The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same

As we kick off a new year, it’s hard not to acknowledge the more things change, the more things stay the same. This old proverb rings true for life and what we do in public relations.

I don’t think that anyone will disagree about the enormous impact social media has had on our society and certainly, the public relations profession. At the same time, the fundamentals of public relations have not changed. Public relations is, and always will be, about building relationships with your target audiences. It’s a two-way street; there must be something in it for both sides. With that said, following are a few personal observations and things to keep in mind as we move into a new year.

Traditional Media Is Not Dead
While we’re all keenly aware of what has happened to traditional media - the shrinking news room, loss in advertising revenues, fewer reporters covering more, etc. - the fact remains that people still pay attention to and read newspapers, subscribe to magazine, watch the news and listen to radio. Mass media still has a huge influence on our society – even though its delivery has evolved and now includes tweets, video and wall posts. And maintaining positive relationships with editors, news directors and reporters is as a critical as ever. Check out this article that provides some interesting statistics on traditional media and its continued reach:

If You Don’t Want to See it in Print (or on TV, or on YouTube, etc.), Don’t Say It
It’s like my mom always said to me when I was having disagreements with my siblings, if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. And in today’s day and age where anything and everything you say can be recorded, it’s even more critical. We witnessed many examples of this in 2010. In fact, GFM’s Gil Rudawsky pointed out a few of the more public blunders of 2010 in his blog on Dec. 22, 2010:

This is one of the first lessons any PR professional learns as part of media training – if you don’t want to see it in print, don’t say it or put it in writing.

You’re Only As Good as Your Reputation (and Your Good Reputation Can Disappear in a Flash)
We’ve all seen recent examples of individuals and corporations where reputations are damaged, if not destroyed, overnight - Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, BP, Goldman Sachs, to name a few. At the same time, we’re a country of people who believe in second chances and forgiveness. What are you doing to protect your reputation or the reputation of your clients? Do you have the resources in place to quickly address any issues that could arise and potentially damage your reputation? Do you have a social media crisis plan in place? Having an up-to-date crisis plan that you and your leadership team fully understand and embrace is that insurance policy. It won’t prevent a crisis from happening, but it will help guide you through difficult waters and allow you to emerge on the other side.

What are your thoughts on the topic? Are there other examples of how public relations is evolving, and at the same time, remaining true to its roots? We’d love to hear from you!

~ Barb Jones

WikiLeaks Provides Painful Reminder to Review Plans and Policies

If you're like me, you've been hearing a lot about WikiLeaks in the past few weeks, but the real background and potential ramifications of the site and its contents have been a bit of a jumble, muted against the background of the holiday hustle and bustle. This article from Fast Company, however, quickly snapped me back to professional reality and provided a timely reminder to review communications plans and policies for the companies that we, as public relations professionals, represent.

According to the article, "...Julian Assange said at least half the treasure trove of documents the organization is holding belong to private corporations..." Sometime early next year, WikiLeaks plans to start adding these materials from private corporations to its site. Naturally, I wondered how WikiLeaks got its hands on its first round of materials, and slapped myself on the forehead when I saw this piece from CBS Sunday Morning about 23-year-old Bradley Manning who basically cut and pasted data he found simply searching documents to which he had access on the job.

As part of any fully-rounded communications planning process, we encourage our clients to try to head off crises like leaked documents by developing clear policies about document access and sharing. Of course, given the intersection of confidential documents and social mediums like Facebook, Twitter and wikis, there are no guarantees. In addition to having a reactive crisis plan, we also recommend the following common-sense steps when it comes to internal and external communications strategies:

• Remember that anything in writing can be forwarded, copied, saved or rebroadcast
• Confidential communications are best handled in person, not via e-mail
• Never say anything in an e-mail that you wouldn't want your boss or competitor to read
• Engage legal and communications team counsel early for particularly sensitive issues and documents
• If a confidential document must be distributed electronically, be sure to watermark it "Draft" and/or "Confidential" and ensure the recipients understand the importance of keeping the document confidential

As we head into the New Year, it's a great time to learn from WikiLeaks and review your communication policies. At GroundFloor Media we'll be doing so on behalf of our own communications as well as for our clients. Don't let your company be the next victim of WikiLeaks!

Back to basics - create a communications plan!

Have you ever found yourself wondering if the development of a communications plan is absolutely necessary? It can certainly be a daunting task, but a strategic plan that includes solid tactics provides a sound road map for you and your communications team. It is a must-have document that defines the structure for how you will work towards your goals and provides validation that the initiatives you plan to execute map back to your overall strategy.

Recently, I have found myself working with multiple clients to develop PR and social media plans. To start the process, we like to conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of current communications initiatives, followed by a discussion around PR goals and strategy, and then we can best determine the tactics to reach the agreed-upon goals. Everything from traditional and non-traditional media relations, to an SEO campaign and message development, to corporate social responsibility can be included in your plan, but if there is one tip of advice I can give you… be sure one of your tactics is to develop/revisit your crisis communication plan and incorporate new mediums, like social media. I think we can all learn a few lessons from the recent Pampers and BP Oil issues!

Once your plan is finalized, it is important that you measure your success and evaluate results quarterly, annually, at year-end, etc. It’s important to remember that good communications plans are living documents—no one should continue down a tactical path that upon following an evaluation, no longer aligns with the overarching goals or current landscape of your industry.

I would encourage all PR practitioners to use the month of June as a reminder to check in on your strategic plans. Whether you are a one-person communications team or a team of five, take a couple of hours to evaluate your plan. If you don’t have a communications plan, take a leap of faith and develop one!

To help get you started, below are eight steps that I like to follow when creating a plan. Remember, it can be overwhelming to pull a plan together, but once you have it, you will be thrilled to have your “communications guidebook.”

~ Jen Wills

Eight steps to consider when developing your strategic communications plan:

1. Conduct a SWOT analysis of your current communications initiatives

2. Define your overall communications/PR goals and objectives

3. Determine your key audiences – current and future

4. Develop two to four PR strategies

5. Define your internal and external communications tactics – including traditional and non-traditional media

6. Determine your budget

7. Set metrics. Include methods in your plan that you can use to measure and evaluate results.

8. Evaluate, redefine and re-align with goals