PR & Social Media Part 3: Kami Huyse

Kami Watson Huyse
Originally uploaded by kamichat.

It was just a few months ago, when I first discovered Kami Wilson Huyse. She started dropping comments onto my blog when I wrote on marketing and PR-related subjects. Sometimes she agreed with me and other times not. But each time, she added something of value to the conversation.

Now and then, she took the conversation over to her own blog where she took it in new directions. That started me reading her other posts and I was impressed. When I thought she had something useful or interesting, I started pointing my readers to it as a service to them.

Kami  seems to me to be a glowing example of how a latecomer gains topical prominence in a short time in the blogosphere. She may never rival Scoble in mass audience headcounts, but if you read blogs and care about PR chances are more likely than not that you will find Kami and continue to read her.

That's why she's the third of five interviews I'm conducting as I revisit the issue of PR and blogging in preparation for my Ottawa speaking tour. Here is what she has to say:

1. Can you tell me something about your background and career before you got active in social media?

I spent most of my 12-plus year career on the client-side of public relations, working for America’s Charities and then the Manufactured Housing Institute. Both are large national organizations, where I served in many functions, from media spokesperson, to running major national public relations campaigns and performing issues management. I opened My PR Pro in 2002 to serve both local and national clients, including the Red Cross pro bono, MHI, SeaWorld San Antonio and Time Warner Cable.

2. How and when did you get into social media and blogging?

I started Communication Overtones in early November last year as a sandbox to build on my skill in social media and to transfer this knowledge to my clients. In music, an overtone is higher acoustical frequency than the fundamental note. I felt social media was becoming the overtone to communication and felt that I needed become proficient in using the tools and in understanding the culture around it.

3. Your blog seems to have very rapidly risen to prominence. What did you do to make this happen?

"Prominence" is a big word. My goal is just to share the things I learn as I go along, and to record them for myself as well. I am glad that it resonates with a few people out there and that people come to read and comment. My goal was to build relationships with other PR professionals around the world, and I have found the blog an ideal place to do this.

4. What has this blog done for your business?

It has had an immediate impact. My business has already expanded by 30 percent this year alone as a direct result of the blog, and I have contracts in hand that show at least a 50 percent increase next year. I have also been able to sufficiently grow my network to implement the virtual agency concept that I envisioned when I launched My PR Pro. I am now working with a number of talented independent practitioners and agencies across the U.S. and the world. The Internet and social media tools have made possible a distributed workgroup of specialists that stretches across geographic boundaries.

5. What advice do you have for PR practitioners?

I have three thoughts about what make someone great at public relations:

(1)  a willingness to learn;

(2)  the heart of a public advocate; and

(3) trusted and perceptive counselor to top management.

6. What is you vision for the future of PR?

I see the role of the PR practitioner as a facilitator, making sure that access is granted to those who need it and that the public gets what it wants from the organization. My vision is that public relations will live up to its definition as a two-way exchange of information between a company and its stakeholders. Arthur Page was the first VP of public relations for AT&T, and I see PR through his lens. Somewhere in the 1930s, he wrote, "So we, like all other companies, live by public approval and roughly speaking, the more approval you have the better you live. This is the fundamental reason for seeking public approval. The fundamental way of getting it is to deserve it.” Amen to that!

7. How has blogging changed your perspective on business? On life in general?

I feel like I have been in an aggressive graduate-level study program for the last year, I have learned so much. One of the biggest challenges I faced was the notion that I would have to be up-front and center about my opinions. Being able to learn how to do that effectively has helped me to have more confidence.

8. Do you have some useful do’s and don’t for getting started on a business blog?

Yes, I have a three-step social media process that I advocate to my clients: Active Listening, Outreach, and Engage. In the first phase, I recommend they spend a lot of time monitoring, listening, reading and learning. Then they formulate a strategy to reach out to other bloggers in the segment in which they hope to build a presence. Last, they can engage by launching their own blog.

9. Do you feel social media is an extension of a corporate PR program or something entirely new?

I want to emphasize that I think social media strategies aren’t for every company. However, I do think that an active listening program is essential, so I guess I fall in the “extension of PR” crowd with one important caveat. At least for now, social media is the way that some influential consumers have chosen to voice their opinions. It pays to keep your eye on what is being said about you and your company. If we subscribe to the two-way version of communication, we have to listen. You can ask a number of companies and individuals that have been involved in what I have dubbed a “firememe” if social media is a force to be reckoned with: Kryptonite, Dan Rather, Dell, McDonalds, the New York Times and the list goes on. Like it or not, social media and its effects have become a part of our job
.

10. What sage advice you can add to what you’ve said above?

Get some sleep. Don’t let this stuff keep you up at night. Social media is time consuming and the immediate feedback aspect can be addictive, make sure to keep it in perspective and set limits. Your comments will wait until tomorrow.

It should be noted that Kami's written responses to my questions came in at 10:45, her time, once again indicating that none of us always follow our own advice.

Comments

[Kami Watson Huyse]

Giving away all my secrets, eh? ;-)

[shel israel]

That's the nature of the blogosphere. In return for your lost secrets, so many people extol your virtues.

[Todd Defren]

All hail Kami! Hip-hip-hooray! I agree, Shel, that Kami was a great person to interview and she did not disappoint.

[Jane Genova]

A PR blog is the best branding/networking tool around. Yes, it is highly time-intensive but it creates a pull force in bringing in new business. In fact, I have decided, after re-locating my office, to hold out on getting pricey letterhead stationary printed up. I may not need it. The blog may continue to do all the heavy lifting.

Thanks for publishing this interview.

[Gregory Frieden]

This was a great interview of one of my PR mentors. I am the president of the University of Texas at San Antonio Chapter of PRSSA and I have been writing for San Antonio: Byline Blog since April of this year, the blog for the San Antonio Chapter of PRSA. I got that start because of Kami Huyse. She continues to help me grow as a writer and as a fledgling PR professional. I continue to wish her well.

Thank you for interviewing her.

[Kami Huyse]

I am now blushing. Still, there are many others just like me and I encourage them to set their goals and go for it. Success isn't always the top rankings, but the relationship you build along the way.

[Lauren Vargas]

Kami is also one of my "virtual" mentors. what shines through this interview? Kami's humility. Shel, you are right, Kami always adds value to the conversation.

[Alan Weinkrantz]

How did I miss this one? I just found it.

Great interview.

Like Kami, I too live in San Antonio. The really good thing about having Kami in town is that I actually have someone to talk shop with in person, as opposed to having to go to New York, Boston, or San Francisco.

She really gets this stuff.

[Fard Johnmar]

Shel:

Thanks for doing this interview. I read Kami's blog regularly and find it insightful and informative. I'm also happy to see that her blog has helped her business. It's important to understand the pros, cons and ROI of blogging, especially for small business owners who have little time to devote to marketing efforts. More stories of how having a blog can help build a reputation, develop leads and land business will help others trying to figure out whether maintaining a blog is a big time waster or an activity that will lead to rewards.

Again, great interview. It's content like this that keeps me coming back for more.