Innovative Public Relations Tools and Resources is a course in which I initially expected to learn more about various social media add ons and third party tools (like Hootsuite). I thought that the course would introduce me to a variety of programs, websites, and apps that would help me to more efficiently support my clients as a PR professional. I also expected to learn about the strategies employed by top PR firms and what resources they leverage to find success.
My expectations were not so different from what was actually presented throughout the course. I had already worked with Hootsuite when I managed a company’s social media and led the rebranding campaign from October of 2018 to January of 2019. However, I was not familiar with or aware of Later and the Facebook scheduling feature.
Using Later (as well as much of the course reading) showed me the importance of keeping my PR campaign mobile friendly. With so much information being accessed via mobile, it is important to not neglect the way information is being consumed by a potential audience. Properly leveraging the appropriate app can be a game changer.
A third thing that I learned was that there is a significant benefit to familiarizing myself with the latest apps in the marketplace. Towards the end of his presentation, Gary V., in a keynote address at the 2017 Hamburg conference, spoke to the benefit of being aware of the top 150 or so apps. I will certainly start working with them more!
Everything I have learned this month will help me as I move forward. The biggest takeaway for me was to create a routine of scheduling posts for the week and doing research each day on what social media platforms are hot and might be better suited for my clients’ message, product, or service.