Most PR agencies are struggling to understand how best to engage with bloggers and other influential online communities. In the meantime many other agencies are treating bloggers like yet another @name to be added to an e-mail 'blast' list. Bloggers are reacting negatively to what they consider 'spam'. The latest to raise it as an issue is Stowe Boyd.

Check out Todd Defrens blog post on his agency being blocked by a blogger and all the comments. Todd has a great 'Must Read' guide for his team on how to best engage with bloggers. At the heart of the issue between Todd and the blogger was her request not to be contacted by personal e-mail and when Todd's agency did just that. As a result she blocked his agency and added them to a publicised 'blocked list'.

The challenge is time, attention to detail and expected behaviour. When preparing to release a press release the mentality in the client and agency is usually one of numbers. We live in 'Numbersland'. PR agencies and clients understand the culture of this country. PR teams can use an online listing resource to check if there are publications likely to be 'interested' in the press release. In ‘Numbersland’ the objective is to create the biggest list by looking at everyone that could possibly be interested in the news. 'Sweet spot' publications will the core of this list but better also add lots of others just in case and it will impress the client as it will be a big list. The release is not being hand delivered but e-mailed so who cares if some of the outer targets are wrong? What is the worst that will happen? They publications will not open the e-mail. They will not write a negative article about you. In ‘Numbersland’ try showing a list to a client with a handful of publications on. They expect a big list!

Clients understand numbers. We need hundreds of sales leads - not just a few. With mass marketing we need thousands of targets as the response rates of x% will mean from thousands targeted only a few hundred will show interest. We will simply keep contacting the non-responders until they do get the message and respond. It is not that they are not interested but simply that they are not interested enough yet. Keep at it.

Bloggers are different. They do not live in ‘Numbersland’. They want to be treated as individuals. Clients have to be educated too. It is not easy for PR to break long time behaviours but if they do not want to be blocked as ‘spammers’ they will have to.

On the same theme here is a post by Brian Solis on TechCruch about the evolution of the press release into the social media release.

A quick round up of good posts on the subject of planning your 2008 marketing stategy.

Before you plan read what

Seth Godin  thinks in his latest book (thanks to Sally Falkow)

P&G are going and why they are letting people build their brand (thanks to K. D. Paine)

Brian Solis has to say about engaging with bloggers 

Great post by Brian Solis on Facebook and its powerful use in as a personal brand.

I got an invitation to join from a friend so did and now find it has become an integral part of my business day. So what have I achieved in the last 2 months.

• Two old school chums have found me and got in touch. One is in the same line of business as myself so it is brilliant to have a fellow traveller to talk to.
• Five old work mates have got in touch and one we are starting a collaberative project with. The others are within organisations we would one day love to work with so aprt from the socialising element there is business networking
• Three prospective clients have contact me. We already have a costed proposal in with one and the other two we are to meet. 
• I have joined a number of special interest groups on social media and podcasting and attended some meetings which has been good socially but also professionally
• I have been bitten twice by vampires but obviously not so bad that I felt the urge to become one myself and bite people
• A relative found me and it is really nice to see what she is upto with her new born son. We exchange FaceBook messages but I would never have thought of phoning her or writing.
• I have had a sheep thrown at me, been hugged and had drinks bought for me and was once 'bitch slapped'. I am still trying to understand if this is the online equivalent of office banter and ribbing.
• I have had three instances of people seeing where I am have suggested meeting for coffee as they are local to me and in one case we found we were actually both on courses at the same place. Without Facebook how would I have known.

The whole process of keeping track with people means I will never have the send them the Christmas card with the note - 'we must meet up soon' standard message. They can see what I am upto and where I am (businesswise) and contact me or comment as relevant.

I have personal information on my profile. No harm in people knowing what music, books and films I like. Who knows what similar interests some of my new and old 'business friends' will find we have and vice versa? A case of Alan Partridge - 'Knowing me. Knowing you' but in a business context.

So far I have found Facebook a great business and business socialising tool. I love it.