Steve Rubel, who I prefer to think of as a mensche and a maven rather than a doyen, is throwing down the PR gauntlet.
I won’t paraphrase, go read it. It’s worth it and mostly right on target.
Steve thinks the marketing and communications industry is about 75% there in understanding social media. I actually think you are being very optimistic Steve. I’ve been in agencies where people think bloggers are safely ignored if they are even aware of bloggers at all – even the ones central to their clients’ markets. That seems more the norm to me than the exception.
But all quibbling over numbers aside, Steve – you are exactly right when you say:
What we need to do is teach. We need to show PR professionals, media buyers and others how to read RSS feeds. We need to help them get immersed in writing blog posts so they get a feel for what works/doesn’t. We need to show them how to monitor blog search feeds and then, appropriately, respond. Believe me, I would love to do this myself and see my agency win the lion-share of dollars here. But I can’t. This is too big. We need to do this together guys.
The answers are not found in more surveys, seminars, webinars, trade magazine articles, conference calls and live events. That’s for sure. That’s all “75% thinking.” We need to go the distance through immersion. Actual blogging is one way to go. We need hands-on walkthroughs. We need to show our clients and teams – either one-on-one or en masse – how to get involved. We need to offer on-the-job training.
However, and a big however… a ‘private Writeboard’ with a few select agency bigwigs and notables is NOT the solution and not even a step we should be taking.
Let’s try something different. Instead of using our blogs to moan and bitch about the sad state of affairs in the PR industry, who’s up and who’s down and the latest variation of the ‘PR is dead’ meme, let’s start talking about some specific steps we can all take to get the industry over the last 25% (or whatever).
In other words Steve, let’s have that conversation that you propose taking to the Writeboard out here in the blogosphere.
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