I ran out of time to post my predictions for the new year, you’re heartbroken, I know, but if I could share a simple one here, I’d say this: I think the importance and value of instant messaging as an *external* PR communications tool will take hold this year.
For a while now, IM has been email’s annoying little cousin, present but often sequestered to social circles and hidden behind corporate walls — and for a good reason. IM can be a very disruptive form of communication, so it’s best used within a group where a level of dialogue and trust already exists, and the immediacy of IM can in some fashion augment how the group shares information.
This later point’s becoming increasingly important in the context of media relationships too, because as the immediacy and pressure of a 24/7 news environment continues to bear down on folks, the access and availability of PR peeps needs to stay in step. You already see this happening with cell phones. Most PR folks I know openly share their cell phone numbers with their media contacts in the interest of maximizing their availability — a practice that, just a a few years ago, wasn’t that common (or encouraged). That being the case, it’s not that big of a leap for folks to start sharing their IM IDs too, in fact, some already do, and I predict it will become more accepted this year. In fact, this is a big reason why I recently changed my Yahoo! ID from “hotsexywhiteguy30” to “mguerrilla.”
Kidding aside, the immediacy of IM adds real value to a communicator’s arsenal (and a journalist’s too), especially when you think about tasks like communicating embargo lifts, coordinating interview times and such, but like any communication tool, trust with IM can break down quickly when it’s either abused or ignored, so using it successfully will require respect and common sense.
Update: Okay, one more prediction related to this, I couldn’t resist: the rise of SMS as an external communication tool. When you think about the flexibility, scale and simplicity of text messaging today, that’s a powerful thing, especially when you consider mobile phone adoption rates (2 billion worldwide). Pair this with RSS, voice and tighter integration across network services like email and IM, and SMS could become the savvy communicator’s secret weapon. I don’t think we’ll see mass use or anything this year, but I expect we’ll see some experimentation….
Related Post:
RSS+SMS+PR
Mike Manuel is the founder of the award winning Media Guerrilla blog. Media Guerrilla is an insiders take on the practice of technology public relations with a focus on the issues, tactics and trends that are specific to the tech industry.
Visit Media Guerrilla …
