Public Relations Princess

How to Choose a Reputable Social Media Consultant: Twelve Essential Questions

Social media is maturing as a marketing discipline and mainstream business owners all over the country are asking for help on how to best implement social media strategies. Some are savvy and have been experimenting in the space for years, most are just waking up to the possibilities and promise.

Social media consultants don't have their own section in the Yellow Pages, on the contrary - even if there was a section - you'll most likely find one using Google or another search engine. How do you choose who is right for you or your company?

First, you have to answer these questions:

1. Do I need individual coaching or coaching for my business or both?
2. Is my company a Business-to-Consumer (B to C) operation? (like a restaurant)
3. Is my company a Business-to-Business (B to B) operation? (like a software wholesaler)
4. What is the budget? (a ballpark estimate is fine)
5. Are there any restrictions to social media success? (a restrictive legal team, an unconvinced CEO or industry precedent) If there is unresolved internal conflict in your company, it could be a deal-breaker, or you might just need some strategic leadership, which a good consultant can provide.

Once you have these basic questions answered, you can begin your search. Once you find a few companies or individuals you'd like to work with, there are some questions that might help you choose someone who is right for your particular situation. Here are the ones I'd start with (and have already been asked of me on numerous occasions).

1. Length of time in the social media space: How long have they been blogging, using Twitter, or helping others create a social media presence?
2. Influence: How many people are following them on these social networks?
3. Reputation: How are they regarded among clients? (ask for references!) Checking their LinkedIn references is another idea.
4. Results: Has anything they've created in the social media space earned results? (ask for case studies or results summaries)
5. Philosophy: What is their philosophy about controversial issues such as "ghost blogging" and astroturfing?
6. Listening Skills: Can the consultant create a customized plan after listening to your specific needs, or do they seem hung up on one aspect of social media based on their own experience level?
7. Company status: Is their business incorporated? Why or why not?
8. Insurance: Does the consultant or company have business liability insurance?
9. Business Partners: Does the company have its own support services (like PR, graphic design and SEO services) or does it partner with other organizations? If "subcontractors" are involved, who are they?
10. Integrity: Does the business have a record of integrity and a spirit of service to the community?
11. Teaching: Are they involved in teaching or spreading knowledge on their blogs or in other settings? Do they participate in seminars for which they are not being paid?
12. Membership in Professional Organizations: Do they belong to their local Social Media Club or another professional organization that can provide them with ongoing educational opportunities?

These are just a few questions to get you started, but don't forget that a gut feeling is worth just as much as a fancy resume or business card. Chemistry is important when working with consultants! They will be entrusted with sensitive information about your business and must have high integrity. Even after your choice is made, don't be afraid to ask questions and challenge their assumptions!

I'd love to hear about your experiences in finding a good social media consultant. Did you run into any obstacles?

Goldman Sachs Tries to "Spin" its Way Out of Trouble

It was a Goldman Sachs Bar-b-Que today on Capitol Hill as the first of many Goldman Sachs grillings took place in the Senate subcommittee responsible for investigating the company's role in the 07-08 Wall Street meltdown.

Goldman has a long road ahead. With a looming SEC lawsuit, a bonus scandal that outraged the country just a few months ago, now is NOT the time to start lying. Goldman wasted no time in hiring a high-powered flack Mark Fabiani, and his partner Chris Lehane, who were known as the "Masters of Disaster" in the Bill Clinton campaign years. Chris Lehane stayed on for years in the White House and then I ran into him on the Gore campaign, where he was staffing Hillary Clinton.

But hiring Democratic campaign experts is exactly the wrong tactic. You see, starting a PR offensive when you are already under the microscope has the opposite affect in most situations. When companies start contradicting previous statements and denying emails that say, "That was a shitty deal" aren't bad for consumers, then it's hard to defend. It falls on deaf years. People sense that something dirty has gone down. This is known in the business as "spin." It's dangerous and disingenuous to try to defend such plain words in an email, with the company's CEO chiming in. Under oath today, he may well have perjured himself.

Good public relations practice starts with building up a store of goodwill for your company or organization. It's not a sexy job, but one that takes years of due diligence, putting your best foot forward, and doing the right thing when no one was looking. Clearly, Goldman Sachs did not make the grade.

Here's my free PR advice to Goldman Sachs. Tell the truth. Apologize. Pay your fines. Clean out your management team. Reform your firm's practices. Get rid of the insane bonus structure that fuels your drunken greed. Give a year's worth of profits to charity. 

You're welcome, Goldman Sachs. Now get outta my face.

Ethics in Public Relations Never Go Out of Style

September is "Ethics Month" in the Public Relations field, officially. But anyone who has ever practiced in this field knows that building and maintaining good professional ethics is a year-round task.

While PR professionals occasionally get their asses handed to them by media pundits or reporters, most of us are ethically trying to help our clients navigate the slippery slopes of the world without falling flat. In some studies I've read, PR people are even rated as low as car salespeople. That is depressing for a group of people, that by and large, pride themselves on thinking through pitfalls of the modern world.

Thank goodness that another study has been done that focuses on the specific attributes of public relations professionals. It's no surprise to me that the study found that public relations professionals have a highly developed sense of ethics. Here's my favorite finding from the study:

"Relying too much on externally imposed standards indicates lower critical thinking among PR professionals and keeps them from growing cognitively."

In other words, having ethical standards ingrained in you is better than having some outside canon of ethics on the wall. The study finds that public relations practitioners have a more highly developed sense of ethics than surgeons and other business professionals. It may be because PR professionals are often asked to do things that are unethical or at least not telling the whole truth.

The first time your boss or a client asks you to do something that is not ethical, your skin will crawl. Trust your gut. Speak out. You might be surprised at the reaction.

A few years ago, I objected to an assignment that was being suggested by my boss. It turns out that I was right. I explained the dilemma to my client and they saw that it was not in their best interest in the long run to pursue that route. They would have had to take a chance that people would ONLY believe their side of the story and not question it. But the whole reason they were on the PR hot seat in the first place is that others WERE already questioning their side of the story.

Know your ethical standards but listen to your gut. What's your best personal story about ethics?