Heather Whaling
Columbus, OH
- 145 comments
- 1 likes given
- 35 likes received
President @GebenComm. Results-driven PR & social media consultant,speaker. Co-mod #pr20chat. Love social good, sports, news, vino & my iPhone.
@kmskala YES! Kasey, this is a really good point. The past few months, I've tried to be better about purposefully deciding which meetings I need to attend vs which ones I can delegate to someone on my team ... or even if we can skip it altogether. When we hold internal meetings, I'm trying to be better about making sure every meeting has a clear purpose and ends with specific action items. I hate meetings for meetings' sake.
@mdbarber Good question! For now, I'm using a generic ifttt tag and then I (or my VA) will go in every once in a while and add more specific tags. It's not quite as seamless as we'd hope, but it's a start ...
@KLianez2 Agree! I think the idea was clever, but even more so because it happened without any pre-planning! Thanks for reading.
@kmkeidan Hi! I often include "tweetable tips" when I give presentations. This was the first time I'd tried the idea in a blog post. If you want to make one yourself, just go to clicktotweet.com. Good luck with your upcoming event!
@jeffbeisenberg Thanks for reading, Jeff, and for commenting. I think the interesting thing about both of these apps is the move away from sharing with *everyone* and sharing with a much more private, select group of people. If you know something will be a little less public (in theory), do sharing habits change? Definitely something to keep tabs on in the coming months ... we'll see what happens!
I love that you blogged about this, Arik. As I mentioned yesterday on Twitter, as a general rule of thumb, I try to limit client-related tweets to things that I think are interesting/relevant. For example, I have a B2B client in the manufacturing industry. I hardly ever post about them. But, if it's a more consumer-facing product/service client that I think people would be interested in, I don't see harm in sharing.
That said, getting to topic of network, I think it's a very fine line. I think brands make a mistake if they *just* hire someone because that person has a large network. Brands should hire a PR person for their ability to develop and execute a strategy that aligns with business objectives. Though, in some cases, having a network to tap into can make implementation easier, but that shouldn't be the deciding factor.
So, here's a question that I think builds on top of this: As @JayBaer mentioned, brands are tapping into their consultants' networks. In fact, I know a few PR agencies (not mine) who tout "networking" as one of the services they offer -- meaning they can facilitate high-level introductions in a key market segment. Certainly, there's a lot of potential value for a company if their PR person can open new doors to big opportunities. Even at Geben, we've been able to make introductions for clients that have turned into major business deals for them. That's part of the value we're able to deliver. We don't "sell" on that, but I also don't think it should be discounted or ignored. That begs another question: How do you bill for that? Are you billing hourly or based on the value you're delivering? If you bill hourly, the 15 minutes it took to facilitate that intro diminishes the value. It's worth more than whatever you're billing for that quarter-hour of time. But, if you're not billing based on the *value* you offer, are you not being fairly compensated for the services you're providing? Or, do those introductions just become a value-add and something you do to be a good partner to the client? I've had interesting conversations with people running agencies who bill hourly as well as some who bill based on value ... I'd love to hear pros and cons from people on both (or other options!) ...
@dcterry I think a part of the process focuses on creating connection points. Typically in marketing/advertising, people focus on "touch points" -- as in, you need X touch points before someone takes action. With community building, I think a shift in perspective can help brands think through how to move someone through the process. Creating more connection points can take shape a variety of ways, including amazing customer service, bridging the digital-physical divide to build stronger relationships, providing compelling content that sparks stronger engagement, etc. Just like moving into a new neighborhood, it's a process that takes time and effort. But, we've seen with our clients that it's time and effort that can translate into real business-driven outcomes.
@JeffBC94 I LOVE my baseball bat. We have it on a shelf in our living room. Today helped me realize just how important it is to me. It's irreplaceable. Your rock idea is fun, too. I love hearing how people get creative with their weddings. Such a fun idea! Looking forward to seeing you in-person again soon!
@KelleeMagee I used to blog a lot more about random things like this. I miss those days. This seemed like an appropriate time for a personal post. Plus, it was a bit cathartic for me to write it and realize that things could have been much, much worse. Thanks for taking the time to read it! :)
@annedreshfield Agree. It's refreshing to see someone in this position understand and embrace the power of social media. Thanks for reading!
@Jacob Stoops A destresser in the office is a good idea. We don't have a ping-pong table, but we do have a fun couch and bean bag chair. Does that count?
@LinilleAbella You know what, that's a fantastic point. We couldn't do things like Work Away without a high level of trust and discipline. For this approach to work, we have to earn each other's trust. It's a mission-critical two-way step. Thanks for the reminder!
@decillis1 I love our get-togethers! Great way to unwind and have fun. :)
@nateriggs You're right -- this could resonate with people outside the PR industry. I'm not a huge believer in work-life balance ... I think it's better to find a way to make the two work together. Achieving balance is impossible, especially in our lines of work. But, that doesn't mean that sometimes you just need to shut your brain off or find a new source of creativity and inspiration outside the office or outside client work. We should form a guilt-free support group. :)
@nateriggs I think we agree. I'm definately not saying that frequency should decrease. Instead, I think the quality should increase. Across the board. Posting less-than-stellar content just to fill space isn't a good idea. So, if you're going to commit to "doing social," you have to have the resources allocated to create interesting content at the frequency that makes sense for your organization. That doesn't mean it needs to be a high-dollar ... just high-quality. Infuse creativity and strategy with a willingness to think outside the box.
In terms of the type of content, I think it depends on the brand. The "look at this" approach can work, whether your brand is super visual or not.
Thanks for chiming in ... always love when you make me think. :)
@KeithSpeers Keith, as with email, it's always hard to know how to read tone. I do see what you're saying as I read it again, but I still give Nationwide credit for responding quickly, apologizing and taking steps to fix the problem. But, you raise a good point: What's the best way to convey tone when something like this happens?
There was a bit of a dustup in Columbus, OH (where I live) yesterday when a local, beloved retailer discovered that a major, national insurance company HQ'd in Columbus had taken their logo, edited the text and created an internal tool -- all while taking a perceived swipe at the retailer. This set off a bit of a social media storm; however, the big corporation was quick to jump in, apologize and explain that they were taking steps to make sure this kind of design oversight wouldn't slip through the cracks again. It was an interesting example of a major brand meeting in the middle -- apologizing and admitting wrongdoing without letting the masses dictate their overall communication strategies.
@elissapr You raise a good point. In crisis, if you're not quick, you're not relevant. But, that speed needs to be tempered with some smart strategy and a checks-and-balances. Your questions are a good way to begin down that path ... smart! :)
Heather
My latest conversation: A Fresh Approach to Best Practices: 5 Digital PR Tactics
@MichaelBowers Thank you for sharing what's going on and what's in the works. We need more people like you touting these stories so that as we're traveling around, we can share the facts and clarify misconceptions. Thanks for doing what you do. :)
@BobbyRoberts All good points. Glad to have you chiming in ... valuable perspective! :)