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Duarte, founder of consulting and investment company Treeshake, is well-known for his achievements on the media scene.
“Anyone who communicates on behalf of their company or brand should hear Dave Duarte, one of the land’s most sought-after speakers on the topic, share his insights into effectively using social media as a PR tool to engage,” Brian Berkman, founder of PR-Net, said.
Speaking to HumanIPO about the relevance of topic, Berkman said: “As the penetration of smartphones increases, so does the importance of communicators being familiar with the social media tools available.
“In the past, PR was mainly the communication of messages from few to many, but social media has changed the fundamentals of marketing communications so that now the multi-channel conversation is prized.”
Berkman feels the awareness of the role of social media must be heightened in order to match the top international standards.
“Nowadays a company’s share price is directly linked to its reputation and social media chatter has the potential and unduly significant ability to damage a reputation quickly because of its viral nature.”
He believes South Africa still has considerable progress to make on the social media scene.
“I think we still have a way to travel before we enjoy the internet penetration of the first world. That said you’d be hard-pressed to find a successful company without a website, Facebook page and at least a Twitter or social-media presence.”
Berkman started PR-Net 10 years ago as he experienced the lack of quality information available to the communication industry.
PR-Net aims to establish a “collegiate atmosphere” and act as a platform for information exchange for industry members.
Still open for registrations, the event will take place on 68 Long Street at Cameraland from 5.30pm at a cost of ZAR125.
HumanIPO reported in February on 27dinners, another of Duarte’s initiatives, as a networking event happening in three major South African cities on a monthly basis for media, tech and business industry members.
