社交媒体崛起，公关有望翻身

    公关部门已经开始承担这样的任务，创建品牌内容，并投入大量资金推动在一些平台上的发布，比如Facebook的Promoted Posts、Twitter的Promoted Tweets和Outbrain的Amplify。

    现在，公关握有重要的数据来影响重大的决定。虽然把事情描述得天花乱坠于事无补，但公关部门可以帮助一家公司选择展现什么样的公司形象。曾几何时，客户的反馈只能来自焦点小组、问卷调查和客户热线电话。如今，客户反馈通过社交媒体大量涌入，主要都得由公关部门负责监测。精通这类数据的公关人员将能影响产品、市场定位和其他高层决策。

    现在，公关终于等到了可以评估效果、建立强有力关系、规模化以及要求获得更多预算的时候了。大多数媒体（社交媒体）最新创新突出了公关、而不是广告的强项。如果这个行业能够正确应对，公关部门可以获得像广告部门一样多的尊重和预算。

    幸运一点的话，甚至可能出现以公关人为主角的热播电视剧。

    格里高利·加兰特现任Muck Rack首席执行官，Muck Rack是为记者和受媒体关注公司提供服务的社交网络。他还共同创立了最佳社交媒体奖Shorty Awards。目前，加兰特为几家初创公司担任顾问，同时也是TechStars初创公司孵化器的导师。 

    译者：杨智

    Public relations now has meaningful data to influence big decisions. There's still no use in putting lipstick on a pig, but PR departments can help a company choose what kind of animal it becomes. There was a time when customer feedback came only through focus groups, surveys and customer support calls. It now floods in through social media, which is tracked primarily by PR departments. A PR executive with a strong command of this data will be able to influence high level decisions on product, market positioning and more.

    The time has finally come for public relations to measure its results, build strong relationships, scale its efforts and demand big budgets. Most of the latest innovations in media -- social media -- play to the strengths of public relations rather than advertising. If the industry plays its cards right, the public relations department could command as much respect and budget as the advertising department.

    With a little luck, maybe there will even be a hit TV show about a PR pro.

    Gregory Galant's the CEO of Muck Rack, the social network for journalists and companies in the news. He's also the cocreator of the Shorty Awards which honors the best of social media. Galant advises several startups and is a mentor in the TechStars startup accelerator.