The Seven Deadly Sins of Public Relations 2.0
Tonight on our weekly #pr20chat we discussed the seven deadly sins of public relations 2.0, a topic suggested by Rodney Rumford and Kat Calbes.
I had no doubt that we’d identify some sins that are keeping PR pros from harnessing the power of social media to engage ALL of their publics. Without further ado:
Deadly Sin #1: Becoming too involved in relationships
Deadly Sin #2: Only focusing on media and blogger relations
Deadly Sin #3: Not understanding technology [Christopher Pollock]
Deadly Sin #4: Thinking you can still control the message [Christopher Pollock, Susan Getgood]
Deadly Sin #5: Approaching social media as a channel [Jason Kintzler]
Deadly Sin #6: Not understanding group dynamics, sociology, anthropology [Giles Crouch, Brian Solis]
Deadly Sin #7: Not Integrating communications efforts
Other Deadly Sins…
- Setting unrealistic, over promising expectations [Lauren Vargas]
- Cramming traditional “push” PR tactics into conversational social media [Jason Kintzler]
- Your client’s brand has no friends, fans or followers [Jason Kintzler]
I hope I didn’t miss anyone or any other sins! What other sins would you add when it comes to PR 2.0?
[Image: iStock]
Tags: deadly PR sins, PR, pr 20 chat, public relations
24 Responses to “The Seven Deadly Sins of Public Relations 2.0”
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Some good points and food for thought – not necessarily the points I was expecting either. I especially like point #5 (whole heartedly agree, has to be integrated). Point one is interesting..it’s harder to address awkward issues with ‘friends’ but there’s a fine line, since PR works better when the client/pr provider synergy is good.. Thanks for posting this list!
Beth,
Sorry I missed the chat tonight. Another sin of a PR 2.0 practitioner is trying to force social media on an organization that is not ready for it yet.
Just like you need to start by listening, PR folks need to listen to their clients to make sure they are ready in the first place.
For some, this 2.0 world is a little bit ahead of the game and forcing it on them does more harm than good in the long run.
See you at BlogPotomac….
Jon Newman’s last blog post..Do booze, tobacco and Twitter mix???
Beth, thanks for moderating the PR 2.o chat tonight and for this quick recap. I am especially interest in #6 and the other disciplines. I think sociology and anthropology tend to be not as readily understood by professionals in the communication field when they would be so useful. I look forward to additional conversations next week.
Have fun at Blog Potomac! Please be sure to listen, learn and share when it’s over.
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Richie Escovedo’s last blog post..Dallas Inbound Marketing Summit – From the Back Row
Fantastic list. I agree with all seven.
I’d add “assuming anything” as a deadly PR sin. Anytime you skip research, you’re basing your strategy on opinion (and no, I don’t do anything related to research).
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Great points. Got an email that some of you discussed my preso on Slideshare on your #pr20chat. Here it is for all of you: “Power Of People: Why empowering people is key in marketing.” http://www.slideshare.net/joakimnilsen/power-of-people-1490106
Oh, this is great! I missed another great conversation. Wednesday seems to be event night for me lately.
I would add “not monitoring/listening to your brand perception.” If you’re only assessing what is being said [positive AND negative] via media and largely read blogs, you’re missing half [if not more] of the story.
You might find people are saying things to each other that is more insightful than any product review.
Beth,
I have got to get your PR 2.0 schedule on my calendar. I would have loved to have heard (read) everything as I tend to speak up at team communications meetings. Stats versus reality, etc.
This may or may not fall under “not understanding technology”, but I think one sin is when the PR pro/agency/whatev, doesn’t buy into social media and just says, “Fine, we’ll do it because you want to and see what happens”. Why not learn about success stories and build a business case one way or the other?
Susan’s last blog post..Push or Pull?
Now I’m even more upset that I missed the chat because this sounds like would have been real helpful. Would love to learn more in context (about the ones that didn’t have links). What’s meant by not getting too involved in relationships?
Either way, some really good food for thought.
Thanks,
Dave
David Spinks’s last blog post..Facing Reality: My First Step Into The “Real World”
#4 is very true and I just read a good piece on that, about how many businesses get this one wrong. http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/05/riding_social_medias_trojan_ho.html
To #6 I’d add that there are competing dynamics: group and individual. People with similar socio-economics, demographics, etc. can be part of the same social groups for very different reasons. And people can be from vastly different backgrounds, yet join the same group for similar reasons.
Companies need to recognize the personal, human nature of social networks; their customers are individuals, not a check mark in a box or a section on a pie chart. Without breaking Sin #1, they should engage and interact accordingly.
Sad I missed this last night. Definitely a really interesting look at what NOT to do when being a PR professional. I’m still learning how to balance the MSM side of myself with the blogger side…it’s been interesting thus far to say the least.
Stuart Foster’s last blog post..Why I Don’t Care if Your Blog is DoFollow or NoFollow
Sin #8: Don’t be a sociopath (insincere, phony, exploitive). There are far too many 2.0 PR celebrities to count right now and very few of them have earned that through original thinking, insight or contributions to the field. In fact, a great number of them seem good at only one thing: social networking. This may be useful for their own careers but is it really bringing anything to the profession? No. It used to be that we followed guys like Steve Rubel – specifically because of their insights, intelligence and contributions. I don’t see a lot of Steve Rubels in this current crop of social networking divas so why do we continue to contribute to their status and celebrity by gracingthem with our attention and following? I say, let them earn it. Like the old days – when you didn’t get notice unless you actually did or made something.
Awesome chat…sorry to have missed it. I reviewed the hashtag and conversation flow this morning. Really excited about conversation scheduled for next week!
I am grappling with the context of #5…it is both tool and channel….just NOT a broadcast channel!
Great work, Beth and #pr20chat participants!
Lauren Vargas’s last blog post..Never Eat Alone – My Boston Challenge
Wizardry as always. Number 7 is the big one for me. If the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, someone is bound to get punched in the face by accident. Go ahead, you can steal that one.
Matt J McDonald’s last blog post..It’s Always Okay Until It’s Not
Great blog post. Another thing to add would be lack of thought leadership through the use of social media. Thought leadership is an important component of a PR function to help build awareness, establish brand recognition, create your client or company as a go to source for expertise and industry insight. I have been in this profession for 10 years and I’ve managed over 10 agencies thus far and as an in-house corporate communications director, I’ve noticed that PR professionals, while using the social web to communicate company messages, still don’t understand how thought leadership plays a key role in getting the brand out there and establishing a long lasting relationships with the journalists and media. Another thing is they need to understand the importance of integrating corporate blogs into the mix. Using the blog as a platform to communicate and establish thought leadership and integrating that with all of the company’s content to syndicate across other social media channels. Now, more journalists, analysts, bloggers and customers are looking to company blogs as a way to better understand industry trends, challenges, and insight.
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Cindy Kim’s last blog post..10 Steps to Achieving ROI (Return on Influence) Through Corporate Blogs
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@DavidSpinks, sometimes with social media and online relationships, we can become really friendly on- and off-line with our communities. We need to always remember that there is a business aspect…we’d be doing a diservice to our employers and clients if we forgot that.
@Everyone, thanks for adding more sins…great advice!! Another sin we need to add is not having a contingency and/or crisis plan.
Misguided attempt to identify the “sins of PR.” Do you even work in PR?
@AgencyInsider, if you read this blog, you’d know the answer. Your just a voice behind a moniker that apparently can’t even rank for “agency insider” (Um, rank =SEO) or understands that a blog roll doesn’t equal your own posts. Do you even work in an agency? How about coming back and commenting when you can play with the big boys and girls, hmmm?
When does the PR20 chat happen? I would like to join the next one!
Jamie Favreau’s last blog post..Blogger relations and how it works for your job search
[...] the conversations are full of energy and spirited debate. The topic of the night was to determine “The Seven Deadly Sins of Public Relations 2.0.” It was easy to agree that we have a far larger audience to appease on the social Web and that [...]