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It pains me to write on this topic.  I sincerely thought that the basic tenet of Social Media – transparency – was becoming well understood among marketers.  But, the experience I’m about to describe makes me think that abuse of this principle may actually be widespread.  I feel angry and naive.

All names – and even industries – have been changed to protect the innocent (and I daresay “the guilty” get a pass too, as a result).

We signed a new client: a start-up with grand ambitions for touting their high-quality, respectable services to consumers.  The executives of this company are thoughtful, experienced and down-to-earth.  They also (blessedly) know what they don’t know, and turn to outside experts where appropriate.

Among the marketing approaches that the client claims no expertise on is SEO.  So, they hired an SEO agency. 

Within a few days, quite coincidentally, I start seeing new spam comments edging into my blog filter.  Normally I delete these without a 2nd thought, but, these spam comments are of the type that make you think twice before deleting, i.e., they almost sound relevant to the blog posts. 

So I double-check.  Yup – definitely spam: the commenter “name” is clearly not legitimate.  But the URL they provide?  It is my new clients’ URL!

We immediately call the client execs.  They had no idea that their new SEO firm was spamming the blogosphere to boost their Google Juice.  They call the SEO guys with a cease-and-desist command. 

And then, it gets worse.

After noting ominously that ending the blog spam campaign will hinder a fast rise in the Google rankings, the SEO agency exec nonetheless agrees to pull the plug on the blog spam… but, he counters with “another great idea.”

“Instead of the blog spam, we could have our employees post anonymously on blogs about needing a service similar to your offering… and then return a day later, posing as a customer who’s been happy with your services.”

I wrote about this slimy technique almost a year ago, and had been heartened to NOT hear much about such tactics again until this recent episode.  Thankfully our new clients put the kaibosh on this campaign… but, I can’t help but wonder how many clueless and/or evil SEO and PR agencies are engaged in such foul practices.

To be clear: this fraudulent tactic must be called-out whenever we see it, because if it gains a foothold, all of the good work being done in Social Media will be poisoned by consumer doubts about authenticity.

Posted by Todd Defren at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)

The older I get, the more I care about the young folks’ career development.  This may stem from having teenage children; I worry about their preparation for Life, Careers, Happiness.  Thus I happily offer college students and new graduates some hard-won (and so-called) wisdom, whenever they ask.

Here’s what a lot of today’s college graduates don’t understand: I am not alone.  I am not the only company executive/business owner who’s eager to lend a hand, an ear, or an opinion.  Yet, it’s pretty rare for a college graduate considering a PR career to reach out to me for some counsel, or just to grab a coffee.

Yes, sure, it might be intimidating for a twenty-something kid to ask a stranger for a favor – especially a stranger who could help (or hurt) their budding career.  But, as Gary Vaynerchuck suggested via my last post – “It’s 2008.  There’s just no reason to not do something you love.” 

How can you know whether you’ll enjoy a career, until you’ve asked some folks who have been there, done that?

Of course, there are some ground rules.  Most senior execs (myself included) are quite busy.  Not all will respond or appreciate the outreach.  The biggest danger is the volume of one-off requests.  Meeting with one, two, even ten would-be careerists would be easy to do over the course of several months – but getting 100 or more such requests would kill the execs’ enthusiasm. 

So, if you’re looking for an Informational Interview, here are some suggestions:

Use LinkedIn.  Hook yourself into the networks that are hooked into the networks of the executives you want to meet.  For example, I am more inclined to meet with the “friend of a friend” than someone I don’t know at all.  Not a requirement, but a good suggestion.  Use LinkedIn (or your professor) to get a known 3^rd party to vouch for you.

Bundle.  Think about it from the executive’s perspective: “You want to meet me?  Cool.  Do you know 3 or more fellow students who might want to tag along for the same reasons?  Better.  By meeting a handful of folks, I’ll multiply my do-gooder feelings for the day.”  (Having said that, the student organizer of this event does score more points than the other attendees, because the organizer has shown initiative.)

Recognize time constraints.  Ask the senior exec for 15 minutes of coffee time, versus 1–hour of grilling.  Keep it loose.  If 15 minutes turn into 30 or more minutes, it’s all good.

Do your homework.  Your questions (both in your initial outreach and follow-on meeting) should be specific to the individual – which implies you know something about their career, industry, and company.  Remember that everyone wears an invisible sign ‘round their necks that read, “Make me feel important.”

Proof it before you send your request. No busy exec wants to meet with a freshly-minted graduate who can’t write or take the time to at least proofread their request. Typos and grammatical errors are death.  And p.s., dress “business casual.”

Come to listen, not to show.  You can bring your portfolio, but only pull it out if asked.  Your incisive questions will say more about you than your college writing assignments.

Follow-up effectively.  A thank-you note is a must, just like Mom told you after every birthday party.  But there are two types of thank-you notes.  There are the simplistic “thanks for your time and great advice!” note, and then there’s the note that your newfound advisor is eager to pass along to H.R. and other hiring managers. 

The latter note includes genuinely insightful conclusions drawn from the meeting; some unobtrusively-placed links to your work online that show off your savvy; and, polite questions re: any potential next steps, if it seems there might be a fit in their company, or if the senior exec hinted that they might be willing to pass you on to an industry contact.

Think of this as the beginning of a “lightweight” relationship.  Watch that senior execs’ career from afar and note the big changes.  Follow-up periodically (2X per year) with a gracious note, update or question. 

The hardest part: knowing your place.  Just because the senior exec met with you, doesn’t automatically make them your new rabbi.  They have no further obligation, and won’t appreciate being pestered after the meeting.  As much as you appreciated their time constraints in your original outreach, you should be doubly patient in follow-up.

Eagerness.  Initiative.  Motivation.  These are the traits you’ll most often hear successful executives ask for in prospective hires.  Asking for (and getting) that Informational Interview shows initiative, and showcases your passion.  Why wouldn’t you want to start off your career that way?

UPDATE: For current PR pros, this overall approach is equally relevant for building relationships with the media.  But, you knew that.

Posted by Todd Defren at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBacks (0)

Caught this at David Parmet’s blog – it’s Gary Vaynerchuk’s Web2.0 keynote.  The language is NSFW, but the passion is infectious.

“If you’re pumping out good shit, people will follow.  But if you for a second – for a 1/2 second – don’t believe in what you are doing … you need to get out, now.”

There have been less than 10,000 views of this vid on YouTube, but I predict it goes pretty viral soon.

Posted by Todd Defren at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (1)

A question that comes up frequently among clients is, “Which wire service should we be using?”  The query is not necessarily re: the best wire service for Social Media Releases (which we’ve covered, and hope to revisit); they just want some advice on the wire services in general.

We tend to be resolutely neutral with our answers.  There are pros and cons to each of the major services, across areas ranging from Price to Ease of Doing Business to Reporting, etc.

When it comes to Press Releases that lead to INK, though, the answer has been nebulous.  First of all, a badly-written release (of which there are too many!) almost never leads to a write-up.  And depending on a press release to generate articles is a fool’s game, anyway – but, it does happen sometimes.  And it’s a sign of the tightening race between PRNewswire, BusinessWire and MarketWire that one of them finally decided to invest some real money in finding the answer.

According to a release issued today by PRN:

“Press releases distributed by PR Newswire get used by media more often than copy from competing services and generate more clips when they are picked up…

“Press releases transmitted by PR Newswire were used 55% of the time, versus Marketwire's 43% pickup rate, Business Wire's rate of 38% and a rate of 37% by PrimeNewswire, according to the study.”

It’s too easy to say, “PRN paid for the survey, no surprise they won the contest.”  There have been cases where I’ve counseled a client – who “just knows” that they lead the market – to “prove it” via 3^rd party validation.

I would have included some of the multimedia assets in the PRN release, e.g., the video from the independent analyst, but they were not posted with embed code (which means PRN still gets a “FAIL” in terms of making their own releases Social Media friendly – sorry, gang). UPDATE: they posted embed code – good job with the “listening” thing.

I didn’t have an opportunity to call the other wire services for comment.  (“Dammit, Jim, I’m a blogger, not a journalist!”) … I welcome their replies in the Comments field below, though!

Meanwhile, the twitterati are not impressed:

Posted by Todd Defren at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Following the rush of excitement when a new contract is signed at a PR agency, some wiseguy will invariably deadpan, “Well, I guess it’s all downhill from here.”

The wiseguy knows that the new PR program will likely start off with a bang, and could even continue on a strong keel for a year or more – but eventually, they expect to get a call from the client in which they complain, “You guys are not being strategic enough.”

Now, it is sometimes true that the agency is not thinking strategically.  Yet it’s also true that that complaint rarely comes up in the first 6 months of the program.  Why is that?

The obvious answer is that the PR firm has likely been hired with a Big Launch in mind.  This means lots of upfront planning, writing, execution and follow-up.  But when the launch is in the rearview mirror and everyone has caught their breath, a critical delta begins to form between “client expectations” and “agency execution.”

Danger, Will Robinson!

Too few clients and/or agency executives recognize this gap until it is too late.  And, really, it is a shame because the “cure” is clear.

The reason that clients are happy with their agency during a launch is not just because they’re busy getting results – it’s also because they’ve spent a lot of time together “fueling the engines.”  They meet; they plan; they debate: the agency is given tremendous insights into the product details; the strategic thinking behind the launch; the future of the company; etc.

Once the launch period is over, though, too often I see client programs go into “maintenance mode.”  Sure, there are weekly status calls and all that; the work hasn’t stopped, but, there is just not as much fuel in the tanks.

It is the agency’s responsibility to recognize when their idea flow is starting to wane, and to step-up with proactive solutions to fire up the engines. 

But, likewise, the client needs to understand that the agency largely works in a vacuum.  The corporate marketer lives & breathes in their particular industry; they meet every single day with fellow executives on a shared mission: their fuel is replenished each day.  Meanwhile, though they are engaged with industry media, the agency largely lives off of the input they get from their client contact. 

If the input from the client lacks ongoing vigor, the strategic ideas from the agency will sputter.

So – if you are a PR agency executive, and you sense that your team is losing enthusiasm for a client, get on the horn with your contact and set up a brainstorm-for-brainstorming’s-sake, quick!  And following that session, arrange for a monthly Strategy Call, in which “talking about tactics” is forbidden: just talk about the state of the industry, the business, the product roadmap, and see where that takes you.

And if you’re on the client side, and you’ve already empathized with the subject line of this blog post?  I encourage you to give your PR team one more chance.  Rather than put them on the defensive, invite them over with a smile, and see if you can help them refill the fuel tanks of creativity by re-engaging them in the company’s story and mission.

Posted by Todd Defren at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

A quick, personal thought as I head into another day of meetings.

Last night my 16–year old son honored me by looking for input on a short story he’d written for school, about “one of his proudest moments.”  Not-so-coincidentally, his proudest moment was also one of mine.  In his last season as a Novice team rower on the crew team, my son and his team mates staged a stunning come-from-behind sprint that launched the team from 5^th to 2^nd place in the Massachusetts State Rowing Championships.

As I read my son’s narration, I recalled that one of his fellow athletes had uploaded a video of the race onto YouTube.  Sitting alone in a hotel room, I was overjoyed to realize that I could re-live the visceral, fatherly thrill all over again. 

YouTube has become our collective scrapbook.

Here’s the video, for you crew fans.

Yes, the guy who starts screaming his freakin’ lungs out at around the 1:30 mark is Yours Truly.  (The sprint starts at about 1:40 – coincidence?)  No one ever accused me of lacking passion.

Posted by Todd Defren at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I’ve been in San Francisco for just two days and I’ve already met with scores of incredibly cool people.  The tweet-up tonight was fun, too.  Thank you to all who made the trek.

This city is so vibrant.  I have a few blog posts percolating as a result of my many meetings, which I will draft and share in the days and weeks ahead.

Meanwhile, your patience with the slower-than-usual posting schedule is much appreciated.  (Let’s face it, you are probably happy to take a break, anyway.)

Photo courtesy of Josh Hallett.

Posted by Todd Defren at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Via Slate, a hysterical look at the “future” of viral marketing.

Hopefully the premise never takes off, even though this video itself is defintely making the rounds.

While I’ve got you – an FYI.  I’ll be in San Francisco next Monday thru Wednesday.  Got a ton of fun meetings planned, including a TWEET-UP at the Elephant & Castle Pub, 6pm PST on Tuesday.  Hope to see you there, Left Coasters!

Posted by Todd Defren at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

I participated in a more fascinating than usual Blogtalkradio interview today, hosted by Al Kreuger and featuring Keith O’Brien of PRWeek, Jennifer Leggio (@mediaphyter) and Nicole Jordan of The Rubicon Project (a client, though that was merely a coincidence). 

It was a far-ranging conversation about the opportunities (and travails) of the PR industry.  Among the questions raised: “What is PR’s elevator pitch?”

In the interview, my fellow participants sagely discussed the need for PR pros to rise above the “publicist” role to become more strategic business consultants. 

That’s all well and good – I don’t disagree – but we must all also acknowledge the need to “get ink,” as that’s the primary reason we’re tapped by clients in the first place.  And, as smart as PR consultants may be behind-the-scenes, it’s in that “public” realm of Media Relations where our industry’s reputation gets its bad name.

So what do we do for a living?  What would you tell a college student who’s considering PR as a career choice about what they’re getting into?  (Keeping in mind that you only have an “elevator ride” to make your pitch!)

Here’s my attempt.  Long-time readers will not be surprised.

“Public Relations used to be about Publicity – and to some extent that will always be true.  But the rise of Social Media not only created a huge population of civilian bloggers but also led many mainstream media outlets to open themselves up to outside content, so, PR pros are now much more focused on the ‘Relations’ side of ‘Public Relations.’

“We have relationships with all sorts of content creators, and our clients are able to tap into PR professionals’ knowledge and networks to make sure that their stories are told in a relevant way, to the right people.

“Just as importantly, the PR industry is taking a lead in helping companies use Social Media principles and technologies to form better relationships not just with the media but with customers, prospects, even their own employees.

“Whoops – this is your stop?  Let me hold the door for you.  Hope to see you on Twitter!”

What is PR’s “elevator pitch?”  What would you say?

Note: if you choose to listen to the archived Blogtalkradio interview, be warned that the audio quality is patchy.

Posted by Todd Defren at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Are bloggers members of the “media?”  That’s a tough question.

The blogging trend is still fairly new (in the grand scheme), and bloggers are as often considered “snarks in bunnyslippers” as they are legitimate information sources.

In a recent tweet, Paul Gillin (who has the credentials to know) made a compelling distinction: “Most bloggers know more about a topic than reporters, who switch beats all the time. Reporters are resourceful; bloggers are knowledgeable.”

Geoff Livingston agreed: “Bloggers are not media, and should be treated differently. Different goals, readership, rules.”

In other words: the question of whether bloggers are media is moot.

Bloggers are DIFFERENT from the mainstream media.  They are smart, expert, passionate, independent, talented, and cantankerous.  They have their own agenda, whereas journalists (while they share many of the traits listed above) are beholden to a publisher’s agenda. 

More to the point: whatever else ya call them, bloggers are influential. 

We’ve evolved (quickly!) from a situation in which the mainstream media complained about having their content “scavenged” by bloggers, to an era in which reporters look to the blogosphere to vet the facts, themes & memes of their own prospective stories.

A so-called “hit” in a blog is often as valuable as a “hit” in a mainstream publication.  (In fact, we recently placed a client story in a national morning show AND in the Perez Hilton blog, and consumer response to the latter outstripped traffic gains from the “big” hit in the mainstream outlet!)

So – no, most bloggers are not media.  (I would argue, however, that blogs like TechCrunch, Huffington Post, etc. do meet that gold standard.)  But, they are just as important as media.  From PR pros, bloggers deserve and require different approaches that are more creative and respectful than anything that’s gone before.

The most common area where this “bloggers as media” question comes up is at trade shows.  Do you give ‘em a press badge? 

Yea, you set some minimum requirements for longevity and authority, but you do give them a press badge.  They have knowledge, enthusiasm, a publication (of sorts) and readers.  Those characteristics alone may not make them “press” in the traditional sense, but these are untraditional times: rather than penalize someone for not fitting established norms, why not encourage their passion and creativity, which only help promote the industry and the event?

Are bloggers media?  Maybe not.  Maybe they’re better.

Posted by Todd Defren at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)

It’s the start of the silly season.

Kids back to school.  Tradeshow schedules ramp up.  Product launches.  And (thankfully) a robust newbiz pipeline that includes some of the biggest opportunities ever.

Meanwhile, your rabidly partisan blogger can’t help but pay close attention to the upcoming presidential election.

I’m super busy, and distracted at all levels, personally and professionally.

I’m tapped out.  It happens.  (And usually when I write a post about “needing a break,” I seem to come up with 5 new blog posts.  I hope that that same magic happens with today’s admission.)

Don’t unsubscribe, gang, I’ll be back before you know it.  I just need a small break from worrying about getting a new blog post up every couple of days!

Posted by Todd Defren at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)