First Person PR

Here’s a post about Facebook that resonated with me, as I suspect it will with many of you in PR: Should CEOs be on Facebook. Lois (who I used to work for) really captured an ongoing debate I’m having with myself about Facebook as the next great social media tool: do I jump in feet first, do I wade in, or do I stay on the dock? AND, how/where do I incorporate Facebook into my PR program … or do I?

As Lois points out, “It’s wonderful that the media are on Facebook. It is a good way for conversations to take place and that would be a benefit for CEOs who are open to really building and maintaining a strong relationship with influencers.”

The Internet flattened the world, and PR people now need to build relationships around the country and the world, often virtually. That makes a platform like Facebook’s is very compelling, and is why, I believe, so many in the PR and media circles have embraced the social networking phenom. And I agree with a lot of the potential benefits of executives joining the interaction circles on Facebook.

But, something is still holding me back from joining. Actually, several things are (in no particular order):

• It’s a huge time suck. And an even worse perception killer. I can justify the need to network with media, but I could easily burn several hours a week on the site. That in turn could fuel a perception that I’m the one always on Facebook, which would rank me just above the YouTube watcher on the perceived productivity scale.
• My friends are on the site. And sometimes, it’s just too easy to be distracted.
• Did I mention my friends are there? Merging my personal and business networks isn’t something I’m quite ready to do. Granted, I socialize with people in my business world outside of work. And it’s possible (even likely) that I could run into a friend at a professional networking event. But I’m still not ready to introduce my professional contacts to my college roommate or my mother [Facebook just announced friend grouping, which may help address this]
• And finally, no matter what people say, Facebook is not set up for professional networking, at least not to me. For example, right next to your picture is your marital status and orientation. It’s subtle, but riddle me this — when was the last time your introduction at an in-person networking event started out with “Hi, my name is John. I’m a straight married man” or “Hi, I’m Heather and yes, I’m single”? The intro alone sets the tone for informal socializing. It’s fitting for friends and great for college kids, but awkward (or creepy) for executives. If Facebook really plans to cross over into the business world, subtleties like that need to be adjusted.

Even with my concerns, I still believe there are several very compelling arguments for where and how Facebook can complement an existing program. But until I come to terms with whether or not I should join, and whether or not I should encourage my execs to join, I’ll continue to be an interested observer (and will continue looking for a better solution, which I think I’ve found … more on that in a few weeks).

What about you? Is anyone else holding out? Or do you think I’m letting the Facebook parade pass me by?

If you’re tired of reading books about social media theories, here’s a great article on social media practices and the need to go where your customers are: “You Can’t Stop Them From Talking” by David Bowen.

It walks you through several social media technologies, provides advice on each, and then gives several real-world examples of how brand name companies are embracing (or fighting) social media, with some great points on what to copy and what to avoid.

Some key snippets:

The idea is simply that the internet can be used not only as a vertical communication medium, with organisations transmitting to an audience, but also a horizontal one, where the audience members talk to each other. It is not a new idea: bulletin boards and newsgroups pre-date the web, while online forums have had niche success for years.

Although social networking sites and ideas are held together by shared ideas, it makes little sense for businesses to think of them as one. Even similar technologies can be put to very different uses, which is why it makes better sense to consider them according to the ways in which they can help (or hinder) business activities.

… companies need to consider two more or less distinct online terrains. The home turf, including their own web estate and blogs, which they can control directly. And the “extended web”, the scary area of blogs, social network sites, wikis and the like where they and their products may be talked about, abused or praised, but on which they can have only an indirect influence.

In Brian’s post, “Get a F#ck!ng Blog Already,” he writes about his desire to “convince companies to stop asking questions and accept the fact that they need to engage. The only question they need to ask is,’what do I need to do?’” He goes on to point out that many companies are talking about social media, yet very few are truly embracing it. I agree, yet disagree, with Brian. True, only a few companies have embraced social media yet. However, I don’t think they should rush to create a blog.

So why all the talk yet very little movement? My personal opinion is that so many companies are getting bogged down with the technology, terminology and all the “expert” advice and end up over thinking social media. In turn, they never move beyond discussions and brainstorms. I wholeheartedly agree that companies need to understand what they’re trying to achieve, and the larger ones should have blogging policies in place. But I think most companies are spending too much time creating blogging strategies (if there is such a thing) and researching what other companies are doing, and ultimately end up with analysis paralysis.

I sat in on a Forrester webinar today called “The Right Social Marketing Strategy” with Charlene Li. She said she’s hearing from a lot of folks who think they need to have a blog in order to embrace social media. She also said that many marketers are so focused on the various new technologies (Twitter, Facebook, blogging, etc.), that they lose focus. Her advice, which I think is very relevant to PR folks looking at social media, is to “create a strategy by focusing on relationships — not technology.”

With that in mind, and as promised yesterday, here are a few easy steps to get you going with social media (in no particular order). It’s completely over simplified by design. I truly believe that as you start experimenting, it’s easier to understand what works for your company/client, and what doesn’t. And please note that nowhere do I suggest starting a company blog — that comes in the next wave.

1. Start by listening and understanding both what your customers are reading and what they are saying. PR is about building relationships and influence within a universe of media/analysts, and you don’t define that universe — your customers do. So understanding who and what they’re reading, as well as what (or if) they’re writing, is critical if you want to engage with them (which is the intent of social media).
2. Once you’ve defined this universe, begin outreaching to a few bloggers. Just like any member of the media, do your homework first. Read what they write. Read their about page, read their PR guidelines page. Once you’ve determined they’re definitely relevant to you (or, more importantly, that YOU’RE definitely relevant to them), introduce yourself and begin a conversation. Always be upfront and honest in your communication with them, and never spam them. You’ll learn quickly what works and what doesn’t — and then you can replicate that to a broader audience.
3. Treat bloggers like you would any other industry influencer. If they write in-depth product analysis, treat them like your traditional reviewers and let them see beta products. Solicit their feedback and provide more context for them. If they focus on the industry and competitive landscape, treat them like an industry analyst. Share metrics that help show your growth, etc. If they’re news oriented, treat them like news reporters. If they’re writing about their experience with your product, treat them like a customer … Etc., etc., etc.
4. Read blogs, and respond to them. The biggest hurdle to embracing social media is giving up the notion that PR is about controlling the flow of communication from a company. If you see a blog post that’s inaccurate about your company, email the blogger. If the blog post “dings” your product, post a comment thanking them for the feedback. You may even be able to agree and let them know you’re working on a fix. No matter how much you want to, though, don’t ever bait the blogger into a debate without having hard facts to back you up … otherwise you’ll lose. Realize that even with the facts, you may still lose. But at least your message will be shared in the comments.
5. As Charlene points out, don’t focus on the technology. Focus on building relationships. If none of your customers are in SecondLife, it’s probably not where you need to be.
6. Make information easy to get, and easier yet to receive. Gone are the days of paper press kits, but there’s still a need for a lot of that content. Make sure your online press room has valuable content. This could include links to videos on YouTube, etc. And once you have this content available, don’t assume the media will visit it frequently. Get an RSS feed set up so you can make it easy for them to see updates (including news announcements, newsletters, etc.). You’ll be amazed at how simple this is, yet how many companies don’t do it.

I realize I just over simplified an entry-level social media strategy. But, my belief is that the PR strategies are vastly the same — technology has just created new mediums and redefined who the media (i.e. content creators) are, and several factors have led to a culture of openness in communications. This is also why I don’t think it’s wise to treat social media as its own practice, but rather incorporate social media into your existing PR and communications programs.

How about you — care to share any tips on how companies can ease into social media?

Behind the Buzz posts a list of the “9 worst practices in social media.” Communicators should take note, as this list is focused on social media strategies that just don’t work. The nine worst practices, paraphrased by me with commentary in bold, are:

• Create a fake site — today’s Web readers will sniff out and kill a fake site faster than you can create it.
• Publish a fake blog with fake writers — WalMart still gets buzz from this fiasco (see first bullet for why).
• Ghost post for your company’s living caricature — I believe PR folks should encourage executives to blog, but don’t bother with those cute little cartoon characters (remember how annoying Microsoft’s Clippy was? He’d be worse if he had a blog).
• Post template comments from said caricature – see last bullet. no matter how “cute” it sounds, it’s not …  unless maybe you’re promoting Disney to a set of tweens.
• Astroturf — fake grassroots support is still fake, and it’s insulting
  
• Disrespect bloggers/treat bloggers as second class citizens — as the lines between traditional media and bloggers continue to blur, you need to be very careful when tiering your outreach list. Don’t assume you can pitch the WSJ with an exclusive and then get day-of coverage from some bloggers.
• Spam bloggers with the cookie cutter release — the spray and pray mentality never worked with traditional reporters, and it doesn’t work with bloggers.
  
• Ignore criticism — one of the driving tenants of social media is fostering a conversation which, by definition, is two-way. That means that you need to embrace feedback, even when you don’t agree with it. Often, it’s a great starting point to win over a key influencer who will then create a lot of positive exposure for you.
• Have no social media plan — this one’s obvious, but the post goes on to point out that sometimes, your social media plan can be simply “to listen”

What I like about this post is that it’s a good list of things to avoid. Unfortunately, we’re still figuring out how to best integrate social media into PR and communications so there isn’t a list of rules. But, as a community, we’ve discovered several strategies that just don’t work while recognizing that everyone needs to pay attention to social media.

Wondering how to insert social media into your ongoing PR program? I’ll dig into that topic tomorrow!

I had a great conversation with a former client last week. He was convinced he didn’t need to care about bloggers as part of his communications plan. I asked him his reasoning, and he replied, “None of my customers blog.”My response was simple: “I’ll bet none of your customers write for BusinessWeek either.” He still wasn’t convinced, but he at least got my point.

Companies want to get in front of potential customers (or investors, employees, partners, etc.). When it comes to identifying the key influencers/targets for your PR plan, remember to focus less on who’s blogging and more on what your ideal audience is reading. If a blog holds court with your ideal customers, you should know the blogger and the blogger should know you.

Here’s a great list of analysts covering the social media landscape (hat tip to Brian Solis).

(warning … rant coming on)

Tradeshows: They often provide a platform for coverage and can be great PR venues to meet press, bloggers and media. They are even better venues to have meaningful conversations with those same people and begin building relationships. Unfortunately, they’re also the time when a growing population of PR pros gives the rest of us a bad, used car salesman-like, name.

During the last few tradeshows I’ve been to, I’ve been surprised at how many PR people think it’s okay to literally accost anyone with that coveted color-coded name badge. It apparently no longer matters if that reporter/editor/blogger/analyst actually covers the right space. I’ve listened to reporters say, repeatedly, that they are only interested in X and still, they must endure a product pitch on Q. Usually, they’ll give in and hear the pitch just to get away … but I’m sure that following the event, they are still bombarded with calls and emails wondering why they didn’t write something based on being cornered at the event.

With the fall tradeshow season in full swing, I’m asking you to remember you’re not a used care salesman. Do your work before the event – schedule meetings if you have news or an interesting (relevant to the event) story. If a reporter says she’ll stop by the booth, watch for her name and introduce yourself. Talk with her, not at her. Talk about how the show’s going and introduce her to your executives. If she doesn’t have time for a demo, respect that and offer to set up a follow up discussion after the event.

During the event, take advantage of the networking opportunities built into the schedule. Focus on sitting next to reporters during lunch or going up to them at a cocktail party. Try asking them questions not related to what you’re pitching. How’s the show going? What’s the hottest trend you’re seeing? What did you think of the keynote? Did you catch the football game? Comment on their blog if you really read it. (It’s called networking)

When you do introduce yourself to a reporter, be upfront about being a PR person and tell him which company you’re with. Ask him about his coverage before diving into your elevator pitch. If his focus isn’t relevant to you, don’t just walk away. You’ll be surprised at how interesting a non-self serving conversation can be … and eventually, his focus or your company/client will change.

And finally, for heaven’s sake, don’t jump in front of them, don’t try to tackle them and don’t accost them in the line to the bathroom. All that does is annoy the reporters and honestly, it’s embarrassing for the rest of us.

The social media conversation is anchored to the idea of transparency in all PR and communications. It’s an interesting evolution that requires company spokespeople to be willingly open. Reading through the recap of this week’s TechCrunch40 event, I was impressed by the number of panels focused on business models for startups (from getting funding to selling the company). More interesting to me were the detailed recaps of two panel interviews: one with Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and another with Marc Andreesen (Netscape and Ning), David Filo (Yahoo!) and Chad Hurly (YouTube). Clearly, these entrepreneurs have embraced transparency, which resulted in very compelling interviews.

Seems like the Microsoft reporters are questioning the behemoth company in what I’d classify as a poorly executed, really good idea. In case you missed it yesterday, as Google pushed its CapGemini news, Microsoft’s PR team sent a list of ten questions that reporters should ask Google.

At the core, I think this list is great idea. In fact, it’s one I’ve used successfully in the past (even, at one point, against Microsoft). I love when PR can be get creative around competitors’ launches. Some of my favorite clips involve getting clients quoted in their competitors’ news coverage. BUT — and that’s a big but — there are two key things to consider before using this tactic:

1. Make sure the competitive news warrants this type of outreach. If not, you may end up appearing either worried about the news, or (worse) you’ll end up promoting news that otherwise may have been ignored. Based on the coverage, I think Microsoft gave reporters the impression they were nervous about Google in this space. That may have been true, but several “friends of Microsoft” sensed that and included it in the news (score one for Google).
2. Make sure you’re hitting on the right points. And do your homework. More than one of Microsoft’s challenges to Google are ironic. I’m not an expert on the subject, but I’m pretty comfortable saying that Microsoft has a reputation for delivering products late, half-baked and full of bugs. Maybe they should have focused on other areas. The list has a “pot calling the kettle black” feeling … so much so, that one Microsoft reporter called them on it and actually addresses why each point is filled with FUD. In one case, it looks like Microsoft’s PR team didn’t even verify the availability of tech support (score a few more for Google).

That said, I still love the concept! How about you: Have you ever used a PR tactic like this? Did it work?

Interesting blurb in Boston.com’s Business Filter today about blogging being mainstream:

“Blogging has only been around a few years but a new study reveals that “eight out of 10 Americans know what “blog” means, and almost half have visited the blogosphere – some as often as daily.” While it’s not surprising that 90 percent of 25- to-34-year-olds are blog-aware, what’s shocking to me is 64.5 percent of those age 65-plus are too. 8 percent of Americans have their own blog. 14 percent are men and 20 are women.”

I think there’s still some debate about how “mainstream” blogging is, but for those of you finding it difficult to convince your execs or clients to embrace bloggers as part of your PR program, here’s a tip: drop the “social media” title, and treat them like any other influencer. I think more companies get hung up on the “social media” space, because it’s that scary, new, wild west. However, it’s pretty easy to make the case that a key blogger with 200,000 daily visitors (focused on the market you sell to) belongs on the top tier influencer list, next to the professor who writes a column for that key trade magazine and the analyst who also edits a newsletter that all of your customers read.

Start small, and once they appreciate how to approach a blogger and cultivate a relationship, you can add a few more to the list. Then, you can start incorporating other social media outlets — again, sans title. Once you’ve got the results to build a case for a more focused program, then introduce the word “social” to the planning conversations. I think you’ll find an open mind at that point.