I have to be really careful in my role in social media here at GM not to lose track of other valuable PR skills that may not employ social media. I am adamant that social media is not the silver bullet for everything we want to accomplish in PR, though it is quickly becoming a huge part of what we do. As I’ve stated before, social media helps us get back to the very basics of what public relations is all about: buidling relationships between an organization and the publics upon whom the organization’s long-term success depends.

That said, then, are there some PR practices that are timeless? Are there some things PR people have done for years that are just as effective today? I say yes. Here are some aspects of PR that I don’t think will/should ever go away:

• Press releases — Though I would advocate we shorten them and use them more strategically.
• Traditional media relations — I’m not one of those people who believes getting a story in The New York Times is the greatest achievement a PR practitioner could hope for, but there is a big place for tradtional media relations. Furthermore, I don’t think the Internet marks the end of print media. Many believed the advent of radio would kill newspapers too, but they’re still around.
• Soliciting feedback from publics — Two-way communications is and will always be a “must- have” in our PR work
• Research — whoever can figure out the best way to measure ROI of specific PR activities will make a great deal of money!

So these are my ideas, but I’m sure there are others. What are some of the solid PR practices you think will never go away?