Pimping coverage on Twitter
PR needs to pay attention to Twitter. Social media has (is having) an impact on business and brand communications. What the value of this coverage is still up for debate… but there are a lot of people betting on the outcome.
Regardless of your opinion evidence shows that customers are looking to social media for insight and offers. For brands and businesses this is a growing opportunity. The more a topic trends the greater the impact it has on buzz and search results. Social media and search have become an important of tracking coverage success – an online column inches measure.
From O2 (o2ukofficial) responding to unhappy, wannabe iPhone 3G S upgraders to Dell in the US (DellOutlet) pushing refurbished PCs Twitter is has become a part of the customer communication mix.
PR companies are having to help manage this channel, often writing the 140 character editorial. This role we’ve been calling the Social Media Press Officer – a title that is good for buzzwording clients. This role can be an absorbing one. With the frequency of tweets responding on Twitter can take up a significant amount of time.
Nevertheless the Social Media Press Officer role (hold your breath army of recruitment consultants) is a transitional one. Once newspapers work out how they are going to make money from their content online the importance of social media will lessen. As with blogging, the excitement of early adopters and enthusiasts will give way as the professionals move in. You only have to look at The Guardian and BBC websites to see how blogging as been formalised, controlled and now virtually just another form of editorial.
So where does that leave PR and social media? Dating, for the time being. The relationship won’t last, at least not under the terms we’ve seeing now. Until the media matures and the newspapers change tact as PR professionals we’re going to have to get stuck in and start pimping coverage on Twitter.
Exitlog RSS feed