Top 5 Online Tools/Services a PR Should Use

The Internet has tremendously increased the ability to get a hold of breaking news at any given time for populations across the globe. The result has been a more informed group of publics, and more pressure for public relations practitioners to find ways to both maintain their client’s image, as well as presence in the media.

With the possibility of any news—good or bad—being released at any given moment or time about an organization or client, a PR should use the very source that is allowing these stories to spread so rapidly, to their advantage—the Internet.

5 online tools/services a PR should be using are:

1. WEBPAGE

A webpage should be the first form of online communication that a PR sets up for an organization. Not only can a website be used to store and share information such as photographs, press kits and releases, event information, etc., it is a quick and easy way for different publics to access information about an organization. Also, a website can prove to be very helpful for a public relations practitioner in the event of a crisis being that all of the information a PR may need is readily available in one location.

2. FACEBOOK

Facebook has proven itself to be an essential service for a PR. Both a cheap and effective way to reach a large, targeted audience, the social media site can be used to create awareness of upcoming events or developing stories about an organization. Its group and fan pages also open up the ability for two-way communication between an organization and different publics because it allows interaction, for instance sharing thoughts, ideas, and opinions on matters, between the two.

3. TWITTER

Having a Twitter account could help a PR keep followers of an organization updated on current or live events through either an RSS feed for the site or by posting a tweet, or link to a video or photo. Doing so will help to create a public that is both loyal and passionate about an organization.

4. FLICKR/YOUTUBE

Both sites create the ability for information to be easily embedded into sources located elsewhere, such as a webpage. Sites like YouTube and Flickr also have a high traffic volume, which means that any video or photograph of an event can potentially drive more traffic to an organization’s webpage.

5. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

Another way a PR could drive traffic to an organization’s webpage is by using SEO. Creating and linking multiple sites is a sure way a PR can get an organization’s main site at the top of a search engine, therefore increasing the possibility of an organization’s exposure to different publics.

Though each tool/service is helpful in their own way, when used collectively, they can be a powerful force that a public relations practitioner can use to help keep publics informed about a client.

Putting out the *FLAMES*

Before a crisis can ever truly be “solved,” the damaged relationship between a person or organization and a public must be repaired—a process that can take months and sometimes even years of work. This is where a PR professional steps in. Before a process like this can even begin, the crisis must first be managed, and the job of a public relations specialist is to take immediate action and create buzz to get public opinion on their client’s side, so that a problem does not become so big that the chances of a resolution may diminish.

If a crisis were to emerge, there are three important steps a PR professional must take in order to repair the now tainted image of their client.

1. WORK FAST...WITH MINIMAL COMMENTS
Taking immediate action is vital when managing a crisis. In a situation where events move just as fast as information, and many sources are involved, working fast to get the facts and presenting them to the public is essential. Even more essential than presenting the facts to the public is HOW they are presented. Seeing as to how the typical “no comment,” response can make a PR’s client seem more guilty, John J. Barr, Principal of Cascadia Communication Associates, maintains that making a small comment or a short statement expressing regret or remorse without revealing a lot of details will go further that withholding comments. After all, the purpose of crisis management is to defend a position, but make yourself seem likeable and concerned.

2. CHANGE THE LIGHT
Presenting a client in a different light is key to keeping damage to a minimum. Showing that the person or organization in question has another or better side can help to move focus away from the crisis and towards a more positive direction.

3. MAKE THE MEDIA WORK FOR YOU
The media’s job is to present both sides of an argument. That being said, by seeking out reporters or setting up interviews with other members of the media that seem sympathetic, it may be easier for a PR professional to make their client’s position heard or to present a new angle on the crisis at hand.

Aside from the obvious negative effects a crisis can have, if managed properly, a crisis can prove to be an excellent promotional tool for an organization. As previously stated, a PR’s role in problem management is to create buzz and present their client in a different light. Upon doing so, the attention that a public is directing to an organization can be diverted towards all of the good things that an organization or person has done, in which case, the road to recovery begin. Also, a crisis can ignite a positive and contructive change in structure or personnel within an organization.

*Message Accepted*

Having an audience exposed to and accept a message is a major accomplishment for a PR professional. Public relations practitioners are able to complete such a difficult task with the help of communication theories, two in particular being the Uses and Gratifications Theory and the Agenda- Setting Hypothesis.

USES & GRATIFICATION THEORY

Demonstrates the audiences’ control over what is considered to be discussion worthy news rather than the media. This particular theory places emphasis on the role that the wants and needs of the people play when determining where they get their information. For example, in order appear informed at a social gathering, a person may choose to look into a media outlet for news or information pertaining to the topic relevant to what they will be discussing. In the same respect, the media puts out information that they know will satisfy the peoples’ needs.

AGENDA-SETTING HYPOTHESIS

Suggests that the media gives implications to publics of what may or may not be newsworthy. The media is able to set an agenda by allotting a certain amount of time and space to specific stories, thus audiences are more prone to pay more attention to and create discussions about what they are constantly seeing as front page news.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO

Though the Agenda-Setting and Uses and Gratifications theories are seemingly different, there is a distinct relationship linking these two together. As previously stated, the Agenda-Setting Hypothesis says that the media sets agendas and the Uses and Gratification Theory holds onto the notion that the preferences of audiences are what determine the type stories that the media considers newsworthy. What the two have in common is the audience’s connection with a message. The two are able to play off of one another by continuously presenting publics with messages that they will be inclined to discuss, thus deeming the message as important. If the audience is no longer connecting with a message, the media will either find a different angle of a story that will spark new discussion, or simply pay more attention to another story.

WHERE DOES A PR PROFESSIONAL FIT INTO ALL OF THIS?

The role of a public relations practitioner varies within each communication theory, with no one role being more important than another. In the Uses and Gratifications Theory a PR professional uses an audience as a way to introduce messages into the media. In the Agenda-Setting Hypothesis the PR practitioner plays more of a behind the scenes role by feeding stories to the media in order to get them heard by an audience.