One PR Shop's Branding Effort Falls Flat

Boston-based public relations shop Lois Paul & Partners (LP&P) has been on a roll.

It recently celebrated its 25^th year in business, moved its corporate HQ from the suburbs to the heart of the city, and introduced a sharp, new corporate identity.  I have to acknowledge that as the owner of a communications consultancy I peer at LP&P with envious eyes.

That is until I came across the new positioning line the firm introduced with its jazzed up logo, “What’s next is everyday.”

Hmmm…I don’t get it.  To me, this themeline is a statement of the obvious which is absolutely not the mission of a high performance, creative public relations firm.  

In representing its clients, a PR, advertising, marketing or social media firm must strive to find the unique attributes and angles that will resonate with key audiences, while reinforcing a set of well defined business goals.

Plus, public relations and communications professionals in both corporate and agency environments are often challenged to help top executives communicate messages in clear and succinct language.  Confusion stands as an enemy of effective PR.

LP&P does attempt to provide more insight into the strategy behind “What’s next is everyday” in this blog post.  Yet, I even find their explanation confusing.

“…we’re proud to be as strong as we’ve ever been and that at the end of the day, we’ve retained our core values of integrity and balance that help us build honest, down-to-earth partnerships with our clients.”

LP&P is a fine agency and should be proud of their exceptional work.  Personally, I don't consider this effort success story worthy.

The All Mighty Sound Bite

Last week I moderated a panel discussion featuring a set of accomplished corporate and government marketers.  Produced by market research firm Market Connections in partnership with Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), the topic was timely and telling:  social media adoption and use cases in the public sector.

My partner Chris Parente published an excellent write-up of the event here, as did Aol Government’s editor Wyatt Kash whose article can be found here.

The feedback I’ve received from attendees – including Strategic clients at Iron Bow Technologies, Blue Coat Systems, Pitney Bowes Government Solutions, Polycom and Intelsat General – has been mostly positive.  The exception has been a few shots at a rather rambling, nonsensical question blurted out by someone in the audience.

I’ve gotten a number of “what was up with that person” comments.  And deservedly so.  The inability to articulate a clear and concise message in an engaging manner is a shortcoming of many an executive.

It was with this experience in mind that I stepped into an event on Friday morning hosted by the Association for Corporate Growth,National Capital Chapter, as well a session today presented by the law firm Morrison Foerster and accountancy Ernst & Young.

Rather than transcribing my notes, I thought I’d share with you a few sound bites from each event that I thought hit the mark in terms of content and delivery.

“We are burdened by a distorted labor market.  There are a few number of highly qualified, technical talent who hold security clearances.  This creates high demand for those people that the customer ultimately pays for.”

Hillen's not stacking midgets.

“We are not in the ‘stacking midgets’ business when it comes to acquisitions.  We are looking for deals that position the company to win big jobs as a prime contractor.”

John Hillen

President and CEO

Sotera Defense Solutions

“If management uses the word ‘strategic’ in the press release announcing the acquisition, then short the stock.  It means they overpaid.”

Edward Caso, Jr.

Managing Director and Senior Analyst

Wells Fargo Securities

Caso dreads the word "strategic"

“The threat environment today is much more complex and multi-faceted.  The tools to combat these threats are diverse which creates market opportunities for integrators and technology companies.”

Greg Van Beuren

Managing Director & Partner

Bluestone Capital Partners

“We are in the business of prospecting for executives.  The best management teams will capitalize on market opportunities.”

Craig Bondy

Principal

GTCR

“The best dollar we spend at SAIC is the dollar we spend internally.  It delivers more value to the shareholder.”

Walter Havenstein

CEO

SAIC

SAIC's Havenstein

Social Media and Sales Acceleration in the Public Sector

When it comes to the public sector there is seldom a quick hit in enterprise sales.

Prospective government customers are appropriately demanding.  They assess corporate capabilities and reputation.  They evaluate product features and service offerings.  They judge track record and contract performance. 

A vendor that attempts to rush this evaluation process can sour the deal and, in some instances, soil the long-term relationship.  That's because connections with government buyers are cultivated over time. 

In fact, it's quite common for the opportunity identification and capture process to be measured in years.

The payoff sure is sweet though.  Revenue generated from a multi-year, enterprise deal with a government agency can run well into the millions of dollars.  Plus, the lifetime value of the customer engagement is significant, as it provides a critical qualification that can lead to follow-on work and new opportunities.

At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), the majority of our clients sell complex products and services to government agencies, at both the federal and state/local levels.  As such, our social media marketing focus and engagement methodology has gravitated towards direct support of the three most important benchmarks for success in the sales process -- lead generation, cultivation of prospect relationships and deal capture.

Yes...it is possible for executive management and marketers to align social media with sales by following these four steps:

Step 1 Evaluate prospects in the pipeline and prioritize the hot ones.  Work closely with the sales team to cull prospects based on their purchase authority, intimacy of the existing relationship and timeline to buy.  We'll typically select 20 to 25 targets who we anticipate having a need in the next 18 months.

Step 2 Map and monitor.  Outline each prospect's social media engagement and online participation.  What social networks are they active in?  Do they blog?  Who do they follow?  Who follows them? 

Monitor and update this social media map at least twice monthly to stay tuned in to how the prospect's network of connections evolves.

Step 3 Engage in a prospect's communities of choice.  Connect socially with each target in LinkedIn, Govloop, GovWin, Twitter and the other online networks where they already spend time.  Follow the conversations they participate in and stay tuned in to their updates. 

Then, identify opportunities to bring value to the online discussion by sharing relevant content.  This could include posts from your corporate blog, links to trade articles or research, and technical white papers and presentations.  Steer clear of a blatant sales pitch by focusing on thought leadership and best practices.

Step 4 Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate.  Set tactical benchmarks such as the number of prospect connections made in a social environment, online interactions and prospect visits to the corporate blog.  Government buyers engage with those they trust, so this dialogue represents a deepening relationship. 

Equally important, collaborate with the sales team on an ongoing basis to shape content for the blog and provide intelligence on how prospects interact with the company in an online environment.  Seek anecdotal feedback from sales reps to understand how they have leveraged these social contacts to move deals forward more quickly.

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This article will appear in an upcoming issue of an e-newsletter published by Market Connections, a provider of business-to-business and business-to-government market research services.  Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) has partnered with Market Connections to survey the social media adoption of government agencies and public sector contractor community.

Creativity, Unexpected

My introductory sales pitch to a prospective client touches on the corporate attributes that define Strategic Communications Group (Strategic).  I like to keep things to a set of three which, in this case, include:

--Focus on a core set of client relationships;

--Commitment to work/life balance for employees; and

--Passionate pursuit of creativity in the development of social media marketing programs.

I had an interesting response last week from the director of communications at a mid-tier, publicly traded company in the Washington, DC area.  It went something like this:

“Creativity in communications can mean lots of different things in marketing.  Ask an ad agency and they’ll tell you its work that profiles and differentiates the brand.  A PR firm will say it’s an approach that produces a feature article.  A Web shop may say it is the use of hip new widget.  What does creativity mean to you?”

I fumbled the response a bit and, admittedly, over answered the question.  It’s not that I don’t know.  It was more of an issue that I had never been asked that question directly.

So, after a few days of contemplation I went back to the communications director with a simple thought – in social media, creativity is presenting the expected in an unexpected way.

Here are two examples:

Hubspot Scores with Twitter Press Release

Who Was Behind @Irene?

Life as a Communications Hybrid

I've had a few new industry articles published this week, including the premiere of my "Executive Style" column for WashingtonExec magazine.  Please take a read at the links below when you have a moment.
 
Am I blogger?  A social media power user?  A journalist?  Some sort of hybrid?

Ultimately, it doesn't matter much.  Focus on producing content that engages, educates and entertains, and then utilize a mix of channels of communication to reach your most important audiences. 

ExecutiveStyle:  How Charitable and Community Participation Connects with Business

WashingtonExec Magazine (August 2011)

By Marc Hausman, Strategic Communications Group

Many C-level executives consider their participation in charitable and community groups as important to the success of their company as any executive responsibility.  Whether it’s a board position, fundraising or event coordination, the active support of a well chosen not-for-profit enhances their own professional reputation, as well as the visibility of their company. 

Although these activities may comprise a compelling business ROI, the motivation for community and charitable giving has to be genuine and, in most instances, personal.  That’s certainly true for Iron Bow Technologies’ CEO Rene LaVigne. 

Howto Wall Out the Competition

Washington Business Journal (August 2011)

By Marc Hausman, Strategic Communications Group

It is important to incorporate barriers to entry in your business strategy, and then articulate those barriers to the market through traditional and emerging channels of communication.  Fail to do so and you’ll possibly sacrifice sales, profitability, and corporate or product valuation.  Here are a few best practices worth considering.

One Candidate's Refreshingly Unexpected Approach

The vast majority of corporate and product communications are plagued by a lack of originality and creativity in their execution.

Take a stroll across the Web or flip through a magazine, wait 20 minutes and then take a stab at jotting down the names of companies that advertised.  It’s not so easy, right?

This me-too promotional mentality is prevalent in how individuals market themselves to prospective employers.  The methodology is typically a vanilla cover letter married up with a nondescript resume.

The candidate forces the hiring manager to do all of the work to determine if there’s a potential fit.  This is OK in a robust hiring environment with four percent unemployment. 

Yet, in today’s market with near double digit unemployment, blending in with a jostling crowd of wannabes is no way to win a coveted position.

Last week, a friend who is a senior hiring manager for an expanding business services company forwarded me a cover note from a potential hire that was refreshingly unexpected.  Whether you love or hate the approach, it garners attention and, in this case, resulted in a phone request for an interview.

TOP 20 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD HIRE ME AS YOUR SALES MANAGER

20) I have successfully managed up to 28 salespeople.

19) I have a very high closing rate.

18) I'm very spontaneous, my great grandmother was Lizzie Borden.

17) I treat people the way that I want to be treated.

16) I have taken courses conducted by Tom Hopkins and Anthony Robbins.

15) Southwest is my favorite airline, I sill think the pilots and flight attendants are stoned.

14) I speak numerous languages including Cambridge lockjaw.

13) I workout (I have a six pack, it's in the fridge).

12) I'm never on time to work because I always arrive early.

11) I have two older sisters and have the scars to prove it (think of Tom Berenger in "Platoon").

10) I know the difference between there, their and they're AND too, to and two! as well as Rosanna, David, Alexis, Lewis and Patricia Arquette.

9) I have strong marketing experience.

8) Robert De Niro is my favorite actor (YOU TALKING TO ME!!!!!!).

7) I have never been arrested (well there was that time when I wore a yellow bandana in my back pocket).

6) I'm not on any type of medication except for Flinstones chewables, I love eating Dino.

5) I have had a return of investment ratio of 12 to 1.

4) I am a model in my spare time, a model citizen that is (we are in high demand).

3) My favorite comedy is Terms of Endearment, that Debra Winger is hilarious.

2) I have over twenty years of sales and sales management experience.

1) We are going to make a massive amount of money together.

Reliving the Dashed Dreams of Days Gone By

The Wall Street Journal just published an article about the boom now sweeping through the Silicon Valley’s public relations community as Web 2.0 start-ups clamor for market attention.  Some PR consultants are even back to accepting equity as payment for their services. 

This is pure craziness.  It’s absolute lunacy.  Good heavens… it's officially 1999!    

Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) went been down this path a decade ago.  We represented such dot com darlings as OnlineConversatory.com, OnScreen Interactive, iAutoMortgage.com and aTelo. 

Never again!  If a company cannot explain in plain English their business model and how they generate revenue, they are not in a position to derive value from any external communications activity.

Why these Web 2.0s may seem exciting, most represent unsustainable business for any public relations shop.  I know exactly where this ends because I’ve lived it -- broken hearts and unpaid invoices.

It's All in the Power Statement

We live in a world of sound bites, preferably 10 seconds or less in length.

This “give it to me quick” mentality is the foundation of Twitter’s success.  You get 140 characters, that’s it.

This challenges communications professionals to articulate often complex issues, trends or themes in a succinct manner.  Beyond tweets and status updates, this extends to concisely constructed blogs posts, traditional media relations, marketing collateral and other thought leadership materials.

How you say something is often just as important as what you say.  Personally, I refer to a high impact message as a power statement.

Here are two examples from this week of power statements in action:

1.  We scored a 30 minute informational interview for Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) client KippsDeSanto with an influential trade magazine.  KippsDeSanto’s managing director was incredibly effective conveying complex themes in a simple, engaging manner that the editor chose to develop a profile article from the phone conversation.

What Can You Learn from DRC’s Acquisition of HPTi?

2.  I then came across an interesting read in Computerworld about outgoing Federal CIO Vivek Kundra’s presentation to a team a President Obama’s top science advisors.

Rather than expressing concern about the influence of a select set of systems integrators on the federal government’s adoption of technology, Kundra characterized these companies as an “IT cartel.”  It’s no surprise that power statement captured the headline.

From Blogger to Columnist: New and Timely Articles

I continue to do a fair amount of writing for business publications and industry-oriented online communities about social media, public relations, marketing communications and corporate strategy.

In fact, I'll soon be adding to my resume another columnist position for a relatively new and exciting publisher that is focused on serving the information needs of top-line executives in the Washington, DC business community.  The topic:  issues, best practices and trends related to personal branding in a professional environment.

Here are links to two of my recently published columns: 

How to Market Jargon Free to the Federal Customer

Washington Business Journal 

If you find 15 minutes with your company’s marketing and sales collateral leaves you pining for a dose of Novocain, imagine the reaction from your customers and prospects. That’s right…they won’t read it.  This presents an opportunity for the company bold enough to embrace a more customer-friendly approach to communications. All this takes is adherence to what I like to refer to as the three “Es” of marketing and sales content creation – engage, educate and entertain.

Views fromthe Executive Suite:  How One Global Leader Thinks Smartly, Evolves in a Changing Market

GovWin

For more than 90 years, Pitney Bowes has dominated the mail business through a broad portfolio of metering, addressing and pre-sorting hardware and software solutions. Yet, as the preferred means of communication shift towards digital channels and social networks, the company has had to rapidly evolve its business.

Helping lead this evolution is Pitney Bowes Government Solutions (PBGS), the company’s Lanham, Maryland-based public sector business line.  PBGS president Jon Love sat down with GovWin to discuss his career, how he’s positioning the company in the government markets and how PBGS is partnering with GovWin members.

2 Informative Reads: Social Media ROI - Competition & Innovation

Each morning I set aside 45 minutes to an hour of uninterrupted time to dive into a set of general news and business publications, technology trade e-newsletters and Web sites, and 30 or so technology, public relations and social media blogs.

Context is everything in communications.  The ability to comprehend and articulate the "why" behind a timely news development or industry trend separates the merely tactical practitioner from the strategic thinker.

Here are two articles from today's reading that I found to be interesting and informative:

Does Social Media Have a Return on Investment in Fast Company.  Be sure to check out the reader comments to this article as I share there critical view.

Microsoft Takes Action to Ward Off Competition in the New York Times.  A good reminder that consumers win when there is credible competition.  It stimulates innovation, superior product development and pricing.

3 Sure Fire Ways to ID Blog-able Topics

It was a Father's Day treat.  Yesterday afternoon before my official grill master duties was set to commence, I saddled up to my laptop with an hour of uninterrupted time to blog.

Log on to the network.  Fire up a browser.  Access Blogger.  And then…absolutely nothing came to mind.  I spent 15 minutes staring at a blinking cursor before deciding to catch a few minutes of the US Open on television.

This was a first for me as I pride myself on a willingness to wade into nearly any topic of relevance in public relations, social media marketing and entrepreneurship.  Yet, I have come to appreciate the often uncomfortable silence that sweeps across a client or prospect meeting when I declare that “thought leaders have thoughts.”

What happens if you have nothing particular insightful or relevant to say?

Committed to filling the editorial pipeline of this blog, I signed back on after the kids went to bed last night and took three meaningful actions:

1.  Hit Up My Google Reader:  I subscribe to more than 50 industry and executive blogs, and spent a few minutes analyzing common themes and topics being dished about during the past few weeks.  

2.  Troll the Trades:  There are a handful of informative PR and marketing-oriented publishers that report on the industry and its trends.  In particular, I found this article about PR shop Golin Harris’ restructuring to be of interest.

3.  Monitor the Chatter in Social Networks:  My colleague and partner Chris Parente does an exceptional job of this.  He’ll note a discussion that has garnered intense interest and debate, and then weigh in via a post on his “Work, Wine and Wheels” blog.

A mere thirty minutes later I had a collection of five new ideas for the blog, all of which address timely issues that have generated discussion in the industry.  

Now I just need to find time to write.

Consultant Success is in the Execution

A recommendation in the how-to text "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Consulting" is to create a perception with the client that they: 1) have a pressing need with potentially dire consequences; and 2) absolutely require the services of a consultant (preferably you) to solve this problem.

While I see this sales methodology standing up in complex areas of business strategy, product development or technical engineering, the truth is the success of most consulting engagements is more about execution of a proven methodology.

This is certainly true in public relations and social media marketing.  Yes...each client may have a distinct set of goals.  Yet, the market situation, competitive environment and macro trends influencing buyer decisions tend to be fairly consistent.

While we have developed an approach at Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) which is more aligned with a client's sales priorities, our performance ultimately comes down to execution - produce content once, distribute across multiple channels (i.e. traditional PR, social media, digital, etc.) and align with a carefully crafted search engine optimization (SEO).

Here is an example from our ongoing work for Merchant Link, a provider of a secure gateway and data security solutions for the world's leading retailers, hotel chains and restaurant groups.

Press Release: Dan Lane Named President and CEO of Merchant Link

"Security Cents" Blog: Exclusive Podcast with Dan Lane

Editorial Coverage - Digital Forensics Today:  Dan Lane, President and CEO of Merchant Link

Grace Under Fire

After a bit of affectionate chit-chat at the start of lunch the conversation veered for the worse.

"This is a difficult thing for me to do," their corporate communications lead explained.  "We've made the decision to consolidate our business and, unfortunately, there won't be a place for you moving forward."

And just like that after a wonderfully fulfilling four year relationship one of our largest clients fired us.

It's a bitter reality of professional services.  Regardless of how well you perform, the results you deliver and the ROI produced, you get whacked for things often outside of your control. 

In this case, a relatively new CEO concluded that consolidation of their representation will produce a better outcome.  It's understandable and may indeed be successful.

Yet, the sting is there and, admittedly, there is a temptation to confront the client's decision head on.

That's never a wise play as an emotional reaction to being let go is unproductive.  I've done that twice in my 16 years running Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) and the outcome was the same -- it effectively severed the relationship.

We subscribe to the "grace under fire" methodology which includes:

1.  Be thankful for the opportunity to have been part of the team.

2.  Be supportive of the transition to ensure the client continues to be positioned for success.

3.  Be sure to stay connected with the executives you've worked with and identify ways to bring value to the relationship.

4.  Be thoughtful in your analysis of the client engagement to identify lessons learned.

Getting fired hurts because we invest so much in the success of our client engagements.  However, as my mom always told me growing up, "Always leave people smiling."

Do social media power users carry influence like journalists?

It's a question I address in my column in the Washington Business Journal.

How should public relations and marketing professionals view a person with thousands of Twitter followers?  An extensive network of LinkedIn connections?  Or a well read blog?

Check out my suggested approach and please share if I missed anything.

Why Web 2.0 Influencers Matter

Death Spiral of Commoditization

For a professional services firm, a death spiral characterized by dwindling profits and ultimate irrelevance begins once a perception takes hold in the customer community that your offering has become a commodity.

Consider the market for the provision of rather mundane technical services, such as help desk support and software upgrades.  There is a reason that business has migrated to countries in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe as part of the global outsourcing trend. 

Competitive advantage is achieved primarily through lower cost and in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Prague qualified human resources come cheap.

Prior to transitioning our focus to social media marketing four years ago, Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) derived most of its revenue from public relations services.  I became desperate in my pursuit of a viable market differentiation as the practice of effective public relations is people driven.  The "my team is better than their team" argument is tough to sustain.  

Other PR shops made their play with claims of a unique and proprietary methodology.  Yet, it's also a challenge to credibly establish a branded process.

I ultimately landed on a business development offering to compliment our PR services that we referred to as Strategic's Network of Relationships.  It's impact was marginal at best. 

Like public relations, creative design and advertising services have begun the slip to commodity.  I've written about my experience with crowdsourcing and tagged it as a tenable option  for the production of marketing materials, logos, banner ads, etc.

Most recently, I stumbled across an online community of advertising professionals called AdRogues who are actively selling (or should I write "re-selling") creative concepts, designs and layouts produced for other clients and prospects.

Interested in developing a new print advertising campaign at a fraction of the budget as last year's spend?  Check out AdRogues to see what is available.

This community offers tremendous value to corporations and advertisers that desire a "good enough" creative product at a marginal budget.  Yet, for the creatives of the world I'm afraid AdRogues takes them a step further down the commodity path.

Confusion Reigns in the World of Early Adoption

The analysts at Forrester Research recently conducted a survey of corporate marketers to assess their views about which type of consultancy is most qualified to take ownership of the brand in this digital age. Is it traditional ad shops? How about interactive marketing firms? Or maybe public relations practitioners?

The results of this comprehensive query are right in step with my experiences speaking with prospective clients: it is simply too early to tell.

The integration of social media and digital into the marketing communications mix remains at the early adopter phase as companies test, measure and evaluate different approaches (and resources). For that reason, Forrester’s finding is completely expected:

Most interactive marketers don't trust their traditional agencies with digital work and yet most don't believe their interactive agencies are ready to lead yet either.

Give this time to play out…for best industry best practices to solidify…and expectations to take shape. I believe in the next 18 to 24 months we’ll see a clearer understanding of how organizations can tap the expertise of advertising, marketing, digital, social media and PR professionals to achieve their objectives.

Social Media’s Role as the Great Energizer

Is social media marketing a replacement for traditional communications tactics?

It’s a question I often receive during a new business presentation. That’s because the return on investment for a social media initiative is typically more measurable and comprehensive than advertising, direct marketing, event promotion and public relations.

While many consultants focus on the community-building, awareness creation and brand positioning of social media, I view that as merely the natural outcome of participation in online communities and social networks. It’s almost an unintended consequence.

Rather, social media emerges as a true driver of the business when its success benchmarks are closely entwined with the objectives of the sales team – lead generation, cultivation of prospect relationships and deal capture.

For corporate executives measured on the top-line revenue growth and profitability of the organization (and that is most everyone), the lure of social media can be compelling.

Which brings me back to the question: has social media made other channels of communication obsolete?

Absolutely not. While there may be a business case to shift budget and spend to social, and more Web and digitally-oriented programs, I never suggest that a company jettison its commitment to traditional forms of marketing promotion.

In fact, social media can often serve as an energizer of these tactics by helping an organization realize additional benefit and return from ad campaigns, trade show participation and direct mail.

Let’s look at a recent example.

Earlier this month, Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) participated in the Satellite 2010 conference in Washington, DC. We’ve been a regular at this annual fete for international satellite companies for nearly a decade, typically walking the show floor to chat up clients and prospects.

This year I presented a challenge to my colleague Jeff Majka who leads Strategic’s marketing and business development efforts: on a tight budget and timeline, how do you best develop tactical social media activities for a specific event and align them with measurable goals in lead generation and prospect relationship building?

His solution included us playing the role of a journalist and market influencer. We developed and published content specifically for the conference in partnership with companies we identified as prospective clients. The effort was low-cost, quickly implemented, measurable, and executed with both marketing and sales resources.

Give Me 5 When Evaluating Social Media Consultants

Years ago when Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) had just found its footing I decided to invest in a new, start-of-the-art telephony system for the office. It was time to graduate from the two-line cordless purchased at Walmart to call forwarding, remote access voice mail and multi-person conference calls.

This was during the hustle of the late 1990s so we needed to move quickly. A vendor was selected from…well…I don’t recall how. A contract was signed with no reference check. I handed over a deposit of $2,500 to initiate work. And then…nothing. In fact, I never heard from the vendor again as their phone line was (ironically) soon disconnected.

Yes, I was swindled out of some money by a con and I was certainly upset. Yet, I came to realize in time that I was to blame for shirking the basic responsibilities of being a customer – do your due diligence.

The due diligence issue became top of mind this year as I read the steady stream of blog posts about what a company should look for when evaluating a prospective social media consultant. Here are links to a few:

Top 25 Ways to Tell if Your Social Media Expert is a Carpetbagger

Social Media Consultant or Snake Oil Salesman?

What to Look For in a Social Media Consultant


All of this ranting about philosophies, expertise and tactics makes the vendor selection process for social media a whole lot more complex than it needs to be. You can always count on consultants to muck things up in an attempt to justify their importance.

Here are eight simple words to say to anyone who comes a calling with the promise of social media: “Please show me your five most recent campaigns.”

See…it’s not rocket science. In fact, in his meandering article about the pros and cons of social media, BusinessWeek’s Stephen Baker lands at the same conclusion -- only hire consultants who have actually done work in the area they are consulting in.

Oh yeah, here are Strategic Communications Group’s (Strategic) five most recent campaigns. They happen to be for Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, British Telecom (BT), BearingPoint and Monster.

Hold the Line on PR Compensation

I spent nearly four months carefully cultivating a new client opportunity.

All signs pointed positive. The lead came from a trusted relationship. The prospect competes in a fast growth segment of the market. The CEO invested time with us throughout the process. I qualified the opportunity on budget – twice.

The CEO personally called with the good news. “You are the agency for us,” he explained. “There’s just one thing I need your help on. One of your competitors offered to reduce their fees by half to represent us. We’d like you to do the same as an investment in the relationship.”

Ouch! That opportunity blew up.

Admittedly, we did consider the rate cut to secure this promising piece of business. It is a sluggish market and clients know it.

Ultimately, we held our ground on our requested compensation and, as a result, the prospect elected to retain a different firm.

This recent experience reflects what continues to transpire across the spectrum of marketing, communications, advertising and public relations firms. Clients are squeezing margins while demanding a comprehensive set of services.

It’s gotten so dire that industry rag Advertising Age recently implored firms not to “cave” when it comes to negotiating the financial terms of a relationship.

This is no criticism of clients and their desire to achieve the most favorable conditions in a vendor relationship. Their responsibility is to their own profitability and financial well being.

It’s up to us as service providers to hold the line on fair compensation. We collectively complain about feeling undervalued, yet then roll back the prices like a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Ad firms and PR shops need to demonstrate flexibility during a difficult economy. However, it’s equally important to recognize the terms that create an unprofitable piece of business and then have the will to walk away.

Jerks Abound at Facebook PR

What would you call someone who has a laugh after causing the embarrassment and humiliation of another?

An insensitive jerk? How about mean spirited snake? Or, you could just compare them to the public relations department at Facebook.

Let me explain. Apparently, the spinsters at America’s favorite social network got tired of TechCrunch taking shots at them, not to mention their failure to follow the accepted editorial best practices of peer review and fact checking.

To teach Michael Arrington and his band of blogging cronies a lesson, they duped them into writing a story about a new fictitious feature on the site that was blatantly ridiculous.

When TechCrunch writer Jason Kincaid finally got in touch with someone from Facebook the PR representative “couldn’t stop laughing for five minutes.”

Oh wow…that’s real funny.

While Michael Arrington certainly doesn’t have the most pristine reputation, it’s not a productive use of time to make him look foolish.

Don’t the folks in Facebook’s PR department have other things to work on? How about helping the company get to profitability?