The Coopr PR 2.0 Launch Event: Book Giveaway

I traveled to Holland last week to present at the Coopr PR 2.0 launch event in Rotterdam.  It was an incredible trip and I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Ruud Bijl, the owner of Bijl PR and his PR team, and also spent time with @jodykoehler and @josgovaart who are driving force behind Coopr.

The event took place at De Unie, a lovely café and restaurant with a personal and intimate ambiance. The night started with a meet and greet with the audience followed by my presentation, which was held in a theater located directly behind the lounge. It was such a wonderful experience to discuss the industry with my Dutch PR and communications colleagues.

My presentation covered the state of PR, focusing on the following topics:

• Moving from PR 1.0 to PR 2.0 and the major differences
• How to tell you business story in today’s changing media landscape
• Building relationships with new influencers is key, including A-list bloggers, Tastemakers, the Magic Middle and with consumers
• The PR 2.0 approach and the do’s and the don’ts of social media outreach
• The next wave of technology
• 10 tips for PR 2.0
• Helpful resources (my favorite books, resources/tools and blogs)

The evening concluded under the lights with Jody, Jos and myself sitting in three chairs on stage participating in a lively Q&A session.  At one point, the audience joined in on the Q&A discussion, going beyond the three of us, and the individual who asked the question (similar to what happens in our social networks). I thought the audience provided fantastic information; they were engaged and it really felt as if a new community started from this very special event (and perhaps the conversation will continue on the event hashtag, #AEW09).

@jodykoehler, @josgovaart and I came up with an idea to give away three books to the people who asked some of the best PR 2.0 questions.  So, congratulations to @javerver, @rnaat and @YvonneVB for your thoughtful questions.  Coopr will be sending each of you a signed copy of my book, Putting the Public Back in Public Relations.

Here are the questions and my answers:

1.  My company, MTV, is social networking.  What can the press department do to help?

This was a great question and very common in organizations. There are often times when the social media effort of the entire company takes place with certain groups participating and perhaps other groups not as active.  Social media affects many different areas from sales and customer service to PR and marketing. And, different groups should be participating for different reasons.

In the case of the PR department, it’s so important to be listening and connecting through social media for a number of reasons.  PR people can be actively monitoring the social media landscape and engaging in conversations that are relevant to MTV, for brand awareness and reputation management, as well as editorial opportunities and new influencer coverage.  For instance, there are plenty of journalists, as well as bloggers, in the long tail of the web looking for stories and the PR department needs to follow and interact with these influencers.  It’s really important to listen, identify and observe the conversations, whether they are on Twitter or another platform, and then have the PR team engage by offering helpful information about the brand/programming and building relationships with the people who will then, in turn, discuss the MTV brand within their communities.

2.  I do public relations for a police department and was wondering who from the department should be blogging?

I thought this was an excellent question.  I mentioned a personal example of my brother, who is the Chief of Police in the small town in New Jersey, where I grew up.  I discussed how it would make sense for a Chief of Police to be building community online through social media outreach because it mirrors his responsibilities offline.  My brother is very active with various organizations, constantly attending affairs and working with groups in the community.

I was also very pleased that there was significant audience participation on this question.  @AmazingPR was able to help with the answer. He stated that it’s important to think out the “why part” first.  What is the purpose of the social media communications (the objectives) and then it’s easier to determine who should participate.  I agree and think that’s great advice.

3. How do PR Agencies add value through Social Media because Social Media can be best done from within an organization?

This is definitely a key question asked worldwide. The PR agency adds value as we help our clients with the strategy and planning behind the social media programs, which includes the monitoring/listening, channel or distribution strategy, strategic communications/content, as well as determining the type of engagement and measurement of the desired behavior.  Agencies can also help their clients with blogger relations, brand reputation management in web communities and at times, damage control.  We should also continuously counsel brands on appropriate communications strategies and be proactive, not waiting for issues/concerns to arise in the social sphere that will affect the brand.

In public relations, we have always worked to build relationships with groups and we will continue to counsel our clients on the best ways to foster and maintain better relationships and community building in the social sphere.  Because of social media, we’re more involved and integrated into customer service, web and viral marketing, and we are viewed as social media listeners and conversationalists.  Social media, although can be done internally by the client, is a team effort and the PR agency can be a strong part of the team.

Traveling to Holland was a fantastic experience and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many interesting professionals.  Practicing PR is both exciting and challenging all over the world and it’s very interesting to learn and discuss the various global challenges with other professionals.

Thank you, Coopr, Bijl PR and the many Dutch PR professionals who participated and contributed to the success of the Coopr PR 2.0 launch event.