Author: awilmes

career advice…Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media by Adrienne Bailey

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Social Media; a treasure to many and a monster to a few. I think it is safe to say most everyone in our industry has engaged in social media via one form or another. Without much direction, everyone began posting, linking and tweeting away. Both excellent conversation and even large controversy have been the result of a platform with little-to-no rules.

Here are just a few do’s and don’ts on social media etiquette. I’m sure we each have our own unique experience so feel free to share your rules — I’d love to hear what you have to say.

  • Do personalize your messages, especially when making connections on LinkedIn and Facebook.
  • Don’t flood all outlets with the same content, be sure to provide new content or alter messaging to fit the specific audience. In other words, don’t link all platforms together, Twitter to LinkedIn, Facebook to Twitter, etc.
  • Do mix personal with professional, but be smart about it. Have a personality but be ready to take responsibility for your actions.
  • Don’t be a robot.
  • Do respond to people trying to engage in conversation with you.
  • Don’t try and connect with people on Facebook or LinkedIn you don’t know. Those are more personal platforms and you are better off beginning with the ‘follow’ button on Twitter.
  • Do offer to help people when possible. But don’t always expect something in return.
  • Don’t tell me everything; it adds noise instead of value.
  • Do contribute something more. As contradictory as it sounds, Twitter is a great place to lead and not always follow.
  • And finally, don’t ever auto DM or spam.

What social media etiquette rules do you live by?

Adrienne Bailey is an account executive in the public relations division Young & Laramore.

your pr career…Becoming the PR Pro Journalists Want You to Be by Andi Wilmes

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I recently watched a Ragan Communications video interview entitled “How to Pitch David Pogue of The New York Times.” Nothing in the interview was new to me. I have read and attended countless “How to pitch…” articles, blog posts and seminars and they basically all say the same thing. But after I watched this particular interview I found myself asking “Why in the world if we know all the DOs and DON’Ts of interacting with journalists do we find ourselves often doing the DON’Ts?”

I know that to pitch correctly it takes time (and time means money) which is why it is much easier to mass email canned pitches that reuse already approved marketing copy. But you don’t have to be a genius to know these pitches don’t work and are the reason thousands of articles and seminars are devoted to eradicating this common practice.

Here are some examples of the DON’Ts many of us are guilty of:

  • Making the awkward “Have you had a chance to read my news release…” follow-up call to journalists you don’t have a relationship with or have never worked with
  • Writing news releases and pitches filled with industry jargon and corporate gobbledygook
  • Developing distribution lists that are not well targeted
  • Crafting email pitches that have several paragraphs and long subject lines
  • Not bothering to research or read what the journalist covers prior to pitching
  • And the list goes on and on

It’s no wonder PR pros have a bad rap amongst journalist. Many of us are blatantly ignoring their complaints, advice and tips on how best to work with them and achieve a placement. What’s worse yet, seasoned pros are often guilty of teaching or allowing new pros to perpetuate this negative stereotype. It’s no secret that many of the above tasks are given to the new pro.

So as the next generation of PR pros let’s make a pledge! We all solemnly swear to end this nonsense and start becoming the PR pros journalists want and need us to be.

Andi Wilmes is the director of marketing and communications at Beringea, Michigan’s largest venture capital firm. She can be reached at andrea.wilmes@gmail.com.

your pr career…What your College Coursework Doesn’t Teach you about Succeeding in the Workplace by Andi Wilmes

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Moving up the ranks as an entry level employee and new pro can be a long and tough process. And if your university was anything like mine, it didn’t spend any time teaching the really – in my opinion – important stuff for surviving and flourishing in the workplace.  Sure I received a top notch Marketing degree, but I was not taught any real world business skills.

In the workplace, being smart and capable only gets you so far. And this fact is extremely apparent when it’s the first few months of a new entry-level job or internship. The tasks you are given frequently seem like busy work, and your level of responsibility can be minimal or non-existent.

The following basic business tips were passed on to me when I first started my career and they really helped me move up the ranks as a new pro:

Be Where the Action Is:

Ask to sit in on meetings, important phone calls, etc. You may think it is presumptuous, but your employer will appreciate your initiative and motivation. How are you supposed to become part of a team or know what’s going on in the company when you’re not where the important decisions are being discussed and made?  In most work environments you can be clueless as to what the person in the next cubical is working on. Stupid I know, but office communication no matter where you work can always be better. As the manager of your career, you must be where the action is. By being in meetings, you are much more likely to be given tasks and responsibilities, which are key to your advancement.

Read Voraciously about your Industry:

The more knowledgeable you are about your industry – and current events in general – the more prepared you will be to engage in conversations with your colleagues, boss, industry professionals, media and customers. From day one ask your boss and colleagues what newspapers, magazines, e-newsletters, etc. you should be reading every day. You can look really ridiculous if someone asks you about a current event that directly affects your industry and you know nothing about it.

Don’t Avoid the Jerks:

In every office there is a jerk. Someone you would prefer to avoid at all costs. So often though you have to interact with this person in order to move things forward in a project. Everyone’s first instinct is to avoid the person, however if you do, you can run the risk of missing deadlines, ultimately jeopardizing your career. Don’t let the jerk play the starring role in whether or not you get your work done.

Ask, Ask, Ask:

There is always downtime in an entry-level job. Unfortunately no matter how much experience you have from your internships, extracurricular activities, etc., you still can only be trusted with a certain amount of responsibility. So if your boss runs out of tasks for you, what do you do? Ask around. There are always colleagues and departments that can use an extra hand. Volunteer and you will look like a motivated team player. Don’t fall into the trap so many do, and sit by idly waiting for an assignment to drop into your lap. Your boss will expect you to be proactive and keep busy.

Interject Yourself in Everything Possible:

The more you are involved in multiple projects, departments and teams, the more job security you will have. You want to be everywhere. The person who appears to be adding value in the company is the person that won’t get fired. Make yourself irreplaceable.

Document Your Achievements:

You can’t rely on your boss to know all the great things you are doing, especially if you don’t interact with your boss on a day-to-day basis. It is up to you to make them aware of your achievements. I recommend keeping a log of achievements from day one. This will be really useful during review time when you are trying to justify a raise or promotion. Keep your boss in the loop constantly about your achievements – don’t just wait until review day. If you score a great placement, tell your boss. If you sign a new customer, tell your boss. Don’t brag, but keeping them in the loop on all the value you are adding makes them more apt to consider you for new assignments, responsibilities – and more money.

Ask for Forgiveness and Not Permission:

As a new pro, you will have the tendency to ask your boss permission all the time. Even on things that you can easily decide on your own. A lot of time is wasted on waiting for approval. If the question you have is nominal, your boss will admire the fact that you are able to use good judgment and make decisions without a lot of hand holding. In this economy, your boss is likely doing the job of 2-3 people, so they will appreciate making less decisions each day.

You are the only person you can count on to manage your career. Those who understand how to play the game are ultimately rewarded. If you look around at the people who are superstars at your company, they are likely doing most of the above things. So go join them!

Andi Wilmes is the director of marketing and communications at Beringea, Michigan’s largest venture capital firm. She can be reached at andrea.wilmes@gmail.com.

intro to series…Higher Education PR, by Brian Camen

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Prior to joining Weber Shandwick this month, I worked in higher education PR for two years. I would often get questions from outsiders about what I did. Since some people don’t understand, I thought I would provide an overview of what a higher Ed PR practitioner does. Please remember, this is a general overview and everyone’s position is different. So here’s a run down:

  • Media Relations: Higher education institutions often provide faculty expert sources for the media. Students have newsworthy initiatives going on. How does your institution compare with the latest enrollment trends? Whether it’s fulfilling a request or pitching, Media relations can be a large part of a pros job. Developing relationships with higher Ed reporters is key.
  • Monitoring: Monitor articles that were published and monitor breaking news. Monitoring breaking news falls under media relations, one thing leads to another. As a PR pro, you need to be in front of the news so you can leverage your professor or school’s expertise and provide sources for the media. Have multiple experts available that can talk about different angles on the same topic, why not create a media tip sheet?
  • Crisis Communication: Swine Flu? Death on campus? Shooting? The PR pro should play a large part in your institutions emergency response management team. You hope none of the above ever happens, but you must be prepared.
  • Media Training: Sure your professor can speak academic, but can they (or you) translate their work and apply it to current events?
  • Internal and external writing: Writing is a part of a PR pros job. Press releases, internal newsletters, magazines, editorials, HR communications, web articles, rankings communications and byline articles are samples of the type of writing. You may also have to write fundraising letters and grants depending on your position.
  • Social Media: You may be asked to create and maintain a strategic social media plan for your institution.

Depending on the institution and budget, you may have marketing or event responsibilities as well. Every day brings on a new task. Higher Ed PR is rewarding. Higher Ed pros don’t put out fluff or spam (most don’t). They help promote thought leadership. And that is one of my favorite things about higher Ed PR.

professional development…Mentorship: What New Pros Have to Offer by Sommer Caraway

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Throughout my life, I’ve been advised that I should always have a mentor and be a mentor.  When I first joined PRSA, a mentor program is something I searched for but found was nonexistent.  Shortly thereafter, I became a Phoenix PRSA New Pros leader and about a year ago, we divided our responsibilities into two keys areas: events and mentorship.  A passionate advocate of the latter, I was tasked with developing a mentor program, in which we New Pros would mentor others.

We developed the first mentor program between the PRSSA students at Arizona State University with the goal to simply bridge the gap between the academic and professional worlds.

We set small goals, knowing that we could build on them later. The PRSSA liaison (a PRSA member) and I decided to pair up New Pros group leaders with the student leaders.  We would try it for a semester and if it worked, we hoped word-of-mouth would yield greater participation the next semester.

So I sent out mentor and mentee interest forms to the most active New Pros and to the PRSSA president. To our surprise, 14 students signed up to be mentees the first semester!

We designed the mentor program to be informal so that people wouldn’t feel the time commitment was unattainable. For one semester, every other month, pairs were to meet one-on-one; on the off months, all pairs would meet as a group.

Because of the commitment of the PRSSA leaders and the gracious mentors, the program has been a success, and we look forward to implementing it again this year!

Thinking of starting a New Pros/PRSSA Mentor group? Here are five ideas for group meetings to get you started:

  1. Plan a kick-off happy hour (with options for students under 21, of course!) to discuss the importance of mentoring, expectations and topics students care about.
  2. Schedule a volunteer group event in lieu of a happy hour so mentors and mentees get to know one another outside of work.
  3. Pair up with the local Master’s SIG for a “speed mentoring” event that includes students, New Pros and seasoned pros.
  4. Offer a Shadow Day so students can see PR in action at local agencies and corporations. Encourage mentors to schedule a group lunch the same day so mentees can discuss what they learned.
  5. Plan a holiday, spring or graduation party to conclude the semester of mentoring. Host at someone’s house for a casual, fun celebration!

Sommer Caraway is a public relations professional in Arizona and a New Pros Committee Leader in Phoenix PRSA.  She may be reached at sommercaraway@yahoo.com.