Public relations is all about building bridges: between ideas and people, brands and people, and people and other people. Everything we work to accomplish in PR today has its foundation in building bridges and relationships.
Not in burning them.
Yet, focusing only on the tools we use in digital PR and setting aside basic common sense, practicality and old-school courtesy leads to a lot of online bridge burning. “How we leave a situation and how we follow-up makes a difference between building bridges and burning them,” says Deacon Wardlow of MosaicHub.
Digital PR, described as the science of managing publics relations online, utilizes the wealth of today’s digital tools and global connections to extend all of the activities of traditional PR— further and faster than ever before.
We live in exciting times. Access to digital tools and social networks allows us to expand our reach, make new connections across geographic and cultural boundaries, and find information almost immediately.
This merging of old and new has created demand for expertise related to policy making, internal collaboration, technology testing, communications organization, pre-crisis analysis and planning, relationship analysis, reputation management, monitoring and metrics, as Deirdre Breakenridge describes in her book, Social Media and Public Relations: Eight New Practices for the PR Professional.
But you have to do it right or you can burn those bridges instead of building them.
In a recent editorial in Search Engine Journal, Managing Editor Kelsey Jones lists the many ways we’re doing digital PR wrong, including sending unrelated pitches with robotic sounding paragraphs that don’t interest her. “Sending out mass emails to bloggers and journalists isn’t cutting it anymore,” she states.
She’s right. It doesn’t. So, what does?
What works in today’s digital PR is combining the old with the new on a daily basis. While it’s critical that you stay abreast of the ever-changing digital and social media toolsets, you need to remember old school training. I know, I sound like your grandmother, but it’s true.
Follow these five old-fashioned rules in your online and offline work life.
1. Research
Do your homework before you pitch or reach out to a blogger, journalist or new business connection. Look for the person online and find out what they stand for, what they communicate and even what they are passionate about. Is your pitch or proposal something that seems like a good fit? Don’t reach out to them unless it does.
2. Listen
We live in a world where everyone has a story to tell yet no one wants to slow down and listen. Be the person who listens actively to what someone is saying. Use monitoring tools to “listen” to online conversations about your brand or organization so you know what your target audience is saying. Pay attention to what is being said online and offline and you will stand out in the crowd.
3. Make it Personal
Take the information you’ve gleaned from your research and listening and use it to craft a pitch or a proposal that has a personal touch. Show the person you’re communicating with that you know their name and what they are interested in or passionate about.
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4. Be Courteous
Use your manners. Remember to acknowledge help. Say thank you. Source the work of other people and share it with your networks. Introduce people to one another. Hold your tongue when you’re angry and wait until you’ve calmed down before posting or emailing that retort.
5. Be Ethical
Do the right thing. It’s easy today to cut corners and tell half truths online. Smoke and mirrors are in use all around us. We have this mistaken sense of anonymity that can lead us to behave poorly online. Remember the ethics of your profession and work and live with those at the forefront of your activities. You won’t regret it and your reputation for integrity will only benefit you.
“The next time temptation arises to burn a bridge, take a moment and realize there’s a reason for a bridge’s existence. Once a bridge is burnt, it’s very difficult to cross the gap,” says Deacon Wardlow.
And, as Deirdre Breakenridge reminds us, “…always rely on your strong sense of ethics, critical thinking, keen negotiating skills, unique ability to liaise and build relationships, passion for information and research, and your love of written and verbal communication.”
Allen Mireles is a strategist with an affinity for technology who lives/works at the intersection of social media and traditional marketing/public relations. Want to read more from Allen? Click here!
