Morphing With The Social Media Landscape

One of the things that makes our jobs as PR pros enjoyable, interesting and occasionally daunting is that we work in an industry that is morphing with the social media landscape.

While those working in other fields, like law and medicine, may use Facebook or Twitter to share some of their news or experiences, we use these avenues to serve our clients on a day-to-day basis. And these two social media 'cool kids' aren't enough.

We must also know about Foursquare, Pitch Engine, HootSuite, Argyle Social and Muck Rack. And don't forget about TLists.

These are some of the top tools at the moment, but what's to say that they won't be replaced by something else more innovative and efficient in the next couple of months?

We certainly won't use every social media tool for our clients (we don't have enough time in the day for that), but we should know them by name and constantly assess whether they could be of some benefit to our client base.

So what does this mean for us? It means that we must be in learning mode at all times. We can't simply attend one annual professional development workshop a year and think that we're set to succeed.

It's best to sign up for webinars, routinely read a variety of PR blogs and not be afraid to ask co-workers about the new tools at our fingertips.

Just this week, our team sat down and reviewed a HubSpot Ebook about leveraging social media for PR success. We found some strategies that we'd immediately integrate into our work and found others that we've agreed to research and discuss in the future.

As PR pros, we not only have a responsibility to plan and execute publicity strategies for our clients, but also to stay up on the latest trends and tools, both for our clients and ourselves.

If you're holding tight to conventional PR practices and unwilling to play around with a few new ones, this could be an unsettling and unsuccessful time. But if you're willing to step out, take a ride around the new social media landscape and pick out a few “flowers” of your own, it can be fun and quite rewarding.

It's up to you.

Get On Board The Social Media Train

More and more people are into social media. And, for PR practitioners, that means you have to get on board.

If you're still a doubting Thomas (and hopefully there are only a very, very few of you left out there), check out Amy Porterfield's report at Social Media Examiner.

Her piece looks at a recent study by the Nielsen Company that claims that 75 percent of U. S. households use social networking and that internet users spend more than 6 hours a day on social networking sites. That's double what they spent in 2009.

It's no surprise that Facebook is the leader in social networking, but Nielsen has the stats to back it up. Porterfield includes other “factoids” about social media too in her summary of the report.

So, check it out. And get on board the social media train. Figure out how well-managed social media platforms can benefit your clients and build your business.

And, yeah, Amy spelled Nielsen as Nielson, but we can forgive her for that.

Make Social Media Your Hub But Keep The Spokes

Online communication is the new darling of PR. Done well, social media programs are especially efficient and effective — and platforms like Facebook make it easy to do analysis of your efforts.

The best online communication programs are integrated with other PR tools. By using multiple channels – including social media – to communicate your message, you can stretch your PR dollar and your reach.

Think of social media and your Web presence as the hub of a wheel. Other PR tools lead into that hub and reach out from that hub. They include a solid press kit, newsworthy press releases targeted to the right media, features you write and provide to media, the leveraging of national trends, any events or awards you receive, relationships with media leading to emerging editorial opportunities and connections to key bloggers.

The hub is the key part of the wheel, but it needs the spokes to be fully functional. 

Integrate all these PR tools and you'll get the most bang for your PR buck.

Is It Possible To Over-Invest In Social Media?

That's the title of an insightful post that appeared today in the online publication iMedia Connection. Lots of good food for thought. So we thought we'd pass it along.

Click on this link to check it out.

PR Today: Dynamic And Evolving

The PR business is evolving. In the past, news has been pushed out to audiences via press releases and email alerts, Web site postings and the like.

Today, getting your client's message communicated well is a lot more complex.

We continue to tell our stories through the filter of the press. But just as readily, we are communicating our messages through bloggers, Facebookers and Tweeters.

Today, we have many more tools for listening. It's like the whole world is teaming with focus groups. Log onto your company's Facebook fan page and you'll learn quite a bit about how others see your carefully crafted positioning.

While PR has always been as much about listening to audience feedback as speaking out to influence audiences, today the dynamic is much more, well, dynamic.

Social Media: Friend Or Foe Of Productivity?

They are questions that are being asked in workplaces around the country (and probably the world): Should employees be entitled to access social media for personal reasons during a workday? Is access to social media helping or hurting our business? How does personal access impact productivity?

There are clear examples of social media in the workplace reaping benefits — and PR professionals are generally charged with pursuing them. Managing fan pages that build channels of communication and good will with your customers. Monitoring multiple social media channels to better understand how people view your products. Blogging on behalf of your business. Texting when customers or clients know that's the best way to reach you.

But many company leaders are finding that they're having to develop social media policies that discourage employees from using their personal social media accounts during business hours.

What's prompted this?

Unfortunately, social media can be addictive. Some people have a compulsive need to monitor their Facebook or Twitter accounts. They feel a need to be the first to hear breaking news on everything from Lindsey Lohan to President Obama. Some can't stand to be “out of the know.” Some enjoy the attention that comes with being able to break news to their friends and colleagues.

Apps like Tweetdeck aid the addiction by constantly interrupting to “flash” and/or beep postings from their personal networks.

These are early days for social media and most businesses are tolerant if addictive behavior doesn't affect an employee's productivity. We all have quiet times during a day when we can take care of one or two personal tasks.

But, if you are accessing your personal social media accounts when you have a work deadline looming or others are awaiting your input before they can meet their deadlines, consider the impact. How does if affect your colleagues and how does it look to them that you value social media interaction over meeting your obligations to your work team?

Social media is public, so everyone from the boss to the person in the office next to you has the opportunity to observe when you're online utilizing social media.

So, before your company feels forced to set up ground rules for social media, do a little soul searching. Are you using social media for personal expression when you should be focusing on your work? Have you dropped the ball on a project or missed a deadline yet found plenty of time to post on Facebook or tweet out during the work day?

Like any personal activity conducted during your workday, common sense and respect for your job and colleagues should be your guide.

Is social media your friend or your foe? A tool to help you do your job better? Or a thief that steals productive time from your day?

Social Media... Leave It To The Professionals....

Your business is ready to develop a Social Media plan. You know you need one. But just how do you come up with a plan and then put that plan into action? Researching the efforts of similar businesses is a good place to start, as is doing a thorough audit of your own company's needs.

Your social media plan is an essential first step if you want your social media program to be successful. But you don't have the time or expertise to develop one. What are some options? Professional help? An intern?

Once the plan is formulated, who will implement it? Options again: professional help or an intern.

We're all cost-conscious today. So some companies opt for the intern. Okay, you won't get the benefits of professional experience and expertise, but it's certainly a cheaper way to go. An intern can post updates on your Facebook and Twitter pages and maybe even write a blog for you. Choose an intern who's enthusiastic about your product or the causes you support and the intern may fit seamlessly into your organization chart. Problem solved.

But, social media programs are not that simple. There's a lot to think about first.

Sure, college kids today have grown up with computers. As “early adopters” of social media, they can bring you a vast knowledge of the workings of social media Web sites. They probably feel way more comfortable with the medium than you do. They've been tweeting, using Facebook and blogging since those sites were launched. They probably even know of some sites you've never heard of.

But a knowledge of the use of social media doesn't necessarily mean a person is ready to be put in charge of your company's marketing message and reputation. Remember, while the intern may know “how” to interact with others on the social media sites, he or she is unlikely to know how to best utilize social media for you and your business. Life experience and business experience are just as important as social media experience.

Should you be thinking about bringing in the pros?

The heart of public relations is communications. A good PR team is experienced at working everyday to cajole positive editorial coverage for clients out of the media. They know how to forge and build relationships that produce results. Social media is just another extension of those kinds of communications, of conversations.

Writing comes naturally to PR pros. Engaging blog postings, Facebook updates and Tweets flow easily.

In addition to writing and communications, good PR professionals think strategically. That really comes in handy when a Facebook status update could be the beginning of a possible PR problem. Would your intern recognize when to address an issue or when to leave it alone? What experiences would your intern draw upon to handle the issue in your absence?

A good PR team will bring life and business experience to the table — plus they'll have made it their business to understand yours. That leads to strategic decisions and appropriate actions when the need for fast thinking arises. PR pros have been handling such challenges since long before the dawn of the Social Media era.

On the surface, an intern might seem like a logical and cost-effective way to maintain your presence on the Social Media landscape, but before you choose that path, ask yourself the big
questions.

Who do you want to represent your company when customers come to call? Would you send an intern out to represent your products to your customers face-to-face?

How would you have your company's spokesperson handle any important customer interaction?

Would you put your brand in the hands of someone who's inexperienced?

Would you rely on the counsel of an intern when making marketing or sales decisions?

Would you ask an intern to resolve an issue that could have important PR implications for your company?

Or would you rather entrust your brand and reputation to a seasoned professional experienced in the real world of PR and marketing?

Social media provides the biggest opportunity your company will have to reach people directly and make an impression.

Is that a job for an intern?

“IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME”..... NOT WITHOUT PROACTIVE PR

We've all seen the movie Field of Dreams, and heard that unforgettable line, “If you build it they will come.” Well, that's not necessarily true.

If you're looking for good media coverage ‑— and you want to be successful at letting the public know you're worth their time — simply building your business is not enough. Big companies with marquee names have failed over the years, simply because they thought that on name alone they would succeed and be profitable.

Sure, that big name or recognizable brand might get the media's attention when you're shiny and new. But without a multi-tiered, proactive public relations effort in place, that initial buzz will fizzle.

Press releases, follow up, relationships with the media, and the ever-evolving social media platforms provided by public relations can keep the flame of media interest burning. Frequency of coverage keeps your products above the crowded marketplace and will help the public realize that your business is something they should spend their hard-earned money on. The only way to succeed is to stay in touch with reporters and editors and keep your business name at the top of the media's minds.

As you read this you might be saying, “Hey just because we have a big name, doesn't mean we have a big budget. Can we really afford PR?” Good public relations is one of the most cost-effective ways to get your message out to the public. You'll get a big return if it's done right and, unless you have virtually no marketing budget, a PR plan can be designed for you. consider dropping one ad or billboard and underwriting PR. You'll be glad you did.

Remember, if you build it, you need a positive, ongoing PR campaign to let folks know you're there. Then, you can be sure they'll come.