« Thos. Hawke on Yahoo Image Search's Fading Popularity | Main | Austin Hill Assembling Calgary Blogger Dinner »
I'm the after-lunch keynoter Friday at the Bulldog Reporter PR University in Chicago. I'm speaking, of course, about blogs and social media.
But I want to give some fresh advice to PR folk, both on a tactical and on a strategic level. Do you have any advice I should convey? If I use it, I'll credit you.
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c6ba253ef00d834ec812f53ef
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Advice to PR Practitioners:
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.
Be ready to 'step out from behind the curtain,' and not be afraid to 'build your own brand.' If you are a trusted contributor to many communities, you will be much more valuable to your clients than you would be as a faceless flack.
Posted by: Josh Morgan | March 13, 2007 at 10:50 PM
Share. Learn. Connect. You'll get back more than you give. If you listen to what is given back, you'll learn, learn, learn. And if you blend online exchanges with participation in real world events, you'll find you make friendships with people from all over North America (and the world) who share you passion.
Posted by: Joseph Thornley | March 14, 2007 at 04:33 AM
With regard to pitching bloggers, *really* read a post or two on their site. Don't just say you "love it". We're not stupid or so in love with our own site that we won't know.
Don't insult our intelligence. Have some integrity, be honest. If your product or service isn't a match, find more fertile ground.
Also, do not add us to your notifications list without our expressed permission. Anything else is considered spamming.
Posted by: Kathleen | March 14, 2007 at 06:04 AM
Start thinking about your brand as a community, with the customers, partners, advisers, etc. as members of that community. Once you do that, the tools of PR become about building the community, not simply making announcements. You start conversations rather than shouting from mountain tops.
The online component is important here, but so is the offline world.
Posted by: Chuck Tanowitz | March 14, 2007 at 06:32 AM
Shel,
Here... could you recommend to Bulldog publisher, Jim Sinkinson, that he stop being such an industry sycophant? For our business to at all regain its respect... for us to cut through the cloud of our own self-generated flatulence... he has got to stop that stuff.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
Amanda Chapel
Managing Editor
Strumpette
Posted by: Amanda Chapel | March 14, 2007 at 06:53 AM
Pay attention to Wikis. That's where most people learn about your brand first. And what's cool is that you can find out who's posting and start a conversation with them if you don't agree.
Posted by: Katie Paine | March 14, 2007 at 06:50 PM
Jump in. Don't get so overwhelmed you ignore it. Play with one or two of the tools that interest you. Make mistakes (just admit it if you do).
Posted by: Kevin Dugan | March 14, 2007 at 06:59 PM
Hi Shel, here's my suggestion:
Create safe places to experiment
Since fear is the main hindrance to implementing PR 2.0 strategies, we should create safe places where members of our team (or our clients) can experiment.
An internal company blog; scenarios and role-play; appoint "Social Media" coaches etc. are some ways to do it.
Fear is a primary obstacle to innovation of "Social Media" PR strategies, and the understanding of how things work in the Social Web will dramatically reduce that fear.
I've explained it in more detail here:
http://thepr2.0universe.com/2007/03/13/leading-change-in-pr-20/
Posted by: Melvin Yuan | March 15, 2007 at 08:49 PM