Mike’s Points

This is just so, so very wrong in the world of public relations. (Thank’s to Jeremy Pepper’s POP! PR blog (last sentence in the post) for the link to Gawker.)

Maybe I’m old fashioned, but to try to curry favor with the media by gifts? YUCK!

Yes, PR is about relationships. And, trusted relationships with members of the media is not about sucking up with gifts. The core of it is about providing good news the media’s readers want.

I can go into more detail, but I’ll leave it for another post. It’s late (or early), and time for my beauty rest.

Good night!
– Mike

Technorati tags: POP! PR, Gawker, Pantene, Public Relations

A lot has been blogged about PR and blogs. Dave Taylor of Intuitive Systems says that “blogs are the future of PR.” (By way of the Rocky Mountain News.)

Wrong. Very wrong.

Yes, they are — now and in the future — part of public relations. But, like other tools and avenues for communication, they are just part of the present and future of public relations.

As blogs continue to go mainstream and even trade (B2B), they will be a growing part of PR and other communications efforts. But they won’t explode overnight. There are enough studies that say online access and use will not be there for the vast majority of the public. PR — and other — professionals need to be open to all forms of media.

Taylor says the future of PR is about blogs, and traditional news releases being sent to the media is dead.

Comments like that are very myopic.

If you have a consumer-focused client, then yes, blogs are important. But, the more traditional ways of public and media relations are still valid for the various audiences. Newspapers, TV and radio, and Web portals will still be vital part of PR campaigns. Plus, there’ll be grassroots efforts, corporate social responsibility, community relations, etc.

It all depends on what the company needs, what strategies it is pursuing, and the best ways to achieve those goals.

For B2B or trade PR, blogs are not the best way for many industries. It all depends on how your customers and prospects use the Web, if at all. Some industries don’t. Some do.

And, whether trade or consumer, it depends on your geographical markets. A local or regional company may not find it feasible to invest time and $$ into a blog.

In the RMN article, Taylor makes a number of good points about blogs being an effective way of two-way dialogue between businesses and customers, blogs increasing the “findability” of companies on the WWW, and that, if you are to blog, companies need to be commited.

But, those who tout blogs as the holy grail don’t really know public relations.

–Mike

Technorati tags: Blogging, Public Relations, Rocky Mountain News, Dave Taylor, Intuitive Systems