Proving the Value of PR

All too often, comparisons are made between various marketing methods, including advertising and public relations and the various media available to communicate those messages.

One of the things PR practitioners have to confront most often is a belief that a public relations program doesn't result in a quantifiable return on investment for companies looking to build a new brand or expand an existing brand's awareness.

A new article by Al Reis on the Web site of Advertising Age addresses this issue and has many good points that PR pros may want to use in dealing with this issue as part of the new business process or with existing clients.

The article may be found here:
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=44958

Story Discusses Influence of Blogs

Edelman Public Relations recently issued a report chronicling the importance of blogs. Titled "Trust MEdia.... How Real People Are Finally Being Heard," the aim is to help companies better understand how they can benefit from blogs and engage those who write them.

Not surprisingly, Edelman PR, which has been one of the first large agencies to get out in front of the trend and whose CEO was among the first in the industry to establish his own blog, believes blogs will become increasingly important through their ability to allow most anyone to rapidly publish and receive feedback on all types of information.

The report may be found here:
http://www.edelman.com/insights

Attitudes Toward Journalists

Time and again over the years, I've been amazed at the attitudes public relations practitioners have exhibited to journalists -- both to their colleagues and to clients. If an interview didn't result in a story, it's because the reporter didn't understand the idea. If an interview got canceled at the last minute, the reporter who took that action was said to be disrepectful of a client's time.

While PR, like any industry, certainly has its frustrations, I firmly believe the prevailing attitude that PR practitioners have about journalists is one of the reasons that the industry sometimes has to overcome so many negative perceptions. Those views are also incredibly short-sighted. I can't tell you how many times I've had a reporter who respected the way I dealt with him to come back to me for a source following an initial contact that didn't result in a story or interview.

It's actually quite simple: reporters and editors, like many others, know a talented, prepared and professional individual when they see one. While I put my clients' interests first and foremost, I believe my experience having served as a journalist for CNN and other high-level outlets, gives me the ability to deliver a unique perspective to clients on media relations. I encourage my clients to view media relations as more of a marathon than a sprint, and I believe other practitioners would be well-advised to do the same. The profession will be better off for it.

New York Times Takes PR to Task

I would imagine that most PR practitioners will probably find themselves involved in a discussion regarding Sunday's New York Times article, which levels a rather scathing indictment of the public relations industry.

While it's always worrisome to see articles that can potentially paint a whole industry with a broad brush, there's also a lot practitioners can do to clear the confusion that this story will most likely create. It's true there are aspects of PR that are similar to those described in the story, undertaken by Ketchum and the agency led by Armstrong Williams.

However, the valued work that the vast majority of PR practitioners do is nothing that should be apologized for. We must work diligently to dispel the notion that PR involves twisting the truth or creating messages out of "half-truths." Most people who engage the services of a PR firm find that they greatly help streamline the process of sending out newsworthy messages to the right people. They do this by condensing information into a clear, concise format that shows journalists and others they value and respect their time. There are many respected journalists who will tell you good PR practitioners help serve as another resource for them by passing along information they may not yet had a chance to discover.

Also, perhaps most importantly, this story should help dispel the notion that small independents have no chance of competing in this industry. If anything, it shows honest, hard work is what really counts.

A Service Worth Paying For

More and more these days, PR practitioners are encountering individuals who are asking them about working on a pay-per-placement basis. And, contrary to popular notions, it's not only very small clients, but even law firms that are investigating the possibility.

From a practical perspective, I can certainly see how a PR practitioner might entertain this notion. After all, if you're attracted by the account and have the time, why not take the chance? The biggest danger I see, however, is the long-term implications this will have on our industry. Like any industry, PR has good and bad practitioners. But one could make that argument about most any professional service around. And I have yet to see someone asking an accountant or tax preparer to work on a commission basis, getting only a percentage of the refund; you won't see an attorney other than a personal injury practitioner willing to work for free in a civil action, etc.

Obviously, anyone encountering this situation in either an informal lunch or gathering or a more advanced business discussion must tread the issue with care. But I urge anyone in this field who can to fight against this trend. In a professional service field, a person is compensated for their knowledge and expertise. This is no different in public relations and practitioners should demand equal treatment.

The Untold Firefox Story

While there have been many stories trumpeting the continual gains made by the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser, one key issue that was discussed in depth during the heat of the browser wars is noticeably absent.

There are still many Web sites out there, including many used by people in the course of ordinary, daily business, that use proprietary features available only in Internet Explorer. If you use these sites on Firefox, at best the site's design will appear mangled; at worst, it will be almost impossible to navigate the site, enter text in search boxes, etc.

So even security-conscious computer users who would prefer to use Firefox can sometimes have no choice. The issue of Web sites using proprietary design elements got a lot of press when Netscape's Navigator was still a leading contender years ago, but has since seemed to drop off the planet.

Has anyone written any of the Web sites they use and asked them to get W3C compliant?

Freelance Network

While sole practitioners often are able to offer an edge over larger firms in terms of fees, one of the disadvantages can be the lack of cohesive networks to help bring the individuals together as a large group that's able to offer all of their collective clients a wide range of expertise.

I'm interested in discussing the idea with independent PR practitioners and would welcome any visiting here to contact me via e-mail or to contribute their opinions to this blog.

It's Your Brand!

I'm amazed at the number of people who are willing to send out business-related e-mail correspondence under a free domain (e.g. Yahoo!).

While absolutely nothing is wrong with using such services, doing so to send business correspondence serves to severely undermine the value of your brand. Anyone who's going to the trouble of doing any kind of business-related correspondence over the Internet should do themselves a BIG favor. Get a domain name and learn how to use it or hire someone to administer it for you.

An Internet presence can be working for you 24/7, but the Internet only has value if used properly.

Welcome

This blog's primary purpose will be to facilitate discussions on the discipline of public relations, particularly as it pertains to solo practitioners. There are lots of us out there across the country doing good work for clients, but generally staying under the radar of industry publications.

While most of those publications assume solo practitioners will continue dwindling in number, just as independent PR shops have, I am among those that are convinced the future will continue to be bright for those who truly differentiate their services from the myriad of competitors and deliver value to clients.

So welcome, and feel free to post comments on this initial post or anything else that's on your mind!