How do you get attention in a multi-channel world where potential customers synthesise opinions from multiple narratives about the client?

As a PR professional you have to decide what is the best approach to this multichannel world for each client on a spectrum from frenetic bursts of fame to slow-burners.  You also have to closely observe what other narratives are forming around the client and attempt to shape them.  And that's shape, not resist.  Resistance is futile because it looks like denial and merely fuels contrary opinions.  Shaping narratives requires subtle skill.  Journalists clearly have a role in this shaping as influencers and this is the basis of media relations, but the other truism is that PR is required to build relationships with influencers, just as it has always been.  Certainly, companies can speak directly to their customers, or to journalists, but do they have the patience to build relationships and the skill to shape narratives?
 
Yes, PR's can do their job entirely electronically, but electronic communications are easy to ignore.  They are mostly textual and don't really convey the rich mix of communication that face to face or even verbal contact brings.  You can build a more powerfull relationship face to face than in 140 characters.  It's also easier for a journalist (or other influencer) to say no to an anonymous text or email or to decline a self-serving Facebook request.
 
So if you wonder how to get the most from the brave new world of social media, we've built a programme around Socialnomics.  It fits in with the traditional mix of communication channels so that it works where it is relevant.  Amazingly, we've got a book in hard format that explains more about this, but we've also got a video you can watch to get you thinking.
 
In a world suffering from attention-deficit disorder, relationships focus the attention, so don't assume that because it's electronic, the PR's job is redundant.  It's just as relevant, if not more so!

http://www.miliberty.com/SocialNomics/ best watched with volume turned up!