College students interested in PR are entering our profession during a rather tumultuous time. Not only is the economy tanking, but the Internet, mobile devices and new technologies are forever altering the media landscape and the ways we connect and communicate. The sad demise of “traditional” media and the rise of social networks, blogs and online sharing sites have created both opportunities…and challenges…for PR and marketing professionals.
Being a glass-half-full kind of individual, I see this changing landscape as being more about opportunities. The economy is forcing everyone to do more with less, so jobs may not be as plentiful, but there will always be a job for the truly talented. That said, PR talent today requires that PR pros have one foot firmly rooted in tradition and the other in social media.
I explored this very topic with Buford Barr’s PR & Corporate Communications class at Santa Clara University earlier this year. Buford wisely believes in preparing his students for the “real world” by inviting guest speakers who are working marketing/communications/PR folk to tell his class what the working world is really like. When I was a journalism student (way back in the days of the typewriter, ditto machine and Addressograph. Anyone else remember the Addressograph? No one in Buford’s class—even Buford—could identify a picture of one!), I always appreciated teachers who invited guest speakers from the working media. The world needs more instructors like Buford.
In the past, I’ve spoken to SCU classes about the differences between agency and in-house PR, as well as shed light on skills that they should hone to prepare them for a PR career. Given the rapidly changing landscape for PR and journalists, this year I chose to focus on these changes and making sure they were prepared. My goal was to encourage them to gain an understanding of and experience in both “traditional” PR as well as in social media.
Like any other good student of communications, I pointed to Obama’s wildly successful campaign as an example of an effort that very effectively used every tool in the contemporary communications toolkit to connect Obama’s team with individuals…using both older (door-to-door canvassing, mail, phone, email) and new (Facebook, blogs, online video) media techniques. (There are quite a number of good resources for background/analysis on this, including this slide deck created by my friend Giovanni Rodriguez for a talk at Stanford.) I also pointed to some best practices generously shared by others, including social media goddess Autumn Truong.
Key takeaways for the PR class of ’09
Learn about all social media tools that are out there, and start using them. I took an informal poll and was surprised to learn that very few used popular social media tools. Only a few admitted to using Twitter. No one raised their hand when I asked about Digg, Del.icio.us or MySpace. Almost the entire class admitted to having a Facebook account. It can be difficult to stay on top of these, but I encouraged them to experiment with what’s out there, and—at the least—use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds, YouTube and Flickr. Twitter is widely regarding as being today’s most powerful tool for both PR research and making connections.
Connecting online is a good way to network with folks who can help you. I challenged the group to start following me and my co-presenter/colleague Matt DeLong, an SCU alumnus from just a few years ago, on Twitter and to become our Facebook friends. (If you’re from Buford’s class and are reading this, don’t forget that connecting with us is part of your grade!) As Buford has advised his students, one-to-one connections are critical in the social media age, and the value of one’s “personal brand” has never been higher.
Consumer companies have led the way using social media, but B2B is catching up. And the landscape continues to evolve. Forrester recently released findings that point to the increasing use of social media by B2B companies. I’ve been gathering B2B “best practices” case studies from within Breakaway as well as from friends in the industry and have been really impressed by programs in place at IBM and Cisco, among others. These companies have put dedicated social media programs in place for both internal and external communications and collaboration.
Video should be on everyone’s radar. Most everyone agrees that it’s video…specifically mobile video…that will be a killer app. Video will be HUGE, and next-gen PR pros should start using video now.
Don’t forget traditional PR. In most companies, PR folks form the “front line” when it comes to experimenting with social media. That said, there is still a place for traditional media relations, and it is important for students to learn the basics of PR, as well.
