Something I’ve noticed in the the past year at various social media conferences/meetups I’ve been speaking at or attending:
There isn’t the same rush of new information, high of learning or excitement of discovery as there was in the first few years.
We’re hearing things we already know, believe and practice – in different combinations, of course – but the principles are there: transparency, ethical behaviour, authenticity, community, conversation, engagement.
That’s because those of us who are active in the space are in a constant learning mode. For me that’s one of the greatest gifts social media has given us: the fact I always feel like a student. The difference is, I’m no longer a freshman – and lots of people aren’t.
So what does that mean for social media and PR?
For one thing, it’s moved beyond being a hip, jargon-filled curiosity (i.e. older people are no longer putting ‘the’ in front of tools like Facebook, Twitter, etc.). And it’s becoming part of the furniture.
So, if you’re a business about to make a choice about which agency you should work with on social media, (I’m tempted to say your PR agency but there are alternatives) what should you look for? And what should you avoid?
Here are a few suggestions:
What you need | What you can do without |
Chemistry – that’s always been an important consideration. It’s all about fit. And not everything or everyone does. | The cool factor – beware of inflated egos that sometimes come from knowing and partying with ‘A-listers’. |
Participation and mastery – your agency, starting with the principals, should be actively engaged in social media. Would you hire a PR firm that only discussed news releases but had never written one? An ad agency that showed examples of other companies’ work because they had none of their own? Hopefully not. | Bla-bla-bla – someone who just talks a good game. Think twice about those canned presentations multinationals share that showcase a small, elite group but may not be representative of the people you’d be working with. |
Big picture – the ability to look at the panoramic view, see where you are and where you want to go and be the GPS that guides you there. | Shiny new toys – fun to play with for a few minutes and then quickly abandoned. Think about kids on Christmas morning and the junk that’s only used once. |
Getting it done with creativity, innovation and executional excellence. And knowing when to re-adjust the vertical and horizontal controls. | Can only see one thing trough their dark, but trendy sunglasses. Cue more jargon. |
There’s a lot of noise in social media and one of the biggest challenges is finding a decent filter. In many cases, that means going back to basics. You also need a good filter to cut through the agency noise and find a true partner that makes you both shine.
What do you think clients should consider when choosing a social media partner?
Thanks Denise! I think you make an excellent point about writing style and voice. And that’s something everyone – even the naturals – have to work on and perfect.
I think one of the most important things is having someone who is a good writer. This doesn’t mean that they can spell correctly or are trendy but someone that holds the audiences’ attention. You only have a limited time before your reader goes onto another site or twitter feed. Even a heading like the one above can capture someone – it drew me in to the article, which was well-written. Honestly, our site was written by geeks and it shows, that is why it is being re-written, I cringe every time I look at it because I think of lost customers, even though we have guys who are kick-ass behind the scenes.
Yours, working to change our image,
Denise