From Papercuts to Smartphones and Back Again
February 14, 2017
By Heather Keroes, APR
I’m an addict. It’s a Saturday morning and I am glancing down at my iPhone while attending a child’s birthday party. Although I try not to respond to emails over the weekend and after close-of-business, I like to keep an eye on things. The world doesn’t stop because it’s a weekend and as a PR professional, it’s my job to always be listening. And so, over the cheers of children hitting a piñata, I multitask, switching between my phone and another forkful of cake.
I am not alone. Most of us check our emails on smartphones and tablets and this mobility has changed the way we work. When I began my public relations journey more than 13 years ago, you couldn’t check email on-the-go (unless you were among the first lucky folks to own a BlackBerry). And even with access to my desktop computer, I stuffed envelopes, mailed press kits, faxed information and (shocker) regularly pitched media by phone.
These days, I have significantly fewer papercuts and I’m able to manage client requests and issues anywhere at any time. But this doesn’t mean that the “old ways” are obsolete. In fact, they can still be the most powerful ways to communicate (I’m a fan of phone calls, especially). It’s important for all of us – those who have grown up with email and tablets, as well as those of us who remember the pre-Facebook days – to not lose sight of the tried-and-true communication methods that foster conversation and engagement.
Ask anyone at Curley & Pynn, and they will tell you that once we have determined our publics and our message, we take aim and fire through mediums that have the greatest impact with our target. And while that may often mean email or other digital means, that doesn’t mean we don’t get papercuts from time to time.
