Month: June 2013

June Twitter Chat Highlights: Harnessing Data and Measurement for PR Success

Heather Sliwinski Leave a comment

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the June #NPPRSA Twitter chat.

Specifically, we’d like to thank our special guest for the month Shonali Burke, ABC. Shonali is CEO of Shonali Burke Consulting and founder of the #measurepr Twitter chat. You can read more of Shonali’s insights on PR measurement and data on her blog Waxing UnLyrical.

Join us again on July 11 at 9 p.m. EST for the next #NPPRSA Twitter chat. The July chat will feature special guest Deirdre Breakenridge, author of “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations” — our June Summer Book Club selection.

Review highlights of the June chat below. What did you learn from the June chat? How do you harness the power of data and measurement to help your business reach its goals? With which departments must PR work closely to integrate and analyze measurement goals that will add value to the entire business?

 

Amy BishopAmy Bishop works in digital marketing and public relations for digitalrelevance, a content marketing and digital PR agency. She is the social media chair for the PRSA New Professionals Section. Bishop is also a contributing member of Dachis Group’s Social Business Council. You can connect with her on Google+, LinkedIn or Twitter.

A New Competitive Advantage: Mentorships

kcook 1 Comment

Public relations is a field in which classroom knowledge can only take you so far and internships show you various aspects of the day-to-day grind at an agency or corporation. However, a mentor is what gives a new professional a competitive advantage in the industry.

Mentoring goes far beyond asking advice on how to write the perfect press release or pitch a reporter, but rather focuses on how to develop your career as a public relations professional and how to succeed in the industry.

When selecting a mentor, do not treat the relationship as an employment agency or your mentor as an HR advisor, but instead look at your mentor as a wise adviser who can offer valuable advice on decision-making, workplace politics, challenging situations and overall career guidance based on their own experiences.
Below are several tips for new professionals as they consider the importance of mentoring and how a mentor can be their competitive advantage.

 
Work-Life Integration
It’s no secret that a 9-to-5 schedule seldom exists in the PR world, but there are times when a new professional needs to unplug, unwind and have a life outside of work. When selecting a mentor, it is not a bad idea to choose a mentor who has mastered the balance of work-life integration. If you decide once your career is established that you would like to make life changes like get married or balance a family and a career, a mentor who has a similar experience is an invaluable asset.

 
Advancing Your Career
Mentoring is a vital resource for professional development. Having a mentor can help you define an effective strategy to help you stand out within your company. The industry has changed drastically with the rise of digital and social media, so finding a mentor who isn’t far removed from your experiences can provide solid career guidance in the context of the current PR landscape.

 
Birds of a Feather
In addition to finding someone you can emulate in your career, also make sure to look for someone with a similar or complementary personality and work style. You’ll click well with someone if you share hobbies and interests as well as overall professional goals, and this will help you establish a good relationship. You also want to seek a mentor you trust and know will keep things confidential. If you’re having a rough week and need to vent, it helps to have a mentor who will respectfully keep it between the two of you.

 

Time, Time, Time
As young professionals seek out advice, the key is time. Give yourself time to foster the relationship with your mentor. Good relationships don’t happen overnight. They take precious time to cultivate trust and respect. Respect their time as well, as most people don’t even have enough hours in the day to do everything they’d like.

Interested in starting a mentoring program in your local chapter? Or want to learn more about mentoring in PR? Check out the New Pros website (http://www.prsa.org/Network/Communities/NewProfessionals/) for key resources and materials to spread the word.

Brandi Boatner and Kate Enos are the PRSA New Professionals Section mentorship chairs.

Summer Book Club: June Selection–Putting the Public Back in Public Relations

Heather Sliwinski 5 Comments

Just because summer will officially begin this month and vacations take center stage doesn’t mean we should all take a break from learning. June starts our annual Summer Book Club on the PRSA New Professionals Section blog, and the first book selection has been made!

When you’re on your way to the beach or sitting in the car or plane, make sure you grab or download a copy of “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations” by Deirdre Breakenridge and Brian Solis. At the end of the month, we’ll have a recap of the book along with discussion around the key takeaways. You may even see these topics appear in our monthly #NPPRSA Twitter chat!

See how Amazon.com describes “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations”:

Forget the “pitch”: Yesterday’s PR techniques just don’t work anymore. That’s the bad news. Here’s the great news: Social Media and Web 2.0 offer you an unprecedented opportunity to make PR work better than ever before. This book shows how to reinvent PR around two-way conversations, bring the “public” back into public relations and get results that traditional PR people can only dream about. Drawing on their unparalleled experience making Social Media work for business, PR 2.0.com’s Brian Solis and industry leader Deirdre Breakenridge show how to transform the way you think, plan, prioritize, and deliver PR services. You’ll learn powerful new ways to build the relationships that matter, and reach a new generation of influencers…leverage platforms ranging from Twitter to Facebook…truly embed yourself in the communities that are shaping the future. Best of all, you won’t just learn how to add value in the Web 2.0 world: You’ll learn how to prove how new, intelligent, and socially rooted PR will transform your organization into a proactive, participatory communication powerhouse that is in touch and informed with its community of stakeholders.

I’ll be reading on my Kindle with you. We hope you join us for another lively discussion on the New Pros blog this summer!

 

Heather SliwinskiHeather Sliwinski is an account executive at KemperLesnik, a Chicago-based public relations agency, providing media relations and social media services to a variety of B2B clients. She has held positions in marketing and event planning for corporations, nonprofits and higher education. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications with an emphasis in strategic communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sliwinski is the blog co-chair and chair-elect for the PRSA New Professionals Section. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.