Well, we’re starting 2014 with a polar vortex that swooped in on North America and caused frigid below zero temperatures across much of the continent. The polar vortex is one of the things I’ve learned so far in January.
I also learned that a few days ago the temperature in Winnipeg was similar to the temperature on Mars. Why didn’t they tell me that growing up? It would have explained so much!
So I thought I’d begin the year with six things I learned about digital and social media in 2013 that will be top of mind in the new year.
1. Mobile first is harder than you think. We know it’s important and soon mobile is going to be the primary platform for work, discovery, ecommerce and communications. But many business people are acting like Hollywood moguls in the ‘50s. And, like TV, mobile is not simply an add-on. To truly embrace it we need to shift our mindset, the way we conceive and share stories, and how we interact with our communities. Our idea-generation process requires a total makeover so we can dream big by imagining small.
2. Treat your website like a classic car. I redesigned my blog this year and when it was all done, I wanted to sit back and admire it. But I couldn’t. Because there were a ton of little adjustments I wanted to make. Some tightening here, a new image there, a fresh category, changing the content flow. It doesn’t stop. That’s a different attitude from a few years back when you got a new web design and that was that. Instead, let’s adopt a car buff’s mentality and realize the tinkering is never going to be done.
3. Social amplification has given publicity a new life. Media relations… not so much. If we think about publicity as the act of making something public, it has a real resonance with social networks. Because social channels are tailor made for distribution, conversations, and relationships. That’s what publicity is all about, too. And why social is so powerful when you integrate it with a publishing strategy.
4. Transmedia storytelling is coming to a business near you. Transmedia storytelling is all about bringing a story to life across and through a variety of digital platforms. You hear entertainment people talk about this a lot. It’s not simply repurposing content, it’s understanding which parts of a narrative are best suited to which media and then bringing it all together in a single, seamless experience. That’s a challenge and opportunity for PR, and another reason we can no longer just rely on words.
5. A state of feeling perpetually behind. The pace of social media hasn’t slowed at all and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed (I sure do!). But instead of feeling lost, let’s agree that in our new world, we’ll never be able to completely catch up. Rather than feeling snowed under by that realization, let’s accept that not catching up is the new way of life. And that’s OK because we’re trading complacency for lifelong learning.
6. Time to rethink (retire?) the news release. I’ve said this for a while and so have a lot of other people. This is the year to put that PR mainstay in the backseat – or maybe remove it from the car. What do journalists and bloggers feel about releases? I think we have a pretty good idea, but has the industry as a whole bothered to ask influencers how they like to receive information? We should listen to their answers and adapt.
What did you learn last year about social media, storytelling and PR that will shape your strategic approach for 2014? I’m interested to hear.
A version of this post was originally published on Spin Sucks.
