[By Lisa Davis}
Earlier this week, the World Public Relations Forum 2016 (#WPRF2016) wrapped up in Toronto taking with it some 650 PR and communications practitioners from across Canada and abroad but leaving behind a wealth of professional development and practical content to motivate and inspire delegates for a long time to come.
Marketwired was fortunate to be there and we took advantage of the opportunity to meet up with some very interesting and engaging personalities to talk about the role of influencers in PR, the challenges and opportunities with social media, and why good relationship building is still one of the most important skills for any communicator to master.
Deirdre Breakenridge (@deirdrebreakenridge) joined us as our on-site digital correspondent and she not only shared her own insights, but she also spoke to a couple of PR thought-leaders about the challenges they face in meeting their day-to-day PR objectives, and how they keep in touch with their customers and other stakeholders.
You can check out the full interviews below just by clicking on WATCH VIDEO. Enjoy them, and be sure to leave your comments — we’d love to know what you think, and what your own experiences are.
Deirdre talks with Ketchum’s Stephen Waddington (@wadds), Partner and Chief Engagement Officer, on the role of technology in building relationships with influencers:
Technology can do an awful lot to help us identify, understand and listen — it can do a lot of the legwork in planning and starting to build a relationship. But technology needs to hand off at that point and relationships need to be human. The process of building the relationship with an influencer – just like with a journalist – has to be a human process. >>> WATCH VIDEO
Kim Blanchette (@kmblnchtt), Vice President, Public Affairs, Alberta Energy Regulator and President of CPRS talks with Deirdre on what on what it means to be a “listening organization”:
Building relationships with influencers and key stakeholders has to come from a place of authenticity, and not sales and marketing. It’s also important to do more than just listen to what’s being said; it’s about taking the next step and responding to what you are hearing. >>>WATCH VIDEO
Deirdre Breakenridge explains why amplification is such an important result of influencer engagement:
When you share information, stories and content that is important to a particular influencer, and they share it with their own communities, there is a ripple effect of sharing and engagement that can open up a host of opportunities for PR to connect with new audiences. >>>WATCH VIDEO
Thanks for watching.
