Global PR Blog Week 1.0

Dynamic Communications and the case for speeding adoption of technology in PR

Since the Internet is becoming the default news source for millions, that means we, as communicators, increasingly need the ability to easily create, manage, distribute, and measure our messages in order to contribute directly, without intermediaries, to building, influencing and perhaps controlling our reputation - or our clients’ reputations - online.

Hence, all the interest here in blogs and Internet PR Tools. But as an industry, many people in PR are still behind the times in their use of technology to support their objectives.

Many practitioners still fax or even mail press materials. Of course, in certain cases this can’t be avoided. True - blogs and Internet-based PR tools do not serve every objective. But they are valuable in many cases. In fact, as others have mentioned this week this evolution is potentially reshaping the communications landscape. On a more practical level, appropriately applied technology has the potential to help us become more efficient, productive and effective PR practitioners.

I was quoted (apologies for the self-promotion - it's just a good example) in a recent issue of PRWEEK (log in required – sorry) in response to the question, “Can an Internet Pressroom increase my agency’s revenue per employee?”, in which I replied;

“The web can be used not just to provide access to press materials, publicity stills, VNRs, and b-roll on both a controlled and self-service basis, but also to facilitate distribution, build communities, manage blogs, and register and credential press contacts. You can even track the results.

“Consider the amount of billable time your employees spend responding to incoming requests for information manually via email. How many hours a day per employee do you think you could free up if you could automate the administrative side of PR campaign management?”

Of course I realize I may be “preaching to the choir” here, but I wrote the following article in order to attempt to educate and encourage those practitioners that are not fully taking advantage of the tools that are available today. It is my hope that all of us on the forefront of Internet PR will continue to evangelize the benefits of communicating online – what I call dynamic communications. Hence my question to the industry and communicators everywhere:

Are You Communicating Dynamically?

It took only a few years for the Internet to fundamentally change the way we communicate, and marketers have learned to take advantage of this new medium by creating innovative ways to reach their audiences; from banner ads and interactive pop-ups to talking email messages. But corporate communicators, for the most part, have not. With all the choices for news and information, it’s harder and harder to cut through the noise of the competition, keep audiences engaged and influence them to move in the right direction.

Static vs. dynamic communication:

Typically, the places on the Internet that draw the most visitors are always changing their content – weekly, daily, or even hourly. That content is dynamic, not static. The fresh, often personalized, information continually engages us and makes us want to return. Think of the Internet as a dynamic communications tool that gives us the ability to target, focus, and change our messages constantly in order to influence diverse sets of audiences. But too often online communications remain static, unchanged, and even out-of-date. Consider the benefits of dynamic communications:

Dynamic communications build credibility.

Think about the sources you trust and why you trust them. You’ll probably find some common themes: frequently updated content; comprehensive information; noted sources; clean, simple navigation; information in a variety of formats (photos, video, audio, PDFs, etc.); targeted, even personalized, content, all peppered with easy-to-use feedback and response mechanisms, such as registration forms and surveys.

This constantly evolving content, displayed in engaging formats using methods that fully exploit the Internet’s audio/visual capabilities, tells audiences that what they are viewing is new, it’s current, it’s credible. Note that most Reuters stories aggregated on Yahoo! for example, always have a date and a time and some even say, “2 hours and 8 minutes ago”. A simple notation tells us that this is the latest news; it’s up-to-date; it’s current; it’s credible.

Dynamic communications influences action.

Dynamic communications enables us to provide the content that will engage our audiences and encourage them to act. If our audiences don’t invest in our firm, write an article about us, buy more products or services, or do anything else we want them to do, then we haven’t done our job.

Journalists, as most of us know, have very specific requirements for the content they use. Their ability or inability to get the information they need affects the way they will write a story and usually determines whether or not they will write one at all.

The latest Neilson Norman Group study on, “Designing Websites to Maximize Press Relations” states, “If journalists cannot find what they are looking for on a website, they may exclude or limit information about that company in the story. According to our users, some test sites were so unusable that the journalists would have given the companies little or no press coverage.”

Ecast, Inc. is a San Francisco firm that runs a network of almost 2000 coin-operated, broadband-enabled digital downloading jukeboxes in North America. The company has seen its media coverage spike, according to Bob Cooney, V.P. of Marketing, since it began using a dynamic content management system for its Internet pressroom. (Read the Case Study for More)

In order to interest journalists in your company, you must provide them with more than just a press release. Consider creating a “speakers’ bureau” staffed by experts in various subjects within your organization, or perhaps a “hot topics,” “story ideas,” “trends” or “statistics” section to offer journalists ideas for stories that will pique their interest and make their job easier. When you become a better resource for factual, relevant and up-to-date information, you are more likely to get media coverage for your firm.

Some guidelines:

Look beyond the text

Dynamic communications should go beyond mere text. As communicators we usually have a variety of audiences that we need to reach. Even when the communication is internal to our organization we are usually addressing different types of employees and executives. Are we delivering our message in a format that will interest all of them? Some people respond to images, others to audio, still others to audio and video, or audio and text. Unless it’s really fresh, text alone is often not enough. How many times has a journalist asked you if you had any art to provide along with your release?

Avoid Dependence on IT

In order to keep your key audiences engaged, you need to keep your content alive – and you need to be able to do it easily from anywhere, at any time – without relying on a team of developers.

Learn From Savvy Communicators

There are many tools at our disposal, among them e-mail, eNewsletters and even interactive online press kits. Blogs (or web logs) have become a hot topic of late (though they have been around for some years) – mostly due to their effective use by U.S. politicians in the current presidential campaign. Former U.S. presidential candidate Howard Dean launched the trend by using a blog to shape his image and keep in daily touch with his supporters.

In a February, 2004, Wall Street Journal article titled, “Blogs Have Become Part Of The Media Machine That Shapes Politics,” (requires log in and payment – sorry) columnist Lee Gomes wrote, “These blogs are becoming an alternative-news universe, giving everyone with a PC and a Web connection access to the sorts of gossip that was once available only to reporters on the press bus.”

Don’t Forget the Power of the Moving Image

Multimedia tools are also effective. There are a number of firms which offer online conferencing and “webcasts” that enable communicators to make presentations with audio, and sometimes video, and even allow white-boarding (for drawing onscreen) with live online chat features. Many public companies use these tools to announce their quarterly earnings. Private companies should consider using similar multimedia to deliver their messages. Streaming media (video or audio on demand) is an effective and low cost tool that can be employed to display B-roll (company or product footage available for journalists), pitch a video news release, feature a spokesperson, communicate with employees, or educate partners and affiliates.

Leverage the Expertise of Your Peers

Use tools that have been built specifically for marketing and communications professionals employing “best practices” – based on experiences with leading corporations. Make sure you have the ability to create content-rich communications vehicles that include photos, video, and even audio, and link those to response and measurement mechanisms.

Avoid Maintaining Your Own Hardware

Look for services and software that can be delivered on demand – when you need them – over the Internet. No software to install. No long ramp-up times. Pay as you use. Look for a provider whose service can expand or contract according to your needs. Think about what makes sense for your organization and quantify the value and potential cost-savings by leveraging someone else’s existing assets.

Finally - Tap the Potential, Reap the Benefits

The Internet is no longer in its infancy – yet its potential is still highly underutilized. Take a step back and assess your current position. Follow the examples set by other savvy communicators and determine your goals (and your clients' goals) by considering the benefits, in terms of productivity and results that a truly dynamic communications platform can deliver to you and your organization.

Blogs are just one component in the overall mix of communications vehicles. They may make sense for your needs, they may not – either way, you can still blog for fun :)

Author: Chris Bechtel | Jul 16, 04 | Permalink | 0 comments
Category: @ Chris Bechtel | Topic 5 State of PR Profession

 

 

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The Global PR Blog Week 1.0 is an online event that will engage PR, marketing and business bloggers from around the globe in a discussion about blogging and communications. The event is scheduled for July 12 - 16, 2004.

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