PIO 2.0 – The Evolution of the Public Information Officer

The traditional definition of the role of a Public Information Officer or PIO is to provide information to the media and the general public on behalf of a specific governmental organization, as required by law and according to the standards of the profession. Typically, the PIO works to gather and verify information, to issue press releases and media alerts, to develop and maintain media contact lists, and, often, to serve as an agency spokesperson. In addition, the PIO is responsible for the creation of brochures, flyers and fact sheets, the management of a project website, and the organization of community meetings.

However, with the growth of the social media in recent years, the scope of the PIO’s role has broadened. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media technologies now play a major role in people’s daily lives, and the traditional media (newspapers, TV, and radio) also is evolving. The news is becoming more personalized and interactive. In fact, research has shown that 75 percent of people get news forwarded to them through e-mail or through posts on social networking sites – not from the traditional news media on which the PIO once relied.

At Limelight, we believe that this shift of focus to more interactive, local news content means opportunity for you. Because the social media provides real-time, interactive user feedback, creative participation, and community formation around an issue, we think that it is a great tool for a PIO to utilize to build grassroots support for a project. Our grasp of the changing media landscape, plus our proven experience with the social media, will allow our team to better connect with the community you serve and to provide important project information to them in a more meaningful way.

We believe that a custom, integrated approach to project communications will yield the best result. With every project, Limelight’s team members work to build and foster a web-based presence (through a project website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), to participate and engage with our target audience, and to get the word out about the project to the impacted community. And, perhaps the most important step while working with a public agency, we make sure to document every step.

Use a QR code on your Fact Sheets or Informational Fliers!

Through our team’s extensive experience serving government agencies and municipalities, we understand the policies and procedures under which we must operate. We are very familiar with the Sunshine Law, and all of our communications are written without jargon for the greatest level of accessibility. We ensure that all of our public information techniques are appropriate for the specific project and are clearly outlined in the community awareness plans we prepare, while complying with all agency standards. As an added value, Limelight Marketing Consultants also is certified by the state of Florida as a woman-owned, minority business (W/MBE).

We look forward to working with you on your public involvement or community outreach campaign and hope you will see what a difference it makes to be in “The Limelight.”