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I’ve noticed some interesting conversations lately about strategy, execution and accountability.  If you are on the strategy side, and advising a brand, are you held accountable for the execution (if it’s not your part)?  Is it easier just to advise, then to execute social media? My own personal opinion is that we rise to a higher or maybe I should say a “new” level when we are able to do both.

However, in many cases, we can’t always be there from start to finish.  There are times when my team works with clients on the strategy part and the client’s in-house team executes the program.  There are other times when we have the opportunity to manage the program from strategy through execution. The best scenario: if you have the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and get in the trenches (whether it’s execution for your own brand or for your client) then do it! It’s your opportunity to visualize the success of your strategy, to see the innerworkings of the program and to adjust for any of the pitfalls or shortcomings, as you go along.

Social media has changed the game, not only for communications, but also for businesses in general.  I think we realize by now that social media is much different than traditional communication.  It can’t be handled the same way. Social media has changed our approach to communications and interactions with consumers.  It moves across an organization and we must rework and learn new ways to communicate.  When I look at my social media strategy wheel from the channels, content, and engagement to the tracking, monitoring and measurement, there are many new considerations.  I find myself more hands on as a result.

Whether you are just starting out in your career or you have 15 to 20 years under your belt, I recommend that you dig into social media.  If you can be involved in the execution from the ground floor up, you’ll get a much clearer picture.  You’ll learn quickly that sometimes what we advise, and the time it takes to get the results we want, may take longer or may require communications and resources that we didn’t even think about prior to our “trench” work.  Being in the trenches will enlighten you and hopefully lead to providing a better education to those who rely on you for your strategic input.

Strategy and execution….together is a best case scenario.  I know we can’t always be there to do both, but when we’re able to, I believe it can lead to better outcomes.  And, regardless of the part we play….we should be held accountable for the results.

I’ve been writing books on how public relations has evolved with the advent of the Internet since the late 90′s and as a PR professional, I have launched my fair share of books written by others since the late 80′s.  When I compare launch strategies and tactics from 1989 and 1999, to what I’m doing today, it’s enough to make me stop and reflect.  Both technology and marketing have become so savvy and one-to-one marketing/PR is the only way to launch a book in The Long Tail.

Because I love to look back at the past and compare, here’s the difference between book PR in the 1990s and Social Media PR used today.  I think if you asked most authors or their publishers, what’s the toughest part about launching a book?  They would say, “The actual manuscript writing and production process.”  That’s usually the toughest part.  The launch and supporting communications, especially years ago was cut and dry.  The steps were simple:

• Galley letter to editors (for praise/endorsement prior to published manuscript)
• Book endorsements for praise page/back cover and marketing materials
• Develop hard copy press materials (fact sheet, Q&A, author’s bio) and digital media kit
• Traditional news release distributed over the wire with publisher and PR agency contact information
• Book launch media event
• Book signings
• Speaking engagements at colleges, seminars/conferences and businesses
• Book reviews
• Media tours in various cities (including print and broadcast)

Times have changed.  Here’s how traditional PR meets Social Media PR:

• Galley letter to editors and bloggers (for praise/endorsement prior to published manuscript), but now we can send a PDF version (Saves money on purchasing books and it’s Eco-Friendly to use less paper)
• Book endorsements from high profile endorsers
• Online media kit/interactive newsroom with video, podcasts, RSS feeds
• Author’s blog site to discuss book topics and related trends
• Traditional news release (distributed by publisher via a wire service) and a social media release housed on a blog platform.
• Ning site with a readership community to discuss topics
• Facebook group to inform fans about events, interviews and interesting related book topics
• Launch party/media/blogger event (people can tweet about the event and upload photos to Facebook or to their blogs).
• Blogger relations/media relations outreach program
• Book reviews by traditional media and new influencers
• Media tours in various cities (including print, broadcast, and online)
• Cross promotions of events and tours through social networking communities including, Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo, SecondLife, LinkedIn, etc.
• YouTube video channel for author speaking on a variety of book topics
• iTunes for author podcasts

This is just a top of mind list and every book launch is different.  But, you get the gist of how the times have changed and the potential to market a book in The Long Tail provides tremendous opportunities (even for the small, self-published author).  Whether you are writing a book on managing people or one that puts the public back in public relations, you can use PR 2.0 to engage directly with your readers and their communities.  Today’s PR feeds the conversations and the passion, which leads to dynamic engagement; a type of PR and customer connection that I’ve never experienced prior to PR 2.0 and social media.

When I think of this as a consumer and an avid reader, I realize that social media allows me to connect with my favorite authors.  Have you tried to connect with yours?

I’m basing my blog post on the reaction to my last post on “PR of the Past vs. PR 2.0 Today.“  I wrote that post to pinpoint the amazing technological differences between today and year’s past and how a PR person’s role has altered (for the better).  But, the real discussion (the comments on my blog) focused on how PR people need to evolve as a result of social media communications and how there’s still resistance.  As a matter of fact one comment stated, “A lot of PR people don’t even know that PR has evolve[d]…or they don’t want that!”

I realize that every professional advances at his or her own pace.  And, with respect to technology and social media communication, there are PR people who dip their feet slowly and then there are others who jump in head first (which isn’t the recommended approach).  To move forward, it doesn’t matter the pace of engagement but rather the fact that you must engage.

At this point, a transition to new media communication is inevitable because, and I quote the words of Steve Rubel’s Micro Persuasion blog, “All Media is Social” and “All Social is Media”.  According to Rubel, you can no longer separate traditional media from social media.  He says that we do our planning, executing and measurement we must look at the entire landscape.

If PR people want to grow in their industry, if they want to keep close relationships with influencers and other important stakeholders (media outlets, bloggers, customers, employees, etc.) and if they want to communicate effectively, then it’s time to evolve.   The world is changing quickly and we see evidence of this every day, beginning with the media landscape. Here are just a few examples:

• There are about 30 top news sites on Twitter
• Media outlets from BusinessWeek to The New York Times publish articles online with viral sharing tools and the ability to comment to engage readers in dialogue
• Media outlets have started their own communities with blogs and social networking platforms, even traditional newspapers, on the local level.
• CNN has iReport, which allows consumers to become video journalists and share the raw video news footage.
• eMarketer stats discussing the demographics is narrowing gap
• The Twitterbowl rated advertising spots on TV will millions contributing to the conversation and providing valuable feedback to brands.
• Social networks are recognized sources for news and information, including breaking news stories.
• PR service providers have included PR 2.0 capabilities and viral sharing tools in their news distribution services.

There are so many more examples of how the media landscape has changed and thus, so should our approach and method of communications.  What are your best examples and what would you recommend to the PR person who is reluctant to change?

Even though PR is over 100 years old, I can only comment from experience on the last 20 years.  As I walk down memory lane, from my first job at Padilla Spear Burdick & Beardsley (now Padilla Spear) until today, I think PR has grown in a number of ways.

Let me give you a little comparison – PR in 1988 vs. PR 2.0 in 2009.  When I started as an assistant account executive in 1988, here were my responsibilities:

• Updating Bacon’s books (Bacon’s in now called Cision Media Relations Resources) with print and broadcast media contacts. I literally used to lick and stick labels into a book to keep the executives, who pitched the client stories, in touch with the appropriate journalists.
• Creating media lists by hand and then typing them on a Brother typewriter. I would take the time to call each and every outlet to verify the media person’s contact information.
• Coordinating media tours for clients in different cities (whether they were executives from large financial firms to authors)
• Reading as many business/financial and industry related print publications to keep my executives updated on their clients’ industries.
• Compiling quarterly clips books by cutting up clips and neatly arranging and gluing them on a page with the proper identification.
• Drafting traditional press releases (AP inverted triangle style of writing) and routing them for approval.
• Pitching media for credible third party endorsements (always trying to land that top tier publication).
• Helping with the coordination of press events for new product launches.

Does the list above sound familiar? Most of my responsibilities were tasks pre-technology and were focused on obtaining third party endorsements (pitching the media) for clients.  There was no video, podcasts and RSS feeds and no blogging or social networks for clients to interact directly with customers.  Come to think of it, we didn’t have these great social media tools because there was no World Wide Web; it wasn’t even born.  If memory serves me, the closest thing my office had to transporting information was a CPT data transfer system (from our office in NYC to headquarters in Minneapolis), via a mainframe computer.

Thankfully, PR has advanced, and we as an industry we are much more technically savvy. Here are the PR account executive’s responsibilities today, and even though traditional media pitching is still present, several new tasks include:

• Skillfully developing media databases by using proprietary software programs via the Internet.
• Doing research in the different social networks to gather competitive information, customer feedback and to monitor conversations (research is done with Google alerts, TweetBeeps, Radian6, BuzzLogic, or any number of programs that allow you to observe the blogosphere) .
• Scouring blogs and looking for opportunities for clients to get involved in the dialogue.
• Assisting with the editorial content for blogs by reviewing relevant topics and by checking daily news feeds.
• Working with monitoring services to obtain links to endorsements and also scans of relevant client coverage for client reports.
• Building profiles on social networks (i.e. on MySpace, Facebook or Twitter)
• Identifying and following new media influencers to target for FYI types of communication
• Gathering information and interactive media to create Social Media Releases.
• Coordinating influencer events to include bloggers who will provide valuable feedback on the launch of new products/services and who will blog and/or tweet as the event is taking place.

What a difference!  I think PR has changed for the better.  Our industry has advanced. It will continue to grow and change as the media landscape is no longer just for traditional journalists and content is generated by consumers and new media influencers.  PR has not only grown, when you compare the differences between then and now, it’s all grown up and is an even more valuable resource to any organization.

PR 2.0 helps to facilitate meaningful conversations and builds stronger relationships, not only with influencers but also directly with a brand’s customers.   I’ll never forget the past, but I’m much happier with the PR 2.0 of today and the PR that the future will bring.  What was your PR past like and are you happier with PR 2.0 today?