Don’t be a (PR) geezer
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Guest post by Jennifer Willbur (@rockstarjen)
Sarah’s recent post about the skills all PR professionals (originally focused on new pros) must have got me thinking. Her comments especially caught my attention because earlier this week, for the third time, I found myself explaining Twitter to my dear friends (all intelligent, successful marketing and PR pros).
WHY IT’S CRUCIAL WE GEEZERS (PR VETERANS) UNDERSTAND AND USE SOCIAL MEDIA
I’ve always been honest about my age. I’ll be 41 (There, I said it.) in a couple of weeks, and the majority of my friends and colleagues are younger than me by a few years. I’m a little sensitive to this (who wants to be the old broad?), but I’m not worried about being replaced or losing business because I’m not young and hip. I know my stuff, and I’m not afraid to investigate and figure out what I don’t already know. All PR and marketing industry veterans must do whatever it takes to become knowledgeable and current in today’s market.
Over the past few months, I’ve been asked by friends, colleagues and acquaintances about social media avenues; mainly Twitter. These folks are from all types of PR backgrounds – agency, corporate and consulting. Curiosity is the primary motivation for the Twitter inquiries, but I am flabbergasted by the number of times the conversation ends with people wondering how I find the time to “play” with social networks, or saying, “I need to try that one of these days.”
The answer to “One of these days” is “Now,” especially for those of us who have practiced PR for a decade or two (or more). Ask the questions, and then jump in there and figure it out.
Some of the questions you should ask yourself:
- Are you subscribing to RSS feeds from blogs that cover your interests and those of and your clients?
- Are you reading the blogs and commenting when you have insight or opinion on a post or related topic?
- Do you make your LinkedIn and Facebook profile information publicly available?
- Have you created a Twitter account, made sure your updates are unprotected, and are sharing thoughts and links and/or responding?
- Are you using all these tools daily to connect with others?
As with any new competency, learning requires some initial time investment. When I hear people say, “it’s a time sink” or “I don’t have the time,” I say, “You have to find the time.” It takes some getting used to, and you have to dedicate the necessary hands-on hours to realize the benefits and positive results. As a professional communicator, you know that education is power. You always need to know the latest and greatest ways to do the task at hand, even if at first, the problem does not make sense to you.
You might be in a comfortable position right now with an organization that is also wondering how to take part in social media, but the company is not making it a priority. How long will it be before you are in the defensive position after your competition gains traction, and how do you ensure your competitive edge if you are laid off? Having years of experience in the business likely won’t be worth much if you cannot bring in fresh ideas and do more with less. Your employer or clients, and your future, can’t afford complacency or fear of the new and unknown. Things are different now, which means YOU have to be different. If you don’t make learning social media a priority right now, you’re going to be left behind.
There are oodles of resources out there (like right here, here and here) to help you get the ball rolling. Even if you’ve been at the top of your game in PR for decades, you are falling behind if you did not answer “YES” to all five questions that I posed above.
Don’t fall in to the same category as the company I interviewed with in 1996. At the time, that firm was one of the top PR agencies in San Diego. During the interview, I couldn’t contain my excitement about what the Web meant to the future of communications. My interviewer responded with, “We’re not sure about this Internet thing. We haven’t decided if it’s something we need to do or not.” That firm shut its doors forever almost 10 years ago.
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Rockstar Communications is a solo act with the strength and grace of an orchestra.Rockstar Communications is Jen Wilbur, a seasoned communications executive with more than a dozen years of experience providing strategic public relations and communications programs for consumer and technology companies. Jen Wilbur holds unique experiences spanning the agency world, small startups and Fortune 500 companies that will help Rockstar Communications learn your business quickly to efficiently and strongly create and execute the most effective PR program for your business. Follow Jen on Twitter,Facebook, LinkedIn or at Dog Beach Blog.
21 Comments on this post
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Jenifer Olson said:
Hi Jen, Nice post and so true. But I can admit, had I not been laid off from my last position, I probably would not be as well-versed in social media, especially Twitter, as I am today. Along with several months of economic worry, I was given the gift of time to develop a whole new aspect of my marketing repertoire – social media marketing. That said, I agree with you wholeheartedly that “one of these days” is suddenly here for anyone in marketing, advertising or pr. We must all take the time to embrace and champion this new communication tool.
March 22nd, 2009 at 6:54 pm -
Ed Schoaps said:
Jennifer,
Great post! Speaking as a true PR geezer (I’m 20 years your senior) you are absolutely right on.
If you are a PR pro and not connecting to the world of social media–both on a personal level and professional level–you will miss the growing perfect wave and spend the rest of your career paddling madly just to catch up.
A friend overseas Tweeted me last week that his current PR employer sees no value in social media as a PR tool. So his company management is making a conscious decision to rely only on offering traditional PR services while the world around them changes. They risk going the way of buggy whip factories as a result. Sadly, or happily as the case may be, my friend is now seeking a new employer that understands how the PR world is rapidly changing.
I have the good fortune to work for a very progressive company that is on the leading edge of digital and social media PR, so I feel very lucky.
PR Pros: no matter what your age, please take Jennifer’s words to heart–lest you miss the perfect wave!
–Ed Schoaps
March 22nd, 2009 at 7:04 pm -
Kathy Winter said:
Excellent post! Social media is such an important component in any communications plan. I’ve been able to bring my org into it step by (baby) step.
I’ve found that it’s very helpful to establish a personal presence on these sites to check out the benefits of each, then decide if it’s right for clients. A lot of my experimenting and reading blogs has been on my own time, but it’s an investment in my continuing education.
Thanks for the post (and the links), and I’ll be following you on Twitter!
March 22nd, 2009 at 7:42 pm -
Myrinda said:
and I’m not even “in” PR! I’m a small business owner who has finally found her “social media groove”. I agree, you have to make time for new technologies. Not all avenues will be right for your clients, but how will you know what to offer if you don’t know what’s out there? Right now, twitter is my favorite “place” because of the INSTANT access to information and the HUGE pool of knowledge available there.
If I was looking for PR, I would ABSOLUTELY choose one familiar with social media sites.March 22nd, 2009 at 7:56 pm -
Rachel Kay said:
Jen – I feel like we must have the same friends
. I can’t tell you the number of times PR buddies have said to me lately they simply don’t have time for Twitter, blog comments etc… Really? Considering social media is the most talk about, reported on and buzzed about communication/PR/marketing/advertising vehicle of this decade, that’s a dangerous mentality to have. Executives from some of the world’s largest and most respected PR agencies are diving into social media (making time), as well as reporters and media outlets and brands. I know I don’t want to be left behind! Thanks for a great post.March 22nd, 2009 at 9:16 pm -
Spencer Priest said:
Great post. I agree PR pros need to answer “YES” to these 5 questions. I also understand why some pros (whether they’re 25 or 45) hesitate to “take the plunge” into social media. Even for me, a 22-year-old PR student, it feels overwhelming at times.
But just like the SD agency you mention, PR pros will quickly find themselves out of touch – and possibly out of a job – if they don’t adapt. They’ll have plenty of time to invest in social media then
March 23rd, 2009 at 1:28 am -
PRsarahevans said:
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jen!
March 23rd, 2009 at 2:27 am -
Jen Wilbur said:
Thanks for all your great feedback so far! Great to hear from others who understand the importance of personal branding online, as well as growing and finding time to learn the latest and greatest.
March 23rd, 2009 at 2:34 am -
Brandi N. Williams, APR said:
This was a great article and so true!
March 23rd, 2009 at 3:12 am -
Matt Batt said:
Leave it to Jen to stick it to the “geezers”:). Seriously, I really enjoyed and could relate to your post (although I’m not 41…I’m getting up there myself). What jumped out at me was your comment, “I know my stuff, and I’m not afraid to investigate and figure out what I don’t already know.” There are SO MANY PR pros out there right now that play with these SM tools for a week and claim to be “experts.” To one of your first points about being asked about Twitter…I now do a 90-minute Twitter 101 for anyone that asks me about it. Not as an expert but an “advocate” of SM best practices.
Jen, as your business (& Twitter) name implies – you are a Rock Star! Thanks for your contribution & conversation-starter!
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:25 am -
David Kostik said:
From the perspective of a card-carrying ‘geezer’ I think this is a great post. We’ve always had to struggle to keep from being obsolete – but now the leading edge is n
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:32 pm -
David Kostik said:
From the perspective of a card-carrying ‘geezer’ I think this is a great post. We’ve always had to struggle to keep from being obsolete – but now the leading edge is moving at a break-neck pace. Given that, ‘geezer’ is not defined by age, but commitment to invest in staying current!
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:42 pm -
Brenna Sowder said:
Jen – Great list of questions to ask yourself as a PR pro. I have to agree at least in part with the comments of others about finding time for Twitter. Being part of a very small agency, time is in short supply. It has been important for me since I found Twitter to set some very clear ground rules about how much time I spend running around the internet trying to catch all the latest commentary and insight – and phew, can it be overwhelming! BUT, I agree that it’s important to stay at the forefront of this ever-changing business. As a fairly new person in PR, I also find it EXTREMELY instructive for personal and professional development. And finally, very true statement from your post – complacency or fear of change will be the death of PR pros in today’s environment. Get on the social media bus, but take your proven toolbox with you!
March 23rd, 2009 at 5:11 pm -
Tressa Robbins said:
Great post Jen. At 43, I finally took the Twitter plunge a few months ago and really only got on Facebook and others in the past year. I thought I was behind but in reality find that I, too, am explaining what SM is and why it’s important to clients. I thank my employer (BurrellesLuce) for being progressive and nudging us in this direction, encouraging us to learn, participate and share so that we may help our clients in these changing times.
I’ll definitely be pointing some folks to this post – great job!
March 23rd, 2009 at 5:13 pm -
Kellye Crane said:
Jen: I love a gal who’s both funny and smart! You’ve hit on something important — and many folks who are involved and engaged in social media are a bit blind to this fact.
Those of us who are out there talking to our (sometimes clueless) colleagues know that the use of social media by PR pros is not yet mainstream. But time moves oh so quickly in this space, and you put it best when you note: “How long will it be before you are in the defensive position?” The time for us to act (geezers or no) is now, or risk playing catchup — perhaps too late.
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:22 pm -
Allen Mireles said:
Hi Jen,
Your post is timely. I’m a bit of a geezer myself (will be 51 in May–yikes!) but have embraced social media with passion and great excitement for what it means for our clients and for the rest of us.
I started this morning w/ a snarky email from a colleague who was critical of my social media involvement and declared herself “not interested in all that social media stuff”. Mind you, this person has wondered aloud on more than one occasion why she isn’t winning new business. A moment later I checked my Facebook and found the announcement about Sara Evans’ (and partners) new MediaOn Twitter shareable media database.
Such contrast in the space of a few moments. I have just spent the past 10 minutes posting the link to MediaOnTwitter in all of my LinkedIn groups, Facebook, Facebook fan page and have also Tweeted about it (my MySpace and FriendFeed pick up updates from Twitter). I’m excited for journalists, PR folks and everyone else to have access to such a resource. It can only be a good thing.
So your excellent post is very timely. Good work, youngster! I can say, having a few years on you.
This is an exciting time for all of us and watching the unfolding of this new direction with all of its possibilities makes me almost giddy at times. I encourage my colleagues in marketing PR to jump in and join the rest of us. Today.
Warmly,
Allen Mireles
March 30th, 2009 at 1:30 pm -
tony mackey said:
The great thing about PR people getting connected via these types of online conversations is progress for the industry and it also shows that we are all adapting (or trying to adapt) to the quickly changing world in which we work.
Thanks Jen. And I didn’t answer yes to all the questions, so I better get back to work.
April 18th, 2009 at 12:22 am -
Aluminum Laptop Cases said:
It is a challenge for people in certain industries to suddenly change how they do things to adapt to new technologies. You were taught certain things and you learned other things along the way. Then one day a new technology comes out that changes the way we communicate. To stay current in such industries, you have to be on the cutting edge of technology and use it to your full advantage.
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