Trevor Young - PR Warrior | Where PR meets social media meets content marketing

INFOGRAPHIC: The (R)evolution that is Public Relations

If you work in public relations (or are a business or marketing client who works with PR practitioners), you know full well the industry has been morphing and changing at a rapid rate.

However, what might not be fully apparent is how deeply and radically things have changed as the industry adapts to a real-time hyper-connected environment.

The infographic below - produced by Beth Monaghan and her company Inkhouse Media + Marketing - shows the profound impact new media and social technologies have had on the PR profession.

While many aspects of 'traditional' PR are still useful and valid today - such as media relations, event-based activity or thought leadership programs, for example - the way in which a PR person would execute such elements brings with it today additional layers of complexity.

Breadth of influencers

I think one of the most challenging aspects of PR today - aside from the intense real-time nature of the business - is the depth and breadth of influencers that PR practitioners need to be acquainted with. 

When I first started out in public relations, we pretty much focused our efforts wholly and solely on journalists and broadcast producers; today, however, you have not only the growing number of  'hybrid' new media outlets (as highlighted below with The Daily Beast, but also includes the likes of The Huffington Post and, locally, Mumbrella, Mamamia, Lifehacker etc) but also individual bloggers who within their niche can be incredibly influential, and not just because they blog but because they're often super-connected across multiple platforms.

And then you have the social networking power users who might not blog but can have influence on a number of levels and thus be in a position to make life hell (or joyful) for brands.

But for all the technology, some things don't change.

PR, whatever tools are employed, remains important for its ability to positively impact a brand's relationships with stakeholders, its ability to earn third-party endorsement as well as communicate its story to the broader world. The need to be able to undertake such strategic tasks professionally and with competence is something that won't change.

Developing a Powerful PR Mindset

Let’s get this out of the way from the get-go: ‘PR’ does not stand for ‘press release’.

While dealing with the media in a bid to generate editorial coverage for their clients is something a professional PR consultant does on a regular basis, it’s not all they do by a long shot.

So what is PR?

According to the Public Relations Society of America (which recently crowdsourced a definition more in line with today’s social age):

“Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

It’s clumsily written, and to anyone outside of the industry, it doesn’t make a whole lotta sense.

I look at PR as deepening the intensity of connection a brand has with the people that matter most to the success of its business (cause or issue if you’re a nonprofit). This could be your clients or customers, industry influencers such as analysts, bloggers or journalists; it may also be a local council, industry body or government authority if they’re somehow integral to the successful running of your business.

See full article - MYOB 'Pulse' Blog

See full article: http://myob.com.au/blog/developing-a-powerful-pr-mindset/#ixzz1yx8dkL1w

Why Corporate Collaboration is the “New Black”

"I'm all for collaborations, whether it be with business or art... it can't be about money... there has to be something in there that's true to both sides" – Jay-Z

I love this quote from Jay-Z, potentially the world’s most successful recording artist-turned-businessman.

Mr Z makes a good point. Collaboration can’t just be about the money. It needs to be heartfelt and genuine at its core if it is to be effective as a PR and communications strategy.

And it can be effective, especially in today’s socially-connected world where collaborators’ respective fans, supporters, advocates and followers can help spread the word, ensuring the joint venture project receives way more exposure than it may have done in years gone by.

To work successfully, collaborative ventures need to be between like-minded brands – everyone needs to be on the one page with respective goals set out by all parties in advance and a sincere all-round desire for those involved to get something out of the arrangement

Strategic brand collaboration can be powerful in a number of ways – it can help a company to:

• Attain greater reach and awareness (gain exposure in other markets).
• Leverage off another brand's image and equity (associated positive spin-off).
• Gain implied third-party endorsement and increased cache (additional credibility).
• Stay fresh and relevant (in the eyes of employees, influencers and customers).

Collaboration might also help a company to reshape public perception of its brand, or assist in providing it access to influential people connected to other involved parties.

Indeed, the collaboration might simply be the development of a cool idea that benefits society and as such the “warm fuzzies” that come with being involved is reward enough.

Leading companies are thinking more creatively about collaborating with others. Today, it’s about genuine partnerships, transparent dealings, social interaction and shared outcomes.

Such collaborative partnerships need not just be with a charity or cause. Sure, this is probably one of the best-known collaborative strategies available to a company as it ticks the “corporate social responsibility” box (and which business doesn’t want to do that?).

But think more broadly: What about collaborating with another company in your field, or an industry association? If you want to be really progressive, how about joining forces with a competitor to offer something of value to your joint customer base?

High-profile bloggers

One of the best collaborative opportunities today is with high-profile bloggers.

The type of bloggers I’m referring to are multimedia content creators – personal brands in their own right, credible figures who command authority and influence in their particular industry or niche. Such individuals bring with them a dedicated community of fans and followers and can provide a brand with a valuable “halo effect’, social exposure as well as rich content that informs, inspires and/or entertains.

One of the more interesting collaborations of late is Tourism Queensland’s partnership with one of the world’s top bloggers, Darren Rowse, of Melbourne.

Working with Rowse, Tourism Queensland selected 10 international bloggers with a combined audience of over 2.5 million readers to become “Queensland blogger correspondents” as part of a Tourism Queensland promotion.

According to Tourism Queensland’s press release, “Darren is an influential social media wiz with an audience of more than five million readers”.

How could your company collaborate?

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON LEADING COMPANY.

Seven Reasons Why Companies Should Decentralise Social Media

This is a guest post written by Summer Goodwin, a public relations strategist and blogger based in Melbourne. You can read her blog at summergoodwin.com, like her facebook page or follow on Twitter @summer_goodwin.

Is your organisation truly social?

This was one of questions raised at the recent 2012 International Social Media and PR Summit in Amsterdam.

Edelman Digital's Marshall Manson presented three models for creating social organisations. The first was the centralised model we are all familiar with. Social media is managed by a central division (usually marketing) and provides the official voice of the organisation in each channel.

We like this model because it's relatively easy to manage. But let's face it - it's not very social. Too often social media is seen as a channel for promoting key messages (yawn).

I think the centralised model has become outdated. As Marshall pointed out, we now live in a world where regular employees and 'a person like yourself' have more credibility - and therefore influence - than CEOs. So, let's empower our regular employees to have a corporate voice.

Marshall presented two decentralised models - and it's this type of model that really intrigues me.

Imagine the central division being surrounded by employees who are building social relationships and online communities. There is two-way flow between central division and these trained brand ambassadors, who are blogging and tweeting and engaging people with the brand in different ways.

Disney uses a decentralised model and Disney Destinations' Thomas Smith said all senior managers blog. One manager is in charge of floral arrangements at Disney. So she blogs about flowers. And guess what? She has built a social community of people who love flowers and now engage with the Disney brand because talking about flowers has made it relevant. 

What are the benefits of a decentralised model?

1. More brand noise

How does one official twitter account compare with 25 brand ambassadors tweeting? Enough said.

2. More compelling content

With employees blogging regularly about their areas of expertise, your company will produce more diverse, interesting content. Content is still king. With two-way flow between central division and your brand ambassadors, imagine all the fresh, compelling content available for your marketing strategy.

3. More relevance

A decentralised 'many voices' model enables your brand to connect with people who may never have engaged otherwise. Relevance is key in the social world. Disney makes a great case in point.

4. More savvy employees

Social media training is critical to this model. Dell's Simone Versteeg said the company has two types of employees - those who are official brand ambassadors and those who are just plain social. Employees choose what they want to be and there are guidelines and training for both.

5. More speed in a crisis

We no longer have the luxury of time in crisis communications. What happens if the employee responsible for the official account is at lunch when the 140 character news breaks? Your trained brand ambassadors will be monitoring social networks too and can quickly be the voice of your organisation.

6. More feedback

A recent survey found 70 per cent of social media complaints are ignored. Using a decentralised model enables employees to engage in direct social dialogue with consumers. Why do we want to respond to feedback? To improve the way we do business.

7. More innovation

Employees may have very creative ideas for social media. Dutch airline KLM, for example, has introduced an opt-in service enabling passengers to select their seat based on shared Facebook profiles. Imagine all the social ideas your employees have right now that you can experiment with.  

What are your thoughts about using a decentralised social media model?

About Summer Goodwin

Summer Goodwin is a public relations strategist and blogger based in Melbourne. She is a former News Ltd journalist and has more than 15 years experience in communications. Summer has a passion for digital PR including online, new and social media strategy. She works for Swinburne University of Technology.

You can read her blog at summergoodwin.com, like her facebook page or follow @summer_goodwin.  

 

Crisis Management and Social Media

One of the greatest fears many business owners and managers have with the social web is that someone might say something negative about their brand.

More than that, potential exists for bad news to ricochet from Twitter to Facebook and into the blogosphere maelstrom – and from there spill into traditional media channels (radio, TV, newspapers) – with frightening velocity.

We’ve all heard the horror stories. They do exist, but in most cases they could have been avoided altogether had the brands in question adhered to a few simple truisms.

See full article - MYOB Pulse Blog.

Replace White Noise With Respect

One of the most pressing needs for companies today is not so much getting customers to shell out their hard-earned for products or services, it’s to get people to care enough so they’ll take notice of you, recommend your brand and share your content with their friends. Oh, and if they like you, buy your stuff.

The emergence of social media as a disruptive force in business has been in play now for several years. One of its by-products – some would say casualties – is that people are ultra-overloaded with information like never before (and we’re starting to filter the information we receive – ie. one in four Australians “Like” a new brand on Facebook on a weekly basis).

Much to the chagrin of the “powers that be” people no longer blindly accept what companies, government organisations or the media tells them. “We’ll make up our own minds, thank you very much” is the catchcry (often with the help of our ever-increasing personal networks of peers, friends and acquaintances whose opinions we value and trust. According to the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer, 62% of Australians trust “a person like myself” as a credible source of information about a company – a jump of 31% from 2011).

Earning the attention

While many brands continue to go after consumers’ wallets with a single-minded purpose (as if it were still 1999), they’re often neglecting a critical step in between. And that is earning the attention and respect of the people who matter most to the success of their business – their customers, stakeholders and influencers.

Peoples’ attention is the scarcest of commodities in today’s hyper-connected world.

As marketers, communicators and senior executives, we need to understand and respect that fact. By intruding on peoples’ busy lives and continually pummelling them into submission with unwanted message upon unwanted message upon unwanted message, we’re basically saying:

“We don’t care about you. It’s all about us.”

The people want (and deserve) more. We are a harried and time-poor lot, surrounded by so much “white noise” and spin spouted by way too many brands that we’re shunning your logo and ignoring your message. Instead, we’re gravitating towards brands that understand the “new reality” – companies and organisations that treat us with empathy and respect, brands that communicate in ways that are open and transparent, that engage us with authentic and interesting stories, that create content that contributes to our lives in some way.

Mind shift is required

May I suggest it’s time for a major rethink about how we go about things from a marketing perspective. Brands need to reframe the situation of how they communicate with consumers and their other stakeholders. Dare I say it, a mind shift is required, and it needs to start happening at the top.

Rather than continually pushing out your message to the masses, who by and large aren’t interested, why not start trying to PULL people towards your brand by being remarkable, interesting, relevant and useful?

INSTEAD of selling all the time, why not try being helpful?

INSTEAD of pitching, why not draw us in by being interesting (and interested)?

INSTEAD of intruding, why not attract us by providing solutions-based content that makes our lives easier?

INSTEAD of making it all about you, why not start making it about us ­– your customers, stakeholders, employees and partners? 

I understand there’s a need for major brands in particular to attempt to buy peoples’ attention with paid-for advertising, incentive programs, promotions and the like. I’m not trying to suggest we do away with traditional methods altogether, but rather, start introducing ways to communicate with people that are in sync with the times and the mood of the marketplace.

In future posts I will provide examples of fast growing companies and well established brands that are doing things differently from a marketing perspective, and as a result are attracting public and media attention for all the right reasons.

 

 THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON LEADING COMPANY. 

REVEALED: The 'New' Definition of Public Relations

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has crowdsourced its new 'official' definition of the discipline of public relations.

* drum roll *  HERE IT IS:

Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.

It was no small feat to get to this point in terms of coming up with a definition of PR that accurately reflected the profession as it's practised today. Read the back-story here.

This too is a good yarn in the New York Times: Public Relations Defined, After an Energetic Public Discussion

According to Wikipedia: The PRSA, founded by Richard Rotman, defined public relations in 1982 as:

"Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other."

Hmmm. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Personally, I've always liked the looser definition of "Doing good things and telling people about it". Not sure who came up with it, but it's the only one I've ever been able to remember!

These days I'm more about CONNECTION ... CONTRIBUTION ... CULTIVATION ... COLLABORATION.

But that's another story (more on that later).

For what it's worth, you can chuck in all the new tools and what not but the new definition still stands - and personally I think it's a good one. It is, ultimately, what we do in the PR game (despite what Government spin doctors might think).

Once more with feeling:

Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.

What do you think?

Perspectives on Trust from Edelman Sydney {Video Interviews}

This week saw PR firm Edelman Australia launch the local findings of the global Edelman Trust Barometer at events in Melbourne and Sydney (disclosure: I work for Edelman).

The report was launched by Michelle Hutton, CEO Edelman Australia and included a panel of support speakers including:

• Greg Baxter, Former Corporate Affairs Director, News Limited
• Professor Jim Macnamara, Professor of Public Communication, UTS
• Hailey Cavill, Founder + Director, Cavill + Co
• Laurence Evans, President International, StrategyOne

While at the Sydney event I managed to catch up for a one-on-one chat with all of the speakers - below is an edited video of my interviews (thanks Ed Courtenay for filiming/editing).

The following is from the Edelman blog:

The 2012 Edelman Australian Trust Barometer was launched today at an event at Sydney’s Mint. The key findings:

• 60% of Australians do not trust government leaders to tell the truth 
• Business, more trusted than government, has the opportunity to move from a license to operate to a license to lead 
• Technology the most trusted industry sector in Australia, while trust in energy industry is low 
• Trust in media increases; Social media increasingly trusted as a company information source amongst informed public 
• Peer to peer trust is rising: 31% increase in ‘a person like myself’ and 17% increase in regular employees as credible company spokespeople

Click here to see more, including a Slideshare copy of the Australian presentation and infographic.

Here is the official global website dedicated to 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer.

FURTHER READING:

• Edelman Trust Barometer - Intro by Edelman Australia CEO Michelle Hutton
• 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer - Global Deck
• Richard Edelman on the 2012 Trust Barometer Findings (VIDEO)

 

12 Social Media Trends Australian Companies Should Look Out For This Year

For companies and organisations already reeling from a year in which Australian consumers embraced the social web in massive numbers and with greater levels of intensity, 2012 promises more of the same but with some potential break-out trends.

So how should marketers approach 2012?

What should the leadership teams of large organisations be looking for in terms of building and protecting their corporate reputation in a hyper-connected world?

Below is a snapshot from a detailed paper I've written about how I think 2012 will roll out in terms of PR, communications and the social web.

• BETTER USE (AND INTEGRATION) OF SOCIAL MEDIA – Brands that have experimented with the social web will go back to basics and start thinking more strategically how to leverage new media technologies for their business, including better integrating with other marketing and corporate communications.

• ADOPTION OF QUICKER RESPONSE TIMES – As more and more Australians become heavier and more frequent users of social media, so too their expectation brands will respond in a timely manner will grow. Thus companies will need to factor in quicker response times in line with today’s ‘real-time’ marketplace.

• LEADERS WILL ADOPT PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL BUSINESS – Forward-thinking organisations that put ‘social’ at the heart of their enterprise will become the new leaders in an era where everyone is connected and two-way collaborative communication trumps ‘top down’ broadcast of polished messages.

• INCREASED EMPHASIS ON CONTENT MARKETING – The notion of brands becoming media companies in their own right will hit home locally; expect more use of the term ‘content marketing’ not to mention a growing trend for companies tapping journalists, PR people and bloggers to create content on their behalf.

• THE RISE AND RISE OF THE POWER BLOGGER – Blogging in Australia will continue its impressive growth but the big shift will be in the rise of the power blogger – the ‘multi-dimensional storytellers’ who will continue to increase their sphere of influence on and offline as the popularity of their ‘personal brand’ grows.

• CONTINUED DEBATE AROUND ROI – The debate over social media ROI will continue to be a hot topic but more reasoned voices will come to the fore as decision-makers better understand and appreciate what can and cannot be achieved in today’s new media world.

• GROWTH IN CONTENT CURATION – Not everyone is a content creator; with so much information flying around the web, the public will increasingly rely on filters (people, tools or apps) to edit and package information for their consumption e.g. Flipboard, Zite, Storify etc. Expect to also see a rise in influence of people who develop a reputation for content curation.

• THE RISE IN STATUS OF THE COMMUNITY MANAGER – Once the domain of a digitally savvy but inexperienced ‘junior burger’, organisations will start paying more respect to social media by appointing more knowledgeable and senior people in the public-facing role of community manager; expect this person to take on increased importance as their connection with the community deepens.

• COMBATING FACEBOOK’S CLUTTER – Facebook will continue its dominance; brands will need to become more creative and look to provide unique user experiences if they are to stand out from the crowd.

• TWITTER’S GROWING INFLUENCE – Twitter will continue to break into the mainstream consciousness as even the laggards start to wonder what all the fuss is about and join up.

• TRACKING THE RISING STARS – Keep an eye out for Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Flipboard, Tout. How could your brand leverage these platforms?

• WHERE TO FOR SOCIAL INFLUENCE MEASUREMENT & SCORING SYSTEMS? – One of the more controversial talking points among marketing and PR folk this year has been the use (and validity) of online reputation and social influence measurement systems e.g. Klout, Kred, PeerIndex et al. Expect more of the same in 2012!

What do you think 2012 holds in store for Australian PR professionals and the brands they represent?

 IMAGE: Thinkstock

Four Books to Keep Your Mind Fertile Over the Christmas Break

It's that time of the year again folks when the PR Warrior selects a handful of books that, if read over the Christmas break, will knock your marketing/PR/social media knowledge out of the park!

Okay, maybe that's an oversell. But you will emerge from 2011 all the wiser for the experience.

The books I've selected look at marketing and PR in the context of today's super-connected and highly fluid marketplace, where anyone with an internet connection and a point of view can become an important influencer in their own right.

The four books I cover in this video are:

1. No Bullshit Social Media - Erik Deckers & Jason Falls
2. The New Relationship Marketing - Mari Smith
3. The End of Business as Usual - Brian Solis
4. Engagement From Scratch - Danny Iny

In a nutshell:

• No Bullshit Social Media - pragmatic, to the point, business-oriented, practical information.
• The New Relationship Marketing - jam-packed with helpful hints, soft skills for today's marketing and business professional - share the love! (Download a FREE sample chapter here).
• The End of Business as Usual - must-read for PR folk, bigger picture ideas and concepts (check out my interview with Brian here).
• Engagement From Scratch - multiple views, stories and ideas from a broad sweep of smart thought-leaders in the social media and new marketing space.

Notable mentions from2011 (not in video):

• Niche - James Harkin
• Real-Time Marketing & PR - David Meerman Scott (PR Warrior review here)
• Smarter, Faster, Cheaper - David Siteman Garland
• Poke The Box - Seth Godin
• We Are All Weird - Seth Godin
• Tell to Win - Peter Guber
• Anything You Want - Derek Sivers (this is an especially cool book, great yarn!).

Enjoy!

* Author Jason Falls comes face-to-face with the PR Warrior.