30 Jan
2009

The economy sucks. Now what?

Are you finding yourself wondering about the future? Or, even the present?

As we sit, peering over the edge of our recession into the pits of a depression, many PR, marketing and communications folks are scratching their heads (or asses I suppose) and wondering “now what?”

Changing the face of PR

If you’re on Twitter, subscribed to multiple RSS feeds and have Google alerts set up for more than five searches, you’re pretty far ahead of the game. That is the future of PR. We are in the process of redefining and also refocusing on the relations side of PR.

I sit in the tech sector of PR. And it’s very different than the rest of the world. I deal with bloggers, which are a very different species than a local business writer, which is a very different species than a food writer. But, the goal is the same. Establish quality relationships in order to connect with writers to see what piques their interests and provide them with quality stories that fit into that mold.

Nose down, ears up

The best thing a PR person can do right now is listen. Read your targets daily. Learn their habits and their likes. The great thing about bloggers is that they tell you what they like and don’t like. Use that.

By listening and paying attention, you show the people that you are pitching or working with that you get it. And, any leg up on the competition is imperative to your success.

Show your worth

The companies paying PR people’s salaries want more results for less money. And we must smile, bear down and deliver. This is a great time to be in PR. We get to show the rest of the world what we’re made of and what value we add. Deliver different media contacts. Deliver a new video interview. Or deliver a new idea for a series of blog posts.

In a time of economic slowdown, one must be resourceful. Original and effective ideas will get you paid.

Be genuine

I think I am going to say this in every blog post I ever write. If you try to be more than you are, you’re going to fail. Offer genuine value and recognize your strengths and people will recognize that. Not just clients, but the media professionals you work with.

If you are genuine, you don’t need to live in fear of not delivering what you have promised. Instead, you can deliver quality results and have happy customers.

Although times are tough out there, there is room for growth, success and happiness. Work on delivering quality and value and you’ll get a piece of that. But I’m curious to know how you plan on weathering this storm. Let me know in the comments.

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