This week's contributors:

• •  Michael Lasky, Partner, Davis & Gilbert
• •  Gary Kibel, Partner, Davis & Gilbert
• •  Ritesh Patel, Social Media Chief, Chandler Chicco
• •  Gene Marbach, Group VP and IR Blogger, Makovsky + Company
• •  John Bell, Managing Director/ECD, Ogilvy PR
• •  Mark Senak, SVP, Fleishman-Hillard

If you like many firms, chances are that some of your biggest clients work in heavily regulated industries—from pharma and healthcare to financial services. For these companies, social media programs and efforts must be planned and executed carefully—otherwise, they run the risk of violating disclosure guidelines set forth by bodies such as the FTC and FDA. And, compounding matters, all public companies—and the firms who serve them—must be cognizant of SEC regulations when it comes to social media. After all, nobody wants to fall under prosecution for violation of RegFD.

This week's contributors:

• •  Robert M. Burnside, Partner and Chief Learning Officer, Ketchum
• •  Ann T. Subervi, President, Utopia Communications
• •  Michael Lasky, Partner, Davis & Gilbert
• •  Carol Orsborn, Senior Strategist,VibrantNation.com

Compound that with the fact that our business has long fought the battle against a reputation as spin doctors and flacks—despite a recent Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication at Penn State University study revealing PR people to be highly ethical compared to other industries—and it becomes clear: PR can, and should, take the lead in practicing and preaching ethical business.

This week's contributors:

• •  Christine Barney, CEO, rbb Public Relations
• •  Margery Kraus, Chair, President and CEO, APCO Worldwide
• •  Melissa Waggener Zorkin, CEO, President and Founder, Waggener Edstrom
• •  Donna Imperato, CEO, Cohn & Wolfe
• •  Margaret Booth, President, M Booth & Associates
• •  MaryLee Sachs, Chairman, US Hill & Knowlton

Perhaps nothing illustrates the sweeping changes in PR these past decades than the shift in gender balance at firms nationwide. Yet while women are increasingly joining our ranks, especially at the junior and mid-levels, the question remains: Has the female-to-male ratio changed at the top?

What's more: How are women in communications rising through the ranks these days? What are the secrets of their success—and how are they bucking stereotypes? Are they mentoring their female staff to do the same? And what do they think the PR gender mix will look like in the future?

This week's contributors:

• •  Dan Orsborn, CEO, The Orsborn Partners
• •  Karen Kahn, Vice President, Worldwide PR, Sun Microsystems
• •  Paul Capelli, Vice President, Public Relations, Staples
• •  David McCulloch, Director, Public Relations, Cisco Systems
• •  Roger Frizzell, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Advertising, American Airlines
• •  Rob Lanesey, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Intuit
• •  Paul Hartwick, Senior Vice President, Communication and Public Affairs, Chase Card Services

According to Dan Orsborn at The Orsborn Partners, a consultancy that helps companies work with firms, clients are focused on five hot buttons coming out of the recession: digital PR, better measurement and accountability, online and offline community engagement, project-based fee structures and, correspondingly, increased value per PR dollar spent...

This week's contributors:

• •  Eleanor Petigrow, Business Development Head, Chandler Chicco Companies
• •  Amy Littleton, Vice President, KemperLesnik
• •  Corey duBrowa, President, Account Services, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
• •  Steve Cody, Managing Partner, Peppercom
• •  Julie Batliner, Managing Principal and Chief Client Relations Officer, Carmichael Lynch Spong
• •  Brandon Edwards, President, Revive PR

Deep agency-client relationships no doubt helped many firms hold onto key accounts over the past year amid the economic nosedive. And today, more clients than ever want agency partners more fully entrenched in their organizations as they look past top-line cuts and survival tactics to again focus on growth initiatives. The good news for PR firms is that close alignment with top clients in these times puts you in the position of key strategic advisor. That translates to more sustainable business, plain and simple.

But what are the pitfalls of becoming even more entrenched in the client's business? How are your agency peers working more closely with clients—without overextending themselves? What new ideas can you borrow from shops that are successfully doing everything from embedding staff at client offices, to meeting with client sales teams, to introducing themselves to procurement and beyond?

This week's contributors:

• •  Cord Silverstein, EVP, Interactive Communications, Capstrat
• •  Erin Byrne, CEO, Proof Digital Media, Chief Digital Strategist, Burson-Marsteller
• •  Hilary JM Topper, MPA, President and CEO, HJMT Communications
• •  Steve Cody, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Peppercom
• •  Sam Ford, Director of Customer Insights, Peppercom

Smart agencies are addressing this gap and training their staffs in crisis monitoring and management. So, what should agency leaders be doing to train AEs and other staff to deal with potentially brand/client-damaging posts, discussions or worse that arise online? The best in the business offer this guidance:

This week's contributors:

• •  Rob Amberg, VP and General Manager, Cushman/Amberg Communications
• •  Sean Fitzgerald, Partner and Managing Director, Ketchum West
• •  Ken Eudy, CEO, Capstrat
• •  Jasmine Lyons, Account Supervisor, CooperKatz
• •  Michael Law, Managing Director, Ogilvy PR/California
• •  Eric Block, Managing Partner, Tunheim
• •  Eliza Appert, Senior Account Executive, Tunheim

CSR (corporate social responsibility) is more than a buzzword. Clients—for reasons related to business and to their sense of social responsibility—are embracing CSR efforts. But these can backfire if you don't do them well. We talked to several experts and council members to find out how to help your clients do well by doing good—and enhance both of your bottom lines. Following are their tips, best practices and advice from the front lines:

1. Understand—and leverage—market forces making CSR a client hot-button now. We asked our experts to explain why CSR was receiving so much attention lately. They came back with a variety of responses...

This week's contributors:

• •  Jerry Swerling, Director of the Strategic PR Center, Annenberg School for Communication, USC
• •  Michele Harris, founder and CEO of Smarti Solutions
• •  Brian Lynch, U.S. Public Relations Manager, SCHOTT
• •  Kelly Wenzel, Former CMO, Tideway
• •  Lisa Tener, Author, The Ultimate Guide to Transforming Anger

RFPs are crucial to agency growth, but as we discussed in the Oct. 8, 2008 issue, they can lead to much hair pulling and gnashing of teeth. Many are poorly written and vague. And according to a "State of Public Relations" survey conducted earlier this year by the Council and Kelton Research, 87 percent of all public relations practitioners said they believe there is a need to provide more guidance to those who develop and issue RFPs.

This week's contributors:

• •  Amy Neal, LaunchSquad
• •  Michael W. Kempner, CEO/President, MWW Group
• •  Andy Polansky, President, Weber Shandwick
• •  Shawn Draper, Partner and SVP, IMRE
• •  Christine Costa, Sustainability Practice Leader, IMRE
• •  Matt Reid, EVP of Public Affairs, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

The Firm Voice asked representatives from several leading agencies to talk about their green initiatives, and we learned that the benefits are more practical than saving the world. But that's still a good place to start...

This week's contributors:

• •  James M. Krol, Vice President, Xenophon Strategies
• •  Jim Parham, COO, Hirons & Company Communications
• •  Will Spivey, Managing Partner, Trone
• •  Annamarie Saarinen, VP, Public Relations, ASI Communications

To find out how you can best position your agency for government contracts, we spoke with James M. Krol, former deputy associate administrator of communications and marketing at the GSA...

This week's contributors:

• •  Ralph Katz, Principal, CooperKatz
• •  Judith Harrison, VP, Human Resources, Constituency Management Group
• •  Deborah Levy, VP of Talent Recruitment, MS&L
• •  Nikita Davis, VP and Staffing Director, Ketchum
• •  Laura Cubbage, Director of Operations, 360 Media

Are you thinking about eliminating or cutting your internship program this summer? Read this article first!

Recession notwithstanding, every agency leader that we consulted advises against such a move. After all, using interns helps curb labor costs, brings fresh perspective to your agency and its clients—and helps position you for growth and the eventual economic turnaround.

Patrick Ford U.S. CEO Burson-Marsteller

Diversity and profit are not mutually exclusive—and agencies are starting to recognize this. And they realize: They ignore diversity at their peril.

Jillian McDowell Co-Chair, Social Media Practice Group Carmichael Lynch Spong

With digital PR being among the top practice areas seeing growth in a slower economy, almost every agency wants to be perceived as digitally "savvy" among prospects and existing clients alike. But demonstrating your competence involves considerably more than mouthing the right buzzwords and Tweeting every five minutes.

Building a reputation for digital competence—and thereby snagging a bigger slice of the marketing budget—involves learning, listening and never losing sight of your client's goals, as opposed to jumping onto exciting new technologies for their own sake. So, how can you develop that expertise, and get the word out to d rive business once you have? We checked with your firm colleagues for their tips, techniques and tactics—here's the best of their advice:

Will Spivey Managing Partner Trone

So the challenge isn't convincing the decision makers who sign our checks of the value of PR: It's about demonstrating the value of your counsel, according to the agency leaders we spoke with on this topic. Following are the insights of three of these key sources. Much of their collective wisdom comes down to this: Demonstrate and deliver. Here's how it's done, especially in tough times:

Jill Schmidt Chair, Corporate and IR Group Carmichael Lynch Spong

Because of greater access to information, namely, the Internet—the average consumer can scrutinize a company's practices, from how it treats its employees to its environmental footprint, more carefully than ever before. The implications are clear: Not only must companies communicate clearly about ethics and social responsibility; they must also live up to their hype. And that's where agencies come in—with corporate social responsibility (CSR) representing both a new business opportunity for firms to step in and counsel clients, and a call to arms.

John Bell Executive Creative Director 360° Digital Influence Ogilvy PR

"Agencies are particularly clueless about measuring the value of social media in terms of business benefit, I assume because they have English degrees, not MBAs,"...

Curtis Smith Director of Business Development Carmichael Lynch Spong

So what exactly are the brightest and best of your PR firm colleagues doing to get the word out to clients and prospects today? What new tools and techniques are they embracing—and what tried and true tactics are they revisiting? For the answers, we interviewed several sources to find. Here's how they're handling current challenges—their advice is both simple and profound:

David Wescott Vice President APCO Online

"Distractions are distractions, whatever form they take—it could be a phone call, or a television set in the lunchroom, or even that quirky colleague who works down the hall," says David Wescott, vice president, APCO Online.

Likewise, the risks are similar. "Understand that social media tools are just that—tools. We use them for good reasons or bad, but you can embarrass yourself or offend a client just as easily on the phone or in person as you could on a blog," he explains.

Steve Cody Managing Partner and Co-Founder Peppercom

The recession may be hurting your pocketbook, but don't let it hurt your best asset: your stars.

Keep your stars even more engaged and loyal, advises Steve Cody, managing partner and cofounder of Peppercom. And an economic downturn may provide the opportunity to do just that, believes Tom Coyne, president, Coyne PR. "Time is a wonderful thing if you use it right" to make a difference for your firm and your stars, he suggests, adding that now may be a perfect window to focus on HR issues, training and other housekeeping areas in an effort to get the most out of top talent.

Mark Sneider Managing Director Reardon Smith Whittaker

The message to agencies is clear: Clients are going to expect more from their agency, and they will need your cooperation and guidance.

Charlie Kondek Director of New Media Relations MS&L Digital

Thus, it only makes sense that many top agencies have been involved in social media since long before the term began cropping up. From the ubiquitous YouTube to the emerging Yammer, agencies have harnessed social media to their advantage.

We asked leaders from several member agencies about how they use social media. Their insights and advice can help you fine-tune your approach.

Mindy S. Gikas Managing Director, Human Resources Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

Compounding these challenges is that each agency manages the arrangement differently. So how do you make it work at your firm? The Firm Voice consulted leaders at three member agencies to find out how they have made telecommuting work.

See Quick Hit chart.

Corey duBrowa President, North America Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

The Firm Voice consulted both PR and legal experts to help you navigate the terrain. There are myriad risks, but there are also myriad rewards. Here are seven tips to help you avoid the former and reap the latter:

Karen Albritton President Capstrat

It's bound to happen eventually: A top client needs some fresh blood and new ideas—or a stellar AE has peaked and craves new opportunities. But when is it the right time to rotate staff off and on accounts? How can you manage the transition to optimize success for all parties involved—and keep the client happy and business bustling?

Brett Weiner Partner LaunchSquad

A survey conducted last year by the Council and APCO Worldwide was revealing. Although 52 percent of PR execs surveyed agreed with the statement, "Our firm does a good job identifying the specific interests of individual bloggers and sending them relevant information," a full 65 percent of bloggers surveyed disagreed with the corollary: "PR firms do a good job identifying the specific interests of individual bloggers and sending them relevant information."

So how can you make sure your training programs deliver the results you, your staff—and your clients—need? We spoke with agency leaders with a solid track record in these areas to find out their best tactics and strategies. Heed their counsel: Success stories from Burson-Marsteller University, Ketchum College and others can become your success stories, if you follow these ten recommendations:

Cord Silverstein EVP of Interactive Services Capstrat

Moreover, competition is fierce. A recent Council of PR Firms survey asked, "When it comes to selling your firm's digital capabilities to clients, barriers include..." Sixty-one percent cited competition from a client's other service firms; only 21% selected, "We are mostly successful when we pitch this capability."

So, how do you package, sell, and present these practice areas to current and potential clients?

Compounding the problem is the fact that low-quality RFPs don't just hurt agencies—they also hurt clients who don't end up with the right agency for their needs...

So how exactly are agencies and clients alike handling the news? What are firms recommending to their clients—especially those in affected sectors—as they struggle to cope and scope out likely scenarios for their products, services or brands?

Marina Maher President Marina Maher Communications

Coined "lateral hiring" in HR circles, poaching "is the reality of a competitive industry like PR where in 2008 we are seeing an increase in the amount of new business prospects and a shortage of qualified talent," confirms Marina Maher, president of Marina Maher Communications...

But agency blogs can sometimes backfire and yield less of a return than initially expected. Consider first that there are already many agency blogs out there offering a take on the day's news or latest industry related issues—so agencies offering "more of the same" run the risk of getting lost in the clutter...

Mark Beal Managing Partner Taylor

That's why clients are turning to integrated planning and projects. "Different clients call it different things — holistic planning, integrated planning and 360° planning are just a few examples," says Julie Batliner, managing principal and chief client relations officer at member firm Carmichael Lynch Spong...

Scott Friedman Regional director, North America Text 100 Global Public Relations

Yet one of the biggest challenges for PR firms is pressing clients for more business without alienating longterm clients. The wrong approach to offering additional services could get a "no" from a client every time, whether it's now or in the future when you'll want to leverage a stable of steady clients against continued growth...

Jason Mandell Partner and Co-Founder LaunchSquad

We checked with several Council members for a look into how they negotiate these sometimes tricky transitions. We boiled the best of their practices and tips into these four key steps: