But perhaps the most insightful message which was heralded by all the speakers is that social media must not stand alone. Social media is simply another channel and should be considered alongside more traditional outlets such as national newspapers, regional press, TV and radio or trade publications. Social media represents a massive opportunity for the PR industry to show its value. As bloggers essentially are becoming journalists, understanding how to engage with these new audiences requires skill and expertise not technical digital know-how.

Whilst we have witnessed the rapid growth of digital agencies, I can’t help feeling that the industry needs less ‘techie nerds’ (a term coined from one of the conference speakers!) and more PR specialist that understand how to engage.

Social media and the age of user-generated content are here to stay and will only continue to grow. Transparency is the name of the game and there is no hiding place for brands. The most forward-thinking brands are already embracing it and engaging it, sometimes getting it wrong but learning how to play the game all the time.

Times are certainly changing but it’s definitely exciting positive change!

The only sector of marketing in the UK that has not gone into reverse in terms of spend has been digital, all other sectors have suffered to one degree or more. It’s clear that marketer’s consider digital to be an essential part of the marketing spend. Numerous brands are now thinking more carefully about how they develop their creative assets to work best in alternative video platforms such as mobile, podcasts and YouTube and less likely to jump straight into TV production without these elements being considered up-front.

The big story this year is the up-coming general election and how each political party conducts itself with digital and social media. The digital marketers here have really been wowed by the Obama campaign’s use of digital and in particular social networking to connect with voters. Everyone seems to be watching how the main political parties will conduct themselves. We are seeing a serious take up of smart phones and clients are very interested in what can be done through apps. Clients are seeing the benefits of mobile; they still rightly want to make sure it’s having a positive impact on both brand measures and sales.

John Kinder, Digital Managing Director

More than ever, social media sites have opened the door for the general public to become columnists in their own right.  The internet has given your target audience a much bigger platform from which they can voice their opinions, share information and experiences and post recommendations. 

The breadth of conversations taking place on the internet on any given subject is immense and yes, in case you’re wondering, your brand, business and service is a topic of conversation too. 

The fact is you can’t choose not to be involved in social media.  You may not have allocated any of your marketing spend to it, but internet users are having these conversations about you whether you like it or not.  

If you have been marketing your brand or service, especially using the discipline of PR, then it doesn’t have to be a daunting prospect.  It’s a case of adapting your skills and messages to suit the medium.  Like all PR it can’t be fully controlled but it can drive trust and credibility in your brand or service. 

According to a Nielson online survey, 78 per cent of people trust the recommendation of other consumers before any other form of marketing while 68 per cent trust opinions posted online.  These are persuasive statistics that re-enforce the need for a strategically robust PR and social media campaign to be part of your overall marketing plan. 

You need to engage your consumer, help shape the dialogue and be a part of the conversation.  After all, it is about you.

Claire Rushton, Head Of Office (Leeds & Newcastle)

One route is a familiar and safe journey: Traditional media channels such as regional newspapers, trade journals and TV/radio. It’s safe, tried and tested and they know what to expect and the rules of the game. The other route however, takes the brand into unfamiliar, unknown territory where the rules of the game are very different, there’s less control over the brand and the landscape is changing almost on a daily basis.

There seems to be great debate about brands engaging with customers online. Why run the risk of negative comments being posted about their products or services? However, there is no escaping that people will talk about your brand and products regardless of whether you are talking directly to them or not. So why not take the plunge and start embracing online? To all the current abstainers, why not bite the bullet, sign up for Twitter, start a blog, join Facebook – start to understand the rules of engagement, the opportunities that it may create for you.

And here lies the bitter pill that many seasoned communicators may not wish to swallow – but how can you expect to advise your companies and brands if you’ve never experienced it! I’m sure PR professionals understand what will make a great story for one of the Red Tops but they may not consider themselves a Sun reader. Digital should therefore be viewed in a similar light – as a PR professional you should immerse yourself in your target media and channels, regardless of your own personal political or cultural persuasion!

So which route should you take? Well you can play safe and keep going down the traditional routes…….but what does that say about your brand and are you really reaching your customers in the best way? There’s much debate about the death of the regional media and the more forward-thinking brands will be looking at new ways/channels to target their customers. To us, this route is a dead end.

I suggest you just put your foot down and embrace this new digital era. Who knows, you might actually enjoy it!

Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams wrote on the Fledgling blog, “The Fledgling Initiative embodies two things that are at the core of Twitter’s mission: providing access to information and highlighting the power of open communication to bring about positive change.”

This is another example of how social networking sites are digressing away from social media into other unrelated marketing opportunities. Let’s see if it sells!