PR should be more strategic

A few months ago I happened to have worked for a client whose CEO used to have a philosophy about PR that he repeated often.

"PR," he would say, "is the best form of free advertising there is."
I mention it for two reasons:

1. it’s a comment I still hear all the time.
2. He was wrong: PR is definitely not advertising—and it sure isn't free.
What he meant though is obvious. The costs of creating a press release, of delivering it to a list of reporters and editors, and of having someone available to answer questions if the release is picked up are minimal. And for that little amount, lo and behold, you get a nice few column inches of space in a publication—space you paid not a single cent for. (And of course, today, let's not forget all of us who create press releases that are picked up only on our own web sites.)
But creating press releases is the least significant element of what PR is all about.
PR, strategically, is the process of controlling the public perception of your company and the people who work for and run your company. It is a concerted, continual effort to maintain positive, self-sustaining relationships with the people who influence the marketplace. Who drive public opinion.
As a statement of purpose, that's a long way from "free advertising."
Press release pickup is the easy part. And the least credible. Your target audience understand that you created the release, you planted the release, you pitched to the editor to publish the piece . . . they recognize that it is in fact fundamentally promotional.
Where the real PR should be
The real job of PR is get the industry influencers—the analysts, and the trade and mainstream press—to watch you on their own, consider what impact you have on the industry and report on you. That puts three burdens on you:
1. You have to cultivate relationships with these groups.
2. You have to make sure that what you do is worth covering.
3. You have to make sure that what you do is going to generate positive instead of negative press.
Oh, look. I've just listed the key components of strategic public relations. And, not surprisingly, there's not a word about press releases and backgrounders and corporate overviews.
Achieving those goals is what you pay a PR agency six-figure monthly retainers for. Not for backgrounders and press releases and corporate overviews. Any good copywriter can write a press release in an hour.
What to expect from a good PR firm
A truly strategic public relations firm focuses on those three goals: on controlling your image in the public eye. And that's what they should be talking about when they pitch you. Not to suggest this is the only criterion, but I'm extremely suspicious of firms that come in with a portfolio of press cuttings and articles in the local dailies Personally I would look for firms that focus on developing you as a company to watch.
As in all things, setting the goal helps you determine the objectives to reach it. A goal of press pickup—at its most enticing and flattering, a feature story in the Daily Nation is wrong-minded.
That's a core truth for most companies—when you're competing for mainstream press with Michael Joseph and James Mwangi. . . well you know who's going to get the ink.
Rather, a goal of positioning you with the press and analyst community as a company to pay attention to, and of working with you to ensure that what they find when they do pay attention is positive and valuable, is where the strategic road should take you.
Tactically, this involves press and analyst presentations, industry event participation, strong positive image for key players, and more.
That's a whole different ballgame. And worth its weight in retainer.

Good PR starts with a good website

These days, every business has to have a website, a website is often the first point of contact between a future client and yourself, and, rightly or wrongly, it can make a difference on how you are perceived by them.
A website is so important to branding that many PR people include it as part of the initial branding, along with the press kit.
But theirs is a world of difference between having a website and having a good, useful website that engages your client and supports your brand. You don’t want to spend good money on a website only to have it end up looking crappy and less functional.
If you’re in a business that needs a good website, then you need to be as specific and as intimate with your Web designer as you are with your hairstylist for the women and your mechanic for the men.
So, here are some bullets points of what to do when dealing with a Web designer
1. Provide examples of websites you like to the designer as a basis of discussion.
However, discussion means both sides have a say. You may think a fancy elaborate introduction page creates drama and tells your story, but much of the time it just gives the viewer a warning that the site is going to suck and to click away as quickly as possible.
2. Have a budget in mind and ask your designer exactly what can be done with that budget. If you don’t have a lot of money, then be realistic about what can be done or be willing to spend more to have what you do need implemented.
3. Think of how your customers will use the site and make it easy for them.
A good website is designed for the person who is going to be using it and deciding whether or not to hire the company based on the ease of use. So make it easy to navigate. They’ll appreciate it.
5. Listen to your Web designer’s suggestions. They can help you make the site user-friendly and look great. http://www.taramichelleinteriors.com/
6. Make sure your designer is experienced and knows how much work it will take. A good website should take about a week. The reason it takes longer is often because the designer is inexperienced and needs to spend the time combing the internet looking for answers from more experienced Web designers.
7. Make sure you (or if you’re outsourcing this for another client) organize the content and actually write it. Some folks assume the web designer writes the content. Also, make sure the content is organized in one PDF or Word Document and clearly explains the website. http://www.whitehouse.gov/
8. Make sure to provide the designer with the best pictures possible.
9. Trust your designer. If you don’t trust them, don’t use them. If you have questions, ask them over and over until they explain in language you can understand.
10. Like PR, good web design inspires emotions. Don’t look at the web design as merely technical.
Share links to good websites you have seen locally…

Let PR pros handle Social media;It ain't you Strength Marketers

Last week was a challenging week for this young flack.In a bid to win business that we had pitched.I requested the company to let our PR team manage there social media account including the facebook page and their twitter accounts.

The advertising team thought that they were in a better position to manage the sites;their reason being that they spear head campaigns,we in PR only come in to support the campaigns.

All the same, I strong believe that PR should take the lead in social media.Here are my thoughts.

PR’s heritage isn’t selling. It seeks to influence and build relationships. This makes it more suited and better equipped to initiate, engage and hold a conversation.

PR is expert in content creation. They can’t be blamed for trying to get involved with social media but what expertise do media buying agencies have in content creation? Content creation is a central component of marketing and specifically social media.

The PR industry is subtle. The sector gets a lot of flack for spinning but subtlety is at the core of spin. Digital media requires subtlety, including the ability to understand context and respond accordingly.

The PR industry is close to the business leaders. The advertising team will always calls on PR in a crisis and is reliant on PR when the organisation’s reputation is threatened. PR has a central role to play in educating the top management about the benefits of social media and is a trusted advisor on reputation management, unlike other marketing disciplines.

Strategy is at the heart of good PR. It could be argued that PR has a been a little slow to come to the party. There are lots of reasons for this. PR’s approach is always circumspect, it has to add value when your dealing with corporate reputations otherwise its not worth doing. I think, this will play out well for the PR industry in the long term.

The culture of the PR industry is to allow others to create content. i.e. journalists. The industry has been built on this fundamental characteristic. The key message is designed to assert as much control as possible over the process of content creation. The approach changes in the context of social media but I think this is one of the strongest arguments in PRs favour. PR has never had control of the message when it comes to the end result.

Finally I think organisations need to adapt culturally to engage their customers in authentic conversations. I genuinely believe that the businesses that most effectively listen to customers and is able to incorporate their insights into product development and services will be the most successful. This, for me, is PRs biggest opportunity as the function that advises and implements change management strategies. PR has a great opportunity to take the lead in making this change happen – the outbound social media campaigns will become the natural output and realisation of this cultural and organisational change in business.

Over to you mobile telephony companies,FMCG's,banks and insurance companies.