Worried! © by photoloni

For the most part, I find the PR industry’s trade publications — PRWeek, PRNewser, PRNews, etc. — to be good standard-bearers for effectively covering the ins-and-outs of this diverse and growing industry. Sure, they tend to focus too much on AOR announcements  — the old-time stock ticker-tape reports of PR — but they do the job.

So I try to do my best not to critique. Look, reporters and editors have a tough job at those publications. They are reporting on the very people — PR pros — who know how to promote a cause or a person better than anyone. So I imagine there is quite a lot of pushback and calls for fluffier fluff pieces than at your standard trade reporter’s job.

But there is one type of trade story I can’t stand: the “[Fill in new/flashy technology] is destroying the profession!” piece. You see it every few months, often when some new social network or platform catches fire. Suddenly, PR pros are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, desperately trying to answer client questions about whether they can “Pin” their latest press release (as if anyone cares).

And so it was that I came across a blog post headlined, “Create, but don’t compromise” by former PRWeek Editor Julia Hood.

After relaying a few anecdotes about how The Economist routinely makes PR pros sound like the scourge of the earth, she gets to the meat of her argument:

The always-on, abbreviated nature of today’s digital communications is leaving many PR pros “worry[ing that] we are compromising by increments every day.”

Hmmm. Not so sure about that.

She’s right in noting that PR pros must always keep the verification of facts and information they disseminate in mind when crafting any and all communications, no matter truncated they may be. But I always get a little worried when I read a PR trade (or blog) try to make the point that just because we have so many new and fast-moving comms channels to work with, PR pros somehow inherently risk losing their credibility or professional standards.

If that were the case, TV would have corrupted the profession long ago as it overtook the seemingly austere days of radio. Obviously, that was not the case. And we shouldn’t try to imagine it will be the case now that we have moved firmly into the digital age.

In that respect, I sincerely hope that PR pros aren’t worrying whether “we are compromising by increments every day” just because Twitter and other social networks have become powerful new communications platforms. If anything, we should be celebrating the growth they have provided to the PR industry and the ability they have given PR pros to finally move away from the days of one-dimensional press release development.

Of course, there will always be issues inherent with a profession adopting any new form of communication or engagement platform. But that’s no reason for us to worry that we’re somehow chinking away at the very standards of professionalism and standards that underpin the profession.

• 24 May 2012 : Value of a Facebook Fan – Still Worth Considering?
• 23 May 2012 : Why Viggle Will Change Television
• 22 May 2012 : 10 Ingredients to Make Your Event Execution Easy
• 21 May 2012 : Stop Being Idiots -or- NATO and Perspective
• 18 May 2012 : Facebook Research: Brand-Related Posts Drive Most Engagement

All too often, we see CEOs put their foot in their mouths. Remember Netflix CEO Reed Hastings’ “apology” last year? Or how about former BP CEO Tony Hayward and his “relatively tiny” Gulf oil spill comment? These types of words cannot only stain a chief executive; it can also hurt a company. In the cases above, both Netflix and BP suffered mightily.

These types of instances are very preventable though. One of the things that are often forgotten about in our PR planning is media training. Sure, we see crisis communications mentioned, but never much about actual media training. Even if you believe your client(s) have a good feel for the media, it never hurts to reinforce their skills.

Here are five tips to consider for your clients or your own businesses.

1)   Mock-up an interview- Role-playing may seem like something you wouldn’t consider, but it can really be helpful. Develop some questions based on a scenario where the CEO would be tested. Then, do a review session afterwards. Go over the strengths and weaknesses of the answers. If and when a crisis arises, you know he/she will be prepared.

2)   Review what each outlet brings to the table- Your CEO may think he/she understands the print and electronic media, but both platforms are changing. Take the time to help the CEO understand what each outlet does, how they report, and what they may be looking for.

3)   Keep messages short and sweet- Once a CEO starts having long answers to media questions, that’s when things can get sticky. Make certain your key messages and talking points are crafted to be clear and concise. The tighter the messaging is, the less of a chance of being misquoted or misunderstood.

4)   Speak up- I always like to see how CEOs handle speaking in public during non-crisis situations. If they stumble during a check presentation, imagine what it would be like in a crisis. It doesn’t hurt to offer a public speaking session. A good CEO will accept your advice, since it will help in the future.

5)   Social Media training- Yes, it may sound odd to include this, but if you have a CEO of a small to medium sized business, they may interact on social networks. It is integral for the CEO to understand to pros and cons of posting and how their message will be taken in 140 characters.

Media training may seem like something very small in the grand scheme of things, but when a crisis hits, it could end up being extremely important.

• 24 May 2012 : Value of a Facebook Fan – Still Worth Considering?
• 23 May 2012 : Why Viggle Will Change Television
• 22 May 2012 : 10 Ingredients to Make Your Event Execution Easy
• 21 May 2012 : Stop Being Idiots -or- NATO and Perspective
• 18 May 2012 : Facebook Research: Brand-Related Posts Drive Most Engagement

I’m old enough to remember the days of bringing a Walkman into my bed at night to try and listen to baseball. On the clearest of nights, I could hear the radio home of the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals, and sometimes, the Boston Red Sox from my New Jersey bedroom. However, most times, I’d have to deal with plenty of static and interference.In our social media world today, we have the same issues. While we can “hear” some of the most influential PR/social media/marketing folks, we still need to get through the “static” to actually listen. Why? Our Facebook and Twitter streams are clouded with too much noise and clutter that affects what we take in.

So, how can we better listen and engage our followers? Here are five tips to fine tune your focus on social networks.
1. Unfollow those who aren’t valuable to you- I know this is a HUGE sticking point with some folks. But, ask yourself this question: If you didn’t like the music being played on a radio station, would you still listen? Pare down your followers to those that deliver the smartest, most relevant content.

2. Change your channels- Don’t spend all your time on Twitter. Hop on Facebook and/or Google+ to get a new perspective, and vice versa. Too often we spend all our time in one place. Get some variety.

3. Listen closely- What is it you are really trying to accomplish by engaging on social platforms? Don’t just retweet for the sake of it. Actually read what is included in a tweet or Facebook post. Too many times, we are quick to share something and it may not even pertain to your network.

4. Have your “pre-sets”- Just like your car radio, you should be using Twitter lists to your full advantage. This is an outstanding way to tune out the static on your feed and focus in on what you really want to “listen” to.

5. Focus in on certain times- In the radio industry, there’s morning drive and afternoon drive. You can pretty much marry that to social media as well. In the morning, we see a ton of blog post and news updates. In the afternoon, we see content that comes from webinars, conferences and events. These are the times for optimal reading.

Keep in mind that it is up to you to choose who you wish to listen and engage with on social platforms. When you complain that someone is an oversharer or they whine too much, you have the power to “change the channel.”

• 24 May 2012 : Value of a Facebook Fan – Still Worth Considering?
• 23 May 2012 : Why Viggle Will Change Television
• 22 May 2012 : 10 Ingredients to Make Your Event Execution Easy
• 21 May 2012 : Stop Being Idiots -or- NATO and Perspective
• 18 May 2012 : Facebook Research: Brand-Related Posts Drive Most Engagement

I struggle with ROI in the social sphere, as I’ve talked about before. Google has taken a huge step forward this week in measuring the ROI of social media, as it announced the first concrete effort at valuing efforts in this arena. The three main reasons Google made this change (from the Analytics blog):

• “Identify the full value of traffic coming from social sites and measure how they lead to direct conversions or assist in future conversions
• Understand social activities happening both on and off of your site to help you optimize user engagement and increase social key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Make better, more efficient data-driven decisions in your social media marketing programs

I’ll let you read through the post itself to familiarize yourself. Never before has anyone tried to tie real, tangible, financial results to likes, follows, comments, posts, and so on and so forth. We know the value of social media. It’s networking, listening, identifying new customers, etc. Selling it to the C-Suite can be difficult as the bottom line is the only number they are concerned about. This provides a tool that provides realistic numbers as to conversions, and where those conversions are coming from.

This is not a be-all-end-all tool, but it certainly is a step in the right direction.

• 24 May 2012 : Value of a Facebook Fan – Still Worth Considering?
• 23 May 2012 : Why Viggle Will Change Television
• 22 May 2012 : 10 Ingredients to Make Your Event Execution Easy
• 21 May 2012 : Stop Being Idiots -or- NATO and Perspective
• 18 May 2012 : Facebook Research: Brand-Related Posts Drive Most Engagement

Much has been made of Google’s unified privacy policy that went into effect last week. In my Twitter feed, I saw the usual suspects; threats of dumping all Google products, enraged people shouting about how Google is out to take over the world, you know, a whole lot of this. Perhaps these people are unaware of how commerce on the Internet works. This is always a good reminder for us as PR pros, and for our clients. The number of companies that collect your data for their own marketing purposes or for their partners is astronomical. However, let’s rundown a few of the major names to put this in perspective:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Apple (Maybe this one is a stretch)
• Pretty much anyone in business to make money

This isn’t an argument that says companies collecting personal information is a good thing, but it IS an argument for taking responsibility. You’re using Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Path, and tons of other apps FOR FREE. Ever paid a dime to post your status to Facebook or Twitter? Nope. Yet their IPO is expected to be worth millions, if not billions, of dollars. It ain’t because that photo of your kid is extra cute.

We, the Internet community, often forget that. We are a valuable commodity. We all have wants, needs, desires, hopes, and there are companies out there dying to learn more about us to sell those to us. The price of using these services is not monetary; it’s our information. Anyone who thinks it is Google’s responsibility to simply sit on the goldmine of information it has on its users doesn’t understand the digital business model.

It is our responsibility as consumers to safeguard our data; and each of these companies has provided ways to make your information as private as possible. In the 21st century, if you wonder how a company can make money without actually selling anything, remember this:

If you cannot discern a product a company is selling, the product they are selling is you.

• 24 May 2012 : Value of a Facebook Fan – Still Worth Considering?
• 23 May 2012 : Why Viggle Will Change Television
• 22 May 2012 : 10 Ingredients to Make Your Event Execution Easy
• 21 May 2012 : Stop Being Idiots -or- NATO and Perspective
• 18 May 2012 : Facebook Research: Brand-Related Posts Drive Most Engagement

How many times have you heard it: You need to grow your followers and fans on social platforms to foster trust and growth of your brand.

Maybe you are sick of hearing this, but it’s very true. Someone who I have enjoyed following on Twitter and her blog for a while now is Mari Smith. She recently published the book, “The New Relationship Marketing.” If you didn’t believe the italicized sentence above, you will by the time you finish Mari’s book.

I often look for nuggets in books like Mari’s because I know there is something I can learn. We don’t know everything (and let’s be honest, neither do you). This book can bring your knowledge to another level. While some of the information is pretty self-explanatory (i.e. communicate clearly and concisely and check spelling and grammar), most of the content is really helpful.

Case in point would be part two of Mari’s book, “Nine Steps to Significantly Growing Your Business Through Relationship Marketing.” Even though I’m not a business like Zappos (one of the examples Mari uses), these steps have helped me better take grasp of what I do. Step Five really stuck out to me, which is “Become an Authority Through Quality Content.”

We all are aware that if you are a blogger and/or frequent social media poster, you need to have content that will a) gain followers’ trust and b) get others to listen. Repurposing content can be a great way to do get greater visibility. Mari says:

“Consider the fact that you’re furthering your authority in your industry and are one step closer to being seen as a thought leader every time you create quality content. Becoming a known, reliable resource like this will help keep you top of mind when someone needs what you sell.”

One other great thing Mari does in this book is provide a summary after every chapter to reinforce what you’ve read. I thought this was excellent because it acts like your own “cheat sheet” that you can bookmark for later use.

In all, I was incredibly happy to read Mari Smith’s book and whether you are a student or seasoned pro, it is worth your time. I’m thankful for Mari sharing her knowledge and insight into relationship marketing.

• 24 May 2012 : Value of a Facebook Fan – Still Worth Considering?
• 23 May 2012 : Why Viggle Will Change Television
• 22 May 2012 : 10 Ingredients to Make Your Event Execution Easy
• 21 May 2012 : Stop Being Idiots -or- NATO and Perspective
• 18 May 2012 : Facebook Research: Brand-Related Posts Drive Most Engagement

In the last 24 hours I’ve happened upon two excellent examples of SM strategies and tactics.  One excellent because it’s good, one excellent in its badness.  First, the bad.

Swiss Army Knives by Victorinox have a pretty loyal following (and if you’ve ever used a genuine one you know why).  Their primary Facebook page has some 30,000 Likers (and pretty good engagement as well I’d note).

What’s interesting given all of this is how they’ve fallen down re: their Twitter account. I won’t even address the number of followers (I’m not sure when they launched), but here’s what I’ve got a problem with – they’re trying to get to 3,000 followers with a contest rewarding the “first 3 to hit our goal” with prizes.  Prizes work – no doubt about it – but this type of contest – where you can see where you are in the reward process would actually slow down getting followers.  If you saw there were 2990 followers and wanted to win, you wouldn’t begin to follow – you’d sit and wait until people unaware of the contest started following the brand.

At present there’ve been fewer than 20 followers in the last 24 hours…during a contest…of a global, well established and loved brand.

On the other hand, had the contest be structured along the lines of “all of our followers will get a discount code for 10% off a purchase when we hit 3000 followers” not only would people begin to follow, they’d tell their friends to speed the process along. Further, in the long run it would be a bigger financial win for them as well – eventually those people will buy something and even if all 3000 use their 10% coupon it still means they’re buying directly from the company (and not a distributor/retailer who would take a cut).

Now the good.  This one is R-Rated, so fair warning.

The “Transparency of the Week” award goes to K-Y Intense Effect (special thanks to Isaac Pigott for picking up on this one).  Like any good site it features product details, information from doctors, etc.  But front and center – literally in this case (it’s the first thing you see) – are compiled reviews.  Not testimonials – reviews – both good and bad (and in this case there happens to be a lot of bad).

Why’s this a win?  Simple – while it may not create sales what it does do is ensure anyone who sees the site and buys the product is not underwhelmed.  It eliminates buyer’s remorse.  Assuming they know feedback on the product isn’t great and a majority of the folks won’t like it (but it’s still not worthwhile to pull from the shelves) which would you rather – a consumer who avoided a ‘bad’ product because of the company’s full disclosure or a consumer who felt tricked and would question trusting the brand again?  That it’s K-Y and are the de facto brand in this space certainly doesn’t hurt either – they can rest on their laurels and enjoy the satisfaction of creating a new product while keeping their core business and reputations intact, even if the product itself wasn’t a smash (or squishy) hit.

• 24 May 2012 : Value of a Facebook Fan – Still Worth Considering?
• 23 May 2012 : Why Viggle Will Change Television
• 22 May 2012 : 10 Ingredients to Make Your Event Execution Easy
• 21 May 2012 : Stop Being Idiots -or- NATO and Perspective
• 18 May 2012 : Facebook Research: Brand-Related Posts Drive Most Engagement

I went to a great presentation this week by @jaykrall on Blogger Relations. He talked in depth about how PR pros can seek and engage bloggers with their brand. Great speaker if anyone is looking for one.

One thing he said is that bloggers know other bloggers. I guess I never really thought about it but of course they do. The challenge is breaking into that group. There are many similarities between bloggers and the cool group in high school.

 • Bloggers hold the power to say what products are cool and not. Bloggers have the following and the network to start trends that could take your brand to the next level.

• Bloggers make you nervous to talk to them. You know you get butterflies in your stomach when you hit send on an email to a blogger. There is that fear of being publically ridiculed on social media that is just like in the cafeteria in high school.

• Bloggers are party animals. The cool group in high school was always at the party to see and be seen. Bloggers are influential because they put themselves out there. They participate in a variety of social networks to be seen. Be there too if you want to be included.

• Bloggers radiate cool. Try to be cool by association by engaging with them on their blog, twitter, and Facebook. Maybe if you are soaking up the coolness, they will be more interested in what your pitch is.

• Bloggers need to be different to be noticed. The cool group was not cool because they were like everyone else. In high school they were edgy and you could definitely pick them out hallway. PR pros need to have a different pitch and request to stand out in the oodles of email a blogger receives.

PR pros must learn how to not only coexist with the cool group, but work together. Although high school is only four years, bloggers are here to stay.

If you were cool in high school then dust off those skills, but if you were not here is your chance to re-write that chapter in your career.

• 24 May 2012 : Value of a Facebook Fan – Still Worth Considering?
• 23 May 2012 : Why Viggle Will Change Television
• 22 May 2012 : 10 Ingredients to Make Your Event Execution Easy
• 21 May 2012 : Stop Being Idiots -or- NATO and Perspective
• 18 May 2012 : Facebook Research: Brand-Related Posts Drive Most Engagement

Over the last few days, I’ve been doing a fair amount of reading about Google’s new privacy policy. It has received some positive and negative views. Privacy, to many, is a premium; we don’t want our information shared or sold to anyone. Of course, I enjoy privacy, too.

Here’s a (not so) little secret, though. When you log onto Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., your information is out there. You signed up for a Gmail account or to have a Twitter profile, you understood there was a risk. So why so many complaints about your privacy being infringed upon? Because we all need something to take issue with nowadays.

Let’s be perfectly honest, if we were all so worried about our privacy, we wouldn’t be sharing photos of what shoes or suits we like on Pinterest, we wouldn’t let people know that we were “in a relationship with so and so” on Facebook, and we certainly wouldn’t let everyone know we just purchased a venti java chip at Starbucks via Foursquare.

Privacy is something we like to throw around like we still value it. Sure, I don’t want people to know my bank account statements or medical history. But, I’ve chosen to be on social networks and if you are reading this, so did you.

Remember the uproar over Facebook’s privacy changes? Yup, it didn’t last too long. Here’s what Google had to say in an email they sent to users over the weekend:

Dear Google user,

We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to read. Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.

We believe this stuff matters, so please take a few minutes to read our updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Service at http://www.google.com/policies. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2012.

Pretty simple, right?

The bottom line here is that we have chosen to live our lives online now. If you don’t agree with the changes to Google, Facebook, or whatever social network adjusts their policies, shut down your profile. It’s that easy. However, I’m thinking you’ll continue to go on posting updates and photos just like everyone else.

• 24 May 2012 : Value of a Facebook Fan – Still Worth Considering?
• 23 May 2012 : Why Viggle Will Change Television
• 22 May 2012 : 10 Ingredients to Make Your Event Execution Easy
• 21 May 2012 : Stop Being Idiots -or- NATO and Perspective
• 18 May 2012 : Facebook Research: Brand-Related Posts Drive Most Engagement

Providing counsel on Twitter, and sometimes specifically Twitter chats, frequently falls in our laps at the request of clients.  While we’ve all seen the ‘best practices’ for these things, there are of course, worst practices.  Some of my top ones, as well as those of some contributors, are below.  What are some of the worst practices you’ve seen?

You’re doing Twitter wrong for clients if you:

• Suggest they can use any hashtag they want: It may be actively used by another group – this is particularly true if you’re intending to use an acronym.
• Hint that they should hijack a conversation: This is unfortunately very easy to do – find a regular conversation and provide comments parallel with the discussion at hand but not actually be engaged in the conversation.
• Use hashtags that are too long: All the participants will be limited to 140 characters, don’t eat up too many of those with the hashtag (submitted by Paige Holden, on twitter here, here, and here).
• Using a company name exclusively: Unless you’re a major brand that everyone will recognize.  And even then it becomes too easy for a simple mention or customer complaint to get inserted into the chat (also submitted by Paige).
• Using confusing or obtuse hashtags: Hashtags should give some indication of what the chat is about. It certainly helps with brand/ topic recognition (submitted by Mikinzie Stuart)
• Along the same lines – using an acronym that has multiple meaning: For example remember ‘PR’ isn’t just public relation, but also Puerto Rico. Guess how many things ADA, AMA, and APA stand for (also submitted by Mikinzie)?
• Tell them you’ll register the hashtag: There is no legitimate hashtag registration process.  There are a few ‘registries’ that sprung up for organizational purposes, but no one owns a tag and so are effectively completely meaningless.
• Suggest they use a hashtag to get an audience without researching it: For example, even if they’re a tech startup in NYC, the #NYC hashtag tends to be used by anyone referencing the city, not necessarily the completely appropriate audience, find something better.

So do tell loyal readers – what’s the worst of the worst you’ve seen when it comes to this?

• 24 May 2012 : Value of a Facebook Fan – Still Worth Considering?
• 23 May 2012 : Why Viggle Will Change Television
• 22 May 2012 : 10 Ingredients to Make Your Event Execution Easy
• 21 May 2012 : Stop Being Idiots -or- NATO and Perspective
• 18 May 2012 : Facebook Research: Brand-Related Posts Drive Most Engagement