Public relations

Social Media is the Playground at Recess

This is a guest post from PR professional David Mullen, whose insights into the industry always intrigue me. I read his blog often and ask why many of his suggestions on how PR can evolve aren’t standard practice yet, and I’m delighted he’s sharing his views here today.

You remember those days. You would run straight to your favorite diversion and play with reckless abandon until the bell rang. Or you?d start there and then visit two or three other amusements before heading back inside.

What drove you and others to the merry-go-round or the slides? The thrill? The butterflies in your tummy? Whatever it was, you were there because you genuinely enjoyed yourself. If your friends were there, too, great! If not, it was no big deal. You?d make new friends with kids who shared your love affair for the monkey bars.

Social media is like the playground. It has a ridiculous supply of platforms and applications and tools to enjoy. You gravitate to one or a few of those because they play to your interests and allow you to meet other fine folks who are as passionate about those same things as you are.

This is why a thoughtful communications strategy is imperative for brands to engage with others on the playground. Don?t start a Facebook page because everyone else is doing it. Don?t create a YouTube channel because you read an article in Adweek.

Take a step back from the temptation of knee-jerk reactions, identify the interests you share with your customers, find out where they go to talk about those interests together and contribute meaningfully to the ?play? going on there. Participating regularly on a niche message board may reap far more rewards for your brand than an under-used Facebook page among millions.

How do you strategically target where your brand shows up on the playground? As importantly, how do you connect with your customers once you?re there?

David Mullen is a PR and communications consultant with Mullen (no relation), a full-service marketing agency and an independent brand within the Interpublic Group of Companies. He has worked with brands such as The Home Depot, Coldwell Banker, Intercall and Healthtex. To learn more about David, please visit his Communications Catalyst blog or connect with David on Twitter.

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Acorns And Oak Trees

: Image by Chris Campbell via Flickr

I had the good (?) fortune to sit down with the CEO of a PR agency in Toronto recently. He had been at a seminar I attended regarding converging technologies and mediums and how they fit into the role of the PR professional. We got chatting and decided to have lunch together.

Now, I’m a pretty open guy to how businesses run themselves, but this lunch was an eye-opener.

The conversation turned naturally to the economy and the effect it’s having on agencies and clients alike. My lunch partner said he was finding it tough as his clients just weren’t spending, yet he was sure both would start needing his agency’s services again soon. I asked if he’d lost a lot of clients to the credit crunch – after all, being reduced to two clients must be extra tough.

His response floored me.

“Oh, no, we never have more than two clients at any time – we just concentrate on finding the biggest and most profitable ones and stick with them.” So, no small businesses or entrepreneurs, I asked. The answer: “Why would I want to deal with the little guy? How would that enhance my reputation?”

The lunch ended, we exchanged business cards and went our separate ways. I wondered if I should have probed him more on his views about clients, but the way he emphasized the “my reputation” part made me think he was only in business for one reason – his glory. Which normally means any arguments falling on deaf ears.

Yet perhaps I shouldn’t have been too surprised. Too many businesses in too many industries have forgotten about the little guy. Too many businesses think dollars over development. Too many businesses think pre-built over building.

Just when this mindset happened escapes me – what doesn’t escape me is the narrow-minded tunnel vision behind it.

Did the CEO of the Toronto PR agency start off as a ready-made success story? Did Richard Branson jump into the business world with Virgin already a huge success? Does being a large corporation guarantee success levels?

Of course not. Yet still the belief remains in many businesses that small is a necessary evil, to tolerate while the big boys gather to put small in its place.

These are dangerous thoughts.

True success comes from the building of relationships. Of loyalties being forged. Of give and take and the combining of good ideas and openness to encourage greatness.

Aim high – there’s nothing wrong with that. But just take a minute to think what’s going to get you higher – two giants 100 feet tall who control you, or hundreds of normal sized people who respect you.

The choice is yours – I know whose company I’d prefer to keep. How about you?

Ten PR People to Follow on Twitter

A recent post over at ProBlogger offered an excellent overview of 10 people that new Twitter users should follow. Admittedly, it consisted of the usual suspects, but then when the suspects are so good it’s hard to complain.

A conversation with one of my Twitter friends Lizz Harmon raised the question of which public relations-type Twitter users would make an equally good list for people to follow. Sources of great information for both PR professionals and interns alike. So, in no particular order, here is the list of 10 PR People to Follow for anyone interested in PR.

Beth Harte. One of the earliest adopters of Web 2.0 and social media benefits, Beth offers an excellent voice in PR and currently teaches public relations, marketing and more at Immaculata University.
Todd Defren. The Principal of Shift Communications, Todd is also the founder of the social media press release and an influential voice in Web 2.0 public relations.
Lisa Hoffmann. Lisa is the Chief Copywriter at PRstore and is vocal in her support of combining social media, PR and communications.
Lizz Harmon. Far from inclusion just because of her suggestion of this list, Lizz would make any PR list on Twitter. President of HarmonTampa Public Relations and another key social media proponent.
Dave Fleet. Dave is a Senior Consultant for Thornley Fallis Communications and has an extensive background in PR and communications. Always an interesting conversation.
Dana Willhoit. With a background in news journalism and lead press release writer for The Press Release Site, Dana offers an invaluable view from both sides of PR.
Joan Stewart. Otherwise known as The Publicity Hound, Joan is one of the foremost voices in PR on Twitter and an excellent source of useful Tweets and opinions.
Brian Solis. Principal of FutureWorks PR agency and owner of the industry-respected PR 2.0 blog, Brian is one of the key voices when it comes to social media and PR.
Sarah Evans. Director of Communications at Elgin Community College, Sarah has recently begun guest authoring at respected website Mashable.
Jason Kintzler. Founder of PitchEngine, a social media newsroom that’s fast becoming one of the go-to resources for social media press releases.

Like any list, this one is by no means exhaustive and I’m sure there are others just as worthy of a place on it. However, as a mix of PR professionals and services for anyone in PR (or interested in it), it’s not a bad starting point, though I’d love to hear who you would have on your list.

Of course, if you feel like following me, please feel free to join me on Twitter. 😉

Drop The Retainer If You Want to Retain

The day of the large retainer fee is over. Upfront and ongoing fees charged by PR, advertising and marketing agencies used to be the normal way to conduct business, but this is no longer the case. Truth be told, it hasn’t been the case for a while and more agencies need to realize this.

The massive stock crash and financial mire the economy finds itself in has affected everyone, from huge corporations to micro-businesses and everyone in-between. This has resulted in many companies either reigning in their agency spend or cutting ties altogether. The main reason for this has been the exorbitant retainer fees charged by many.

Smart agencies stopped this practice a long time ago, and changed over to value-based pricing. Instead of expensive monthly retainers and high hourly rates, value-based pricing charges on delivered results. This could be number of new customers, amount of new revenue, amount of press received, etc.

The benefit to the client is obvious – they aren’t shelling out for a monthly cost that may return very little. They also know that their agency is working properly for them – no results, no huge project fee regardless of success.

Many agencies decry value-based pricing, saying that it isn’t manageable and there are too many variants to take into account. I disagree – this is where getting to know your client comes in. You know, the role you’re being paid for?

As more businesses realize that high-cost retainers are becoming a thing of the past, the more they’ll look for agencies offering value-based alternatives. Will your agency be one?

The Client Isn’t Always Right

Years ago, I used to work in retail and one of the first things I was taught is that ?the customer?s always right.? I never completely went along with this view – probably why I didn?t last in retail long! Jump forward 10+ years to where I?m running my own business, and nothing?s changed, with the exception of ?client? taking over from ?customer?.

That?s not to say that I don?t hold my clients in high regard – I most certainly do, and will always go over and above the normal ?agreement? on a project and help maximize any promotional needs.

However, there also comes a time when you have to draw the line and make a stand – whether it?s client requests, client invoicing or similar. I?ll give you a couple of examples.

Clients often want something done yesterday. In this business, that?s understandable – after all, in PR the early bird truly does get the worm. Unfortunately, it can be easier said than done – sometimes you have to hold back and let others jump in first, and then come out with a kick-ass strategy that blows everyone else away.

The point is, if you?re not working on a project immediately for a client, there can often be ?complaints? that you?re not giving that client?s needs priority. Turn that around a second, though, to when you invoice your client and it can be a different kettle of fish. All of a sudden, the urgency has gone and your invoice isn?t high up on their priorities.

Now I?ll admit that so far, I?ve been pretty lucky with my clients. Most of mine either pay on time or before an invoice due date – yet I?ve still had a couple of instances where I?ve had to chase up an invoice and resort to the threat of legal action. It?s not something I want to do and I?m sure the client doesn?t really want to go down that route either.

Tip: Clients should show their provider the same courtesy and importance as the provider shows the client?s project.

Another example is when the client wants too much say in a project. Now before I go on, I just want to make it clear that I?m not saying a client should have little or no say in their own project – after all, it?s their product or service you?re promoting so their input is most definitely beneficial overall.

However, there?s a reason that a client has come to you in the first place – your expertise. You?ve obviously stood out amongst your contemporaries for a reason – so your advice and recommendations should count, right?

If you offer 5 media outlets that a client should go with, then you?ve recommended them for a reason – results. You haven?t recommended them for cost-effectiveness or amount of possible traffic your client may get – you?ve recommended them because they?re the best outlets for the particular piece of news your client wants to get out.

This works in other mediums as well – any recommendation you make for a client is based on your expertise in that field. Heck, any recommendation you make to business partners or your boss is based on your expertise in a given field – so why should that expertise and knowledge not be taken advantage of?

Tip: Your expertise and knowledge has been requested for a reason. Advise your client/boss/partner of this (politely) and let them know that if they want the best results, to trust your opinion.

As I said in my intro, I respect my clients and their needs and this post is by no means going against that. Most clients realize that while they may feel they know what?s best for their project, in reality their expertise is in the product or service itself.

When it comes to your part in it – whether it?s promotion, reviewing, selling, whatever – then that?s the time for the client to step back, offer their valuable input where it?s most effective, and leave the rest up to you. Trust me, it?s the way to get results.