have done little to flesh out

this concept. There are several useful social media websites that will be

considered in my discussion of the topic, including but not limited to the

following: Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube, and Wordpress.

Throughout this paper, I will help solidify the notion that these two marketing

components can be effectively combined by showing practical ways to

complete this union.

#traditionalPR

Though we have considered the definition of public relations, we

should also take into account the purpose or intent of public relations. Many

people will inaccurately equate public relations with free publicity, shameless

attempts to attach a company name to a noble cause in hopes of increasing

business. Others simply attribute crisis management as the primary function

of PR, since this is a critical element of a practioner’s role. During my

research into the fundamentals of public relations, I quickly learned that

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though publicity and crisis management are components of the public

relations trade, they are not definitive pieces. The purpose of public relations

I think is best put by Guth and Marsh in their textbook, Public Relations: A

Value-Driven Approach: “Public relations fosters mutually beneficial

relationships” (2011, p. 3). Like any communication process, public relations

should involve listening as well as talking. By talking, firms can provide

insight to their target audience about what they stand for; by listening, firms

can also gain insight about what their target audience would like to see from

the company. In this manner, public relations intends to be good for both

parties involved because they gain from each other’s insight.

Before diving too deep into the specifics of unifying public relations

and social media, it is helpful to examine some of the classic or “tried-and-

true” methods that have gotten PR to the level it is at today. At the very

beginning of the public relations process is a four-step model that highlights

the action from start to finish: research, planning, communication, and

evaluation.

To further complicate this four-step model, these steps do not always follow

this pattern; frequently practitioners (those practicing public relations) must

switch back and forth between steps because the information is continually

changing. Also missing in this diagram is a value system, which in reality

may be threaded throughout the four-steps. Values determine what is

Research: gather info about the problem

Planning: strategy about how to address

problem

Communication: execution

phase of solution

Evaluation: assess the

effectiveness of efforts

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important in addressing the problem and will therefore dictate the action

taken in response to that problem. For the sake of completeness, consider

each of these steps individually in the following paragraphs (Guth & Marsh,

2011).

#research. As noted, the first step in the process is to gather

information about the problem. Of course it is simple to make a list of what

we already know in regards to the issue at hand, the more important piece in

this step to consider is the information that we do not already have. While I

do not intend to belittle the research process, it is far too intricate to

describe in this paper. Just recognize that there are many different tools to

help practitioners gather the information that they need to do their jobs.

Surveys, focus groups, secondary research, and communication audits are all

examples of these tools. Though the tools of research are important, it is the

thought behind them that is critical to have accurately identified. For

example, a survey of 1,000 young adults aged 21-25 about their opinions of

children’s toys does little to help a company like Toys ‘R’ Us, since the

company is not targeting this demographic. In order to have the most

effective communication between the client and their customers, we have to

have completely gathered the pertinent information so that we can more

accurately strategize in the later steps of the model.

#planning. There is an old proverb that says, “If you fail to plan, then

you plan to fail.” Planning, which is step two in our four-step model, is one of

the most important aspect of a PR manager’s job. In the research step, the

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manager collected a variety of data that helped to identify opportunities or

problems that needed to be dealt with. Figuring out exactly how to approach

needs uncovered by research is where planning comes in. Before becoming

immersed in any plan however, practitioners must recognize one important

characteristic of these plans. Guth and Marsh (2011) emphasize that, “All

public relations plans should be value-driven” (p. 230). Though

organizational values inevitably vary depending on the institution, having a

value-driven approach is vital. By being cognizant of company values, the

planning stage will much more effectively accomplish the company goals for

a particular PR campaign.

Clearly a plan is necessary and it must be steered by a value system,

but those plans can take on many different shapes based on formality.

Regardless of the intricacy of the public relations plan, the basic mold for the

plan is threefold: situation analysis, goals and objectives, and lastly

strategies and tactics. According to Y. Buchanan at a PR Agency in Michigan,

“all PR plans attempt to answer three questions. Where are we now? Where

do we want to be? How do we get there?” (2011). The first question

coincides with the situation analysis, taking into consideration the research

conducted in step one to fully describe the current state. Next the goals and

objectives aim to get the company to a place that they would like to be after

the campaign or the plan is complete. Finally answering the last question

requires strategies and tactics to be considered; strategy is the broad term

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for the approach that will be taken, whereas tactics are the tools used to

implement that strategy.

Within this framework, it is good to ensure that the plan is both flexible

and realistic (Guth & Marsh, 2011, p. 245). One of my old bosses told me

that too many businesses that she had seen fail over-promised and under-

delivered. It is helpful for companies to have high aspirations, but when it

comes to a plan it is important to rein these dreams in so that they can

gradually become a reality. This will reflect the company much better in the

eyes of the public than the business that cannot deliver because their plan

was too much for them to accomplish. Instead of over-promising, it is better

to under-promise (within reason) and over-deliver to the extent that the

company can.

#communication. After carrying out extensive research and creating

a thorough plan, the implementation stage of the process is next. There are

a myriad of possibilities available to practitioners in this step, from press

releases to celebrity endorsements. The following table from the Guth and

Marsh textbook shows the sheer number of options for communication to

traditional audiences (2011, p. 264).

Tactics for Traditional PublicsSOCIAL MEDIA actualities face-to-face meetingsblogs digital newsrooms GOVERNMENTSmicroblogs news conferences lobbieswikis public service

announcements grassroots lobbying

content communities guest editorials and commentaries political action committees

social networks letters to the editor and comments soft money

podcasts/vodcasts interviews disclosure documents

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social bookmarking satellite media tours CUSTOMERS

social media news releases stories for trade or association magazines

product-oriented news releases

EMPLOYEES INVESTORS product-oriented media kitsface-to-face meetings newsletters special eventsnewsletters magazines open houses and toursmagazines letters and e-mails responses to customer

contactsvideos annual meetings cell phone text messagingbulletin boards annual reports mobile marketingspeeches websites CONSTITUENTS (VOTERS)intranets facility tours letters and e-mails e-mail conference calls newslettersinstant messaging news releases to financial

news media news releases

special events media advisories to financial news media media advisories

NEWS MEDIA webcasts news conferencesnews releases COMMUNITY GROUPS speechesmedia kits volunteering face-to-face meetingsfact sheets donations websitesbackgrounders sponsorships responses to constituent

contactsphoto opportunity sheets cause marketing/cause

branding BUSINESSES

media advisories speeches stories in trade magazinespitches (letters, email, phone) open houses and tours extranetsvideo news releases

Part of the challenge involved in public relations is the fact that the

playing field is ever-changing. Whether the audience, the inputs, the

environment changing, each problem that a PR plan aims to address will be

in some way unique. Practitioners must consider a list of several criteria in

determining which tactics to utilize. For example the tactics should be

targeted to meet the specific needs of a single audience, since the same

tactic may not be as effective in another target. Another characteristic of

successful implementation is that it is specific, based on the research in step

one and the plan in step two. Though there are several other factors to

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consider before choosing the best communication channel, suffice it to say

that the process is not simple due to the large amount of variability that can

come into play as well as the different implementation options.

#evaluation. After researching, planning, and communication, the

only phase left in the four-step model is to evaluate the results of the PR

campaign. In regards to evaluation, public relations is often difficult to assess

because it is hard to give a feeling of goodwill a quantifiable number. It is

quite likely that if a public relations campaign goes exactly according to plan,

the company will be thought of in a better light but that might not translate

directly to immediate profit. For example, compare the results of a

promotional campaign that involves coupons with a PR campaign that

involves sponsorship for the Special Olympics. When customers use their

coupons, the business is able to track exactly where that coupon went and

how long it took for that individual to use it. They can also see how the

number of sales of that discounted product increased (or decreased) based

on their promotional efforts. However when a company opts to sponsor the

Special Olympics and donates $1,000 for a 2-inch square logo on the back of

a t-shirt, the most that a company can hope for is that they make an

impression on the audience for the Special Olympics; no one is going to bring

that t-shirt into a store and claim that they want to buy a product as a result

of the donation.

The direct return garnered from the coupon exchange is a quantifiable

measure known as a return on investment (ROI). Business owners and

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executives like ROI because it shows them directly how their efforts are

affecting their net profit. As we see with PR campaigns, many marketers and

public relations practitioners alike encounter this problem of intangible

results. Under pressure to make their efforts seem worthwhile, other

measures have been created to display the campaign results. Advertising

value equivalency (AVE) is one such calculation that takes the advertising

rates and amount of coverage into consideration. In the above example, the

2-inch logo on t-shirts is worth $1,000 ($500 per inch). Another recent

measure is weighted media cost (WMC), and it attempts to compare the

effect that the campaign has over the course of time. It is less quantifiable

still, but can be more accurate if executives are willing to consider it.

Whatever measures are chosen to evaluate the effectiveness of a

public relations campaign, it is important to weigh the results against the

goals and objectives that were established in the planning stage. Evaluation

is also something that can happen in small increments throughout the four-

step model to ensure that the process is on the right track. By accurately

evaluating results, it is also possible for the public relations team to see

where mistakes were made and how to correct them in future efforts.

Although it can be easy to forget about this step and move onto other PR

campaigns, skipping this step will prove to be deadly in the long run for

public relations.

#web2.0

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Now that I have described some of the fundamentals of the public

relations process, I would like to point out that the web has dramatically

changed the playing field for public relations professionals. Developing

media relationships through successful press releases and pitch letters were

once key aspects to a PR practitioner. According to researchers Napoli,

Taylor, and Powers (1998), practitioners wrote on average seven pitches

each month trying to convince journalists to publish a story in their

newspaper or media outlet. An employer survey by Fawkes and Tench in

2005 showed that one of the most desirable qualities in potential public

relations employees is high-level writing capacity. Given the belief that third-

party stories often are regarded as a more valuable influence for the public,

it is understandable that effective pitches are important to employers.

However the prevalence of information available on the Internet has altered

the sources that people go to read news or gather product data. The public

used to check movie times or a grocery store ad in the newspaper, but now

that information is available at the click of a button…for free!

While journalists scramble for pertinent information that their

audiences will appreciate, practitioners are able to take their stories to

multiple sources. Though they may choose to send out the traditional pitches

via email to interested newspapers or bloggers, they may choose to take

their information to social media or pursue other web options. PR

professionals have gone from being the cat, in constant pursuit of the

mouse, to the mouse that journalists have to chase after.

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As I noted in the introduction, there is a certain amount of ambiguity

involved with transitioning from traditional methods to digital public relations

concepts. There are a number of social media sites available to practitioners,

yet the outcome of these efforts is what intimidates many from testing the

social media waters. In the next few pages, I will take a look at some

practical ways to use social media in a public relations mindset. By no means

do I claim to have the answers to all of the questions surrounding this

transition to the Web 2.0. However I do think that it is important for any

business to acknowledge the potential held in social media, and at least

consider utilizing it as part of their marketing or public relations strategy.

There are conversations going on in the small communities held in social

networks that companies need to take part in. Many businesses have

flourished as a result of their digital efforts, and as more knowledge is gained

about this component I think more businesses will adapt to the change.

#facebook

If we were playing a word association game and I said, “Social

network,” the most common, one-word response would likely be “Facebook.”

There is an unreal amount of people with registered Facebook accounts,

ranging from children to mature adults. If Facebook were a country, it would

be the third largest in the world. With this kind of audience, how can any

business decline a chance to take part in a conversation here? Taking part in

this social media avenue does have high risks though; if it goes well then

hundreds of people might read the content, but if it goes poorly then millions

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could possibly see the message and misinterpret it. With this much riding on

the effectiveness of utilizing the medium of Facebook, it is necessary to not

abandon the four-step model that is part of the traditional public relations

practice. It is important to assess the situation at hand, develop goals and

objectives, and then select a strategy that will help accomplish those goals

for the Facebook campaign. Although the same can be said about PR efforts

on other social media sites, it is especially true for one as large as Facebook.

Despite the similarities in the two approaches to public relations,

Facebook differs in three important ways. According to an article by P.

Volmar at the Public Relations Society of America

technology conference in 2010, companies should (1) take

advantage of people’s social connections, (2) forget about

amassing followers, and (3) be someone that people enjoy

talking to. Because people are so well connected, it is

possible for campaigns, contests, or conversations to permeate throughout

several markets. While a company may not get a new customer out of a

campaign, they might make a new connection and have a chance to develop

that new relationship. Many firms get caught up trying to build a huge

follower number, thinking that more connections results in the best

possibility of impressions; a large following also looks good to the

supervisors. Volmar encourages that “Instead of concentrating on numbers,

concentrate on conversations to make connections meaningful” (2010, p.

14). Lastly, the obvious step is to just be a friendly person that will not only

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push information on followers but will also take time to listen to what they

have to say.

One of the best analogies for a business presence likens Facebook to a

cocktail party. While the party might be a fun time for the individuals

involved, ultimately the goal for the determined individual should be to build

connections that will hopefully transition into business down the road. At this

party, it would not be good to go from table to table handing out business

cards like they are dollar bills; people will not appreciate that individual

gesture and will not be likely to remember them for business later. This is

like the company that is obsessed with generating huge follower numbers.

Also it would not be socially acceptable to approach different groups,

mechanically present a short pitch, and then move onto another group.

Rather it would be to the company’s advantage to spend time getting to

know the people at the party on an individual level. At this cocktail party, an

unsuccessful businessman would leave empty-handed, having passed out all

of his business cards with nothing to show for it. However a successful

practitioner will leave from this cocktail party with dozens of business cards

from people that he began to develop meaningful relationships with. In the

same way, a company should approach Facebook with the intent of

developing meaningful, lasting relationships with a few people. Ultimately

their following will gradually increase, but they need to recognize that social

media is not a short-term project but a long-term networking option.

#twitter

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Twitter is the most popular of a group of social media that fall under

the category of microblogs. Blogs are hosting sites that allow registered

users to post stories and articles online, free of charge most of the time.

Microblogs differ from blogs in that they limit the number of characters given

to convey the message. For example Twitter limits users to a 140-character

message, which is in fact shorter than most standard text messaging

constraints. People use Twitter to get access to information quickly in real

time; often I look to Twitter for updates on Dordt athletic scores or other

game day articles. Tweets can be appear in Google search results and can

also feature links to other sites, blogs, pictures, or videos. They are also

challenging because they must capture attention in a brief sentence or two.

Though there is less back-and-forth interaction on Twitter, it is a site that

public relations practitioners can certainly take advantage of if they are

intentional about their strategy and tactics.

In regards to microblogging, the message is the most important

element and should generate the most attention from a public relations

team. The AMA Handbook of Public Relations by R. Dilenschneider (2011)

contains a few tips for creating content to share on sites like Twitter. The

author advises to “look for what resonates, make it heavy on emotion, and

target the message at the ‘other,’ not oneself” (p. 29). With such few words,

it is important to make sure that the message will have an impact in as many

circles as possible. Emotional messages often play to this idea as well,

especially if they are directed to others and not a business. Reading a tweet

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about a bad day at the office will not do much to enhance the company

image, but rejoicing in the Packers’ Super Bowl win last year will hit home

with the throngs of Packer fans worldwide.

Whereas Facebook is focused on developing deeper relationships by

penetrating social networks, Twitter is better used for firing off bits of

information sporadically throughout the day. Twitter users seldom hold

entire conversations using that platform, and at most will reply to a post with

a comment. One way that people can show their appreciation for something

specific is through the “retweet” function. When a tweet is retweeted by

another user, that tweet appears in the user’s timeline with the username of

the original tweeter. By following Dilenschneider’s advice about creating

content to tweet about, there is a higher chance that content will be shared

among others. For public relations professionals, Twitter holds potential to

disseminate exciting messages quickly for the desired publics. It is important

to realize that not every company is made for Twitter, and that is perfectly

acceptable. If an organization cannot make a platform like Twitter work, then

they should pursue other social media options.

#google+

Google+ is the newest social media site to hit the stage, and like any

new product on the market there are quite a few people that are excited

about it. While the hype for sites like these ebb and flow as frequently as the

tides, there are neat distinguishing features that set Google+ apart from

other sites like Facebook and Twitter; even respected social media author C.

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Brogan is ready to crown Google+ as a “social media game changer”

(Kessler, 2011).

One of the biggest differences is the categorization that exists. Users

can create circles of people to follow in sections like “friends” or

“acquaintances.” If an individual or a company would like to share a link with

only friends, Google+ allows the user to do that. At the same time, content

can be visible to anyone as long as they are in the specified circle that the

message is going out to. Profiles can be public, open to search, and because

Google controls it, SEO rankings are sure to be influenced a bit more by a

Google+ profile—if it is filled out properly. There are several other unique

characteristics of Google+ like “Hangouts,” “Sparks,” and even live music

streaming via YouTube. By unique characteristics, I mean that no other site

has tried to implement concepts like this before.

In order to really make a Google+ page stand out from the others,

there are a few useful pointers to consider before creating the account.

Again it is important to remember that the same fundamentals of public

relations apply to social media public relations, this time specifically through

Google+. These tips are from an article written by S. Kabani (2011), CEO of

the cutting-edge social media marketing company Zen Marketing Group.

1. Link other pages to Google+ and vice versa. By connecting

pages to each other, a company allows all current followers to connect

to the business in another way. Perhaps through this connection,

several more connections will be made with people on Google+ that

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were not previously in a circle. This is the networking possibility that is

similar to afore mentioned sites like Facebook and Twitter.

2. Be active. Post videos, photos, links to articles, comment on others’

posts. The more chatter that is put out there, the more likely it is that

the page will be noticed by someone. Although there is a fine line

between frequent posting and annoying posting, there is nothing

wrong with posting useful feedback or input online. Interaction is

crucial.

3. Use circles to full potential. Google+ allows people to categorize

their connections and post information to specified circles. For

businesses, this means that users can have a circle of only prospective

clients or new clients that can then have messages targeted directly

towards them. These prospective or new clients also are unable to see

what circle they are in—they just know that they have been added.

Users can also re-categorize individuals, so if someone in the “potential

customer” circle becomes a customer, they can be moved into a

different circle like “clients.”

Activity is critical for Google+ users, because even though there are

substantially less people using this site there are still important potential

customers out there. Personally I have only had an account on there for

approximately two months. While I find the newness of the platform and the

unique features exciting, there have not been many interactions that would

cause me to indicate that Google+ is the way of the future. However this

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past week I had an interaction with a post from the ESPN page and in the

next few days I had a notification saying that ESPN was now following my

content stream. Evidently through consistency and interesting content, a

national corporation deemed my page a worthwhile follow. Google+ will

continue to develop in the months ahead, and PR professionals should stay

keyed into what is going on here.

#socialmediaoverload

As I noted earlier, there are too many social media websites available

to cover in the scope of this paper. Although I would like to spend time

discussing the intricacies of posting to sites like YouTube, StumbleUpon,

Tumblr, Wordpress, Flickr, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, there is simply not

enough space for these details. Each one of these sites may be important to

have some sort of public relations presence on, but that is a decision that

must be made in the planning stage. Whatever platform (or platforms) is

selected, it is critical for the practitioner to continue to represent the

company equally across all channels. It is unwise to post a video on YouTube

of an executive saying something positive about company policies while a

Facebook post contradicts the exact message.

Also a presence on these sites can help to catch problem posts from

the public and correct the situation before it becomes a crisis. Domino’s

Pizza was victim to a situation where two employees posted a video of

themselves making a pizza that was dropped on the floor and spit on

numerous times before being sent out to a customer. With a web presence,

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Domino’s saw the ads quickly and took prompt action to counteract the

negative publicity. By not having knowledge of the digital PR capabilities,

Domino’s might not have fully recovered from the extent of a viral video

such as this one.

To briefly summarize, here is a rundown of what the previously

mentioned websites allow businesses to do, and the potential that they have

for public relations. YouTube is a video-sharing site that can be used to put

videos up about the company, post commercials, or even reward people for

putting videos there of people using a certain product. Tumblr and

Wordpress are both blog-hosting sites that allow users to write articles of any

length for free and post them on a web domain. For PR practitioners, there is

an opportunity to convey a larger message to target publics, provided they

are willing to engage in a lengthy article. LinkedIn is a professional site that

professionals use to communicate with each other; it is possible that future

clients, investors, or employees can be found on this site. Flickr is a site

similar to YouTube except that instead of videos, photos are posted. Like

YouTube, Flickr holds potential to generate buzz through public postings of

products or events. Pinterest and StumbleUpon are both share-sites that

allow users to post content from across the web that they found to be

interesting.

Equally important to posting a value-driven message across all

platforms is the idea that these sites should be linked to one another.

Practitioners should strive to make it is simple as possible for people to share

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content, like it, or repost it in some way. For example, blog posts on Tumblr

or Wordpress should have buttons at the beginning or end of the article that

allow users to post the link to Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. Though it is

unlikely for a customer to go out and search for a brand on a variety of social

media platforms, it is likely that they will check it out if they see that it is an

option after reading a good pitch.

#ping.fm

With so many different social media websites to keep track of, a public

relations professional could begin to feel a bit overwhelmed. Thankfully there

are options available that help to streamline the process of reading posts,

responding to inquiries, and posting updates across multiple platforms.

Ping.fm is a helpful tool that allows a user to link all of their social media

accounts to one website. Furthermore they are allowed to group their

accounts separately based on the content that is posted to them. For public

relations, this means that a practitioner can easily separate blogs, sites with

status updates, and picture or video posting sites. Then when there is a brief

headline that needs to go out, it is simple to post it to all sites with status

updates. Instead of writing several different blog posts for various sites, the

user can write one post on Ping.fm and elect to share it through their blog

group. In addition to being less time-consuming, this also ensures that the

message is identical across the Web.

Another incentive behind using a site like Ping.fm is the SEO ranking

that comes with effective integration. In a recent interview with a marketing

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executive, S. Kabani (2010) found that business web pages jumped from

below the twentieth page on a Google search to the third page in a matter of

weeks (p. 139). Similar results were also seen on Yahoo! and Bing, which

leads me to believe that it is worth the effort to spend time completely

consolidating social media sites into one location like Ping.fm. There are

other sites that offer similar services, like HootSuite or Tweetdeck. These

sites allow users to access multiple feeds on one screen, instead of signing in

and out of different sites in an attempt to monitor conversation.

#conclusion

After looking at the capabilities of different social media sites, the

outlook for public relations in this digital field is exciting. Though the

environment is continually changing, this change benefits PR more than

anyone else I think. In the past, practitioners were forced to find creative

ways to portray the same content time and again; there are only so many

ways to write an attractive press release before the journalists tire of reading

them. With the advent of social media and Web 2.0, public relations

professionals have the ability to create unique content and present it in an

attractive manner.

Meanwhile the fundamentals of public relations are still important

aspects that should be incorporated into any PR approach online. By

understanding the four-step model of public relations in depth, I realize that

online campaigns should be created in a similar manner. In fact, social media

sites can be utilized at every stage in this process. Research can be

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conducted on Facebook or in online forums, planning can be done via a site

like Google+, and the communication may be completed through Twitter and

Wordpress. After implementing the scheme, practitioners can monitor the

effectiveness by watching social media and engaging in valuable discussions

with contributing members.

Throughout this semester, a common theme that I came across

frequently was that PR agencies and departments should not be afraid of

trying out social media. It can be a tricky beast to tame, but with the proper

cautionary approach it can prove to be a very successful venture. Also it is

important to not get stuck in traditional or boring content, but to be creative

when posting to social media. People are waiting to engage in conversations

online, but it takes a bit of courage to step out on this limb. In the end, by

staying true to the foundations of PR and being familiar with a few different

web platforms, a unification of social media and public relations is entirely

possible.

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References

Buchanan, Y. M. (2011). The purpose of a PR plan. In Clark Communications.

Retrieved December 15, 2011, from

http://www.clarkcommunication.com/PRTips/The_Purpose_of_a_PR_Plan

.php

Dilenschneider, R. L. (2011). The AMA handbook of public relations:

Leveraging PR in the digital world. New York, NY: Amacom

Fawkes, J., & Tench, R. (2005, May). Practitioner resistance to theory—An

evaluation of employers’ attitudes towards public relations education.

Paper presented at the meeting of the International Communication

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