As a partner of the Public Relations Organization International (PROI), we at Midas take great pride in staying current and embracing all the latest trends, be it in communications, social media or technology, to make our work more efficient and effective. But as our partners discussed at a recent PROI summit in Lisbon, continuing to place importance on the human touch in PR is crucial for its success. Here is why.

Creative Storytelling

There’s nothing like a good story. Every PR professional knows that and uses this knowledge to promote their clients. The ideas for fun, catchy and memorable ways to present, market and sell a product or service come from experienced PR teams who understand the value of stories and their impact on the buyer’s mind.

With the emergence of bots and the improvement of automation, it did not take long for tech providers to suggest the creation of press releases should be entrusted to bots or algorithms. While the idea might sound interesting and time-saving, the results tend to be questionable.

Today’s technology makes it possible to create a well-written text, free from errors and complete with all the necessary facts plugged into a template. However, since a digital framework is being used, texts will noticeably resemble each other and likely be less fun, creative or entertaining than something written by a human.

For reports, this is fine, as the focus lies on facts, figures and results which should be presented in a simple standardized way. But when sharing a story, wanting to grab a reader’s attention and draw her in, the human touch is vital. Reporters know that too. So, expecting them to publish a run-of-the-mill PR generated by a bot is wishful thinking at best.

Provide Value and Build Connections

When creating content, promoting a product or service and pitching a story to a reporter, providing value is one of the most important keys to building relationships and guaranteeing success. Leaving this job to a bot is like leaving your most important asset on the windowsill, up for grabs for anyone willing to take better care of it.

In PR, relationships are essential. Be it with the target audience, the media you want to get featured in or the blogger you want to be promoted by, relationships are what will get and keep you at the front of people’s minds.

If you can build a reputation of being a reliable source of great stories and unique angles all while being personable, likable and genuine, building the relationships you need to make your campaigns successful will come naturally.

Solve Problems Cleverly

Today, many companies use bots to help with customer service. In an age where people expect replies to their questions and complaints faster than ever before, this is a great way to show customers they are valued. Advanced technology makes it possible to resolve many minor issues quickly and efficiently with bots, leading to a positive experience for clients.

More complex problems will still require human interaction though. Organizations which understand where to draw the line and switch from a bot to a human customer service representative can best capitalize on this new tech resource by focusing the efforts of their staff on resolving delicate or elaborate cases which require problem-solving skills bots are currently incapable of.

Failing to understand the importance of human interaction in certain situations can put the company’s reputation at risk. Upset customers are highly vocal today and readily share negative customer service experiences online which can quickly cause a backlash. Also, some problems simply can’t be understood and solved by computers, because they require a unique, unconventional approach only a human can come up with.

To build and maintain the image as a company which readily assists customers and solves issues promptly and to a client’s satisfaction, balancing the use of bots and human interaction in a way which matches your business is essential to keeping patrons happy.

To learn more about how you can optimize your communications strategies and make the most of today’s technological innovations in the public relations domain, get in touch with us by e-mail or have a look around our website at www.midas-pr.com today.