I don’t do Tech – I do PR with a Tech hat on

It’s been a while since I contributed something of significance to the blog (many of you would argue that I have rarely done that, but that’s another story ) – I have been mad busy with client projects, client presentations, seminars and finally the launch of our Social Media release tool, PressRoom – all of which have made me realise that PR and communications, not technology are at the heart of what I actually do – and maybe this is what PR types need to realise too.

Don’t get me wrong, I am still a Client Services slave with commercial objectives, but the tools and projects I work on and conversations I have with clients are not about tech solutions, or marketing ones, but PR ones. Social media (I know, I know – whatever that means!) blogs, community management and blogger outreach for example, are not about the technology – they are nothing more than tools with which to build relationships. And who is best placed and most experienced to do this? PR people.

However, when presenting my now well-versed seminar on blogging and social media for business, it is very apparent that many PR types are struggling to come to terms with the fact that they already have the core skills to make a dramatic impact on the the “social media” space. The overriding observation is that the industry is scared to death of what they see as technological barriers to letting their skills go.

As a commentator said at the launch of our PressRoom tool (which was full of PR people) “As a PR person, I look at tools like the Social Media Press Release and marvel at the opportunity this presents. As a client looking for a PR agency, I am sat here wondering why on earth you are asking such basic questions (such as “What is Twitter”)”.

In the US, people like Brian Solis and Geoff Livingston are trying to de-mistify the whole technology thing for PR people, whilst in the UK well-respected names like Stuart Bruce, Stephen Waddington and Becky McMichael are just a few names following suit -showing that practicing what you preach is a perfect way to prove that Social Media is not about technology, it is about developing relationships – which is exactly what PR people do.