Don't just stand there in awe of social media, come join the party!

In case you didn’t get the memo, social media has made its case and is officially part of the public relations, marketing and advertising mix.  There are no perks to sitting on the sidelines of social media.  Yet, there are still countless businesses that are leaning up against the proverbial gymnasium wall waiting for Social Media, the quarterback of the football team, to strut by and ask them for a dance. Sorry but that’s not going to happen, this isn’t Sixteen Candles (don’t ask us which characters we relate to, either—that’s for another day…).

Social media is inherently communal; the only way to connect with possible clients or business partners is to jump in. Of course, SMPR encourages its clients and others to dip your toes in.

-          Which Platforms should you pursue?

-          Do we have a planned editorial calendar of content?

-          Do we have policies and protocols about what/what not to say?

-          Do we have a crisis plan in place in the event something goes wrong or something is said which adversely affects our business?

These questions sound amazingly similar to those asked for traditional public relations outreach, no?

Waiting for Social Media is like waiting for someone to ask you to do the Funky Chicken or Electric Slide. It’s not necessarily a dance you need a partner for, but once you’re out there dancing in sync with everyone else, you understand why so many others like it and appreciate it. Plus, it can lead to some great friends (in the social media world, they call these people “connections”).

So what are you waiting for? Your first step is to decide what goal you want this “dance” to achieve for you. After that look at all of the different types of dances (social media outlets) and figure out what works best for your business. It could be a combination of several – that’s one of the great features of social media. Different platforms complement one another; if used correctly, can lead to great opportunities for your business.

It works for everyone; all you have to do is find your businesses rhythm and start dancing.  We promise, the steps aren’t has hard as they look and the folks out their dancing already are more than willing to show you the steps.

Just don’t ask us to don John Travolta’s polyester suit from Saturday Night Fever. We LOVE our clients, but – like them – we have a reputation to maintain!

Could using a PDA be bad for your corporate health?

Über-intern Whitney checks in with a very smart analysis of how technology could impede the practice of corporate communications.  Take it away, Whitney…

Since the advent of smartphones people have had a new challenge placed in front of them.  It isn’t how often you can check in on Foursquare or how fast you can look up a fact to prove a point.  In fact, it’s a challenge of etiquette, of how we as a society are choosing to balance face-to-face interactions against online relationships.

Recently Gini Dietrich covered this on her blog, Spin Sucks. After reading her post we felt compelled to chime in as well.

If you look around a coffee shop, restaurant or on the train it’s safe to say you’ll see at least a dozen people with their phones out, waiting for them to light up with an alert that something is happening in their digital world.  When people are this focused on maintaining their networks online they are often neglecting the relationship and networking opportunities right next to them—in the “real world.”

In the not so distant past, it was viewed as rude to answer a phone call during a meeting; now, it’s practically expected.  It’s hard to make a blanket statement saying that everyone should ignore their phones while conducting business, at the workplace or when out with colleagues and friends.

Still, SMPR encourages clients to think about how one’s corporate reputation—not to mention one’s personal brand—can be hindered if your PDA runs your life and not the other way around.

Remember this—people with whom you network over the Web cannot see that you’re ignoring a client when Tweeting during a meeting, but that client sure can. What will they tweet, think or say about you after their face-to-face interaction with you where you were MIA?

Social media has become the good-looking girl in high school who everyone wants to call their own.

I saw an article in Advertising Age recently about how ad agencies and other marketers have created these departments dedicated to social media.  Jonah Bloom suggests that they be dismantled; perhaps another approach might be applicable.

Being that this in advertising industry publication, it makes sense that Mr. Bloom discusses the piece from that industry’s vantage point.  But let’s face it–social media is being “claimed” by all agencies, not just those which create advertising.  PR firms, direct marketers, and ad agencies alike are all claiming to do it.  It’s like social media is the hot girl in high school–everyone wants to take her to the prom so they can say, “she’s with me.”

Rather than building towers or knocking towers down, why don’t we take what’s good about the towers and mesh them with the offices and people who have already built towers within their own expertise?

What social media is doing–and where I see the greatest opportunity for its long-term future–is positioning the customer’s voice in front of everyone in a company–not just its marketing department.   The good-looking high school girl might be making the rounds, but she is not going to latch on to just one date; there is value with everyone she is connected with.

Jonah Bloom said it well in his article; consumers are running the biggest recommendation service in the world.  It’s time that we (as marketers) look for ways to collectively embrace these recommendations so that our clients can collectively benefit from them.

Blogs have become the modern-day version of the press kit. It seems like every client program these days includes at least one recommendation for a blog or video blog to help showcase a client’s story, or a place for a client’s customers to share their stories.

Unfortunately, like many press kits, they aren’t being read. Resources that went into developing blogs have gone for not. Why?

Our guess–there are way too many blogs out there; a select few actually accomplish the connectivity that clients crave.

Now might be a good time to start rethinking about how we segment and position blogs, at least in the eyes of the deliverables clients are seeking.

Our role as PR practitioners starts and ends with doing what is possible to advocate our clients’ positions. Accordingly, our role in making recommendations about blogging—should be based on “BLOGVOCACY,” a term SMPR has coined to advocate a set position or theme on a blog, staying away from personal opinions in order to move toward a measurable objective in communication.

Without question, I am an avid blog supporter. I read them as part of my content repertoire and find many of them interesting. Unfortunately, too many blogs don’t connect to customers and influencers as strongly as we would like; if the Internet had a drain, it would need to be pulled because there are simply too many blogs out there.

As we move forward with making recommendations, let’s do what we can to amplify clients’ positions; I am sure they’ll thank us for it.