It is an exciting time to be living in San Antonio.
Until not too long ago, I would have safely considered San Antonio a great place to live, but not necessarily one that seemed particularly progressive, especially in the realm of technology. But times are changing and the community is rapidly becoming a hub for technological developments through start-ups and tech based communities. It’s wonderful to witness!
From a PR perspective, it is equally exciting to watch all these big things happening in the community and analyze not only how the developments make for great stories, but how they have an effect in different industries.
Let’s take Mayor Ron Nirenberg for example.
Mayor Nirenberg has gone through all the traditional media steps as a newly inducted government official; the press conferences, the interviews, the whole gambit. However, with the advances our community has seen in becoming more progressive, so too has our new mayor utilized various platforms in ways we haven’t seen before- and it’s exceptional to watch.
In his term, Mayor Nirenberg has already made public a dedicated time (Wednesday nights at 9:00 P.M.) to using Facebook Live as a vehicle to sit down and communicate with his constituents. In this #AskRon series, Mayor Nirenberg streams for roughly 30 minutes at a time addressing issues and providing feedback for the community as well as meeting and discussing with important city officials and influencers. Pretty ingenious, right?
At first glance, using live video hardly seems revolutionary, but when you think about the ways this platform can be groomed to benefit the community in the way government officials use it, it’s a no brainer. Providing real time input and access to instant analytics, it turns out to be a great tool not only for sharing a message, but measuring community concerns and involvement.
Let us not forget the algorithms that make live video content on Facebook such a success. Video content is and has been a top priority for Facebook, and with an ever changing algorithm, this theme has remained. Live streaming, in particular, is being pushed for further reach and engagement, making it a more viable streaming tool built into a pre-existing platform with an estimated 1.28 billion daily users. Videos can be targeted based on the data we provide on our accounts, cookies, and various other kinds of data mining, making reaching a specific audience relatively easy.
From a public relations standpoint, this is innovative. It’s a big step for San Antonio in the realm of utilizing technology in ways others might not be. It provides a chance for those that may not be able to participate in public meetings, hearings or proceedings to be involved in the decisions that influence themselves and their community. Statements can be broadcast to many in an instant and it is something I believe will only continue to reform the way public relations professionals tailor and convey messages.
-MG