There is a great article in PR Week about how quickly agencies in general and PR practitioners in particular are embracing social media. The idea is that agency personnel should be familiarizing themselves with mediums like blogging and podcasting so when clients come calling, you'll have some expertise on the subject.
I recommend that all PR practitioners start a blog and just practice with adding things to it. When I started blogging, I didn't do anything but write about myself, my dog, my family and just everyday experiences. You may not get much traffic or comments, but just try it. Typepad, Blogger and WordPress are all places to get started with that. Ask a more experienced blogger for some help if you need it. Devote at least a half an hour every other day to writing on your blog.
If you're the Head Cheese at an agency, get your people trained. There are lots of ways to do that. Hire an expert and do some lunch-and-learns, send a few of your early adopters to a conference or two, or have your more experienced employees teach the less experienced ones.
Pretty soon, your clients will be asking if they should start a blog. You need to be able to determine if that's a good strategy for them, and then guide them along the path.
So get moving, get an education, and get building a social community.
Good advice Claire. The reason blogging is becoming so popular with businesses is two-fold:
1) Blogs allow potential customers to see behind your logo - to see what kind of person your are.
2) If you provide quality content, others will link to your blog, raising Google's estimation of your business
Think about it. How do great customers find great companies? It is not the phonebook anymore.
Posted by: Brett Trout | May 21, 2007 at 09:21 AM