Like an old Looney Tunes cartoon, there are throngs of pros about to stampede by and leave you in their dust. I wanted to offer up one final tough love post on the importance of social media, because for PR consultants no one else is going to tell you this – they just won’t hire you.

We’ve talked before about diving into social media, and how being online and using tools like Twitter are important to your business. As yet another example of the critical role social media is playing in public relations today, a national survey recently found that an overwhelming majority of reporters and editors now depend on social media sources when researching their stories:

• 89% said they turn to blogs for story research
• 65% to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn
• 52% to microblogging services such as Twitter

So, even if you consider yourself a traditional PR person targeting traditional media, social media has invaded your turf. We can’t look at social media as “someone else’s problem” – if you don’t use and engage with social media, you’re putting yourself and your clients at a distinct disadvantage.

This blog (like most other PR resources) will continue to cover social media information and tactics, but there will be less remedial information included to provide you with background. No one knows everything there is to know about social media and where it’s going, but we all need to be out there learning and experimenting.

Are you one of those who’s realizing that 2010 is here and you forgot to learn about social media? No time like the present! Here are a few resources you may find helpful:

• The Modern PR series (on this blog)
• Luckie’s 30-Day Social Media Makeover
• Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (book)
• The New Rules of Marketing and PR: by David Meerman Scott (book)
• Social Media Trends for 2010, by Jeremiah Owyang (excellent slides for intermediate and advanced social media “learners”)
• What the F**K is Social Media (PG-13 rated slides)

What role do you think social media will play in public relations (agree or disagree)?  What resources would you add to the list?

 Today, it’s time to come out from behind the curtain. Chalk this up as yet another way that social media has changed our world.

PR pros have never been accused of being shrinking violets, so it would probably come as a surprise to outsiders that for many of us, speaking out via social media feels just plain weird at first. Some PR consultants experience an attack of stage fright. We’re still trying to adjust to giving up control of the message, and now we need to do that while publicly on display?

 The key to feeling comfortable is to give a little thought to what your online voice will be, and then just do what comes naturally and be yourself. Be aware that there are some people (one might call them purists) who say that you should be your whole self, all the time. To them, this is what they mean by transparent. But I’m in the camp that believes you can be transparent and authentic without “letting it all hang out.”

For example, a few things you may want to consider include:

• Will you curse or be otherwise salty/bawdy? Think about generational differences in perceptions of this, as well.
• How much (if anything) will you say about your family?
• Is your outlook/personality generally snarky, positive, curmudgeonly, peppy or “just the facts”? Without thinking about it, you can find yourself sounding unlike who you are in “real life.” Giving this a little thought at the onset will help prevent that from happening.
• How much will you reveal about your location at any given time? This is a safety issue, and each person’s comfort level differs.

 While there are few rules in social media, there are some that are hard and fast:

• Never misrepresent yourself. Honesty is the only policy.
• Give before you get. We’ll be talking about this more in future posts, but social media is about sharing. Using it to sell/pitch only, and before you have established yourself, is the fastest way to be labeled a spammer.
• Don’t talk negatively about your clients, their location, or anything that might offend them (this seems like a duh, but you might be surprised!)

 Whatever your background and level of experience you have a unique point of view – join the conversations in social media and share it with the world!

 Have you ever had any qualms about participating in social media? Did you do anything to help overcome the “stage fright”?

Within this gray space, ethical best practices have yet to emerge. While traditional media had relatively defined lines between editorial, advertising and advertorials, online these approaches are sometimes blurred.

Why should we care about this as PR and Marketing Communications professionals? Well, the Federal Trade Commission is getting involved, and under their latest guidelines a brand technically can be held liable for a blog’s disclosure (or lack thereof). A more common ramification: if a blogger is perceived to have taken version of payola (sometimes called blogola) from one of your clients, there’s often a taint (real or implied) on the product or company that provided it.

Many bloggers are not journalists, and they don’t necessarily see the differences between advertising and editorial coverage the in the same way PR pros do. Consider this stream of tweets from a blogger on Twitter who received a pitch:

“Why, why, why does Big Company expect me to promote their stuff for free?  ‘Your readers want to know about this!’ Um, they probably don’t.
And in any case, would you go to magazine and say, ‘please publish this ad for free! Because, your readers want to know!’? …oh, right, advertising for you for FREE would be a PUBLIC SERVICE FOR MOMS. Do I *look* that stupid?”

Need another example of the blurry lines? Check out this plea that was sent to a number of PR pros.

It’s important that we recognize the issues, since you’re likely to encounter them at some point when working with new media.

Freebies

Before new media, there were fewer people reviewing products and services, so PR review programs were more straightforward. In the case of the technology industry, reviewers at top publications had boxes, shelves (and probably trash bins) FULL of free software – much of which they never asked for, and frequently never even opened. Far from a buy-off, delivering free software to reviewers upon
request was an economic necessity (no way they could have purchased all of the products they reviewed in a given year). For more expensive products, a loaner program was often the tactic of choice. There was no quid pro quo, and readers trusted that the reviews were legit.

This is true for other industries as well. Everything from free makeup for beauty editors to complementary trips for travel writers is part of the established culture of traditional journalism.

But now, there are often hundreds of reputable bloggers and online journalists writing about any given subject, and the freebies don’t always make it to all of them. At the same time, many bloggers are trying to figure out how to earn some well-deserved compensation for their efforts. The result? Recipients of freebies can be called out (often unfairly, by those who feel left out) or some bloggers may downplay (or omit completely) their disclosures.

The takeaway
When providing review products and services, politely make sure your contact knows you fully expect them to disclose. Examples of freebie disclosures could be including something like the following, in the introduction:

• “I was given a loaner unit for one week, and I found it to be…”
• ACME resort gave me a complementary stay so I could write this review.”
• “I was given a box of XYZ diapers to try out, and…”

Also, if the product you represent is expensive, try using a loaner unit program or other creative approach instead. Disclosure is still necessary, but this lessens the perception that the writer was given a big-ticket “gift” and was thus bought-off.

Obviously, arrangements where you give free product in exchange for a positive review are not merely freebies. If stipulations are placed upon the sentiment of the coverage, then the situation falls into the category below.

Pay-for-Play

“Sponsored posts” are another matter. To me, pay-for-play blog posts (which includes gift cards) are the equivalent of advertorials, and should be clearly designated as such (for example, collect sponsored posts on a separate page, use a different blogger/author, have a special “sponsored” graphic, etc.) . A smaller disclosure (like the ones for freebies above), or a brief note in italics that states “This is a sponsored post” just doesn’t pass the muster for most readers. The backlash can be swift.

Let me point out that there are some bloggers that vehemently oppose this opinion. “Don’t bloggers have a right to be compensated?” is a common refrain. They feel that disclosing sponsored posts too prominently will reduce the impact and therefore affect their ability to attract more sponsored posts. I believe this is shortsighted, since if readers feel mislead (which can happen suddenly) they will leave.

The sponsorship issue is further complicated by the fact that some very highly respected bloggers are working with sponsored post agencies and participating in their promotions.   These well-connected folks are on the front lines of this battle, trying to find a way to bring marketers and bloggers together in a mutually beneficial way. Note that some blog networks are parsing this challenging issue quite well, but at this point, widely accepted guidelines are still to come.

The takeaway
For PR pros, if you find yourself treading into this pay-for-post area, proceed with extreme caution. I’m in no way anti-sponsored post, but the mores of this space are continuing to develop and controversies spring up regularly. If you encounter bloggers or others who require payment in return for a basic write-up, it may serve you best to walk away.

Just another day at the office

In the era of Modern PR, these issues are just another new frontier, and this is an area destined to be gray for some time. What constitutes disclosure?  What about social media mentions outside of blogs?

Most of these issues will be hammered out within the online community itself, and PR and marketing pros have a seat at that table. But until the “rules” are established, it’s key that we keep in mind the potential landmines and always operate above board.

How do you feel about these disclosure issues? Have you encountered any uncomfortable situations or have any tips?

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Photo credits: Ian Muttoo, pfala