Is the public still open to a company’s message? Television ads and PSA’s are losing their power rapidly, and adblock software is doing its part to slow the barrage of messages being sent to consumers. So from a PR standpoint, how do we communicate with our public when they want to seek their information and not the other way around? Can we be proactive and try to reach out, or do we make the most attractive base in hopes that the public will find us?
Brian Solis, author of the book “Engage” seems to have the answer to those questions that can be summed up in the quote, “Earn their attention” (Solis, pg35).
Solis introduces an idea called “Crowd-Sourcing” in which the public edits what information and trends are out there, and what will make it to the top of the public-eye. There is a variety of sites and forums that a PR practitioner can pay attention to to either observe this idea at work, or even to utilize in a way that will greatly increase the online presence of a company.
Websites like Reddit and Vimeo are just a fraction of what is out there at a companies disposal. The secret lies in the power of the almighty “like” button, or “share”, or “digg” , or a number of similar click-options provided by these websites. Ultimately what these buttons do is instantly share whatever was just viewed by that individual person. This boosts that topic’s popularity, and sometimes that person will send the link to his/her friends. This type of exposure is as valuable as a word of mouth recommendation for two reasons: our message is passed (for free) to another person who is probably going to like it and share it again, and because it helps our message gain momentum and hopefully make it to the front end of that website.
Utilizing this tactic allows a company to promote a message with the public being involved. If that message is popular enough to make it to a popular part of a website, the rest of the public on that site feels more inclined to spend their time viewing it.
This idea of creating a quality message in a stylish way that will be passed through online communities is going to be key for success in today’s information-selective world.
EARN THEIR ATTENTION
pmartell 
I think what you are saying here in a nutshell is that SM is built on relationships. We tend to follow/buy/read/etc… items that our friends will recommend to us. We are more apt to believe our friend than a marketing piece or ad in a paper.
They key to building strong relationships though is what we’ll explore more in-depth in this class. The engagement and authenticity is what really matters. And that engagement/authenticity is the difference between real and fake.
Gina
Yes exactly! I think it is only going to get MORE important to find sincere ways to engage the public, and make them an active part of a company/message.
Just like you said on the youtube lecture, those themes of engaging and conversing are repeated because they are the essential element. People are too intelligent to get involved in a half-hearted PR campaign.