‎”All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous, unpremeditated act without the benefit of experience.”

-henry miller

What does that mean? That most growth happens by stepping out of the ordinary. Understanding that by doing everything the same, change will never happen. Revenue trends won’t shift.

Consumers these days move at the speed of light. If they are the PR girl, they have a BlackBerry in one hand,  handbag and laptop bag slung over one shoulder while power walking in 4 inch heels. This mental image is one I thrive on – it showcases that those in PR do whatever it takes to keep the brands they represent abreast of information, research and understanding. (I promise I’ve never seen Justin with any of these things, except the BB. And he power walks faster than I do.)

One of our VPs (Kara Hendon) said something in an email that resonated with me, “Shifts do not equal death.” She’s exactly right. It’s why education at the foundation is important – it’s scary to jump. It’s scary to shift. It’s scary to think of something new, and then present it to a client. In a true partnership, they will trust the agency enough to listen to the idea. The agency just has to make sure they know the jump isn’t scary.

How does an agency get a brand to embrace the shift?

Understand Specific Client Communication

I observe our Senior Leadership Team on a quite regular basis. It might be intuitive, or years of practice, or just knowing how to read people. However, the SLT has the knack to add small, personal touches to meetings, e-mail communication and general correspondence. By creating a partnership with the brands we work with, they know that Brand A prefers weekly phone updates; that Brand B likes to have tea instead of coffee at meetings; and that Brand C prefers key takeaways at the top of every document. It’s understanding client communication.

Why is this important? Everyone wants to feel valued. By being observant, you understand their environment. This creates a trust factor. If they are trusting their agency with their entire brand, you better be able to trust yourself enough to understand their tendencies and where they are coming from. It’s general business tactics that come with years of experience.

Be There At The Start

Education is key. On the B2C side, many deal with brands that have a sales-oriented mindset in a market-oriented world. Honestly? They should. The bottom line is to drive business, retain customers and see an increase in revenue. The differentiator, though, is how they adapt to the market and how consumers wish to be communicated and advertised to. The successful B2C brand will instinctly understand that by building trust with the consumer, they create a domino effect of: a.) the consumer verbally or digitally talking about the brand; b.) Consumer retention, even if a better competitor product exists; and c.) positive association with the brand.

I always tell brands to, “own their industry, not the product.” Why? Consumers tend to go with a product that will get the job done with outstanding customer support, rather than the bells and whistles with no support. Why? If a consumer can’t figure out the bells and whistles, it’s not worth the investment.

Understand That It Takes Time

Imagine that you’re at the edge of a cliff, contemplating whether to jump or not. You’re jumping into the unknown. This is something that brands feel on a daily basis. Exercise patience. Just because you understand it, doesn’t always mean that the client will. Many scoff at 101 books and presentations, but the value in them is to refresh and show where many brands still are. That knowledge will help to fine tune presentations and speak at a level that the brand understands – not what you as the agency understand. At the end of the day, it is their brand, their decisions. The education counsel offered is just that, an offer. It’s up to them to decide what to do with it.

Welcome to today. What are you going to do with it?

How do you explain the shift to brands?

image copyright: toonpool

I’m sorry.

Two words in the English language that are uttered many times, not only from me, but from others too.In the social space, complaints, issues and irritation are conveyed in real time, and patience isn’t a virtue that many have. This further fuels frustration and causes even more tweets, blog posts and complaints.

Brands are being counseled to apologize first, figure out what went wrong and try to make it right. Although the model “the customer is always right” has been around for awhile, has it gotten out of hand? A crap product is a crap product, no matter what the business model is.

When did we:

• Shift the customer service model to expect immediate reaction, not aware of legal channels or traditional company approval?
• Feel outraged when the problem was solved and no type of fiscal refund or free product was given?
• Decide to counsel clients to always respond, instead of evaluating first?

Evaluation

Determine whether the brand is just gathering or actively listening
This is a crucial first step in the process. Many might protest that just gathering information and monitoring is defeating the purpose of the social space. Why it’s not a long term solution, it also helps to make sure that a.) the brand is comfortable on the type of channels they will be communicating on/observing; b.) that the agencies/internal people have time to set up the education foundation

Paid v. Free Measuring Tools
This is a post in itself, but I have a hard pressed rule when it comes to recommending measurement tools for not only our clients, but for the agency itself. Each one is different, and each one might have a combination of tools to get the job done. There is no magic button or band-aid that will pop out a monthly measurement report. There are amazing paid tools out there in Alterian, Radian6 and Sysomos, among others. If you can’t justify the cost of the product with what you’re using it for, it’s not worth it. Every client has different needs, which equals different “bells and whistles.” How do I know this? It’s the first question I ask.

The question: “What do you want to accomplish in 3, 6, 9 and 12 months?”

It might seem a bit broad, but I prefer pyramid approaches to benchmarking results. That’s the thing – if you aren’t starting out with a question, then breaking it into specifics BASED on the client needs, you aren’t going to find the right tool. If you’re actively responding on behalf of a client, that’s different than just monitoring. That’s what free v. paid comes down to – and then you can determine best fits. For me, education of the tool on the vendor side is an important piece that helps make me recommend one over another. Are training classes available? How responsive are they when I have questions/need reports? Is the tool hitting all measurable objectives I’ve set for the client?

Once a brand determines that they would like to actively respond, then it’s time to further construct your evaluation and response methods.

Response

There isn’t a hard and fast fool-proof solution to response. Even though automated sentiment is hot, there is still a need to do a bit of manual work in the backend. Technology, while great, doesn’t have all of the inside information on the inner workings of a company. That’s what people are for. They can evaluate and see if a person will have impact on their potential audience/demographic, or if they tend to be a person who complains a lot. Does the person have a negative approach? I’ve found that brands usually respond if I say, “I seem to be having an issue on my end – do you know of any solutions? Happy to chat via phone. TY in advance!” instead of “You’re crap, I want my money back” type argument. I think the Air Force has a brilliant model for evaluation/response when determining who to respond to.

Because, yes, not every single person is going to get a response. From a business model standpoint, it seems to be a big resource and has a lot of finance devoted to it. Do many companies have the ability to have a team solely devoted to responding online in this type of economy? From my experience, no. Does it happen? Yes.

Each approach and response will be different based on the client. Review the crisis communications plan, update it every 6 months and include SM tactics, and have a playbook that dictates:

Who will respond on behalf on the brand for each situation

• What type of situations warrant a response
• Is your legal department involved? What approval channels are necessary?
• How the brand determines sentiment
• What hours of the day the brand will response
• Window of response time
• Example scenarios

Future Clients/Employers

The thing is – every time you complain about a brand or experience, people are watching. Not only are future employers reading your stream, but former colleagues and present bosses as well. A PR agency executive told me that she scans Twitter streams, and if she sees someone who cusses, complains a lot and goes on rants, she won’t hire them. Why? That attitude isn’t something she wants to put in front of a client, and it’s the only thing she can go off of.

At the same time, new business is a large part of every agency. If you complain about a brand, it’s probably not going to be one that would be open to a new business pitch. While I believe that complaints can be constructive, they have to be worded carefully because of the tone issue in this space.

What are your thoughts? How would you flesh out your evaluation and response? Do we apologize too much?

Photo credit: static

Education. When did we forget how important it actually is?

As soon as you deem education unnecessary, you are setting yourself up to be used as a tool for a brand or client. It’s not a partnership that is built on trust. The thing is? Agencies retain business (and earn more responisiblity) once a brand trusts you and your work. Why not bring them into the process? By building a foundation based upon you as a sole resource, you’re shooting brand efforts in the foot. You are inserting yourself as the only one who is “knowledgeable” on the subject, with no room for growth or for others to question.

True story: Imagine Person A saying they are worried they would be “cut out”, “lose leverage/dependance”  and “lose business” if they built upon an education model. Say what? It’s a mindset that might seem baffling, but is also rampant in numerous industries.

If we don’t educate, how do we know how to cultivate information, drive our clients to think of the right information and reach measurable objectives? It won’t work. Somewhere down the line, the brand will fail – and that thing Person A was worried about? It becomes a reality.

So how can an individual, and even an agency, overcome it?

Set education objectives

Agency
It’s great to have a team of people as the resource foundation – in fact, it’s encouraged. The great thing about a foundation is that one can build on it. Depending on a few people to be the go-to folks for knowledge isn’t a practical business approach. Everyone, no matter what level, should have a general understanding. That way, they can know what questions to ask and can eliminate a lot of busy work at the beginning of the process. Setting expectations shouldn’t be scary – even if trying to get buy-in can be. It’s very easy to absorb information through professional groups, social platforms and general networking. Management should encourage employees to be involved.

Clients
Clients should have goals too – and they won’t always be similar to an agency. Encourage brands to think past their budget year and what type of company they want to be in the next few years. A B2C company might be focused on consumer interaction and how that drives revenue. A B2B company might be thinking on how education can strengthen existing relationships. Each client will be different, and have different goals. It’s up to the agency to know what questions to ask and how to get them across the finish line. Sometimes, the agency-client dynamic is switching between the driver and passenger seat.

Benchmark through a rewards system

Buy-in is never easy. People are busy and learning something new is difficult. You can approach buy-in from a few different ways:

• Competitive angle: The competition is doing so and have improved their new business model
• Reassurance of time: It won’t take a lot of time, and is something clients/brands will benefit from
• Hybrid v. Specialists: Those that are able to take on hybrid roles can shift mentalities and strengthen clients – sometimes easier than a specialist

At any rate, incentive can help speed up the process. If a person can see a tangible, physical goal (as in an extra hour on a lunch break for completing education requirements or sitting through trainings) then they might be more open to it. In an agency, time is of essence. It has to be something that will be worth it in the long run – otherwise, you’re beating your head against a wall. A client benefit should be seen before jumping into the education process. That tangible goal also makes it easy to benchmark and see where progress has been made, and what areas need improvement.

Create a newsletter to share ideas

What’s the quickest and easiest way to share information? Sharing information. A person can still position themselves as knowledgeable by aggregating content important to not only the agency, but clients as well. An approach might be for a newsletter to go out every Friday to the agency with links to articles with explanations, as well as a link to your Delicious page. (We do this at FHKC)

Do people in your agency blog? Share those as well. From there, a person can create “passable” content to a client for them to absorb and read on their own time. It’s an easy way for them to absorb and buy-in at their own speed -and I can guarantee that most clients want to know what you’re up to and what type of approach you’re taking/learning from.

Aim to send them 3 links a week to articles/webinars

If a newsletter is a lofty idea, try to send articles, webinars and blog posts to your client on a weekly basis. If you have weekly meetings, try to set aside some time to discuss the takeaways and what they thought of the information. Don’t just send links, but bullet out some takeaways that can be understood and the importance seen before reading.

Ask opinion

A-S-K – because it’s going to make clients/brands feel important and involved in the process. If they don’t feel as if they are a partner, why would they trust you with their business? Education, trust and retaining business go hand in hand. Many consumers will go with a product that gets the job done, but that they trust and have always been dependable. That type of business model is why Apple struggled for so long (and once they honed in on a specific audience and built around it, they exceled.)

Measurement

Look, we all know how hot this topic is. Many agencies have an analytics department, or a team of people that are knowledgeable in the subject. Some even have one person for this job. But, if we have learned anything about how important education is – it’s that everyone should know how to do it in some capacity. Many measurement vendors have free webinars to discuss measurement – and folks such as Don Bartholomew, Chuck Hemann and Shonali Burke make information readily avaliable. Many vendors also have training webinars so that clients fully understand the product.

You can’t always depend on a person (or during a time crunch, a department) to solely be responsible for this information. To truly work as a team, instead of in silos, you have to find the value in education.

What would you add? How important do you view education – and is it something everyone should be aware of?

This is an honest question, and one I don’t really know the answer to. That’s what comment sections are for, right?

Traditionally, PR agencies (and agencies in general) would have one person in their position for a few years before promoting them. The thought there is to cultivate, learn and understand clients, atmosphere and industry before moving to the next level.

Lately, though, it seems that many people are being promoted quickly within their agency before they might be ready. Is there a set amount of years that a person should be before being promoted? No. However, the span of professional experience is becoming wider.

Take the account executive role as an example. I have friends that graduated college in 2005, going right into the PR industry. They are account executives at their agency. I also have friends that graduated in 2009 that are account executives. Both have the same amount of internships on their resume. See the difference? My question: Are we setting up people for failure by giving them responsibilities they aren’t ready for? Is social media contributing to this mentality (because a person can present smarts that might not be as deep as believed?)

Factors

Size of agency: Every agency is different, from their type of culture, to work ethic, to size of the office. Is this a factor in how people are promoted? It could be. Trust is a huge factor when it comes to client relations, bringing in new business and retaining them. Once a vacancy is there on a team, it’s up to the agency to view what client needs are, and see if the best fit is to a.) hire externally and look for best fit b.) see if someone internally is ready for a promotion or c.) rearrange team responsibilities so that the client still comes first.

Culture: Traditional agencies that have been around for awhile might focus on education and preparation, making sure that each person is set to take on new responsibilities. Boutique agencies might not have the luxury of grooming and focusing on building the foundation, and instead focus on the task at hand. Is one way better than the other? It depends on the type of industry and clients on your roster – but, the agency can’t forget that they are a business as well. You can’t cut corners around billable hours.

Size of agency: Trust is huge in any type of agency atmosphere, and its also why many promote from within. An intern is more likely to get an entry-level job than a random applicant. If there is a hole to fill, the smart move might be to move up a person who is familiar with the client. If the man power isn’t there, its highly unlikely that taking the time to train a new person will occur. An agency’s first priority will always be the client, and it’s better not to interrupt that cycle.

C-suite at agency: Who runs the agency?  I have met a variety of executives, and many tend to follow trends based on their generation. Is this always true? Absolutely not. Many C-Suite are also product of their prior management, and pick up habits/tactics from former employers. Is there one right way to manage? No – but the approach and mentality will always

Type of experience: This one can be a bit tricky, and usually is a matter of opinion. Even if a person only has one year of experience, it might be with top agency on a large global brand, which weighs differently against a smaller brand with two years of experience. Most experience is weighed based on personal opinion of the person in charge of hiring.

Social media: It’s very easy to come across as knowledgeable in this space because of how high level it can be. Reading tweets can only delve so much into the person’s mindset, and it’s never the right move to jump to conclusions and assume they “get it.” Do they have a blog? Check it out and see what type of thoughts/positioning they have. Base unique questions around things they have said to really get a handle on how much they understand. It’s also up to the person being interviewed to be honest with what they have done in the past and answer truthfully.

What are your thoughts? Do you have any other factors in mind? Do you believe that some are promoted too quickly?

I’m taking part in the virtual book tour Maddie Grant and Lindy Dreyer are doing to explore concepts from Open Community: a little book of big ideas for associations navigating the social web. In this post, Maddie and Lindy answer a few questions for anyone interested in the “new PR” or PR 2.0.

Why did you write Open Community?
Maddie: Lindy and I have talked to thousands of association executives who have voiced their frustrations about the social web–from the overabundance of tools and the disorderly experimentation of staff (and members!), to the lack of organizational support and the unwieldy processes for monitoring and managing social media, and that’s just the beginning. We decided to write Open Community as a way to address those frustrations and redirect the thinking about using social tools to build community online.

So, what is “Open Community?”
Lindy: Here’s the gist. Your Open Community is your people who are bonded by what your organization represents and care enough to talk to each other (hopefully about you!) online. Connecting with and supporting your Open Community is really important, because if you don’t, someone else will.

Why is Open Community important for public relations?
Maddie: I think PR professionals are pretty savvy to the usefulness of tools like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for raising awareness when the conditions are right. And the smartest PR agencies get that you have to have a relationship with your community if your PR or marketing messages have any chance of getting anywhere.

I was at Blogworld recently, listening to Todd Defren and Dave Fleet talk about how social media for PR has to be about building engagement year-round with people around your brand or organization – and I got up and asked them, “if that’s the case, why do we need PR agencies?” I was being tongue-in-cheek, of course, and they had some good answers (about how agencies can help you scale, and can help you in times when crisis communications are necessary) – but the bottom line is, it’s VERY important for anyone in PR, whether internally or externally, to understand the messy dynamics of the Open Community around organizations.

Lindy: Yep, exactly – moving forward, the concept of Open Community challenges PR pros to work more collaboratively across the organization and empower more people to share more valuable information more often. Clarity over control–our way of describing a scenario where everyone knows the mission and strategic objectives of the organization and their role in achieving those objectives–is becoming more and more crucial for success. It’s not something traditional PR departments (or agencies) are comfortable with; they’re used to controlling the message and the distribution channels. That’s just not realistic anymore. Nor is it scalable to the Open Community. It’s like PR pros have to switch from being the star quarterback on the offense to being the free safety on defense. It’s a different mindset.

Maddie: Football analogies?

Lindy: You can do a soccer analogy next time.

What’s next?
Maddie: Well, we see the book as a conversation starter–we hope lots and lots of people will get the chance to read it, and think about how the concepts affect their organization.

Lindy: And we hope to gather lots of great stories about Open Community in action, which we’ll continue to share in lots of ways throughout the year. So here’s a question for all of you to consider…

How is your organization building community online – and what’s the role of PR in that? What are your PR challenges when connecting with and supporting your Open Community?

Check out their toolkit here.