SPAM ME NOT MY FRIEND

The title of this long due post may sound a bit boring as there is really nothing that you don’t already know about spamming. It is indeed extremely irritating to deal with spam on a daily basis, and you wish for some breakthrough technology to spam proof your mailbox (although Gmail does this quiet effectively). If you have been looking at the spam you receive, you will realize that the spam you receive now has undergone a sea change. This is the type of spam that no spam guard can ever be designed to quarantine or free your mailbox of. These days you receive a lot of content in your mailbox from your own network of friends, its almost never intended as spam, and is largely an off shoot of our active online social networking lifestyles.

Blame it on Web 2.0 if you must, but the reality is that we are generating more spam than ever before. This overload of information is not limited to personal lives, it has a spill over effect and is creeping into our professional lives as well. And that is what I want to address here, more specifically from a PR point of view.

Take for instance a case where you send out or post information pertaining to your client on every possible social network, group, forum and blog. What happens next? What are the parameters for evaluation of your efforts – the number of places you managed to post your links, the number people you managed to reach? While this practice is commonplace, it has no meaning because what you actually need to monitor or listen to is the conversation your content generates. Is it in line with your core objectives?

Let’s take a moment first to define spam in the context of this discussion. In all our enthusiasm to integrate social media into our PR plans, we are actively participating in forums, social networks, creating groups, fan pages, twitter accounts, and posting and mass mailing content to bloggers. Stop to think for a moment about what is that we are doing here – all we are doing is distributing content/information about our clients and making it easily accessible to anyone and everyone.

And therein lies the crux of the problem. While we have the right intentions in our SMPR efforts, the application is often off the mark. Anyone and Everyone is almost never your target audience. And pushing information without context to the receiver is nothing but spamming. While traditional media has been at the receiving end of this sort of spam for ages and have their own ways and means of dealing with it, spamming digital media platforms and bloggers can actually be counterproductive.

So before you put ' Create a Facebook Fan page’ in your PR plan, just because you can, take some time to evaluate your client in relation to the community. Are there for instance any hate communities already existing on that social network? What is the general opinion of the network?

We are all aware that most social media efforts start with friends and bloggers. Yes your friend will become a fan once or twice, but is reaching out to your friend your core objective? We all use our friends as seeding grounds with the intent of making our messages viral. And while your friends may be indulgent, without a relevant context the friend of your friend is not going to subscribe to your effort.

Now that we have defined the problem, where do we go from here? The steps involved in approaching social media are no different from traditional media. Study and understand how different tools and platforms work, in much the same way that you would study newspapers, magazines or television channels.

First and foremost, listen and listen close. Just like you gauge the media perceptions about a particular client, spend some time understanding what people are saying about your client in the digital space. Classify the different points of view and classify them, for example: key influencers, followers (people who subscribe to that negative/positive view).

Evaluate that report and then develop your messages. Evaluate these messages and ensure that they fall in line with your overall strategy. At no point you can have separate messaging for traditional and digital medium. You might follow different tactics to counter different views but your messaging should remain same. You also need to define a long term social media strategy and implement it in phases.

When developing your strategy, break down the social media tools into two groups:

• Distributions tools: RSS, Flickr, slideshare, YouTube, Wikipedia, Digg, Stumbleupon etc.
• Community & Active Conversation tools: Twitter, message boards, Q&A forums, Facebook groups, Facebook fan pages (FB groups and Fan Pages are very different and offer different controls so make an informed choice), Orkut communities, LinkedIn communities and groups etc. (Some of the distribution tool may also have community options but they are not necessarily built as a community platforms).

Note: Blogger outreach will form part of your digital plan, but you will also touch base with them on some of the above mentioned tools if you target them contextually.

In the initial phase it might be a good idea to restrict your plan to the distribution tools. It is also prudent to start building/creating a digital profile for your client at this stage. It could be a blog, a website which is Web 2.0 friendly and have content which is updated regularly and distributed on social multimedia sites like YouTube, Flickr, Slideshare etc. (If a digital profile already exists, you should work towards aligning it with the overall strategy).

Your next phase would involve establishing contact and providing context of engagement. Only when that is done should you consider participation. The golden rule and this has been said before is ‘Don’t start speaking just because Web 2.0 is all about participation and expressing yourself’. When forming or using a community tool for instance, define the strategy first, if you succeed in forming an active community, how will you keep them engaged and what will you like them to do for you?

Through all of this do not lose sight of the first step: listening. Continue to monitor conversation at all times to see whether your effort is producing the desired results.

Now this is no different from what you will do for traditional media, but when it comes to social media we seem to think the basics of communication change. They don’t. Social media is not merely a distribution tool, it’s live active conversation and unless you are talking and participating contextually, you are only creating noise, and noise is nothing but spamming my friend.

Redefining the Scope of Public Relations - Adapt or become obsolete

As a PR professional I am glad that the PR Industry as a whole has come of age. PR is now looked upon as more of a strategic function and it definitely goes beyond the tactical media relations program which companies used to hire PR agencies to do. PR now encompasses corporate reputation management, Brand management, crisis, issue and change management and other important stake holder communication.

With the growth of PR Industry in India, true blue PR professionals working in PR agencies have been very caught up with managing the increase in scale of operations that has come with growth in new businesses. The explosive growth of the media industry has further compounded their challenges. While they have managed to keep abreast with the fast changing traditional media industry, they have largely turned a blind eye to the rise of new media, often according it step motherly treatment.

I believe the problem lies in not understanding and appreciating the real value the medium has to offer. Both companies and PR agencies, fail to see the value in new media.

Companies in India largely continue to approach to PR the old fashioned way, where PR agencies simply get them visibility in leading business magazines, the pink papers and TV channels. For them PR continues to be thought of as an offline optimization of the brand.

PR agencies’ continues to follow the traditional method of engagement even with the bloggers and their interactions with bloggers remains limited to an Email Id and random follow up calls for press releases.

In a scenario where the Internet is the only medium used to research or to find any information about a company, product or brand; the approach of refraining from this user driver medium is counter productive. As a strategic communication partner, the onus truly lies with PR consultants and corporate communication professionals to master this emerging medium and showcase how one can truly leverage the new media in a professional manner.

There is a definite shift amongst several consumer technology companies and entertainment firms, who are asking their PR agencies to include internet and social media in their PR plans. We see PR agencies running ad-hoc experiments with bloggers, on you-tube and on social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut, without truly understanding the merits of the tools available on the Internet. The know-how required in managing and maintaining conversation in new media is seen as outside the scope of PR.

A few PR agencies now offer Digital PR or PR 2.0 as a separate offering at an extra cost to their clients by outsourcing it to third parties. And this is where I think they are really missing the bus. I believe the demand for these services will continue to grow, and agencies that outsource will in the longer run render their own assets (staff) obsolete.

PR agencies should, in my opinion, look at pro-actively training their staff to understand the new media and offer their clients an integrated strategy and media plan to leverage it to its full potential. Having had exposure to digital media, I can tell you its not very difficult. The rules of engagement with independent bloggers (although there is a very thin line which differentiates them from journalists) remains the same as engaging with any professional journalist - be professional in your approach, know the person you are engaging with, understand what he/she writes about, understand their readership and accordingly offer them what he/she wants. The rest is merely a question of understanding the tools and using them innovatively.

There are many questions being raised about the measurability of the output and outcome of new media initiatives. Such questions are not new to PR. Just as we now have many established ways of measuring output and ROI when it comes to the traditional media, a variety of tools are also available to measure the output of our efforts in the digital media; these will continue to evolve and develop with time in much the same way as is the case with traditional media tools.

What it finally boils down to is a question of mindsets. We need to re-look at the scope of public relations on the whole, and take ownership in redefining our existing standards. We need to train ourselves to innovatively use social media tools and plan integrated campaigns to really add value to our offerings.

And finally, I would like to hazard predictions on social media PR, here are my top 5:
• The scope of work of PR agencies will become increasingly complex, as will the billing process.
• Twitter will become the preferred social networking platform for PR professionals, journalists and bloggers at least in key metros.
• Social Media Press Release will become a reality in India.
• Multimedia, photos, audio & video, will become a critical part of press kits.
• Professional independent bloggers will continue to grow

Enough said about ‘Why use Twitter’, lets talk about the ‘How’

A Users Guide for PR Folk

Hasn’t enough been written on Twitter already? Well, when it comes to social media being used as a PR tool in India, there is still both room and the need for more to be written.

I have gone through the whole process of questioning myself on the utility of Twitter - from why should I use Twitter (I find that when it comes to my personal I am not interested in posting continuous updates on my activities and participate in what sometimes seems like useless banter) to how can I use Twitter in my daily work life.

I won’t get into the why, each of you will have to find your own answer to that one and in time you will, but before we get there let us focus on how you can use Twitter in your daily work life as a PR professional.

For the uninitiated, Twitter is a micro-blogging platform which allows you to post up to 140 characters per message through the web, your mobile and via other applications. It’s also a social networking platform as it allows you to follow your friends and network with experts in your area of interest.

First, what Twitter is not: Just like all the other social media tools, don’t think of Twitter as a stand-alone channel. It should be viewed as very effective media channel in addition to your existing tools, its effectiveness can be best harnessed in an integrated campaign which has all the elements of new/social media.

Now let’s get to how Twitter can help.

Effective Promotional Tool: Like blogs Twitter is most effective and useful when used for promotions, be it self promotion (to promote your blog, your views), new product launches, interesting updates on your client, or simply sharing a piece of news/article which you found useful. Twitter is often used to evangelize a new concept, product or service. You could leverage this aspect in the following ways:

• Simply create a handle (user name), and post links to interesting news. Other users can subscribe to your updates through RSS or follow you.
• Point to interesting / positive article written by one of the influencers about you or the company you are promoting.
• Profile your spokesperson as a thought leader/expert on a certain topic by encouraging him/her to create a handle with their original name, and having them update it regularly, use it connect it to their blog and other platforms.

Networking Simplified: Many a times we try to network with media and columnists on social platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, without getting a favorable response. On Twitter you can network with them without being intrusive or pesky. Simply start following them and connect with them over time by replying to their posts.

Track Conversations: We constantly track news in all form of media, and social media is becoming increasingly important to track and monitor. The latest and most topical on the web finds its way onto Twitter pretty quickly and spreads even faster from there. You can easily keep track of the conversation taking place on Twitter, just like we set Google Alerts to track keywords; you can use Twitter Track to keep track of what is being said about your client both positive & negative.

Opportunity Mining: Most journalists use twitter when they are seeking information with regard to a story they are working on, or simply post their views on certain products or companies. You can use twitter to help them with inputs or connect with them and try to point them to facts which might change their views about your company or client.

Understanding Journalists: Twitter is a great tool to understand and keep track of journalists who report on your industry. As you follow their updates on their daily routine, share their views on interesting articles, you can get a better understanding of the journalists’ views, ultimately helping you to connect with them more effectively.

Instant Feedback Mechanism: Twitter is great platform to get instant and to the point feedback about your service or product. This helps you to take immediate corrective action to change the perception when negative.

Monitor Pop Culture/Media Consumption Trends: Tracking conversations on Twitter and noting the kind of stories people are reading and sharing on twitter will help you gain an insight into pop culture, stories that are doing well in current times and how consumers actually view them.

Some Basic Tips
• Define the target audience and proactively find them and follow them on twitter, this could be a journalist, bloggers, columnists and actual users/buyers of your client products and services.
• Take time out to regularly post updates, its only required initially, as soon you see the value in it you will get hooked.
• If people follow you, proactively follow them back, this will help you to grow your network.
• People are constantly innovating and finding newer ways of using Twitter. While my list here gives you a starting point, don’t confine yourself to this list - innovate and find newer ways of using Twitter.

The latest innovative campaign on Twitter that caught my attentions was the Burger Kings campaign: You can read about it here: But-is-it-a-burger-king-campaign

PS: Twitter is prone to some minor hiccups and some functionality might be disabled but it works just fine most of the time.

It’s back to basics for PR firms

Operating amidst the global meltdown where cost cutting and layoffs are the buzz words, Indian PR agencies are also beginning to face the heat. With most companies having curtailed their ad-budgets, PR budgets seem to be the next on the chopping block. The clouds of worry are already beginning to show. Although most PR agencies would not admit to any immediate impact, they are gearing up to face the challenging times.

There have been reports that some companies have sacked their PR agencies and are looking to manage their communication in-house by hiring more corporate communication professionals. While many PR agencies argue that this cost cutting measure may not serve in the best interests of the corporate, some agencies are now offering to work with such clients at reduced retainers.

Traditionally PR has always been a savior for companies through turbulent economic times, and it got me wondering why these companies are looking to cut on their PR budgets.

A closer look helps shed some light. While the going was good most PR agencies were focusing on increasing their client base, and due to shortage of talent roped in below average talent. They became mere executioners and only came in handy when the companies needed to make big announcements and hold press conferences. Even for smaller announcements agencies insisted on Clients roping in celebrities and spend big monies on creating events. Value addition to their clients in terms of strategy or tactical PR took a back seat.

Now that their services are likely to get axed, many PR agencies are gearing up to ensure that their clients see real value in their work, and not simply a cost center that can be done away with. PR agencies find themselves getting back to basics.

PR agencies are examining each and every aspect of their client’s business to see how best they can use it to their advantage in the media. They are re-looking at their staff strengths and putting in extra efforts to ensure good coverage for every small announcement. Improving media relations have become a key task for every employee, a crisis can erupt out of nowhere in these tough times, having the right contacts and better understanding of how news flows can really help in bailing their clients out.

Admittedly, these are the tasks they were hired to do in the first place! But while the going was good, most PR agencies were looking at offering services which went beyond the basics to earn more money for these special services.

There are reports that PR agencies right now are happy to take on more project work, the money is good and the pressure to consistently deliver is negligible. This is what a lot of PR agencies used to do in early days of PR in India.

The clients seem to be in the driver seat once again, and stand to benefit immensely from their PR agencies, who are willing to walk the tight rope in these circumstance. PR can add significant value to the business, more so during times like these. It would be prudent on part of the companies to think twice before deciding to do away with their PR agencies, many agencies have taken stock of new realities and are ready to stick along with you and add real value to your business.

Some Views on Blogging and its impact on PR

Recently I was approached by some students to share my views on blogging and its impact on PR Industry. So I just thought I will also share the information here:

What is the scope for Corporate Blogging in PR especially for technology related companies?

Blogging is emerging as one of the most effective and important tool for engaging with all the stake holders of the company and more specifically with the consumers. Corporate blogs are today as seen as conversational media wherein Corporate or Companies engage in active conversation with their consumers and other stake holders. The trend is more prevalent in technology companies who actively use blogs to engage and form an active community of users around their products or brands. Most of the blog readers or bloggers are the early adopters of technology products and it is essential to engage with them in a more meaningful manner to get the word of mouth going for the products.

In developed markets where internet penetration is high – blogs have overtaken the traditional print media, as users relate and believe more in the corporate blogs in comparison to traditional print or television media. In India we are seeing early signs of adoption of blogging as an important PR tool. Various Industry leaders have started their own personal blogs and they actively take time out to post their views, thoughts on the various industry topics and issues.

In pure traditional PR terminology Blogs can be used to serve the following purpose:

• Tool to actively communicate and engage with all stake holders of the companies
• Highlight and showcase the thought leadership of the leadership team
• In building and identifying community of followers of the brand or the product
• Getting initial and immediate response to product trials

How necessary is it for technology companies to update external public on its future products and how does blogging help in this process?

Any new technology or product adoption cycle follows a bell curve – wherein the innovators and early adopters are the first set of users who try the product and their verdict or response determines the future success of the product. The verdict of innovators and early adopters becomes the driver for early majority to try the product. So it is extremely critical to have a meaningful engagement with the innovators and early adopters’ of the products – these set of users are seen as tech experts and they become your endorsers.

Reaching out and engaging with these set of users is extremely important at early stages of the products as they can provide invaluable insights into the product design, usability and features that sometimes determine the success of the product in the market. And the most effective way to engage is by using blogs.

How do you think blogs will change traditional PR agency practices?

The changes are already happening, blogging is completely changing the way companies engage with their audiences and PR agencies are gearing themselves to face the challenges involved in engaging with this new user lead media. PR agencies have a far greater role to play –they need to actively engage with the bloggers and have to front a lot of dialogue which has traditionally been done by the clients/corporate themselves wherein PR agencies use to merely facilitate the engagement.

Crafting messages and managing messaging in a user lead, boundary less medium is far more difficult than compared to the traditional print and broadcast media. In India there are a handful of key bloggers so the task is not that difficult but looking at the way blogging is taking off – PR agencies will need to really push themselves to keep track of the conversation in the blogosphere and look for opportunities to plug their clients messaging and also actively manage the brand’s reputation online.

How does Blogging help to win prospective clients and maintain relationship with current ones?

Blogs are seen as a more transparent and effective medium to actively engage with the audiences - and the views expressed by the bloggers are their personal with no monetary gains involved – so any positive endorsement by the blogging community goes a long way in creating positive perception about the company or its products there by helping them to win new clients/users or businesses.

Crisis management is an important aspect in PR. Can blogging help in solving the issues and how?

One thing which plays a critical role during any kind of crisis is the time factor – the damage can be minimized if the company can effectively and very quickly communicate its stand or position about the situation to its stakeholders. And this is where blogs as a tool comes in very handy – it is the fastest and most effective way to communicate your position to the target audience and since its controlled by you – you can effectively manage the conversation and put to rest any kind of rumors or misreporting that can happen when you are dealing with the traditional media.

What is the most important technological breakthrough to aid the practice of PR?

I think it is the rise of social media which I think is a boon for all PR practitioners – it has added a new dimension to the way one can engage with the target audience in any part of the world sitting in their offices. User Publishing mediums like blogs & video platform like YouTube, news ranking engines like Digg, social bookmarking tools like deli.ci.ous, and social networks like Linkedin, ning, Facebook are some of the tools which PR practitioners can use to propagate their messages to their target audience directly and gauge their response immediately.

Blogging is advancement for PR activities in Western countries. Do you see the trend catching up in India? Where are agencies falling short?

Blogging has definitely arrived in India and most of the PR agencies are looking at ways and means to effectively tap the medium to their clients benefit. But unfortunately the effort lacks seriousness from both ends i.e. the clients and the agency. Since not all clients are very appreciative of the effort required to leverage the blogosphere the agencies also have decided not put in as much effort in actively engaging with the blogging community. I think the agencies need to accept internet and social media as a big medium and work with their clients to see the benefits that can be derived from the medium. Once the value is clear to the clients, PR agencies will definitely be able to leverage this new medium to their advantage.

Having said that a lot of agencies still train their people in a very traditional format so there is very low awareness about social media in the PR industry in India. PR agencies need to understand internet as a medium and not see it as some new form of technology. A few professionals have got out of traditional PR agencies and have started offering services as social media consultant as currently it is not seen as a traditional PR agency offering.

What impact will blogging and other forms of online communication have in PR agency practices 3-5 yrs from now?

The new media space and social media has spread like wild fire and agencies will need to quickly adapt their offering to leverage this new medium to their clients’ advantage. I believe you will see a change in next 2 years wherein most PR agencies will offer consulting services on social media – either as a separate offering or as part of their standard services. PR professional will need to move beyond traditional media relations and build their capabilities in understanding and forming community relations and using the social media tools which will play a bigger role as internet takes of in India. The Industry itself will become more knowledge lead and PR professional will have to engage more actively on behalf of their client which will require good understanding of their clients business and the industry on the whole.

Apple Rock Event - The Buzzzzz....

Innovation is central to everything that goes with the Apple brand. So when a cult brand like Apple decides to host an event - they ensure that there is enough buzz which is generated before the event. The latest buzz doing the rounds which has got everyone excited is the Apple Rock Event scheduled for september 9th 2008.

All the world media and blogworld is busy speculating about this Apple event and everybody is expecting a new product launch - most likely to be around the iPod.

How do they manage to generate this kind of buzz - well its not just their products - like I said, innovation is central to everything they do. Take a look at the invite which was sent out as mailers to the media and all the bloggers.


Its just a plain simple invite which just says lets rock with the silhouette of man jumping in the air (synonmous with Apple iPods) hooked onto to his iPod.

No over the top message, no other details and the Company is tight lipped about what they intend to do..So you can either be there or miss it at your own expense.

I looked over for some of their past event invites just to share the uniqueness of APPLE event invites...

Apple is truly a master when it comes to generating Buzz...we all try to use innovative invites but its never really tied to one central essence for which the brand stands for.. may be we can take a leaf from this and be genuinely innovative with everything we do.

Would you settle for a small medium sized PR Agency?

Well the answer is - 'It depends'- on several factors and what expereinces one has had while dealing with agencies. In my opinion, Businesses in India today have very little choice when it comes to finalising a PR agency as there are only a handful of established PR agencies.

So I decided to dig around to find out what are the general perception of small/medium sized agencies and what would the folks in PR agency recommend to their clients. Note there are several medium sized agencies which are doing extremely well but don't get mentioned as much.

I decided to throw this question to some more PR experts on one of the social network and these are the responses I got:

Response 1:
Keep it open - Shortlist on the basis of the strategy presented by an agency. The dilemma might arise when the top two shortlisted agencies are equally good in terms of strategy but one happens to be a mid sized agency and other is a well established agency. The deal breaker is mostly the team servicing the account and the fees charged by an agency. Also the client needs to take a call on whether they want to be a big fish in a small pond or small fish in a big pond?

Response 2:
Bottom line: as a client, you never want to be one of the smaller clients on an agency’s roster.
You also don’t want to work with agency representatives who are essentially punching a time-clock; i.e., their wages and careers are not on the line if a client doesn’t get great service and results.

Work with people who are just as invested in your success as you are – financially and emotionally. Yes, they should be passionate about what you have to offer – not just looking for the next retainer.

If you are managing a start-up or mid-sized company, that means you should definitely go with a boutique firm or virtual team of highly experienced experts. That way you won’t be paying for a lot of people to sit in meetings or do busy work just to log billable hours. There is a lot of pressure in traditional agencies to make sure every hour is billable regardless of whether or not it is productive.

However, if you run a large company, you will need to go with a large agency because you’ll need a large quantity of PR folks to handle all the elements of your account. Knowing that a lot of time and money will be wasted is just part of the deal – and hopefully you’ll have enough slush
in your marketing budget to afford it.

Response 3:
In my opinion, it really comes down to the people and connections in the organization as well as the influence they can exert on others. Another factor is what you are willing to spend. In my experience with both large and boutique organizations, I have seen better success with the smaller organizations.

Why? Because unless you are able to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on PR,you re going to end up with junior pr associates at the big firms. It is inevitable.

Yes, they have a better network. but, there is a downside to that as well. Because there are so many people at a large firm, the individuals become less recognizable.

I like the smaller, boutique firms because they have had the experience in the larger firms and have made all their networks. Once they are in a small firm, they are typically the owners as well. Your best interests are theirs as well because they rely on you to put food on the table. In addition, they usually carry a much smaller client load, so they can dedicate more time to your company.

And, the amount of coverage you get is dependent on their network and how they are viewed by the journalists. But, it also has a lot to do with the quality of your news as well. I have my company by the WSJ and New York Times. That is a pretty difficult thing to accomplish when you are a small technology firm.

My recommendation, therefore, is go smaller if you don't have unlimited funds.

There were few more responses but they all point to the same things mentioned above. So net net I think it boils down to few things:

1. Large Agency - Big Retainer, Less Quality time, Focused on standard deliverables, can mange big accounts
   
2. Small Agency - low retainer fees, More focused quality input, Focused on making success of every deliverable, may not be able to manage large accounts
   

Well I am not making a pitch for smaller agencies here but if you are a small medium sized company it makes better sense to go with a medium or smaller sized agency.

It will be interesting to know which are the best tier 2 level of PR agencies in India.