At n2n we have been helping to create social media corporate policies for a growing number of clients. This involvement shows that the last 12 months have moved social media policy from a marketing wish to a boardroom issue to a PR action.

A recent Manpower survey states that one third of organisations now have a policy in place in Australia versus only a quarter globally. Good news for communications professionals trying to manage organisations online. Facebook, Twitter and increasingly LinkedIn are being acknowledged as well-utilised communications tools.

The key challenge for most social media policies is a lack of depth.

As long as guidelines remain focused on dos and don’ts, organisations are not equipping their staff with adequate recommendations on how to use social media as a sales and lead generation tool. At the moment, this proactive use of social media seems to be reserved for only a few in the organisation, resulting in a missed opportunity.

Beyond language and tone of voice, organisations must now start to give staff advice on how to join a relevant group discussion and how to create online engagement in a social media environment. Every employee has their own online networks – organisations now need to help their staff maximise the business opportunity of these networks via more sophisticated skill development.

There was an article praising Manchester City’s new manager, Roberto Mancini, acknowledging his success in turning the team’s fortunes around with four straight wins and suggesting his appointment was a long overdue masterstroke. The trouble is that since the article was written his side has been on a dismal run of form and he’s now widely predicted to be on the way out at the end of the season. 

The magazine was the current issue, but was almost immediately out of date. It can’t hope to compete with online news and opinion in an industry that moves so quickly.

There are obvious parallels with IT media. It’s another fast moving industry where online sites have become dominant in breaking news. Even that’s not quick enough for some with many online publications providing real-time updates on the iiNet vs AFACT court case via twitter.

That’s not to say that print publications are dead, it’s just that they are evolving and are re-evaluating the value that they provide. The number of titles that cover product news is almost zero and any news they do cover often takes a more analytical slant rather than simply reporting facts. The emphasis is definitely on analysis and opinion.

This works for me as I think most people (certainly Gen X and above) still prefer the feel of paper in their hands when reading, but the march of e-readers, iPads and smartphones may soon change this as well. So what is the future of the monthly magazine?

When it comes to writing and developing a PowerPoint presentation, 3 things ALWAYS race through my mind; How do I make it interesting? How do I clearly articulate my message in less than 50 words? How can I present it so it has impact?

Whether it’s for a new business pitch or an internal business meeting, it’s important we learn how to adequately prepare for, and deliver the most effective presentation which will ensure our audience (possibly a potential client) leaves the room feeling fulfilled and positive about their experience.

A common cliché is “people hear what they see”. Whilst this may be true, businesses tend to spend too much time on the writing of the presentation and cut themselves short on determining how they will present it and rehearsing. But what is more important? Or should it be a 50/50 ratio?

Key to a powerful presentation is in the delivery. A powerful presentation is how an impression is established. People relate to people. They don’t buy products, they buy personality and image.

Therefore, it’s crucial when delivering a presentation that it communicates to your audience in a way that generates interest. A powerful delivery helps people see the opportunity and connect at a personal level.

So when you are planning for you next business pitch, have a think about how much time you should dedicate to writing it vs. rehearsing it.

Share your worst PowerPoint presentation experience…

Social Media emerged as one of the most powerful communications tools in an integrated campaign that spanned letter box drops, Web, photo shoots at the site, media relations, lobbying, advertising and events.

The creation of a Facebook group where opponents could register their concerns and engage directly with Councillors (who participated in the group), attracted more than 2,600 members across the festive period when many locals were on holidays.

From a PR perspective, it meant we had a clearly defined database of engaged members from a range of target audiences and we could communicate with them quickly and affordably as the campaign progressed.

For example, wording for objection emails was distributed to the group with instructions on how to lodge a complaint ‘ccing organisers. This resulted more than 300 objections to council within three hours, and they continued for days.

Similarly, within three days of sending an invitation to attend a protest rally, we had more than 500 RSVPs and growing.

Social media was even used by the Mayor to announce her decision to withdraw the proposal. This meant organisers could cancel the protest rally – again, a quick, easy task via Facebook.

In a blog post, Waverley Council Mayor, Sally Betts said, “I was originally reticent about announcing my decision before the public exhibition period closed on Friday 19 February. However, the depth of community angst and concern has become increasingly clear. It would be irresponsible to not publicise my decision about this proposal as I believe the community deserves to know now, rather than later.

“Congratulations to the Hugh Bamford Reserve Protection Group for such a professional and well coordinated campaign, it’s the best I’ve seen in my 12 years as a Councillor, and it’s a sign of true democracy at work,” she said.

The SABRE (Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation) Awards attracted close to 400 entries from across the region.

n2n’s program helped Sun outshine other global brands by using an integrated communications strategy that spanned research, media relations, stakeholder relations (including analysts and employees) online and social media.

The results included a significant increase in awareness, stakeholder endorsement and a number of major sales of Sun product.

This is the third award n2n has received for the campaign – others include PRIA state and national awards.

These awards would not have been possible if Sun did not have the foresight to embrace a comprehensive PR program at a time when Green IT was just marketing hype.

Congratulations to Sun and thank you to all the talented Sun people we have been fortunate to work with for many years.

Whilst it is interesting to consider the lifespan of content, were not totally convinced it is the right question to be asking, at least in isolation. Our view is that to change behaviours, build brand and influence an outcome you need to be involved in ongoing dialog and/or content generation, whether this is online or offline.

The initial question should be to determine what messages are required to reach your audience and what is the best channel to access them. The lifespan of the content is a secondary consideration that should be evaluated with characteristics such as:

• Reach – how many people will read it
• Relevance – is the content relevant to the audience
• Accessibility – Significant amounts of content on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook cannot be accessed by all web users as it sits behind passwords.

Online news site content for instance is generally available for a long time and also receives a very high audience reach. The trade off is that you can’t control the content on news sites as it is written by journalists.

The lifespan of blog content is also long term and is always searchable. This content is ideal for search engine optimisation (SEO) and generating long-term traffic. Website content also has a very long lifespan, generally until you take it down.

Twitter has a relatively short lifespan, although Twitter is also a mechanism to extend the reach of your content. Social media monitoring (SMM), RSS feeds and Google news feeds all extend the reach of Twitter and other online information, meaning the content achieves additional reach.

On the surface Facebook content would seem to have a short lifespan; however the business opportunity is more related to building long term dialogue.

Like a physical ‘one on one’ conversation, the comments a person makes have a very short existence however collectively build an overall lasting impression. You may not recall every specific comment made from a person however you will have a perception built by their communication and behaviour.

In the corporate world, creating relevant and interesting content impacts your customers and stakeholders impressions. Despite the short lifespan of your online updates, we recommend you actively use online tools like Facebook and Twitter to build customer engagement which results in brand trust and ongoing customer support.

So consider the longevity of online content in context of your communication objective and don’t forget to include evaluation of reach, relevance and accessibility.

Over recent months however, the nature of the features process has been changing. Feature opportunities seem to be diminishing month on month. No one could disagree that the nature of the media is also changing at a rapid rate. Journalists are producing more online content and as a result are producing articles at a rapid rate per day. News is being reported online and via social media sites like Twitter, on a seconds and minutes basis.

So what does this mean for the features process? Increasingly it appears as if editors and journalists are shying away from planning out their features lists months in advance, instead working on a month by month basis and working very much in tandem with the trends that are current at that time.

Working in technology PR, this is particularly relevant. Technology is changing at such a rapid rate that what is current and interesting one month, could be old news by the next month. For an editor outlining a features list 12 months in advance it would be naïve to think that what is a relevant topic in January will still be relevant to readers by the end of the year.

For PR’s looking to gain the best coverage for their clients it is about engaging effectively with key journalists, it’s about having a dialogue and conversation with journalists rather than straight pitching. Clients need to get engaged with journalists on sites liked LinkedIn and Twitter – this is where stories are being researched and created.

Features may never be completely removed from an editorial calendar but journalists are definitely working differently form years gone by and PR’s need to recognise this. It’s time to embrace a new model of engagement with key journalists to ensure success for our clients.

Having a plan meant companies were more likely to communicate effectively in a crisis by understanding the importance of timely, accurate information. Without a plan, communication in a crisis tended to be adhoc, delayed, inaccurate and risked escalating the situation. Crisis communication planning was based on the reality that if your company didn’t get out early and often with information about an issue – you risk customers, media, competitors and others speculating and speaking for you. Also, how your company handled issues and crises had a direct and potentially long-term impact on its reputation.

There’s been much speculation about how the rise of online, social and consumer generated media has impacted traditional PR strategies. While I agree things have changed significantly, I also think that online channels bring us closer to the ideal two-way communication model. Organisations communicate with publics – who respond and provide feedback, comment and opinions. Online media has made this theory an instant reality.

The impact on issues and crisis communication however is significantly different as outlined by Gerard Braud who presented an IABC teleseminar last week. Historically, when a crisis happened, there was usually at least a couple of hours lead time for the company to action its communication plan and get information out before reporters arrived on the scene or got information from other sources. Now, the media don’t need to come to you at all – they can get information from citizens at the scene, vision from mobile phones and eyewitness reports.

Gerard’s example of the recent US 1549 Airways incident in New York this year was poignant. The domestic airline lost power in both engines and landed in the Hudson River in New York within view of Manhattan. However, reports of the crash didn’t come from the thousands of media from all over the world stationed in Manhattan – it came via Twitter from passengers on their mobile phones and from ferry passengers right there on the scene. In fact, there was no need for a company spokesperson – nor in fact for the media to leave their offices. Had they done so, they would have actually delayed breaking the news that was coming in from every angle.

The lesson for PR practitioners is that while companies still need to be well prepared for crisis communication, they need to be able fast, flexible and responsive. This means that crisis communication plans need to focus on how to communicate and the channels available, rather than lengthy process documents on what to communicate to who. There will be little time to approve media statements and emails to stakeholders – ideally all communication should happen within an hour. The goal for communicators is to ensure your company has a share of the multitude of voices – that will be there with or without you.

As a new graduate, I am fresh from the pack. My mind is full of opinions from influential communication scholars, the formula for writing a perfect press release is heavily engrained and I have the correct etiquette for dealing with journalists down pat.

However, after finding my feet in the real world of PR I have found that these learning’s are quite outdated. Whilst there is always room for original thought and basic formula, the relevance of the online world is diminished somewhat in a tertiary setting.

The online space is changing the face of the global media landscape and with it the traditional role of public relations. The industry is no longer built on the foundations of the print media; instead we are seeing a rise in the influence of online news sites, blogs and social media networks.

At the moment it seems as though everywhere we look established publications are shutting their doors and reverting to an online format. In the Australian on the 18th March, 2009, the headline ‘Newspaper closes as title moves online’ captured my attention. Here the long standing Seattle Daily Intelligencer was the latest victim of online domination after 146 years of print operation. An article from USA Today explores the demise of print by naming a number of other publications set to abandon print for an online format in the coming months

A recent study from Auspoll (Digital Lifestyles Snapshot Australia, 2009), found that around 1 in 3 people connected to the internet are reading blogs and posting comments. This highlights the changing profile of the journalist. A list of the top 25 most valuable blogs includes a number of news and opinion based blogs raising somewhere over $70 million in revenue. Talk about influence?

This changing journalist profile is interesting to consider. During my university experience I was not brought to question this matter and it is not until my experiences in an agency setting that I have begun to even think about the value of prominent bloggers and other online authors to the PR industry. We can no longer just rely on print as proof rather we need to explore new channels of communication and adapt to recent trends in order to generate measurable results.

In case you haven’t, Twitter is a “micro-blogging”, social networking site, where people can post anything they like, as long as it’s fewer than 140 characters.

Why bother? Well, once you sign on, write a (short) profile and find yourself some fellow ‘twitterers’ to follow, you can build up quite a network. And you it’s not like every post is about what you had for dinner.

Posts vary from links to weird and wonderful websites, to opinions about the latest political manoeuvrings, to pictures of Steven Fry stuck in a lift.

The question from many PR professionals is: “Can twitter do me any favours and how?”

To demonstrate how people can get full value out of their twitter account, Rohit Barghava has developed the Five Stages of twitter acceptance. According to Barghava, once you move beyond denial and mere presence, to active engagement, you then start to ‘dump’ information and this is where PRs need to be careful.

Using twitter as a dissemination tool for press releases has been much criticised, especially by journalists. This is because twitter, in its full capacity, is a conversation rather than a bulletin board. You can reply to other people’s tweets and forward tweets on to other people. You can post images and link to websites.

Equally frustrating to some journalists who are being followed by an increasing number of PRs, is those who join twitter and monitor it, but don’t post any comments themselves. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s probably not delivering as much benefit as joining in the conversation.

Once you start conversing, giving opinions, engaging other twitterers and sharing news, then you’re ‘microblogging’, according to Barghava. This is where the true value comes in, not just because now you have an authentic voice to distribute the occasional press release, but you’re also building your network.

That said, remember that you’re in a public forum and don’t rise to any inflammatory comments. These things can easily escalate as one PR professional has found out this week.