It goes without saying: New media matters. Studies show it, surveys reiterate it, Web surfers confirm it. And now, as PR professionals struggle to jump on the bandwidth
bandwagon to avoid being left behind by clients or being gossiped about in the blogosphere, this consumer-generated media is as hot a topic as ever.
An October 12 Webinar co-hosted by PR News, Katie Paine of KD Paine & Partners, and Denise Offut of Epson America tackled the new-media beast and
educated PR pros on the influence new media has on the evergreen challenges of measurement and reputation control.
"It's not a choice anymore. You have to measure online. The conventional news hole is shrinking," Paine says. "Now, unique visitors are the way to define your reach on the
Web."
By focusing on outputs (unique visitors), outtakes (image in online discussion groups) and outcomes (revenue, downloads, registration), PR execs can better determine measurable
objectives and criteria. Then they must set benchmark goals based on the performance of competitors, peers or their own past performance, because narrowing the focus increases the
likelihood of improvement.
Beyond the benefit of enabling measurement tactics, new media also empowers citizen journalists (and any kook with a misguided opinion and access to the Internet) to say what
they will about your agency, client or corporation, leaving you with two options: retaliate or ignore. So what's the right move? Often, according to the Webinar discussion, it's
neither.
"Don't to anything drastic the first time you read [a negative comment]. Go into discussions representing your firm carefully," Offut says. "Don't react to every comment that's
posted."
It's important to monitor blogs, because studies show journalists and consumers use them more and more frequently. However, it's essential to target responses to the
appropriate audiences and to let firestarters stifle themselves. Risking a vitriolic retort usually ends with defeat.
"Get up on the learning curve," Offut says. "When you live on the edge, sometimes you slip."
Contacts: Katie Paine, 603.868.1550, [email protected]; Denise Offut, 562.981.3840.