Hello – I’m onlinefire’s newest recruit. You’d think I might be a bit daunted about entering working life; what with the world deep in recession, under the grip of swine flu and at the mercy of 10 million Tweeters, it’s all changed very, very quickly.
But I actually think it’s an exciting time to be venturing into online PR.The methods of PR that companies are using are completely evolving through new media, making the opportunity to do something exciting and innovative with a campaign absolutely huge.
Whether you believe that social media symbolises the future of all media and communications or not, at the very least we can agree that it represents a democratisation of information – consumers are starting to speak up and companies are starting to listen. As the marketing director of the IAB attested when he recently visited Eulogy!, digital and PR are becoming ever more closely aligned.
Social media sites have completely transformed the way brands and consumers interact. The relationship is becoming increasingly blurred. Rather than simply observing a press campaign, it’s got to the point where your average Facebook user, blogger, or Tweeter is becoming part of the campaign themselves. Likewise, campaigns are becoming much more tailored to the individual.
User-generated content, blogs and word-of-mouth are already playing a massive role in online PR; witness the success of the recent ‘Best Job in the World’ press campaign to see that. But online individuals are a fickle bunch, wanting more from the brands they consume like never before, so to get them on board is often easier said than done.
So what better place to face the challenge than with onlinefire? Here, it’s clear that everyone believes new media is something to embrace, rather than something to be scared of. Brands are increasingly realising that new media is not a fad and that it’s where a significant portion of future PR lies. It’s great to belong to a company that is at the forefront of this exciting space.
