Evolving your Communications Approach to Include the Web 2.0 World....

Traditionally my boutique PR firm, VonCreative Inc., has focused on pure communications and public relations support. In other words, we have never been ones to spend client's money on advertorials and pass it off as ink... something I have seen all too often in the PR world.

Given the changing economy and the way media outlets are becoming desperate to attract advertising dollars, I have found that pure story telling is really starting to fall by the wayside in terms of traditional media... Sooooo, I think the writing's on the wall for communicators, innovate and adapt or die.

At VC, we are always trying to be an adaptive company unafraid of changing times. A firm that sees around corners. For this reason we started working specifically on understanding new communications, new media, and of course web 2.0. By empowering our people to learn and try new things we have come up with some very unique tactics to create effective communications for our clients by applying the rule of reciprocity. Here are a few key points we have learned:

1) Offer value to the community: Generally, marketers and communicators go into interactions with a hard hitting approach to achieving brand recognition. In terms of social media, this equates to a bull in a china shop approach... inneffective. Marketers and spamsters are quickly rooted out in any interactive community. Respect the collective intelligence of the crowd and go into every action with the intent to offer value to the conversation.

2) Take time to get to know the communities and players: Gather intel. In addition to being a serial entrepreneur, I am also a captain in the military (former regular air force pilot, now army Captain reserves). The military are great at learning the lay of the land before acting, especially in todays assymetrical conflict environment. I think that this is a key skill communicators need to take on board. Social media is not a place to 'inject' your message or your brand. Find, interact, profile, and then decide on an effective value offering you can firstly add, and then you can start to infuse your message... so long as your message actually adds value. At VC we only take innovative, interesting and market valueable clients on. For this reason I know that whenever I inject information about any of my clients in to social forums (at an appropriate time) that it will be an injection that had a value offering to the community. And, I only do it once I understand who I am talking to, and what might be valueable to them...

3) Use technology as a force multiplier: I spend a lot of time learning from the communities I take part in. I actually open all the links, read the posts and take the time to think about the information that is put forward. By taking this approach I have learned a great deal about tools and areas where I can gain a great deal of technical force multiplication. Rule of thumb - if there is something you just wish you had to make your life easier in terms of web 2.0... It probably exists somewhere (as in the case of twitulator.com and ping.fm). Take the time to learn from the 'experts' (especially if you are new to social media).

4) The full circle effect: Don't think that web 2.0 is on its way to replacing good old fashioned face to face interaction. What I have noticed is that often social media creates a circular effect. People get involved, they network and take part in key communities, and eventually get invited to interact in related live networking opportunities. Look at change camp, or demo camps. These are all examples of how web 2.0 community building comes full circle into face to face interaction... I guess in some ways people build and express social capital will never change... Thank goodness!

5) Become a hub: Create connections that lead eventually back to you or your client... I call this a hub strategy. One source of reliable information webbed into from many sources of micro information teasers. Look at Chelseamoser.com for a great example of a hub strategy. Comes across as an anti-hub, but peel back the tactical layers. The simplicity and brilliance of it is remarkable... Way to go Chelsea.

Overall, we believe that web 2.0 is the logical evolution of media. Publishing is no longer the sole holding of the mainstream media, hence the reason they are going under in record numbers... Like the media, we as consultants and communications 'experts' need to accept this and understand it... It takes time, but is worth the effort.

Cheers,

P