Dec 21 07
The New PR
By Renn Vara
A silent revolution is taking place in corporate communications. The big freeze between internal communications and public relations is melting away ala the ice caps in summer. The result is the reality of what a company is inside (to employees, partners, and investors) is now the public perception outside. Some corporate communicators embrace this new world, some don’t, and worse, some who do understand it think they can control it using traditional corporate message management techniques.
There are three primary issues we all need to “get” with this new PR reality:
- We can’t and shouldn’t control it. But we can embrace it and make it work for our companies.
- Candid and authentic content is king.
- The public relations model of getting print coverage first because it leads to radio and television is giving way to a new model of web search and viral messaging.
Embrace It
The use of social networking or what SNP calls viral messaging is now the baseline for corporate communicators. It’s not a question of whether we should do it or not. Employees are either blogging or commenting on blogs, or companies are being reviewed in a blog, or internal communication is readily available and being disseminated all over the web. Taken together, the world is talking about our companies. And if we’re not there to talk back, we lose. So we have to get on board and know that web search is now the baseline of corporate communications and the blogging, podcasting, vidcasting, and YouTube world is filling the search engine void with impressions of companies and company leaders. So truth inside the walls of companies is now public. We need to embrace it.
Web Search > Print > Radio/Television
This means we have to fill the web with conversations about our companies. But it can’t be marketing fluff or public relations spin. The web demands honesty, candor, and a willingness to respond to misperceptions and realities of company deficiencies and mistakes. But how? We must:
- Encourage blogging and pod/vidcasting by key employees and product groups.
- Welcome candid web conversations.
- Use it to improve products and services.
- Impact perceptions using thought leadership.
- Know that thought leadership is a tool to engage web users transparently using the smartest and most informed people within companies.
- Then monitor it, clarify when needed, give guidance and really listen.
The Structure and Process
We need to think in three categories when putting this new PR structure into place:
- Define the structure and format. Identify goals and key employees who really know something.
- Create content. Rely on self-creation by these key employees with support from an outside professional team. Don’t hire internal podcasters or vidcasters – unless it’s the company’s core competency. Use real employees doing real work, not “professional communicators.” Then support them.
- Establish active web optimization, keywords, book marking, search coordination, and blog search. Make sure the web mechanics support viral messaging.
These three elements should work together to drive a company message. This is kind of a West Coast Zen thing I’m afraid. We win by giving into the challenge of this new world rather than fighting it. And like a good Zen monk, enjoy the ride.
http://www.nytimes.com/
Tags: corporate blogging, corporate communications, executive communications, human resources, innovation, leadership training, media, public relations, renn vara, snp communications, social media
Love your advice and suggestions. You are spot-on. Hope a lot of people are listening. Ann
Great post! “…worse, some who do understand it think they can control it using traditional corporate message management techniques” This is very true. So many blogs are little more than a corporate site blogified.