Social media and digital practice services are areas of tremendous growth for PR firms right now. But behind the buzz and excitement, many prospects and clients don't fully understand these concepts; they don't grasp how these tools can help them achieve their business goals. They may not even share your understanding of what comprises digital PR and social media.

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? We turned to some experts for advice, and they delivered:

Cord Silverstein EVP of Interactive Services Capstrat

Charlie Kondek Director of New Media Relations MS&L Digital

David Erickson Director of E-Strategy Tunheim Partners

Jillian Froehlich Social Media Practice Group Co-Chair Carmichael Lynch Spong

Sam Ford Director of Customer Insights Peppercom

Jacqueline Kolek Senior Director Peppercom

Be prepared to repeat yourself, warns Charlie Kondek, director of new media relations, MS&L Digital. There's no such thing as a bad or repetitive question. "We're eager to articulate our perspective and strategy repeatedly with our clients at every stage of the work."

David Erickson, director of e-strategy at Tunheim Partners, suggests using analogies. He offers some examples: "Blogs are word-of-mouth on steroids; search engine marketing is advertising, while search engine optimization is earned media."

2. Define your terms. Don't assume "digital PR," "social media," etc. mean the same thing to you and to your clients. Everyone involved must arrive at a common definition before moving forward, warns Jillian Froehlich, co-chair of the Carmichael Lynch Spong social media practice group.

[FORD PHOTO>] "My fear is that not only are clients and agencies referring to something different but the definition differs from agency to agency and from client to client," says Sam Ford, director of customer insights for Peppercom. "I think it's smart for any PR professional to start a conversation with a current or potential client by ensuring you have the same thing in mind when it comes to digital PR."

Kondek agrees, noting that MS&L Digital has developed its own working set of definitions. "We adjust them to meet the client's definitions, or adjust the client's to ours."

3. Tailor your efforts. Don't overwhelm your client. Pitching digital PR is about tailoring efforts to a client's comfort level, says Froehlich.

It needs to fit their size. "One thing we do is make most of our ideas scalable, so that we can upsize them or downsize them depending on the comfort level and immediate needs of the client," says Kondek.

Digital media is all about individualization: Think about how your product uniquely fits a potential client's need, says Sam Ford. "If you hand them a list of capabilities that resembles the book-like menu at The Cheesecake Factory, they'll be afraid that you're a jack of all trades and a master of none."

4. Meet clients where they are. Jacqueline Kolek, senior director, Peppercom, sees clients at all stages of the digital spectrum. Some recognize and embrace the opportunities digital media present; others simply don't know where to begin. "The biggest challenge we face is ensuring a client's digital efforts are aligned with their overall communications strategy and business growth objectives. Too often, companies are looking to do a digital program in a vacuum," she says.

Colleague Sam Ford agrees. "It's about understanding how digital tactics match a company's intended outcomes, not just counting the number of touch-points or measuring the quantity of outputs and claiming that 'proves' success."

It pays to take it slowly, says Silverstein. Capstrat provides a variety of social media offerings that let clients test the waters while mitigating risk. Clients see some small successes, achieve incremental gains, and become comfortable marketing in completely new ways; once they get their feet wet, they can then venture into deeper waters. Some agencies are willing to swing for the fences and to take chances, Silverstein says, but a more cautious approach is the wiser path.

5. Do your homework. "Before you do anything, listen to what is happening online," says Silverstein. For instance, Capstrat performs an Online Reputation Analysis for clients. The agency records all relevant online mentions and conversations. Capstrat can then triage conversations to determine which require action. "The key is data, analytics, tracking," he says. You need to have an absolutely clear picture of what's happening online. (And what you learn may surprise the client—positively or negatively, he adds.)

If you can demonstrate online conversations (good or bad) about clients or their brands are taking place, your clients will have a natural interest in addressing those conversations, counsels Erickson.

Whatever you learn, put it all in context for the client, says Froehlich. "Chatter can seem much louder than it actually is." You need to show what's happening and what it means.

6. Lead by example. To sell these services, you should probably be using them, say several of the experts consulted. Blogging is a superb way to demonstrate expertise and establish thought leadership, and educate clients and potential clients about Internet marketing in general and your capabilities in particular, says Erickson. It can also generate leads.

7. Measure. Clear, measureable goals and demonstrable ROI are crucial, says Froehlich. In fact, says Kolek, "the biggest mistake an agency can make is not designing a program with measurable business results. Digital programs can help clients achieve a range of goals, from enhancing reputation to building brand awareness to generating thought leadership and supporting recruiting efforts. It may sound simple, but we need to first begin with a clear definition of what we are trying to achieve and then map out how social media will get us there."

"Show concrete examples of previous campaigns accompanied with web analytics that demonstrate actual results," says Erickson. At the same time, demonstrate potential cost savings versus other media. Often, "digital media is going to be much more efficient and less expensive than traditional media."

8. Secure C-suite involvement. If you don't have buy-in from the top brass, it may not matter how good your ideas are: They may never come to fruition. In fact, in the aforementioned Council of PR Firms survey, 23% of agency respondents cited C-suite reluctance as a significant barrier to selling digital capabilities.

Peppercom often deals with the issue, says Kolek. "Our research has illustrated a significant gap exists within many companies between the marketing and communications professionals who understand the power of social media and the C-suite. The key is to speak to the CEO, CFO or other senior leadership in language they understand: How will this microsite drive sales, how will a blog position the company as a thought leader on a specific issue, or how will this podcast help us reach new customers."

9. Don't forget the audience. Research the client's target audience to demonstrate its online presence, and provide statistics about its online behavior, counsels Erickson.

Sam Ford agrees: "Agencies thinking about digital media need to spend less time exclusively on what the client wants and more time on what the audience wants," he says. "That doesn't mean the decision won't ultimately come down to the campaign the client is interested in launching, but if it's not one you truly feel will resonate with the intended audience, you're setting yourself up for failure. More than likely, an unsuccessful campaign will be blamed on the agency's implementation rather than a flawed client strategy."

10. Address the inevitability. If clients and prospects still don't get it, it may be time for the pithy one-liner. "My one-line selling point to clients and prospective clients is, 'You may not be interested in social media, but social media is interested in you,'" says Erickson. Silverstein has a similar perspective: "These things cannot be ignored. They are going to happen whether you get involved or not."

By Roxanna Guilford-Blake