The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: How Technology Folk Help Drive PR Plans

Jun 30, 2003

Your Webmaster. The account coordinator in the third cubicle whose hobby is digital photography. The intern who doesn't realize you're ignoring his weekly invitation to listen to his band's latest tunes on the Internet. The head writer who keeps a daily blog detailing his every minutia-induced annoyance.

Sound like little more than a potentially annoying crowd of tech-nerds? Left to their own "devices," perhaps. But these same people, armed with a media relations mission to go along with their fancy technologies, could prove to be an extremely valuable team that can accomplish a great deal on a tight budget.

While techheads are sometimes known for excelling in one particular area of technical wizardry, grouped together they can play a positive role in pushing your message out to the media. Say you're planning a dinner event to launch a new product to customers, prospects and the media. You've got the event logistics nailed down, from flowers to flyers to flan. Unfortunately, despite your protests and due to a variety of constraints, the event will occur on a Monday night. And, most of the media planning to attend are based locally.

For this event, the obstacles to easy media coverage are geography and a late, weeknight start. Enter your motley crew of technology whizzes. Below are some technology tactics that add the key dimensions for getting media the material they need in time for their deadlines, which may determine whether your event goes unnoticed or if you'll be the toast of the C-Suite.

Creating Technology Infrastructure - The Webmaster

Before you can share your media materials electronically, you need to put some communications technology in place, with the help of your Webmaster. In addition to a laptop computer, you must also secure an Internet connection. Be sure to check with the venue's event team, since they may be able to pull phone lines for dial-up accounts or even provide broadband access. As an alternative, wireless providers like Sprint (http://www.sprintpcs.com) offer "connection cards" which give users high-speed access to the Internet via a PC-card that fits into the side of most laptops. And of course, you'll need the Webmaster to e-mail, edit photos and upload files to the Web.

Your Webmaster can also help you launch an event-specific online media kit, updated directly from the venue. Separate from but linked to your company's main online media center, the site will provide an easy point of access for all material for interested media.

The online media kit should contain only materials that are specifically tailored to the event and make it easy for a journalist to write a story without sifting through useless information. It should consist of Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat documents that contain versions of all printed materials that will be distributed in person. This may include the product launch press release, a FAQ document on product features, a list of suggested story angles, basic company background information as well as images and recordings from the event to share with the media.

Sharing the Experience - The Internet Musician

Providing a way for journalists to experience the event unfolding in real-time engages them more deeply than simply sending a bunch of documents via e-mail. This can be accomplished through something as simple as a traditional conference call, or be as advanced as highly interactive capabilities such as those offered by ECI Conference Call Services (http://www.calleci.com). The Web site's services allow the host to monitor conference participants and streamline the Q&A process, as well as provide other more advanced features. Your streaming audio expert can also help create an interface for media to access the event live or via recordings included in your online media kit.

Sharing Photos - The Digital Shutterbug

You may have hired an event photographer, but will you get the images that day? If you asked your company shutterbug before the event, (s)he likely told you to be sure to request digital photography, so you would have the ability to instantly share images electronically with journalists. But simply taking photos digitally doesn't do the trick. Your digital shutterbug will need to help determine whether the photographer is using Memory Stick, CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Secure Digital or xD digital media and assure access to a properly equipped computer in order to capture the images for sharing.

In addition to publishing the photos as part of your online media kit and including them in direct e-mails to journalists, companies like BusinessWire and PR Newswire also offer Internet-based services that provide an image bank for the media's on-demand access.

Tracking the Buzz - The Blogger

Clipping services offer the capture of online and print media pickups, and broadcast monitoring services cover TV and radio, but you shouldn't rely solely on these services. Turn to the blogger, as (s)he's well aware of myriad potential Web destinations where discussion of your news may reside.

One place might be in a blog: a personal Web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that represent personal takes on the news. But they're not just rants of Internet nerds; they are taken so seriously among marketers that both MediaMap and Google devote resources to reaching them. Also, have your blogger check Internet listservs, industry chat rooms and online portals for other pickups.

As you've read here, there are a variety of ways your seemingly distracted technology geeks can deliver value to your organization. So stop poking fun at their Palm Pilots. Instead, start using them as your experts on sight, sound and reach.

Ian Lipner, the founder of YoungPRPros.com, is an account manager at Washington, DC-based Stanton Communications. He can be reached at ilipner@stantoncomm.com.