PR manifesto — make dialogue not diatribe
March 4th, 2009
Everyone should have a manifesto. Here’s mine, directly from my myspace page:
I’m a writer and marketing/communications consultant for high-tech companies. My current quest is to change the way companies conduct public relations, evolving it from a predominately outgoing, frequently self-aggrandizing activity to one that emphasizes ongoing dialogue with customers and a relationship that goes beyond products and services.
The best companies don’t need to proselytize; their messaging comes from their customers and the way their stories are told. PR needs to shift from a hype machine to a means of building community and keeping the lines of communication open. We should be helping people, not trying to coerce them.
I’m also working to bring some literacy to the pedestrian “success story” or “case study,” turning it into the kind of feature story that people actually want to read. Finally, I’d like to eradicate all the robust, intuitive, user-friendly, world-leading new paradigms that plague technology communication.
Certainly laudable and worth-while goals. Still, I do have a bit of nitpicking. Outgoing communications are necessary for customers to find good companies and their products on any consistent and reasonable basis. And, it’s not clear how product sales, characterised as one time events, can lead to ongoing relationships typical of a continuing service. What people want to read pretty much varies all over the place. No magic bullets here, but good to keep these in mind when crafting marketting communications.
Chuck Brooks
FutureWare SCG
Thanks, Chuck. I’m not proposing eliminating outgoing communications, but for many companies this is the sole strategy. Put out a press release or an ad.
Product sales are one-time events, but there are ways to engage customers beyond the sale, including providing worthwhile technical information, tips, case studies, and community sites where they can engage developers and other customers. It’s not difficult to find out what information customers are seeking and to deliver it in credible ways that add value to the relationship.