By Bruno Uehara
Instead of what many people imagine, the press officer’s work does not only involves sending press releases and official notes. Besides the relationship with journalists, these professionals are also responsible for organizing actions and events with another important public: the digital influencers – also known as opinion makers or bloggers. Coveted by many companies, they have surpassed the image of mere celebrities on the internet and have gained the position of strategic stakeholders.
Capable of impacting up to millions of people with a single post on a social network, the influencers may seem an easy channel to announce brands or products. But contrary to what it looks, it is necessary to elaborate strategic planning to have success in posts on social networks. Before involving influencers in any type of action, such as sending press kits or invitation to events, it is important to analyse the public to which the influencers communicate with and what topics are relevant to each profile. For instance, a blog specialized in fashion may not be suitable for an advertising related to a technology company.
Communications agencies, with expertise in influencers of the most diverse segments, have the task of guiding their clients with personalized mailings for each campaign – whether focusing on theme, age group, region or any other specific subject. Influential bloggers not always are the most accessible, since many are in evidence and can charge high cachets for a single post on Instagram. In these cases, it is also possible to opt for “micro influencers”, who have the capacity to generate high engagement with a smaller number of followers.
With the millennials generation on the rise and the emergence of new technology, the press offices need to keep up with these transformations that may create opportunities even more strategic to companies. Social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Youtube may not be the most effective tools in the future — just analyse the short time that it took for Snapchat to become obsolete. The trend is that digital influencers only migrate to other platforms, but their relevance should remain intact as a channel capable of dialoguing directly with the public.