Time 26:11

I have featured this book 5 Steps to Expert on the Marketing Edge podcast because I believe developing experts within a company is essential to producing quality PR, media, and marketing information that can have a multiplier effect in social media.

In this concluding podcast in the series Dr. Paul Schempp talks about the practicing proficiency and excelling to excellence, as the fourth and fifth steps to being an expert. We talk about how to identify experts, they may be the ones who don’t have all the answers in the group, but are always willing to consider other perspectives.

EXPERTS AND NEW MEDIA

As PR practitioners we need experts more than ever to fulfill our role to the organization. The reason is that just about all communications can now reach the public, not just the journalist and then the public, but directly to the public via search engines and RSS reader pick up.

I just returned from speaking on a panel at the Media Relations Summit sponsored by Bulldog Reporter. Two topics were repeated across panels of editors and reporters, 1) too little time to receive pitches, especially those that are off topic of the recipient’s interest, and 2) Online assets are helpful in discovering resources and/or supplementing the multiple channels now required by media outlets. The channels editors and writers were referring to include blogs, podcasts, or videos that are a growing part of a media outlet’s online formats.

Highlighting experts in an organization helps in the following ways:

1. Identify issues that are not getting attention
2. Establishing a perspective, perhaps a unique perspective that makes your organization different
3. Gives greater details about the topic that may not be available from other sources
4. Possibly provides a unique format for that information (I include formats like video, slideshare, audio, even widgets as a type of format to showcase the expert)

You may be unsure when and how to showcase the experts in your organization. The standard thinking is either doing a news release, speech or pitching a feature story. Yes, it’s fine to keep those in the PR toolkit, but given the public will find the information they are looking for when they want it, (that public includes journalists) then it is advantageous to routinely seek out opportunities to showcase expertise.

How and when to showcase the expert:

1. Podcast/Vidcast series – excellent medium for a topic with enough depth to create an ongoing series of information, say 24 episodes of 5 minute segments, (weekly for 6 months)
2. Piggybacking – speaking out on an item in the news with your own perspective. For example, many media outlets will follow items that are in USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. It is also common practice for people quoted in those stories to be sought out by other media to comment. Putting out a statement, media advisory, blog post, or “expert” video/audio that references those individuals (agreeing or disagreeing) may attract attention from the media, or at the very least get your page in the search rankings for the duration of that news cycle.
3. Reaction Page – This is a page on your website, Facebook profile, Twitter landing page, that contains your organization’s commentary on items in the news whether they are major media big headline stories or something from regularly read blog. Some may say a blog serves this purpose, I’d agree. If there is enough going on in your universe, (see concept of embedded journalist for a definition of universe) then a separate page is a good idea to get people in the habit of knowing you have an expert opinion in those topic areas.

I’m big on soundbites, they are easy to obtain with a phone call and edit. They showcase the expert and their personality in a quick and easy fashion (use a flash player on the page instead of forcing the listener to download or wait for a new window to open for the file.) You may not like the title “Reaction Page”, reacting seems like you are not leading, I understand, then change the title to something like “Our Take”

I’ll have other examples in subsequent posts, but this should give you some ideas on how identifying and developing experts inside a company can have a major impact on the way you do PR inside the company or criteria on selecting an outside firm as a partner.

@ThePlacetoBe – 140Conference

I will be moderating a panel at the Jeff Pulver 140 Conference on Twitter June 16-17 in New York. The event is a fast-paced discussion of Twitter, it’s impact on society, business, advertising, and politics. The guest list is entertaining, thoughtful, and insightful.

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