A weekend conversation about social media and the value PR brings to the table got me thinking about our industry’s value cascade — how we transmit value to clients and employers under the best scenarios, vs some less-than-best variants. Here’s what I think it looks like on the consulting side:

Ideally, we deliver expertise, which drives the formation of custom strategies. These strategies, combined with access, deliver results and value.

If we lack any one of the three legs of the proverbial stool, we can still make things work, albeit with different approaches.

• Got expertise and access but lack strategy? Your media channels will tell you what they want and strategy becomes a recursive exercise.
• Got strategy and access but no expertise? Congratulations - you’re an account coordinator at a typical agency. You likely have a framework of people (they’re the ones who gave you the strategy) who can support you with advise and counsel.
• Expertise and strategy but no access? That’s the easiest nut to crack of all, because a good pitch (good in the sense that it serves both your client/employer AND the reporter/blogger/whatever) requires less access than we generally like to admit.

When we lack two of the three elements (or maybe all three - shhh!), we start selling buzzwords and new-and-improveds, hoping the novelty will overshadow the lack of measurable, repeatable impact on the business. (See: “Let’s start a blog!”) That might be a good way to muddle through some situations in the short term, but getting repeatable, long-term results that way is nearly impossible.

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