I’ll tell you, I am starting to feel like I have a Second Life. What do I Techmeme? Every time I turn around someone Pownces on the need to inject more tech into the PR mix and I get all Atwitter that MySpace is being invaded by mindless Banter Bots. Digg, if I Stumble upon one more post that berates me to virally expand my network nodes I will quite literally barf. If this continues, I will need to Mashup someone real good.
It was social media releases (SMRs) that set me off, once I realized that I need to transcend mere SEO with SMO best practices and implementation.
Meanwhile, in my first life, I just want to go out there and do good PR.
I am no luddite, having studied electrical engineering way back when, and specialized throughout my career in tech PR, sales and marketing. Although I am encouraged that my fellow PR practitioners see that the world is changing, and we are adapting our tools appropriately, there is a danger in becoming too enamored with technology to the exclusion of the basics.
When it all just becomes technology we are one algorithm away from being obsolete.
Anyway, every time I get anxious that I am not spending enough time pushing the envelope and the latest tech gambits, I am heartened by a few simple realities of life that the social media explosion will not change. Remember to stick to
basics and you will always succeed in this profession:
The high tech, high touch principal
People can only absorb so much technology. There’s much hype about the next latest and greatest technology (whether it be blogs, Wikis, social networks, or microblogs) to transform PR.
Institutions have staying power, years from now when many of the new companies driving the tech tools du jour are gone, the press release will still be around. So master the art of the press release, it might be a tired format but that does not mean there are not differences between well thought out press releases that do a great job of telling (and selling) the story and incoherent blather.
It still is a “contact sport”
For all the talk of SEO, SMO, and SMRs, the search engines already do a pretty good job of indexing content, let’s not forget the role of actual people in the mix, and of crafting content that people want to read.
An Influencer is an influencer is an influencer
Whether you call them analysts, bloggers, columnists, or all of the above, learn who holds sway in you / your client’s area of specialty, make sure you understand them, and then go back and read the above point.
True, there are more ways than ever to connect directly with people, but having the right intermediary – one who agrees your story has value and is willing to spend time writing about it, talking about it or otherwise advancing it – can make a big difference in your success.
Need to be able to communicate and tell a good story
Indeed, nothing else matters if you can’t do this.
