Author: Heather Sliwinski

Event PR: the Original Mobile Marketing by Andrea Nourse

Heather Sliwinski 2 Comments

Mobile marketing can mean one of two things. The most recognized meaning today involves smart phones and mobile Internet. The other, more traditional, kind involves hitting the road and bringing a brand or product to the masses. Although the two can, and often do, go hand-in-hand, mobile event marketing presents its own challenges and advantages.

MMA Creative, the agency I work for, represents one of the largest food organizations in the world, and this weekend we kick off two separate tours to promote the nonprofit society. Aside from the hours of logistics that go into these tours, there is also time spent on pre-event PR and marketing through social media that lead up to each of the 20 to 25 stops each tour makes. That adds up to many Tweets.

Being a smaller business, our agency creates everything internally, from press releases and social media to logos, collateral and even truck wraps. Planning for 2011 started long before our 2010 tours ended. As the sole PR practitioner in the agency, I help create and execute this plan.

The PR Plan

For each tour, we create a national press release to announce the tour along with local releases and media advisories for each stop. For our primary tour, we have seven primary sponsors and two secondary sponsors. Two of our primary sponsors also have their own special programming, which includes additional stops and contests. Additionally, a separate partner has its own mobile marketing program. This program creates another layer in the plan, as we target the additional local markets and create a national release to announce the new programs. So on any given week, there are between one and five events going on (two tours and three partner programs), and I am responsible for making sure the local media are out in full effect.

Social Media

The part of mobile marketing that I enjoy the most is using social media—reaching out to and engaging the enthusiasts that make the societies we represent so huge. Even when we are not hosting an event or on the road promoting the client, I am always working hard to ensure that the conversation around our clients and partners continues. Social media is a crucial tool in the success of this effort. Where else can you directly and personally reach out to such a large and diverse audience?

This plan is only a small piece of what goes into producing and managing a mobile marketing tour, but it is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. Our clients and partners invest significant amounts of money into these programs, and our agency must deliver the results they expect. One thing I love about mobile marketing tours is the quick results. Whether it is from handing out samples to event attendees, engaging them in social media conversations or having our tour team interviewed by the local network affiliate, we get real, tangible results that increase awareness for our clients.

Andrea NourseOriginally from Kansas City, Mo., Andrea Nourse moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 2005 to pursue a career in songwriting. Then, in 2006, she enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University, where she studied public relations, marketing and political science. While in college, Nourse worked full-time as the assistant manager for Jos. A. Bank, interned with U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon and, after graduating in May 2010, joined his staff as a field representative and communications assistant. Nourse currently works as a content specialist for MMA Creative, a full-service marketing and advertising agency with offices in Cookeville and Nashville, Tenn., and serves as an At-Large Member of the PRSA New Professionals Section Executive Committee.

Creating a Blog Strategy that Works: 10 Tips for Company Bloggers and Teams by Crystal Olig

Heather Sliwinski 5 Comments

Blogging can be frightening because no matter the size of your organization, not everyone believes they are a writer. The allure of a brand-spanking new blog tarnishes quickly when everyone realizes you have to feed the beast.

As PR pros, we mobilize a company’s internal experts and find a way to help them turn their knowledge into dynamic and compelling content. Whether we write it, ghostwrite it or edit it, thoughtful preparation and tools go a long way. Here is a quick guide to creating a long-term strategy that works.

1.       Editorial strategy & calendar

Blog platforms today, from WordPress and Blogger to Tumblr and Posterous, are intuitive to use, and you can be up and blogging in a day. However, that day should include at least a basic outline of content areas of focus with a frequency goal – once a day, a few times a week or once a week, at minimum. Even better is a strategic plan based around a few key information architecture elements.

Combine your content plan into strategic groups. A tool like MindMeister is great for team brainstorms and collaboratively creating a plan with your team. Within each of your topical areas, pick out a few descriptive words or phrases. Your groups can become blog categories, and the rest are viable tags.

Lastly, a deadline calendar that you gently enforce, or even better, incentivize your staff with, helps everyone know what they are expected to do and when.

2.       Be a great curator

While brainstorming is great, sometimes you just do not have it in you to start completely from scratch. I remind my clients that they are constantly consuming great content and forming an opinion. Applying an expert eye to e-mail newsletters, tweets from colleagues and magazine articles, a good blogger just picks the most on-trend, compelling or controversial info. Flip it around, add your own spin and you have a new post. The ability to curate content and choose the most compelling to share and open for commentary is a cultivated blogging skill.

3.       Content isn’t just words

Pay attention to your blogging team members’ strengths. The most persuasive and prepared salesperson can turn to jelly at the thought of putting pen to paper. Find a way to capture that person’s voice through rich media. Put a flip cam in the table in the breakroom and ask the salesperson some questions – “What is the most common question you get asked?” or “What questions do you wish our customers asked you?” can generate fascinating “vlogs.” Even a quick audio recording using a microphone or headset can do the trick.

4.       Mobilize a team

Unless you are a sole practitioner or an executive blogging for the sake of your own reputation, payday or thought leadership, chances are writing for the company blog is not your only job. Find a team who can help you, and get buy-in from the top to support everyone’s involvement. A monologue is rarely as compelling as a conversation or symphony of voices and perspectives.

5.       Do what you do

When you create your team, do not limit it to your peers in communications. A favorite client of mine mobilized his school’s whole staff to post on their education blog. Everyone can bring a unique perspective.  Some of the most popular posts are photo-driven, created by the school’s facilities and maintenance manager showing events across campus. If your goal is to highlight the rich talent at your organization, allowing them to talk about their passions in relation to your industry and individual roles is a great starting point.

6.       Come packing

Rich blogs full of photography, infographics, videos and graphics do not just happen. Arm yourself with the gadgets you need to capture the moment when inspiration strikes. A flip cam, digital camera and smart phone are all helpful and affordable.

You do not have to be an expert to produce blog content.  If the content is thoughtful and compelling, it counts. If you have access to a design team or some skills of your own, enrich your verbiage with imagery.

7.       Make it recognizable

Not just any old blog will do. It is getting easier every day to create customized and branded blogging platforms. If you know enough about the web or HTML to be dangerous, you can tweak colors, add logos and imagery templates and designs. Template libraries like Themeforest can help you on your way.

8.       Simplicity & SEO

One of the most common questions I hear from my interactive marketing clients is how to keep a corporate website interesting and the content timely. Often times, competing priorities of an organization or the complexity of your corporate site technology prevent communicators from changing it up. A blog can be simpler to use and involve fewer hoops to jump. Google sees the recency of content and gives value to fresh stuff. Blogs today typically have all kinds of built-in SEO-friendly features like the ability to manipulate title tags, URL structures and heading tags.

9.       Make it sharable

In a social world, the best stuff gets shared. Plug-ins and widgets like Topsy, Share This or AddThis, paired with other direct interaction opportunities like Facebook or Linked In “Like” buttons, make it easy to pass along great ideas or stories.

10.   Create a voice

While communicators today often advocate for a clearly articulated brand voice, not everyone in the C-suite sees value in talking to your customers in a casual, non-journalistic or even friendly tone on your corporate site. A blog by nature is often more conversational and meant to elicit commentary and discussion. Writing about issues and trends affecting your industry, great corporate social responsibility initiatives or community action can often allow for more freedom – and more fun for those who are blogging.

Crystal OligCrystal Olig is an online content and digital marketing professional at Oxiem, an interactive marketing agency in Columbus, Ohio. She serves as the New Professionals Section Mentorship Liaison and is on the University Liaison committee locally, working with future PR pros through the Central Ohio PRSA chapter.

Don’t Press “Send”! E-mail Lessons from a New Pro by Joshua Romero

Heather Sliwinski 1 Comment

Being a new staffer at an organization can be a challenge – reading through binders of HR paperwork, figuring out everyone’s names and responsibilities, getting the copier code right, learning how to dial out, the list goes on and on. The last thing you should worry about is making rookie mistakes communicating via e-mail.

Here are some of my tough lessons learned in the world of e-mail communication:

Did I Press “Reply”? I Meant “Forward”.

What Happened: When I was assigned to write my first news release for the law school featuring a quotation from the dean, my supervisor suggested that I craft a statement from the dean and ask for his approval. She was very encouraging of my work, suggesting that the dean rarely, if ever, suggests changes or revisions to the statements we prepare. I sent the dean my quotation.

When he replied, I was surprised to see that he had some significant changes to what I had prepared. Keeping my supervisor in the loop of my progress, I sent her an e-mail: “Of course, he would want to edit the very first quote I put together for him. HAHAHA! Good thing this hasn’t gone out yet. Can we just go home, since this is most definitely a Monday!?!”

I thought the e-mail went to my supervisor. Apparently I hit “reply” instead of “forward” and the lighthearted message went right to the dean’s inbox.

What I Learned: Our dean is a very gracious man! In all seriousness, he was very understanding of the incident and understood my joking about the challenges of our work. He even said that it is good for us to laugh at those things. More importantly, I learned to always double-check the recipient before I press send.

Can I Have Your Number?

What Happened: It was a busy media day for me with three requests for legal experts coming in from three reporters on three different subjects. With the chaos of logging reporter contact information and trying to get professors on the phone or on e-mail, my desk was covered in a patchwork of Post-it notes. I secured one of our professors and the reporter asked me to e-mail her the professor’s contact information. I typed out the e-mail, double-checked who I was sending it to and pressed send. Moments later, I got an e-mail back from the reporter: “You sent me my phone number.”

What I Learned: As important as it is to respond quickly to media requests, it’s just as important to provide our media colleagues the correct contact information. I got lucky. The reporter saw my e-mail and corrected me. She gave me a chance to make things right, when she could have just moved on to another legal expert.

You’re Not So Special

What Happened: I’m probably not alone in sending out news release e-mail blasts. I’ve been fortunate enough to develop one-on-one relationships with some members of the media who have asked that I send all of our news releases to them. With these contacts, I compose a news release e-mail and “Bcc” them. After a few weeks without sending news releases, I had some news to share. Since I was out of practice on my releases, I accidentally entered my contacts in the “To” box instead of “Bcc.” Whoops! Looks like my media friends aren’t so special anymore, because everyone gets that news release.

What I Learned: On the surface, I learned to double-check where you’re entering recipients’ e-mail addresses. More importantly, I realized the value of that personal touch with your media contacts. Just because everyone wants your news release, that doesn’t mean you can’t send it out individually. It is more work, but I’ve found that it helps to nurture those relationships you’ve already built. It also gives your media friends that “I’m special” feeling. Plus, it keeps them from thinking that someone else might cover the story so they don’t have to.

Learn from my mistakes. Only press ‘send’ when you know you’re sending the right message to the right person. For those who can’t break the habit of pressing ‘send’ prematurely, you can always learn how to recall an e-mail!

 

Joshua P. Romero is the marketing & communications coordinator at California Western School of Law in San Diego. He manages the media relations and social media programs for the school. Romero is Member Co-chair of the New Professionals Section of PRSA.

Intro to Independent PR: Part Two with Susan Rink

Heather Sliwinski 1 Comment

According to the 2008 PRSA Membership Value Perception and Satisfaction Study, 6 percent of PRSA’s members are “independent practitioners”. This month’s “Intro to” series features two such professionals who once worked in agency, corporate and association PR and have since joined the ranks of independents.  Susan Rink, Principal at Rink Strategic Communications, LLC, spoke with Mike Greenberg of the New Professionals Section about life as an “indie”.

 

Mike: What was your PR experience like before you decided to practice as an independent?

Susan: I decided to go into business for myself in January 2007, after more than 20 years in corporate communications, specifically in employee communications.  I left Sprint Nextel after the merger and spent a couple of months looking for the “right” internal communications leadership role.  But after interviewing with a number of very good local companies, I realized that I simply could not work up any enthusiasm for another job that consisted of staff meetings and progress reports.  So after a six-month sabbatical, I decided to open my own communications consulting practice – and I’ve never looked back.

Mike: What do you offer clients that an agency doesn’t?

Susan: Most of my clients are marketing, communications and PR professionals who are looking for someone with my specific expertise to provide guidance, as well as an extra set of hands.  I think that is what differentiates me from a large agency – I manage the client relationship, develop the product and counsel my clients on the best way to sell the solution to their boss. They know that I’ve sat in their chair and struggled with the same challenges they deal with on a daily basis.

Mike: What is your work environment like?

Susan: For the most part, I work from a small desk in my dining room.  I contact my clients primarily via email and phone, since a good number of them are located outside the D.C. Metro area. 

Mike: What types of non-PR abilities and interests are needed in order to succeed as an independent practitioner?

Susan: I never wanted to be a sales person – both my parents were Realtors – but I quickly realized that in order to run successful business, I have to constantly sell my product: me. The other important elements – being customer-focused, understanding business essentials, being able to multi-task, being organized – are all skills developed in a prior career, skills that I use on a daily basis.

Mike: What are the greatest challenges an independent faces?

Susan: Isolation.  Although I’m an introvert, and enjoy working on my own, I find that I need a way to connect with other indies to brainstorm, trouble-shoot or sometimes just commiserate with me.  That’s why I’m so glad to be part of IPRA (the Independent PR Alliance, a section of PRSA’s National Capital Chapter).  IPRA members are very generous with their time and knowledge and are always willing to act as a sounding board to a fellow member.

Mike: What has surprised you the most about being an “indie”?

Susan: I never doubted that I’d love being an indie and having the opportunity to actually “do the work.”  I think the thing that has surprised me most is how much my skills and knowledge are valued in the real world.  There are few senior-level professionals who specialize in employee communications these days; most VP and SVP-level communications executives come from the media side.  These clients understand the value of effective employee communications and are willing to admit that they need outside help to overcome their challenges.

Mike: What advice would you give a new professional who wants to work as an independent?

Susan: The best piece of advice I can give anyone starting their own independent agency is to decide what they can offer that is unique, then figure out who needs that service. Define what you are and what you offer, then look for people who need that service.

Susan RinkSusan C. Rink, Principal, Rink Strategic Communications, LLC

Susan C. Rink is an award-winning employee communications professional with extensive experience in developing strategic communications programs and processes.  Her firm specializes in effective internal communication strategies to drive employee engagement in small to medium-sized companies.  Rink’s blog (http://rinkcomms.wordpress.com), as well as the “Take Note” podcast available on YouTube and iTunes, provide senior executives with tips and best practices for employee communications.

Rink is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), as well as the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter, and is the 2011 Chair of the Independent Public Relations Alliance.

Intro to Independent PR: Part One with Robert Udowitz

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According to the 2008 PRSA Membership Value Perception and Satisfaction Study, 6 percent of PRSA’s members are “independent practitioners”. This month’s “Intro to” series features two such professionals who once worked in agency, corporate and association PR and have since joined the ranks of independents.  Robert Udowitz, Principal at RFP Associates, LLC, spoke with Mike Greenberg of the New Professionals Section about life as an “indie”.  Check back on Friday, February 25 for part two of the series with Susan Rink, Rink Strategic Communications, LLC.

 

Mike:  What was your PR experience like before you decided to practice as an independent?

Robert:  I am entering my seventh year as an independent. Immediately prior to going out on my own I was working at a trade association as its director of communications. Before that I had been in corporate communications and at a couple of PR agencies in Washington, DC, and New York City.

Mike: What do you offer clients that an agency doesn’t?

Robert: In most cases I offer my clients equal if not more experience through a more economical and efficient model.  I’ve done crisis counseling, community relations work, media relations, analyst and investor relations, writing and event planning.  I have even created an animated video—from concept, to writing the script and directing the shoot!

Mike: What is your work environment like?

Robert: My work environment is as professional as it was when I had an employer. With all the modern technology I use, the only disadvantage I have is the lack of an office tech support team at my beck and call. 

Mike: What types of non-PR abilities and interests are needed in order to succeed as an independent practitioner?

Robert: You must possess some simple financial management and business skills.  In particular, when you start out you need to determine how much to charge clients. Then you need to tabulate your monthly expenses so you know how much money has to come in to afford your lifestyle. From there it’s critical that you devote time each month toward bookkeeping and billing your clients. Your business skills are critical to building a client base, marketing yourself, and maintaining a steady income.

Mike: What are the greatest challenges an independent faces?

Robert: The work will always find you, but there’s never enough time to market yourself for those times when you need more work. As long as you stay networked and are always talking to your colleagues and meeting new people, you will find work the moment you have the time to take on something new.

Mike: What has surprised you the most about being an “indie”?

Robert: How capable I was. In the confines of office work there isn’t much time to create opportunities that go outside of your assignments. And, sometimes you observe that the decisions that are being made aren’t as productive as they should be. As an indie, you have an ability to accomplish more and there’s a degree of pride when you are able to look back and see all that you have done.

Mike: What advice would you give a new professional who wants to work as an independent?

Robert: You have to have experience, and preferably a diverse amount of experience.  The more you’ve exposed yourself to professionally before you go out on your own, the more of an asset you’ll be for your clients.

Robert UdowitzRobert Udowitz, Principal, RFP Associates, LLC

Over the course of his 25-year career, Udowitz has worked at public relations/public affairs offices, corporations, and trade associations. He recently began RFP Associates, LLC (www.rfpassociates.net), a PR agency search firm specializing in the request for proposal process for companies seeking a public relations agency. Prior to creating RFP Associates, he operated RUdowitz Consulting, a PR/PA consultancy based in Washington, DC, where his clients centered in the financial industry but included commercial real estate companies, trade associations, a magazine publisher, and government contractors.

Udowitz has been a member of the Board of the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter for the past four years and on the Board of the Independent Public Relations Alliance for more than five.