9. Using Your New PR Practices to Become an Influencer and Change Agent

Congratulations! You have successfully made it through your eight new PR practices. Diving into the eight practices, as you have learned going through the pages of this book, requires a new mindset on your part, as well as the people around you. You also must be flexible and open-minded with the peers who interact with you, from co-workers and industry colleagues to the customers with whom you engage in your peer-to peer-relationships. It’s your peers who can affect how each new practice is shaped, and how you share, collaborate, innovate, and build stronger bonds with them. Remember, being strategic in communications, especially in social media communications, involves having the end goals in mind; the focus should be on the shared experiences with the people you want to engage and the strong relationships you want to create as a result.

If you were to review all the eight practices, from the PR Policymaker and the Internal Collaboration Generator to the Pre-Crisis Doctor and the Master of the Metrics, you would quickly realize each one has a common thread, starting with your relationships. When you need to take the lead or champion an initiative, especially if it’s new or unfamiliar, it takes your willingness to think differently and to apply new knowledge and skills. You also must gain the trust of others, who can allow you to guide them in a new way. Do people trust you? Do you motivate them to want to participate in the unknown? Does your personality challenge them to strive for better both personally and professionally? Are you close enough with your peers to keep them informed and feeling they have updated insight and the guidance that they need? And, how do you get those people to act and bring other people on board?

If you think these traits or characteristics sound similar to the many discussions you’ve heard about influence, then you’re right. Although influence is viewed as an algorithm that captures reach, resonance, relevance, impact, clout, and so on, several personal characteristics come into play with a person’s influence. In public relations, professionals have typically been classified as the liaisons or handlers of organizational communications. Not a “bad” label, but not necessarily true of the entire role you play today or the skills necessary for you to perform. When PR meets social media, the result is daily change. Suddenly, your role opens up to become a champion of information and new knowledge; you’re an educator, a direct communicator, and an influencer—yes, that’s right, an influencer! You have the ability to move people to action. However, the role of PR influencer is always to benefit your network of peers and not to grow your own popularity (although popularity often grows as a result of influence).

The influence equation involves how you spark behavior or actions in others. Will the people you inspire and motivate move along with you toward social media change? If your peers are adopting a new social media policy (The PR Policymaker), they use PR technology for better collaboration in your department (The PR Tech Tester), or perhaps you established greater steps for crisis preparation (The Pre-Crisis Doctor), peer involvement, and action signify Change Agent status. Influencers are also Change Agents. You become the propelling force that moves toward new practices, creates positive change and impact, and leads your peers to productivity, collaboration, or innovation.

What Is the Responsibility of the PR Influencer and the Change Agent?

When you think about influence, there are so many different definitions and calculations. No one has said there’s a right way and a wrong way to view or build influence. And no single organization has come out with the only “influence” calculation as an exact science. Studies are published every year on influence, and to some, it appears to be a game of numbers, from influencer rank to their reach and resonance. But if you dissect influence, certain characteristics are present that register high on a peer’s “value scale.”

As a PR influencer, your responsibility begins with moving away from the numbers, for the moment, and focusing on the characteristics to “create” influence. Do you think it’s possible for an ordinary or average PR person to cultivate certain characteristics and become noticed, appreciated, and recognized? Can this individual be regarded as someone with influence?

Social media enables anyone, from the outgoing to the introverted, and the well known to the less noticed, to have a voice and a purpose. Communication professionals who focus on cultivating their “special” characteristics when combined and practiced in a greater capacity achieve influence.

The person who becomes the influencer consistently demonstrates at a heightened level the following qualities: trust, in-depth knowledge, industry expertise, intense motivation, pure passion, a winning attitude, and a giving spirit. Also critical for influence is having the right people around you; those who support your efforts and who are your brand champions.

Building the Characteristics of Influence

Although discussions vary about the characteristics of an influencer, following are a few notable traits of many of the many social media and PR rockstars:

• Trust: Trust is visible within your closest relationships. Your peers rely on you for knowledge and act upon your insight and direction for important decisions based on a strong bond and the faith they have in your judgment.

• In-depth knowledge: The level at which you can speak about a topic of passion or you’re viewed as a subject matter expert based on years of experience. Your willingness to share and contribute to discussions, as well as your ability to solve problems and develop solutions, is a constant reminder of your level of in-depth knowledge.

• Industry expertise: How involved are you in your industry as a speaker, content provider, association leader, and so on? It’s how your peers view your expertise, and the level at which they recognize you’re a highly active and participating party, who takes the time to educate and lead others.

• Intense motivation: Motivation comes in all shapes and sizes and is truly a personal rating. Motivation is the energy you have at the start of the day, how much you feel you can accomplish throughout the day, and how you drive yourself to achieve more each day to reach greater levels of success.

• Pure passion: Passion comes from the heart and is not something that’s easy to rate. It’s a compelling feeling or emotion, and you can see true signs of passion from people who tirelessly strive to reach their goals every day. From those who write their yearly New Year’s resolutions to the folks who keep To Do lists, passion translates into the challenges you tackle and the goals you reach on a daily basis.

• Winning attitude: The power of positive thinking is contagious. Are you a glass half-full or half-empty type of person? A winning attitude means you can find the bright spot or silver lining in any situation, and you move through any circumstances with a positive attitude, even if there are hard lessons to learn.

• Giving spirit: When you truly connect with peers to the point in which influence is not just simply sharing a statement, article, or common interest, this critical point is defined by a characteristic called the Give Factor. You can naturally increase your level of giving as the relationships grow and move toward trusted confidant.

Avoiding What Influence Is NOT

At times, it also helps to look at what influence is NOT. Because of the many different viewpoints regarding influence, and because influence is difficult to define, following is an opposite approach to discuss what influence is not. Influence is NOT:

• Solely an algorithm that captures a score; influence is about your peers and the valued experiences you share with them.

• A measure of your ego; it is, however, a measure of trust within your community or network of peers.

• A right; it’s a privilege, and as quickly as it’s awarded to a person, it can be taken away.

• Control or authority over a peer’s behavior; yet influence, depending on the level, can certainly steer or guide behavior.

• Just about the numbers and can’t be completely defined by a metric; you can, however, rely on scores for reach, resonance, relevance, impact, and so on. But remember there are personal ways that you affect people, and a number or score may not capture the meaning of the influence on a personal level.

• A popularity contest; popularity is demonstrated with large numbers of followers and friends. For influencers, the numbers range from one end of the spectrum to the other; it’s not the quantity but the quality of your interactions.

• A one-time award or something that you can sustain without constant maintenance. Influencers must continue to captivate their communities and grow strong relationships with their peers.

• The power to push messages; you have to keep listening to provide valuable information to your community.

• Static; it can change every day.

• Made up of just one characteristic; it’s made up of many.

• Exclusive to social media; people have been influencing their peers for hundreds of years, yet we’re hearing more about influence today because of social media.

• The end game; it’s only the beginning. It’s not what you’ve done in the past; it’s how you continue to grow your relationships in the future.

Influence in 140 Characters or Less

One well-known influencer is Chris Brogan, President of Human Business Works (HBW), speaker and author of Google+ for Business, and co-author of Trust Agents. In a Twitter Q&A session, with the #PRStudChat community of PR professionals, educators, and students, Chris offered sage advice about being an influencer. Following is a portion of his Q&A responses:¹

@PRStudChat Question: How long does it take to become a member of a community, and what steps do you take?

@ChrisBrogan Answer: That’s a hard question to answer. How long does it take to fall in love?

@ChrisBrogan Answer: I think the easiest way to answer is that by being helpful and not asking for much back, you win.

@ChrisBrogan Answer: No fewer than 3 months, and that’s rushing things.

@PRStudChat Question: What are the characteristics of an influencer?

@ChrisBrogan Answer: Influencers are the types of people who motivate others to take action.

@ChrisBrogan Answer: They can use this power for good or evil. There are plenty of negative influencers in the world.

@ChrisBrogan Answer: The best influencers love their community and benefit from that love indirectly. (OPRAH)

@PRStudChat Question: Who are some of the great influencers that have built trust with their communities?

@Chris Brogan Answer: I think @chrisgarrett has a great community. @problogger does, too. They’re both heart-first guys.

@ChrisBrogan Answer: @LizStrauss is another great community person. So is @barefoot_exec.

@PRStudChat Question: Do businesses need to have their employees build trust online to be more successful?

@ChrisBrogan Answer: I think some businesses can be successful without working on online trust, but...

@ChrisBrogan Answer: ...companies who work on trust will outperform their competitors, as it’s a great lever.

@PRStudChat Question: What is your advice to students and professionals with respect to becoming an influencer?

@ChrisBrogan Answer: Don’t focus on becoming an influencer. Focus on building a personal presence and platform that...

@ChrisBrogan Answer: ...helps you help others. The more you help others publicly (without bragging), the better it gets.

@ChrisBrogan Answer: It’s really, really important to realize that influence is made up of three things:

@ChrisBrogan Answer: Influence is: 1.) Repetition, 2.) Entertainment, 3.) Value.

@ChrisBrogan Answer: Influence comes from people knowing what you’re about (repetition).

@ChrisBrogan Answer: Influence comes from people wanting to listen to you (entertainment).

@ChrisBrogan Answer: Influence comes from giving something important to others (value).

When influence is at its peak, you’re helping peers to make important decisions regarding purchases, education, career choices, and emotional and personal advice. There’s a big difference between the type of influence causing peers to “like” someone or a brand on Facebook versus the kind of influence that helps you to determine your next career move.

As you develop your new PR practices, you will also be creating, cultivating, and learning to maintain your influence. Your new influence will also propel you to another status called Change Agent status. To take on new practices and tackle social media and PR challenges, change must take place. It must come from within first, and then it filters through to your role in an organization.

Where Are You on the Change Agent Scale?

It’s difficult to find an exact statistic on how many people actually fear change, whether personally or professionally. However, based on hundreds of thousands of articles and conversations, you can see how change affects people in various ways, and how they move forward differently to initiate it. You may have to go through several phases of change before you can become a true Change Agent and fully assume your new practices in your organization. Okay, maybe some people just wake up and say, “I’m going to change the world today.” But there are also those folks who take baby steps to get to change, and that’s just fine, too.

You must create a Change Scale for yourself, so you can evaluate where you fall on the scale and where you need to be moving forward. Every PR professional needs to start somewhere to evaluate how to move through different phases of change to reach the top goal, which is Change Agent status. If you are prone to accept change in your personal life, then it may reflect how you handle change in the work environment. As you strive toward becoming a Change Agent you go through the following phases.:

Phase One—Change Thinker and Visualizer

You see the urgency for change and what needs to be done in the organization. You can visualize how a change in process would benefit your team’s and your company’s communication. You think about the many ways you would institute a change, and you know exactly what the change can accomplish. At the same time, you also evaluate the pros and cons of the change and think about how it can affect the people around you and the existing processes in your department and organization. At this phase you are not quite ready to talk about the change. However, you know that a transformation is inevitable. Don’t stop now...keep visualizing your new practices.

Phase Two—Change Talker and Motivator

You begin to verbalize how you feel about certain changes within your own department. You express to your confidants (those who are on your team or with whom you work closely) that you think there are better ways to approach a social media challenge or to solve a problem at hand. You communicate a new approach and don’t let an opportunity to speak your mind pass you by. At this phase, you are happy to express your ideas for new practices but not quite putting your good sense into action. However, you rally others to find potential change agents, which means you silently build your Social Media Core Team or Coalition.

Phase Three—Simple Change Activator

You’re ready to take a few baby steps toward implementing change. This is the decision to crawl, walk, and then run, knowing that you may scare a few folks or find naysayers along the way. However, any negative forces that come into play don’t stop you from finding smaller ways to show how a new practice can work and to help others visualize the benefits. At this phase, you believe in the transformation and you’ve done you’re homework. There are others around you who are willing to take baby steps, and you’re sharing the vision and strategy behind a plan for change, all for the sake of a better communication. With the help of a few motivated individuals, you can take steps to reach long-term goals.

Phase Four—Complex Change Activator

You’re ready to take on the big communication change challenges, and you know there will be several obstacles in your way as you get rolling with change implementation. However, you’re willing to show tremendous urgency for the change, work tirelessly on the vision and strategy, build a strong team to move mountains in your organization, and communicate with everyone about the overall change process. At this phase, you’re not only looking for small wins and solidifying your gains, but also focused on the big change goals. The folks who join your team are hungry for big change, and they’re on board with new practices, too.

Phase Five—The True Change Agent

You have left your fear of change behind. Being a True Change Agent means you’re a champion and an influencer. Your research, constant communication, and the continuous change progress you implement show you have a solid track record. Those members of the organization who follow your lead are also strong proponents of change. Together, you institute change as you revamp, reinvent, and innovate communications for your company. At this phase, you’re a True Change Agent—teaching others how to move through the phases of change and rooting new processes into the culture—and your colleagues are collaborating and innovating together.

Believing in change, rallying for support of new practices, and implementing a transformation can be one of the scariest yet rewarding experiences. It all starts with your self-assessment on the Change Agent Scale and how you have applied your knowledge and focus to implement change in your organization.

Best Practices of the PR Influencer and Change Agent

Being a PR Influencer and a True Change Agent is not the result of a popularity contest; rather, it’s about moving the organization’s communications forward by taking a leadership approach. Brian Solis (speaker, author of The End of Business As Usual, and Principal of Altimeter Group) sums up PR influence and change with great insight in a brief Q&A.

Q: You have stated in the past how social media requires us “to become the people we want to reach.” As a result, PR professionals have adopted this approach and are moving from handlers/facilitators of communications to becoming PR influencers. How do PR pros continue to advance further, using this newfound influence, to raise their profiles in their own organizations, as well as together raising the image of the public relations industry?

A: Business should not view social media as a new way to market at people but instead connect with them to deliver value now and over time. That value is to be defined. Only one aspect is marketing. Everything should be driven by empathy. It’s the difference in perspective...between being marketing-driven and market-driven. When I say we must become the people we are trying to reach, I envisioned something greater than just public relations. I optimistically hoped for a more holistic approach. Service, sales, HR, et al. could better engage through a more empathetic approach...one with purpose. While many are adopting this point of view, it is still too nascent to cast a new attitude from consumers. The future of relationships with customers isn’t just rooted in empathy, it is equally driven by a mission, vision, and purpose. Yes, businesses operate with all three, but do consumers actually see or feel it? Could they recite it? More important, are your employees behind the movement?

This is a time for revisiting what we do, why it matters, and how we will not only get closer to customers and employees, but also become an invaluable part of their ecosystem. If we can introduce resolution, direction, innovation, and camaraderie into philosophy, processes, and communication, businesses can become influential. As a result, marketing professionals must think like the influencers that they relied upon over the years to take their story to market. This is an era of transparency. Marketing should not take refuge as intermediaries. Nor should they hide in the shadows of their spokespersons. Most important, they should not pin their careers on training others on what to say. Marketing has the ability to become the influencer and that requires rethinking the entire reason why PR or marketing should exist in a social world.

The answer is leadership, not marketing-speak. For this to be realized requires nothing short of a complete overhaul of the marketing and communications methodology. If you wait for the edict to bellow from the top of the organization to you, opportunity and hope will pass you by. You must strive for change. You must fight for new direction. You must be a change agent and build support below, around, and above you to transform your role and the entire course of the business toward relevance.

Q: Do you see PR working more cohesively with marketing, advertising, web, and customer service? Where do the areas compliment and overlap one another? Through PR’s involvement in social media and working with other areas of the company, will it be seen as a more strategic function rather than a tactical part of a communications program?

A: PR, marketing, advertising, web, and customer service are fiefdoms within the organization now and are driven by a strong sense of self-preservation and ego. Each is governed by processes, hierarchies, rewards systems, and a micro culture that creates walls and obstacle between other divisions. Change agents or politicians for evolution must champion support with each division, as they’re each now responsible for public relations. Customer service, sales, and HR face the public. Their words and actions can equally reverberate throughout new media channels and negatively or positively affect reputation or behavior.

Traditional PR is still necessary. It serves a purpose. Getting someone to see and do things differently may be asking for too much. I do see the emergence of an influence department, however. It’s more than just a name, though. It’s a way of business.

Become influential within the organization to empower other departments and functions to become connected...to deliver value that’s unique to their role. At the same time, this influence division will focus on new influencers and advocates to steer word of mouth. Traditional PR tactics will not work here. A hybrid role is necessary. This team will understand the art and science of influence, have the ability to generate compelling content and interactive experiences, understand the dynamics of conversation and metrics, and more important how to report achievements and ROI to each group around them as well as overall management to grow the size and scope of the department.

Q: What advice would you give to PR professionals who want to be true change agents, to move their companies from traditional communication to a media mix that’s earned, owned, paid, sponsored, and co-created with their customers?

A: How do you earn media today? It’s a serious question. Do you send out a press release to several hundred people and hope for coverage? Do you pitch people relentlessly and hope someone responds? Do you run a presence on Facebook or Twitter and hope for a retweet or acknowledgment about news by hosting conversations? Maybe it’s all of the above. But what’s missing from these scenarios are the conversations, posts, videos, and other forms of media generated by influencers and everyday people because they’re compelled to do so. What do I mean by compelled to do so? People will share what they love or what they dislike. What if you could steer that activity? What if you could design experiences that were remarkable AND shareable?

That’s not only influence; it’s architecting influence complete with experiences and outcomes. That’s not earned media as we know it. That’s co-created media, and that’s what makes this genre of public relations so incredible. It’s one of the reasons I developed the Brandsphere with JESS3 (www.theconversationsprism.com). I wanted to demonstrate that this opportunity before us is far greater than just P.O.E.M. (Paid, Owned, and Earned Media). The philosophy behind new media defies current processes and tools. And that’s OK. We have to change how we think about media and how it benefits us. Without engagement or design, how will any media work to our advantage?

PR Influencer and Change Agent Check List

Realize through all the experiences you share, it’s your peers who dictate how each new practice is shaped, and how you share, collaborate, innovate, and build stronger bonds with them.

Understand that influence may be viewed as an algorithm capturing reach, resonance, relevance, impact, clout, and so on, but there are also several personal characteristics that come into play with a person’s influence.

Begin the journey to influence by moving away from the numbers at first and focusing on the characteristics to “create” an influencer.

Cultivate and consistently demonstrate the following qualities: trust, in-depth knowledge, industry expertise, intense motivation, pure passion, a winning attitude, and a giving spirit.

Define what influence is not to visualize the opportunities to be a better influencer to your peers.

Let your new influence propel you to a greater status referred to as the True Change Agent.

Determine where you are on the Change Agent Scale and if you are a Change Thinker and Visualizer, a Change Talker and Motivator, a Simple Change Activator, a Complex Change Activator, or if you’ve reached the True Change Agent status.

Believe in change, rally for support, and implement the transformation in the form of new PR practices.