PR pros constantly have to play catch-up, what with a 24/7 media environment, tighter editorial deadlines and new government regulations on corporate governance such as
Sarbanes-Oxley and The Regulation Fair Disclosure or Reg FD. Instant Messaging (IM) tools, or a single collaborative technology platform across both agency and internal
communication teams, can help the client and agency perform as a unified team -- rather than separate entities -- in directing an extensive and fast-moving PR campaign. "If
agencies want to maintain the best communication platforms with their clients they can't ignore instant messaging because that's what corporations are rapidly adopting," says Mary
Rose Greenough, program director, Lotus Software, IBM Software Group. Matthew Rose, general manager in the Boston office of Text 100 Public Relations, adds that Burson-Marsteller
and Porter Novelli are just a couple of the major PR firms that have adopted instant messaging tools, with more sure to follow. PR NEWS asked Greenough and Rose to provide some
tips on how instant messaging can improve communications between corporations and clients. Following is a breakdown:
Use instant messaging to talk to clients, virtual teams, media, even team members in the office:
Remember to use your away message. Just as you would leave a message on your voicemail to notify callers that you are away from your desk, it is key to do the same with IM.
There is nothing worse than returning to a flashing IM from a client who was expecting a response 30 minutes ago.
Keep it professional. If you use public IM, choose a professional alias, such as MattText100. And because spell check isn't yet a common IM feature, it's important to give
your IM a quick check for grammar or spelling mistakes before sending - especially to clients.
Track your messages. These days, it is highly important to retain the information that is exchanged over IM. Some business IM products automatically archive IM conversations,
but most public systems do not. To combat this, you can activate the date/time feature on your IM program or save IM conversations manually to ensure that information is not lost
when the IM box is closed.
Use IM on press briefings. IM is particularly useful when staffing press briefings over the phone. IM can be used to help guide the interview as well as answering immediate
questions posed to your spokesperson. If a reporter asks for a statistic or a product detail that the spokesperson does not know off hand, you can easily look the information up
and "ping" it over to your spokesperson in seconds.
Track presence. When a phone call is better, IM can help employees avoid phone tag by allowing users to see which of their colleagues are at their desks or on their mobile
phones through presence awareness.
Stay connected through collaborative workspaces:
Keep clients up to speed in real-time. Text 100 uses Lotus Team Workplace, a place online where multiple users can securely post and share documents, to keep clients at IBM
informed of our PR efforts. The workplace can also be shared with internal sales and marketing teams to minimize incoming requests for PR materials.
Keep team members updated. Use email to keep team members informed as to when a new document has been posted. Be sure to include a link to the document so it can be easily
accessed.
Standardize a format. By agreeing on a format, clients and team members will all be on the same page when it comes time to create and review documents.
One last tip: Don't forget the importance of face time. IM and online workplaces are excellent tools for obtaining immediate answers to questions or distributing documents, but
daily phone conversations and in-person meetings are the best way to build trust and camaraderie between you and your client.
Contacts: Matthew Lloyd, [email protected], 617.723.1044; Mary Rose Greenough, [email protected], 617.693.103