Is social Public Relations for real? Which agencies get it?

In November Jennifer Leggio posted a multiple-question survey asking company leaders and marketing decision-makers about their public relations agencies. The purpose was to determine which Public Relation firms are best attuned to social media and are developing the most beneficial social programs for their clients. A respondent stated that “social media is not about Public Relations.” Social media is much larger than just the public relations, but rather internal communications, customer support, sales and lead generation, and project management. The focus of the survey was on Public Relations because it is critical that Public Relations agencies understand how social media can complement their offerings and how social media can shine a spotlight on existing poor public relations practices.
The survey had 642 responses. 53 people said they do public relations solely in-house with no agency support. 589 responses, 48 of those people worked outside of the business categories I was researching. The graphs at this website show the type of respondents by industry, role, and region.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/feeds/?p=512
Here are some of the types of helpful hints that the survey suggested for agencies and clients.
Key takeaways for agencies:
• Consider integrating some social elements into your current programs versus charging premium rates
• Make sure the traditional PR element of your team / agency is strong before adding a layer of social on top of it
• Start tracking more carefully delivered results against promised activities in new business pitches
• Make sure your agency itself has its own presence / recognizable brand; make your people visible where appropriate as well
• When recommending social programs, consider all facets of your clients’ business and don’t lead with a tools discussion
Key takeaways for clients:
• Don’t evaluate your current / future agency on social programs alone; take traditional PR capabilities into account first
• Hold agencies accountable to promises made when the contract was first signed (barring major changes in business strategy / priorities)
• When considering an agency’s social abilities, ask for case studies and ROI metrics; do not fall victim to approaches led solely with tools
• For the most successful programs, you must be transparent with your agency and give them access to content and spokespeople. Be open to push-back from your agency as well.