Brian, I agree that each case should be evaluated differently. So, yes it depends. But, I also question a couple of things. When you are paying an agency a fee for PR, then to me anything they blog may not be objective. Will the PR agency just focus on all of the good things that a company wants to point out about a product or service? Now, I'm not saying all PR agencies (or even my own PR agency) but there will be some that may not be as objective as they should be and will provide little value for the fee they earn. If PR agencies blog about their clients, is this a biased opinion?
Michael Tangeman
· 1 year ago
Brian, interesting conundrum.
Not least of which because in most agency-client relationships, and there are certainly exceptions, the agency is the agent for contacting the media on behalf of the client and is not the 'authorized spokesperson' for the client. Nearly always, one defers to the client's designated executive for any number of reasons: they are better informed, to maintain consistency in the information being provided by the client, the client wants to position this particular executive as an 'expert voice' on the subject at hand, etc.
What does one do with all that if the agency is blogging about the client? Sure, one can say the ageny would only blog about the experience of working with the client from a PR perspective, but how then to respond to comments which point specifically to client's products or services, how they are presented to the media by the agency, issues involving crises and specific instances thereof?
Does the agency then become the 'authorized spokesperson' for the client, having invited comment related to their work with the client and by extension all client-related matters? In all cases? Does the agency blog ever defer to the client? What perceptions does that create among the media and the public?
It's a real Pandora's Box and I can understand the agency's reticence to get out in front on this one without some real serious investigation of all the implications.
Sam Lawrence
· 1 year ago
The funny thing for me in all this is that a PR Agency isn't special. We all have clients and customers. We all have these issues. We're all biased. But that's what a blog is for. It's to have the conversation. To chime in and make yourself available. PR Agencies should be the BEST bloggers. They study dialogue and communication for a living. It's how they feed their families. And if a Client can't get that, maybe the Client should get donkey-kicked.
I'm not saying a PR agency *has to* blog. If they don't have a thing to say, that's their deal. But given the amazing work they do, there should be some fascinating insight and option for them to share.
Someone needs to convince me that PR Agencies are beyond the blog rules of thumb for any other industry.
Great post Brian. Keep it up.
Egg Marketing & Public
· 1 year ago
I have a marketing and PR company, and I blog about marketing and PR. I use my clients as examples to illustrate my points. Many PR firms have portfolios of what they've done for clients, so why not use a blog to illustrate that as well?
To me, PR and the internet are entertwined. There's no building relationships ONLY offline. Most of the world is online today, so that's where those relationships have to develop.
Susan Payton The Marketing Eggspert www.eggmarketingblog.com Egg Marketing & Public Relations www.eggmarketingpr.com
Brian Solis
· 1 year ago
Hi Deirdre, thank you for stopping by! I think you bring up a great question. If the agency is blogging about experiences and lessons learned as they try to engage Jive's community, then it's not contrived or conflicting...it's actually insightful and transparent. Otherwise, it would simply be blogging for blogging's sake, and I'm not sure it would be of value to anyone and would also most certainly be biased ;)
@Michael Tangeman, it's good to hear from you! I think you raise interesting topics for further discussion. At the very least, thought has to go into all of this in order to offer value to the people who are reading it. In the era of socialized media, many PR professionals are becoming legitimate spokespersons for companies...however, it's not just any PR pro...it's someone who truly lives and breathes the space and the product. It's not for everyone, but when it works, it's pretty incredibly (which I know you know.)
@Sam Lawrence, the gentleman who started it all...thanks for visiting and thanks for writing that post today. It sparked a ton of great dialog. I think that PR, or any company, needs to evaluate what they want to say, to whom it matters, and why. Doing so will help them connect with readers in a genuine and sincere way and hopefully add value along the way. At the end of the day, some companies just don't feel comfortable putting things out there...and while it may be inhibiting to some level, it may not be critical just yet. I'm not sure if PR agencies would be the BEST bloggers either. Certainly there are some who would do it extremely well. I think as in anything, the best would be represented by those passionate about their subject matter. I was once asked by an aspiring blogger what it took to become a thought leader. I responded, "well, you first have to be one..." :)
Brian Solis
· 1 year ago
@susan paytan. good for you. you're exactly right!
brian koh
· 1 year ago
wow, timely discussion.
Brian, i think there's a time and place for PR agencies to blog, and going with what Susan Payton shared about, client examples are great case studies to add to a blog entry.
For me, if a client wanted my agency to blog about our experiences working with them, i would question why? who are we trying to reach out to on our agency's blog? if the audience that the client wants to reach out to can be found reading our blogs, i'd say.. give it a spin, leverage on the advantage, meet the demand (if people are looking for it)
on my personal blog, i would never talk about my client without their consent, and i guess there are certain repercussions, as to how 'biased' my views will be. you can put disclaimers, but once it's online, it can provide ammunition for would-be detractors, and you spend time fighting a crisis you could have avoided in the first place.
i think it needs more thought, it's interesting that Jive is looking to their PR agency to blog, most clients tend to be a bit more conservative in this regard.
thanks for giving me a topic to blog about!
brian koh Singapore
Megan Soto
· 1 year ago
Biran, I liked what you had to say on this topic and the intimidation in blogging. As a PR student blogger, I have a tough time knowing if my posts are that relevent or why I should be able to join the "conversation" of the "pros". But this blog made me think maybe mine are more valuable because my blogs are not driven by clients but rather my own musings - and an assignment from my teacher. Thanks for the post!
Josh Morgan
· 1 year ago
I include most of my clients on our blog when it fits. Or sometimes I talk about new ideas, products etc a client is discussing publicly. We are hired by clients, we have a contract with them and an obligation to them to do the right thing. Am I going to take my client to task on my blog when I have an issue with them? No. I'm going to talk to them directly. However, if my client has an issue that needs to be addressed publicly, my blog is one method we may use of doing that.
It's pretty much that simple. They might think they don't have anything interesting to say, but if that's the case, A) they're not thinking hard enough or B) they're afraid to tell the truth.
Neither of those options bodes well. For god's sake, at least blog about your kid's baseball team or your affection for Jimmy Buffet or something. It's possible to *know* what blogging is like without having done it, but it's not possible to *understand* - and there's a difference.
Sarah Colvin
· 1 year ago
Brian, I think this is a very important question to ask PR professionals because social media continues to expand and the PR field needs to decide when blogging is necessary.
I agree with the PR Agency's reasoning against Sam Lawrence's view. There's no need to blog just to blog. Too much irrelevant information can cloud the important information's credibility.
I think a company should blog if the information is relevant and interesting to its target audience, otherwise I agree with Darryl Siry, it seems like a waste of time. If it's not benefiting the company or the public, don't write it.
It will be interesting to see how PR professionals tackle these issues as blogging becomes more popular in the years to come.
Len Cercone
· 1 year ago
Great post today. The fact that this is even being debated is a positive sign. YES, agencies should blog if for no other reason than to provide leadership to their clients. Most are not as forward thinking as Jive, and to have a client give this type of freedom is refreshing. I'm not too concerned for an agency to balance the obvious issues of discussing a client's business. We get it; we're professionals. More to the point is that it's an avenue to share information in a way that will enhance the relationship, and if done right, the perception of the client.
Len Cercone, CerconeBrownCurtis PR
Flex
· 10 months ago
I completely agree that public relations agencies should participate in blogging. It is essential to PR's survival that it adapt to new advances in technology and industry trends. Blogging is an inexpensive and effective way to send a message to all potential clients about the agencies values while, at the same time, creating its online persona. Blogs present the perfect opportunity to express what an organization is all about.
However, I do agree with agencies who state that blogging could potentially damage existing relationships with clients. Blogging subject matter should absolutely steer clear of revealing any information about specific clients and accounts. Regarding individual campaigns, PR should be invisible. For example, if the public discovered that a specific organization were using an agency to create two conflicting campaigns for two different products, this may demonstrate the creativity and ingenuity of the agency, but at the expense of the organization's image. It may make the organization seem flippant or inconsistent since they are presenting conflicting ideals through their messages. Agencies must address overarching issues of the PR industry instead of information about individual clients to avoid this problem.
However, agencies must choose the appropriate avenue to do so. Many blogs are disorganized or attractive to respondents who have less than constructive points of view to present. I would recommend that agencies blog on their own website. After all, this is where potential clients will visit to find out about them. What better place to present the agency's stance within the PR industry? If a lesser-known agency wishes to create a blog, it must find appropriate blogging sites to expose itself to the market.
I would definitely agree that the PR industry has a long way to go in understanding the dynamics of blogging and its effects completely. The best way to do this is by investing time in discovering the best blog for your organization, creating effective and creative messages to represent it, evaluating the effect of these messages on readers by offering them the chance to respond, and the consistent monitoring of their responses.
I also agree that the audience the agency is trying to reach determines where they must blog and what they should blog about. Individual agencies should evaluate how and if blogs can be effective for them. If they decide to use a blog, time and effort must be invested in making sure that it is effective in helping the agency achieve its overall goals.
All Comments
Not least of which because in most agency-client relationships, and there are certainly exceptions, the agency is the agent for contacting the media on behalf of the client and is not the 'authorized spokesperson' for the client. Nearly always, one defers to the client's designated executive for any number of reasons: they are better informed, to maintain consistency in the information being provided by the client, the client wants to position this particular executive as an 'expert voice' on the subject at hand, etc.
What does one do with all that if the agency is blogging about the client? Sure, one can say the ageny would only blog about the experience of working with the client from a PR perspective, but how then to respond to comments which point specifically to client's products or services, how they are presented to the media by the agency, issues involving crises and specific instances thereof?
Does the agency then become the 'authorized spokesperson' for the client, having invited comment related to their work with the client and by extension all client-related matters? In all cases? Does the agency blog ever defer to the client? What perceptions does that create among the media and the public?
It's a real Pandora's Box and I can understand the agency's reticence to get out in front on this one without some real serious investigation of all the implications.
I'm not saying a PR agency *has to* blog. If they don't have a thing to say, that's their deal. But given the amazing work they do, there should be some fascinating insight and option for them to share.
Someone needs to convince me that PR Agencies are beyond the blog rules of thumb for any other industry.
Great post Brian. Keep it up.
To me, PR and the internet are entertwined. There's no building relationships ONLY offline. Most of the world is online today, so that's where those relationships have to develop.
Susan Payton
The Marketing Eggspert
www.eggmarketingblog.com
Egg Marketing & Public Relations
www.eggmarketingpr.com
@Michael Tangeman, it's good to hear from you! I think you raise interesting topics for further discussion. At the very least, thought has to go into all of this in order to offer value to the people who are reading it. In the era of socialized media, many PR professionals are becoming legitimate spokespersons for companies...however, it's not just any PR pro...it's someone who truly lives and breathes the space and the product. It's not for everyone, but when it works, it's pretty incredibly (which I know you know.)
@Sam Lawrence, the gentleman who started it all...thanks for visiting and thanks for writing that post today. It sparked a ton of great dialog. I think that PR, or any company, needs to evaluate what they want to say, to whom it matters, and why. Doing so will help them connect with readers in a genuine and sincere way and hopefully add value along the way. At the end of the day, some companies just don't feel comfortable putting things out there...and while it may be inhibiting to some level, it may not be critical just yet. I'm not sure if PR agencies would be the BEST bloggers either. Certainly there are some who would do it extremely well. I think as in anything, the best would be represented by those passionate about their subject matter. I was once asked by an aspiring blogger what it took to become a thought leader. I responded, "well, you first have to be one..." :)
Brian, i think there's a time and place for PR agencies to blog, and going with what Susan Payton shared about, client examples are great case studies to add to a blog entry.
For me, if a client wanted my agency to blog about our experiences working with them, i would question why? who are we trying to reach out to on our agency's blog? if the audience that the client wants to reach out to can be found reading our blogs, i'd say.. give it a spin, leverage on the advantage, meet the demand (if people are looking for it)
on my personal blog, i would never talk about my client without their consent, and i guess there are certain repercussions, as to how 'biased' my views will be. you can put disclaimers, but once it's online, it can provide ammunition for would-be detractors, and you spend time fighting a crisis you could have avoided in the first place.
i think it needs more thought, it's interesting that Jive is looking to their PR agency to blog, most clients tend to be a bit more conservative in this regard.
thanks for giving me a topic to blog about!
brian koh
Singapore
It's pretty much that simple. They might think they don't have anything interesting to say, but if that's the case, A) they're not thinking hard enough or B) they're afraid to tell the truth.
Neither of those options bodes well. For god's sake, at least blog about your kid's baseball team or your affection for Jimmy Buffet or something. It's possible to *know* what blogging is like without having done it, but it's not possible to *understand* - and there's a difference.
I agree with the PR Agency's reasoning against Sam Lawrence's view. There's no need to blog just to blog. Too much irrelevant information can cloud the important information's credibility.
I think a company should blog if the information is relevant and interesting to its target audience, otherwise I agree with Darryl Siry, it seems like a waste of time. If it's not benefiting the company or the public, don't write it.
It will be interesting to see how PR professionals tackle these issues as blogging becomes more popular in the years to come.
Len Cercone, CerconeBrownCurtis PR
However, I do agree with agencies who state that blogging could potentially damage existing relationships with clients. Blogging subject matter should absolutely steer clear of revealing any information about specific clients and accounts. Regarding individual campaigns, PR should be invisible. For example, if the public discovered that a specific organization were using an agency to create two conflicting campaigns for two different products, this may demonstrate the creativity and ingenuity of the agency, but at the expense of the organization's image. It may make the organization seem flippant or inconsistent since they are presenting conflicting ideals through their messages. Agencies must address overarching issues of the PR industry instead of information about individual clients to avoid this problem.
However, agencies must choose the appropriate avenue to do so. Many blogs are disorganized or attractive to respondents who have less than constructive points of view to present. I would recommend that agencies blog on their own website. After all, this is where potential clients will visit to find out about them. What better place to present the agency's stance within the PR industry? If a lesser-known agency wishes to create a blog, it must find appropriate blogging sites to expose itself to the market.
I would definitely agree that the PR industry has a long way to go in understanding the dynamics of blogging and its effects completely. The best way to do this is by investing time in discovering the best blog for your organization, creating effective and creative messages to represent it, evaluating the effect of these messages on readers by offering them the chance to respond, and the consistent monitoring of their responses.
I also agree that the audience the agency is trying to reach determines where they must blog and what they should blog about. Individual agencies should evaluate how and if blogs can be effective for them. If they decide to use a blog, time and effort must be invested in making sure that it is effective in helping the agency achieve its overall goals.