London Technology Public Relations agency | Social Media Strategy | B2B PR | Chameleon PR

Following last week’s annual Communication Report from Ofcom, I pulled aside Mo Elnadi, The Reptile Group’s Head of Digital, to talk about the impact of the report and the position of PR and social media agencies in the digital age. Mo is currently completing an MBA on the impact of social media on digital marketing and PR.

Here’s what he thought …

With regards to the report that was published last week, do you feel this information is important to you as Head of Digital?

Absolutely, we still need to further investigate the UK figures that have been given, because in some examples the results are lower than may be expected. I think further analysis and research in to how the survey was conducted will be crucial in helping us to better understand the findings. The results are different to those that we have seen in previous US studies, but this may be due to the technique used to obtain them and how they are measured.

In your opinion, are social media platforms still developing? Does more need to be done by PR companies?

This evolving landscape is constantly developing and social media platforms are now the fastest growing online sector. This is just the beginning, so it is vital that PR agencies follow this trend and embrace new forms of communication channels, after assessing the commercial potential and risk.

What challenges does social media pose to PR companies in comparison to more traditional techniques?

An important aspect of PR is creating dialogue that adds value with the right audience at the right time, in the right tone – so problems that may arise with these new technologies include:

-The real time factor – we have to ensure that we are always on top of the hottest topics that interest the target market in order to engage effectively with our audiences. More importantly, we must understand the dynamics of this new era and adapt our strategies accordingly, which is a challenge to many traditional agencies that are not familiar with those trends.

- Tracking and Monitoring conversations- It is imperative that you are able to keep an eye on what is being said about you or your clients. We use the latest monitoring tools which are able to search the web in real time for any relevant conversations about our cilent’s brands and also to identify key influencers per sector and channel.

- You can’t undo feedback that is written – With the democratisation of information there is far less control for brand image. Therefore in order to turn around any negative feedback you need to be transparent, address the issue and then leverage the opportunity to turn the situation into a positive discussion. One of the interesting facts about social media is how a strong base of fans and followers can jump to defend their favorite brand, or provide support for others on your behalf for low or no cost.

Are all PR operations ensuring they use social media techniques effectively?

While some are ahead of others, when it comes to taking part in this revolution the majority are already aware of the need to adapt to the new “Connective Tissue of the Web”. The problem though is whether they have the right digital strategy, resources and skill level to achieve desired results and to the right quality level.

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