In the previous post I took a look at how the 5W’s apply to Digital PR. One of the most important reasons for examining how you are using these 5Ws is that if you don’t, you have no Digital PR strategy.
The first W is Who.
Unless you know who you are talking to, odds are your communication efforts won’t hit the mark.
Think back to the basic communication theory you learned at school: Who (says) What (to) Whom (in) What Channel (with) What Effect. (Laswell)
Let’s just start with the first part of that statement: Who says what to whom.
So someone has to be the originator of the communication. (That would be you) There has to be an idea, a concept, a message. You have to know what you want to say and who you are going to say it to.
This is not new, and it is not rocket science. But it seems to have been brushed aside in the new media era.
“We must be on Twitter, we need a Facebook page.” “Oh! Everyone is on Pinterest – let’s do that.” Without a thought to who is on those channels and what they’re are looking for or interested in. So you make lots of content and throw it against the Facebook wall to see if it sticks.
Then we hear comments like:
“Social media is hard to measure.”
“Where is the ROI in all this engagement?”
“I can’t see the point, it’s just a bunch of people nattering on about nothing.”
And studies that prove only a third of Tweets have any value.
So before you start producing content, spend some time analyzing your comm theory formula so you have a viable Digital PR strategy.
Concentrate on who you should be talking to and what they might find interesting and valuable.
Listen, learn and then respond.
