Every Thursday, socialTNT channels the spirit of citizen journalism by putting bloggers, reporters, PR pro’s or anyone with something to say about social media in front of the camera for a short, three minute interview. The videos are meant to encourage dialog between PR/communications practitioners, journalists and marketers on the future of media.

Last week while at Web 2.0, we caught up with Geoff Livingston from the Buzz Bin. From media relations to branding and online marketing, Geoff’s fifteen-year career has covered the full gamut of communications. Geoff’s blog is a must-read for anyone pursuing new media marketing and PR, and his book, “Now is Gone” should be required reading for marketing executives. In today’s “3Q’s in 3Min,” Geoff breaks out his crystal ball to look into the future of marketing and PR, and gives some practical advice on strategy.

In the age of new media, the same principles for marketing and PR strategies remain, it’s just the tools that have changed. Instead of trying to force the strategy to fit the tools (blog, twitter, video, etc), Geoff reminds us that it’s important to choose the tools that best work with the strategy we implement.

One of the first steps to developing any strategy is knowing your audience. With social media we have more chances to form conversations and relationships with our audience. Geoff stresses that we have to meet them on their turf, using the tools and platforms they use. It’s part of Geoff’s theory of learning to “think liquid”–move with the community without getting hung up on one particular tool.

In the video below (probably sTNT’s most raw video to date), Geoff postulates the future of communications and the steady march towards humanization of marketing. Oh, and he’s tired of talking about blogs.

So how do you perceive the future of PR and marketing? Is it more humanized? Let us know in the comments!

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[The above photo, "You Da Man" by CC Chapman used under Creative Commons]

PR professionals spend several hours each week writing press releases. This form of content creation got an upgrade a couple of years ago when Todd Defren unleashed his Social Media Press Release template into the wild. [DISCLAIMER: I'm honored to work daily with Todd at SHIFT Communications.] Because the new release contained multimedia aspects like video and audio, PR peeps had new channels of content creation to whet their creative appetites.

Along with the evolution of the press release, the last couple of years have seen the rise of the blog as thought leadership tool. We’ve also seen many new technologies emerge that help increase communications and connections between people. In order to better reach their target audiences, the firm of the next decade will offer a full suite of options incorporating social media, including video production, podcasting studios, and live video capabilities.

Think your client’s industry isn’t ready for video? Think again. Last year saw an increase in videos watched online. It’s not just teenagers; it’s everyone, including people involved in industries like security and health care. Also, direct from the trenches: more and more editors are asking for video or audio assets with the release. If more publications are hungry for video content, give them what they want.

It’s up to us to get creative and produce compelling content that people will want to watch, listen to and share. We’ve got to flex our brains and figure out new ways to move beyond the press release. Some ideas for ways to supplement traditional outreach: behind-the-scenes with developers, demonstrations, talks with the founders, live video-conferences, or any other valuable content that niche audiences might enjoy.

Let’s move past the release to get our message out. Let’s move beyond the blog to build thought leadership for our clients. In addition to great writers, let’s hire video editors, directors, radio show producers and anyone else working in distributing non-written messages. It’s up to each one of us in our industry to grow with the times, not linger in the dust.

So how do you move past the press release? What is your vision of the firm of tomorrow?

Don’t miss a post: Add socialTNT to your RSS reader [what’s that?]. Better yet, subscribe to socialTNT by email!

[The above photo, “Raton et piers” by Nika on flickr, is used under Creative Commons]

Every Thursday, socialTNT channels the spirit of citizen journalism by putting bloggers, reporters, PR pro’s or anyone with something to say about social media in front of the camera for a short, three minute interview. The videos are meant to encourage dialog between PR/communications practitioners and marketers on the future of media.

This week, socialTNT met up with Chris Heuer, partner at social media communications firm The Conversation Group. He’s also an executive and cofounder of the Social Media Club. In today’s episode, Chris tells us his definition of social media and proclaims that PR is dead.

When Chris and I met, we started talking about his book, a discussion of social media tools for internal communications. He enjoyes bouncing ideas off of people to spawn creativity. He also prefers working in collaborative, Socratic environments, so it’s not surprising that Chris cofounded the Social Media Club as a venue to share ideas about emerging media. This manifested itself throughout out our conversation; every time one of us would say something clever, he’d jot down notes in a a Moleskine notebook, potential ideas for the book. After a few minutes, our chat diverged away from his book and into a discussion of social networking, disposable attention, and brands.

As Brand managers everywhere try to stifle social media and maintain a uniform brand image, Chris promotes opening up. Instead of silencing employees, companies have to let go. To maintain, companies have to trust and educate their employees. To support his theory, Chris broke out a power point slide with a quote from Thomas Jefferson:

“I know of no safe repository of the ultimate power of society but
people. And if we think them not enlightened enough, the remedy is not
to take the power from them, but to inform them by education.”

Fun Facts About Chris

• Once taught Interactive Advertising at the Miami Ad School
• Has a Virtual Assistant outside the country
• Does not have or use an RSS reader
• Is a hit-and-run Twitterer
• In July 2007, married Kristie Wells, VP of Customer Advocacy at Joyent, the company that used to host Twitter
• Prefers in-person, real world communication over its online counterparts, but you can still find him on Facebook and LinkedIn

Ever wonder exactly what social media is? Chris’s succinct definition is not to be messed. He also explains what changes Public Relations and Marketing will need to make in order to stay alive. Check it out:

Wow. A lot to chew on. Is PR dead? Has social media killed it? What do you think PR will need to do to evolve? Is Schizophrenic Branding a problem? How do marketers deal with multiple voices coming out of their company? Let us know in the comments.

Quick Note: Today marks the first day socialTNT’s “3Q’s in 3Min” is available for download on iTunes. Yup, that’s right: Now you can view our video interviews with today’s top reporters and social media experts anywhere you want. Watch us on the train, at the gym or even at the break room of your stodgy PR or marketing firm. The last seven episodes are currently available in high-quality video, with the full library coming soon. Oh, and it’s all available to you for FREE!

Also, don’t miss a post: Please add socialTNT to your RSS reader [what’s that?]. Better yet, subscribe to socialTNT by email!

[The above photo, “Utterz Meetup House of Shields - Chris Heuer” by Brian Solis, is used under Creative Commons]

–Alvin Toffler

This week has really been crazy. Exciting developments with my clients and in my personal life, coupled with big tech news this week, have me reflecting on the past year and thinking about the future.

The last ten months have really brought some incredible advances in technology. It feels like we are on the crest of a new boom. With all of the changes occurring around us at such a fast pace, one of the most important skills is adaptability. For some companies, it’s easy to stay in the comfort of “what’s always worked” and ignore the world changing around them. However, the companies or individuals quick to learn how best to utilize innovation will ensure a smooth transition and come out on top. Are you ready?

Where on the above chart (courtesy of Satir Institute of the Southeast) do you think PR is now? Marketing? The Internet?

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