The vast majority of in-house PR professionals don’t understand social media, according to the Wall.

This marketing news comes from research conducted by PR headhunter Watson Helsby, which found that 80% of PR professionals don’t integrate digital and social media into their marketing strategies.

PR agencies are more competent at grasping social media, with 60% of people saying they are confident about their digital communication plans, compared to 20% of in-house PRs.

Dee Cayhill, director at Watson Helsby, said: ”Social media is a development that is forcing the communications and PR industry to evolve its traditional areas of expertise, flex its skill set and develop new knowledge – for the first time in years. If successful, there is a real opportunity for the PR and communications industry to lead the field in digital communications, taking ever more responsibility – and budget – from their advertising and marketing peers. However, as an industry, public relations still has some way to go.”

The report highlighted key areas that PRs struggle with. These include the fact that there is a lack of understanding or a scepticism surrounding social media. It flagged up a demographic divide between the under 30s who have an instinctive understanding of digital communication and explained that a lack of rules on how to engage has proved difficult for some PRs to grasp. It presents a conflict for PRs who struggle to balance existing large workloads with the demand for speedy digital interaction.

Cayhill concluded: “The report adds that things are improving – companies are apparently moving away from their reliance on PR and digital agencies and creating senior digital communications roles.”

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