The PR Warrior

Online PR is All About Community

This video is worth bookmarking (or downloading for later use) if you're interested in a simple but effective explanation of the different approach required of online PR. 

No hysteria or loud music, just an easy to follow animated demonstration of how community and conversations sit at the heart of PR-driven social media activity.

The video was produced by RealWire.

(Hat-tip Wadds' PR Blog).

Online PR is all about Community from RealWire on Vimeo.

NOTE: downloadable versions of this video for offline use are also available.

Selling Social Media to the CEO

Further to a previous post regarding the Social Media Summit 2009 in Melbourne, I gave a presentation called 'The Role of Social Media in PR...and Selling it to the CEO'. 

The 'role' bit is okay - social media is a natural fit with modern-day public relations (but only if PR practitioners let go of the past and wean themselves off press releases that are polished and spun within an inch of their lives). 

The 'selling' part is the hardest because social media is counter-intuitive to most things a CEO holds dear - control of the message, and control over who disseminates information from the organisation.

Some major companies, like Ford, Dell, Starbucks and Microsoft, have long familiarised themselves with social media and today are considered to be corporate leaders in the space. 

In selling the concept of social media to the powers-that-be, my advice is to start with the positives i.e. Wouldn't it be great...

• ...if we could communicate directly with our consumers and stakeholders?
• ...if people actually listened to and interacted with us? 
• ...if we could build a community of fans or advocates for our organisation?

Well, social media can help you achieve those things, better and faster than ever before, but only if its wholly accepted and encouraged by the head honchos, and the 'open brand' attitude is imbued across the organisation.

Is selling the CEO on social media your job?

If you're the person responsible for trying to get the CEO on board, you need to be 'the full bottle' on the vagaries, nuances, ethics and etiquette of the social web; you need to immerse in the space and get an intuitive feel for what works and what doesn't, as well as fully understand the potential pitfalls and opportunities that exist by 'opening up the brand' on the web.

Put simply, you are kidding yourself if you think you can properly understand social media without fully experiencing it first-hand, and that means jumping in personally and getting your feet wet, preferably before trying to sell it to the boss!

Reading about blogging is all well and good (and recommended), but by starting and maintaining a blog, you will learn very quickly what it's all about.

Reading about Twitter is all well and good (and recommended), but only by setting up a personal account and participating in the Twitterverse will you get a solid grounding in the subtleties of the micro-blogging platform.

You get the drift...

Of course, if taking the positive tack doesn't work with the boss, perhaps try using fear: 

• The new reality is that people are more empowered than ever before (they have a voice and they're prepared to use it).
• Shouting at people (one-way broadcast of messages) doesn't work effectively any more.
• Nor does chest-beating or the use of spin and polished corporate jargon.
• Throwing your message out there and expecting people to listen is fast becoming a waste of time, money and resources.
• Find out if any of your competitors are using social media and then show the boss examples of their activity (this may prick the ego into action!).

It's obvious social media isn't a fad but a fundamental shift in the way people communicate, connect and collaborate - to do nothing will mean your company will be left behind (there's a school of thought that companies have something like 12-18 months' grace to get into social media, experiment and make mistakes...after that period, the public will expect you to be social media ready and engaging with them online...and they will be less accepting of those companies that get it wrong).

And if all else fails...buy the boss a copy of The Cluetrain Manifesto!

RELATED READING:

Social Media Summit 2009: Lack of Control Looms Large in PR's Minds

Fear (by David Meerman Scott)

Social Media - Fad or Revolution?

This is a great video jam-packed with observations and seemingly up-to-date statistics that support the astounding growth of social media (excellent soundtrack too!) - by @equalman, author of 'Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way we Live and Do Business'.

For a list of the statistics contained in the video (plus sources) - Socialnomics - Social Media Blog.

(Hat-tip to Ribeezie.com).

'Play Fair, Play Nice, Stay Relevant' - CFA Gets Real With Online Terms & Conditions

You wouldn't exactly say Victoria's Country Fire Authority is an 'out there' organisation in comparison to, say, mega-brands such as Apple or Virgin.

I was therefore very surprised - pleasantly so - to check out the terms and conditions on the CFA's 'Connect' website, which read (in the introductory part, any way) as if they were indeed written by Sir Richard Branson's personal copywriter i.e. real language with a touch of humour.

Like all online forums, CFA Connect has a set of terms and conditions you need to accept before you can become a member.

However, unlike virtually all Ts & Cs I've ever had the misfortune to encounter, the CFA has managed to work both with the lawyers and circumvent them at the same time. BRILLIANT!

The problem with most guidelines for online behaviour is they're written in overbearing dictatorial tones, full of legalistic jargon that, let's be real, no-one ever reads. I think the lawyers forget that terms and conditions are as much a communications tool as a layer of protection.

Here is how the CFA kicks off its terms and conditions (see screenshot below):

Okay, so we just wanted to say play fair, play nice, stay relevant and, particularly in the forum, don't say anything you wouldn't say to someone's face. And if you are the kind of person who says nasty things to people's faces, don't do it here!

But that didn't cut it with the lawyers, so you've got to agree to the stuff below as well, which gives you some more details and also lets you know we won't tolerate no monkey business!

THEN...

They include the jargon-laden legal stuff (that no-one will read anyway).

What the CFA has managed to do here - in one hit - is to satisfy its legal team (and protect itself) while at the same time effectively communicate what is expected of members posting on its forum.

Who would have thought the CFA would become the new 'poster child' for online forum terms and conditions?

Great stuff, and congratulations to all involved!

(Click on image to enlarge)

Social Media Summit 2009: Lack of Control Looms Large in PR's Mind

I was privileged to present at last week's Social Media Summit 2009 in Melbourne. 

It was a stimulating two-day conference (unfortunately I could only attend day one) featuring an array of knowledgeable speakers including Matthew Gain from Weber Shandwick, Norg Media's Bronwen Clune, Keep Left PR's Sarah Stokely, Stephen O'Farrell from Sputnik and editor of thepunch.com.au, Paul Colgan.

Lack of Control = Fear

Judging from the questions asked of presenters and having chatted with a broad range of participants during the day, one major theme kept recurring: a lack of control when it comes to implementing social media as part of a broader communications strategy.

Indeed, the fear (anxiety/uncertainty) was almost palpable, with the perceived 'threat' of social media almost totally overshadowing the tremendous opportunities to be gained from opening up a brand online.

The bulk of attendees (and it was a good turn-out) worked in public relations and communications roles within government (local, state and federal levels), as well as for government authorities, not-for-profit organisations and blue-chip corporations.

The issue many of them had was the potential for negative feedback if they opened up their organisation via social media. It seems the powers-that-be are not all that welcoming of the thought of public criticism.

Also, how can they 'control' the organisation's voice via social media? 

Many of the PR people remarked that only certain people were allowed to 'speak' publicly on behalf of the organisation, thus the issue of empowering of staff to engage with the public via social media channels was a vexing one.

Personal Versus Professional

Another bone of contention among conference participants was the blurring of lines between 'personal' and 'professional' use of social media.

Some companies were concerned staff using Twitter, for example, would make comments that could be construed as having come from the organisation itself.

Believe it or not, many organisations are still blocking social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook in the office.

There was the story of one company CEO who, overcome with enthusiasm following a workshop on social media, wanted to rush back to his office to set up a Facebook account. He was promptly told by one of his executives he wouldn't be able to do that - the company's IT department had blocked Facebook...classic!

McDonald's 'Trust Bank' Helps it to Another Win

I read with interest this week that McDonald's was given the 'green light' to establish an outlet at the new Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, albeit with a revised menu policy.

As you could expect, there was some resistance. If my memory serves me correctly, it was the same situation when Macca's wanted to open an outlet in the existing Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital. They won that battle too.

McDonald's wins these controversies for a number of reasons. Undoubtedly there is some deft lobbying going on in the background but a key reason is because McDonald's has learnt well the art of building a bank of goodwill.

There's a classic definition of public relations as thus: "Doing good and telling people about it".

McDonald's has long mastered the spirit of this definition.

This, from the Encyclopedia of Public Relations: "During the 1970s, (Al Golin, Chairman of Golin Harris) Golin and McDonald's Ray Kroc developed the concept of the trust bank, meaning companies should make deposits of goodwill to draw upon in times of crisis."

How much 'in the black' is your brand's bank of goodwill?

Some further reading: 

• McDonald's Secret Marketing Sauce  

• Everything I Learned About Business I Learned at McDonald's