march 2008

If you believe the analysts at digital measurement company Comscore (Nasdaq: SCOR), people aren’t clicking as often on Google paid ads.   

Google's paid search growth soft again in February http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/3031073/408925/105489/2/

Web search traffic continues to accelerate though.  This means the organic results delivered by Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. is increasing in importance.  And that plays well for public relations professionals.

That’s because a driver of organic search engine optimization (SEO) is Web content.  Whether it is traditional activities like press releases, article placements, analyst commentary or industry presentations, or social media initiatives related to executive blogging and social network engagement, the content produced in a PR program typically finds a home on the Web.

At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we’re getting deeply engaged with our clients to further understand how to best research, define and optimize the quality content we’re delivering to the market.

The value proposition for public relations has always been the increased awareness and third party credibility conferred by industry influencers creates an environment in which a company can more successfully execute its growth strategy.  Let’s add organic SEO to the ROI mix.  It’s meaningful…and measurable.

It’s clear that social networking on the Internet is following the same path as television entertainment.

You have the horizontal sites -- such as LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace -- which are like your broadcast TV stations (NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX).  Although these sites have sub-groups and forums based on interest, they are designed to cater to a broader audience. 

Fragmentation is occurring rapidly with vertical social networking sites that cater to the interests of specific niche audiences.  These sites are just like niche programming on cable television.

The most recent social network entry is WePlay.com from Creative Artists Agency.  Billed as a “Facebook for Young Athletes,” this site targets youth sport participants and their families.

Here’s a good story in the New York Times on the site and its big-name supporters, including the NBA’s Tony Parker and LeBron James, as well as MLB’s Derek Jeter.   

 Social Site's New Friends Are Athletes

By TIM ARANGO

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/technology/26caa.html?th&emc=th

Why the similar evolution of these distinct media?  It’s simple…they are all advertising driven.  And advertisers want to reach customers and prospects in the most targeted (and economical) way.

For public relations professionals, it’s critical that we tailor content to the specific needs of the social network or community we are seeking to engage.  At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) we refer to this as social network engagement.

When a college-aged intern named Kathryn at Qorvis Communications fired off an Email to TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington requesting information on how to purchase an article reprint little did she know that she was about to experience the untamed ugliness of the blogosphere.

Qorvis Gets Crunched
Social Times
http://www.socialtimes.com/2008/03/qorvis-gets-crunched/

For the sake of full disclosure, Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) competes against Qorvis from time-to-time. I know one of their partners – Doug Poretz (http://www.qorvis.com/an_influential_firm/bios/poretz_d.html) – fairly well and think highly of him and the firm.

I’m also an avid TechCrunch reader. I find the reporting, insight and analysis of their bloggers to be helpful in understanding the market, its players and the trends.

After reviewing the comments and dialogue on CrunchNotes (http://www.crunchnotes.com/?p=449) I think there are a couple of important lessons learned from this situation:

1. Similar to media outreach and industry analyst relations, PR consultancies must task its experienced and well-trained staff with blogger relations. The traditional agency model of cowboying up a group of junior staffers for tactical execution has proven ineffective. Bloggers must be treated with the same professional respect and courtesy as other influencers. It’s not happening right now. Arrington notes in his comments the constant deluge of press releases TechCrunch receives from uninformed PR hacks.

2. Regardless of the diligence and professionalism PR representatives demonstrate, we have to journey into the blogosphere with a thick skin. There’s no peer review process as there is in traditional publishing organizations. To get cut-through, many bloggers rely on an emotional, combative stance.

3. Never pick a fight when challenged. It merely confers credibility to the blogger’s post or comments and keeps the issue relevant. It was a misstep for Qorvis’ Seth Thomas Pietras to go after Arrington on his own blog. He will never win that fight.

Seth Thomas Pietras, March 22, 2008

Congratulations for picking on and publicly humiliating a college intern who was giving you the courtesy of asking permission to use your content for our benefit. Given how dumb this issue is, I’m baffled at the extent to which you all have gone to attack this smart, capable young woman. I hope you feel great about yourselves. Have a great long weekend.

Seth Thomas Pietras
Senior Director
Qorvis Communications

Mike Arrington, March 22, 2008

Seth -
Assuming you are actually with Qorvis.

I’m not sure you understand the amount of time that firms like yours take up by throwing random crap - mostly press releases - our way. To then send yet more email that shows you don’t know that we are not a print publication is yet more time wasted.

I took the time to post this in the hope that PR firms will begin waste less of my time in the future. In that way, it is an investment.

It may very well be that your intern is smart and capable. Combine that with an ability to do a Google search before sending out emails like this, and you’ve got yourself a winner. A quick tutorial to your staff on what a blog is and isn’t might be a good idea too. ...

When launching a public relations initiative where should we prioritize bloggers in the order of outreach? Do we connect with them prior to industry analysts? How about the trade press?

These questions were top of mind last week as I participated in a brainstorming session with the Tellabs team at Strategic Communications Group (Strategic). We planned out tactics to support an announcement of research that points to dissatisfaction among telecommunications professionals about broadband availability in the United States.

New survey finds gaps in U.S. broadbandIndustry professionals dissatisfied with broadband availability and definition
http://www.tellabs.com/news/2008/nr032008.shtml

A few days later I came across a post from Nick O’Neill of social media consultancy Capital Interactive bemoaning an undisclosed company for not informing him of news prior to distributing a press release.

Lesson Learned: Embrace Your Local Bloggers
http://www.socialtimes.com/2008/03/lesson-learned-embrace-your-local-bloggers/

“Personally, I felt side swiped when a local company that I have directly communicated on a regular basis decided to announce a press release without first privately announcing the news to local bloggers,” O’Neill writes. “…Cater to the desires of local bloggers and you will be handsomely rewarded. Go against them, and you immediately have the most vocal group of individuals in the community building negative press for you business.”

O’Neill (and any blogger who feels this way) needs to get a clue. For starters, publicly traded companies have to follow well defined SEC guidelines related to the announcement of news. It’s called fair disclosure.

Bloggers also need to recognize that while they are an important channel to the market, in many instances they are of equal or less significance than other influencers, including journalists, analysts, academics, think tanks, etc. It’s not a knock, merely an acknowledgment that a trade editor who has a readership base of thousands will often be of higher priority.

O’Neill’s contention that a blogger slighted will turn angry captures my biggest concern about the blogosphere: irrational thinking without the peer review process that defines quality journalism and analyst commentary.

I have good news! Using social media tools like Twitter conference participants can provide real-time feedback to speakers and panelists about the relevance and interest of their presentation.

I have bad news! Using social media tools like Twitter conference participants can provide real-time feedback to speakers and panelists about the relevance and interest of their presentation.

Business Week columnist Sarah Lacy got splattered with online tomatoes at the annual South by Southwest Interactive festival when her interview with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg failed to meet the expectations of the audience. They wanted to hear from Zuckerberg on issues such as trust, privacy and accessibility to software developers. Lacy focused her questions on his age and the company’s $15B valuation from Microsoft.

Rather than merely sit in torment, attendees fired up their cell phones and posted thoughts using Twitter. It led to an uncomfortable presentation and resulted in Facebook scheduling a follow-on session for attendees with Zuckerberg, minus Lacy.

The good news: this type of interaction, dialogue and engagement with an audience is at the very core of effective public relations. That’s how you build credibility and, ultimately, relationships with those who can influence the success of your business.

The bad news: public relations professionals are now challenged with monitoring audience feedback in near real-time and responding in rapid fashion.

At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we do a tremendous amount of prep work helping our clients prepare for conference speaking and panel presentations. What happens if we learn mid-stream a client presentation is falling flat?

Welcome to Conference 2.0
Fortune
http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/11/technology/fost_conference.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008031115