Social Media is Personal PR
It has always been prudent to look after one's image, only now everything is happening as fast as you can say, "Click submit." While the Web has turned a lot of behaviors upside down, it's reinforced others. One relatively new dilemma is how to manage one's personal communications and brand. Like it, or not, social media has become pervasive and weaves its way into much of today's online conversation. Everyone has been forced into making decisions about how, where and when they want to be seen outside of their professional roles.
The social media explosion has made it a cinch to conspicuously discuss personal affairs. Back in the day, it was hand-written letters, holiday cards, and in-person conversations that we used to share life's happenings. Now there's Facebook. It's a personal PR machine. Need a press release to let everyone know about your the family's vacation in Cancun? Want to whine about being groggy and needing a cup of coffee? You see it all on FB and Twitter. Everyone's steering their own public relations effort. It's personal PR.
Personal PR means the Average Joe has to continually evaluate, monitor and take action on personal communications. Once the decision to participate in social media has been made there's a need to decide on voice, what types of things will be communicated, and the repercussions thereof.
Each communication platform needs a goal and voice/style:
- IM
- Website copy
- Specialized websites/portals: Facebook, LinkedIn
- Mobile phone etiquette
- Texting
- Blogging
- Microblogging: Twitter
- Digital photo sharing: Flickr, Picasa
Just as world-leading brands must be valiant with their PR efforts, so too must individuals. Social media users need to consider their communication content and style, using social media as PR.
Comments [0]