professional development event…Navigating the PR terrain

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Mary Beth WestNext week, on Wednesday, September 30, Mary Beth West will be telling new PR pros how to generate opportunity and avoid common mistakes in the teleseminar, Navigating the Terrain of Your First Professional Years.

Mary Beth West currently manages her own public relations consulting firm near Knocksville, Tenn., and she has been very active in PRSSA and PRSA, including being a co-founder of this New Professionals of PRSA Section!

We asked Mary Beth some questions about herself and her upcoming teleseminar. Check out this Q&A, and to hear more, register for Navigating the Terrain of Your First Professional Years. (Keep in mind, you must register ASAP if you want to phone-in to the live event!)

1. You are one of the founders of the New Professionals Section. What motivated you to try to start a new section?

PRSA’s member demographics had shifted somewhat younger in the 1990s to early 2000s. The Society needed a section that served the immediate needs of new public relations professionals — whether they were younger 20-somethings coming straight out of undergraduate public relations programs or individuals who were switching careers with perhaps 10 or more years of experience under their belt in another profession. Beyond the demographic opportunity, it was very important to create a place within PRSA that could serve the needs of these new professionals and enable them to utilize their own skills and insights. It needed to be a self-directed group to create leadership opportunities, professional development, and networking that spoke to their interests and changing needs. Helping set the initial course for New Professionals has been one of the most rewarding volunteer tasks of my PRSA involvement.

2. How did you go from PR newbie to starting your own consulting firm?

I was lucky to start my career in the agency business, interning in school and later working for both small firms in mid-size markets to a large agency in New York. The diversity of experience and exposure to so many different companies and organizations was an excellent eye-opener on what the possibilities and opportunities are in the field.
In terms of how I transitioned from my early years in the business to ultimately owning my own firm . . . I guess the key to it is that I not only embrace change but also thrive on it. I never like to get into a comfort zone with what I’m doing professionally, because to me, it quickly turns into a rut. I’m always seeking out challenges because I genuinely enjoy them and relish the opportunities they offer to become better at my work. And to be self-employed, you have to have that energy and that ability to face ever-changing circumstances.

3. One of the things you’ll discuss is a “three-year career plan”. Why is such a thing helpful/important for new pros?

As they say, if you don’t plan on going anywhere in particular, you’re sure to get there fast! While a new pro’s first years in the public relations field may be a time for exploration and not being sure what the immediate future holds, it’s important to ask oneself some challenging questions that will lead you to where you ultimately want to be. Only then can you begin creating a definitive plan for how to get from Point A to Point B.

For example, what kind of work do you truly enjoy and get personal satisfaction from doing (beyond getting a paycheck)? What are the work-reward values that mean most to you? What industry or organizational sector is most fascinating to you and where you see the most potential for you to utilize your interests, talents and skill sets? Once you’ve answered these and similar questions, you can start mapping out the experience you need to start accumulating, the networking/professional relationships you need to start building, and the types of companies or organizations you need to start researching for near-term job opportunities.

4. What do you think is one of the most challenging aspects of being a new pro, and how do you think it can be overcome?

In terms of strategic skills, PR pros must always maintain an acute understanding and sensibility about how their stock-in-trade–building communications, relationships and reputations–impacts the overall success of their clients or employers, particularly in financial terms to generate revenue and mitigate expense. Only then can you really achieve resonance between what your employer/client needs from you and what you have to offer. Sometimes, professionals in our field are expert technicians in the tools and tactics of our profession but are lousy at translating the value of those tactics into a real business strategy that is designed to make money for the company or otherwise achieve a very critical business objective. And until you have the capability of connecting those dots on your own, your career progression will be limited.

Regarding the more tactical skills, the thing I see lacking too often is attention to detail. Cutting corners just doesn’t work in this business. There is often an entire mindset or attitude that goes with that tendency, and it’s generally revealed readily in many different ways, such as a person’s writing style (short on clarity and rife with errors), verbal communications style (a lot of “you know”s and “like”s), and even the way they present themselves (lack of eye contact, a lazy handshake and a bit-too-casual dress code). My advice: Sweat the small stuff. It’s often the little things that either solidify good impressions or send them packing.

5. What are tips or information are you most excited about sharing during the teleseminar?

Like Generation X–which I am part of and in the 1990s was conveniently termed the “slacker” generation right as I entered the profession–I think Generation Y often gets a bad rap with the whole “trophy kids” and “helicopter parents” attributions. That imagery can lead some employers and supervisors to make automatic negative assumptions about younger new professionals before they have had a chance to prove themselves. I’ll address that issue and how new professionals can overcome it in a workplace.

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MARY BETH WEST will be presenting Navigating the Terrain of Your First Professional Years: Generate new opportunities for yourself while avoiding common mistakes on Wednesday, September 30. For more information and to register, go to the event site.

professional development event… social media and networking in Atlanta (Sept. 24)

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Ben Garrett will be presenting at the New Pros networking event in Atlanta.

Next week, Thursday September 24, the New Professionals of PRSA will host an in-person networking event–Honing your Social Media Skills. The event will be held at the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Midtown Atlanta Georgia. Our featured speaker, Ben Garrett , is the Executive Producer for On the Scene Productions, a digital media company specializing in video, but before he went digital Ben spent time in broadcast journalism and PR.

Ben has been good enough to give us a sneak peak into next week’s event. Check out this Q&A, and meet Ben and your peers at Honing your social media skills while networking with New Pros in Atlanta. (Keep in mind, you must register within the next few days if you’d like to attend!)

1. Can you describe your experience in broadcast journalism and public relations?

I worked in local and network TV for 14 years before turning to electronic public relations (where I’ve now spent 16 years). Ironically, I started off in print. I was editor of my high school paper and also in college, but an internship at a newspaper convinced me to switch to broadcast journalist–more money, with the added bonus that you don’t have to know how to spell. I was a TV news anchor and reporter at a number of local TV stations, and on the network level as a producer, I worked at Lifetime and CNBC networks in their infancy, as well as a brief stint as a medical producer for NBC’s TODAY Show.

2. You moved from PR and broadcast to being executive producer at a digital media company. How did you become so interested in digital media?

The Chicago TV production company I was working for was purchased by a dot-com. So suddenly we were a digital media company. But the reality was the reason they purchased us was because we were innovating doing TV on the web. We built the first health network for the fledgling Microsoft Network, and were one of the first to do video webcasts. At this point in history, everyone had dial-up, there was no broadband and very few people had e-mail, forget social media, it didn’t exist. But basically the web is just another medium to deliver video, and we’re just as focused on mobile phones now as a delivery device.

3. How has your background in PR and journalism helped you in your role at the digital media company?

My background in TV news has prepared me to be a video storyteller. Once you learn to tell a story in pictures, it can be applied to any visual medium, whether it’s an out-of-home network, digital signage, the web, or your mobile phone. The medium isn’t as important as the storytelling. The only consideration for any visual medium is that if you’re doing something in High Definition for a big screen, you will likely have to make some adaptations to tell that story on a small screen, i.e., your iPhone. Some of the same elements that make a story newsworthy can be applied to making a video “viral”–but viral videos are really more about entertainment value, not journalism.

4. What do you think are the greatest challenges facing the public relations world with respect to social media?

Initially, the greatest challenge for PR was transparency. It’s very important to be honest and transparent about who you are and who you represent. I think we’re addressing that as a profession. Now, the biggest challenge I hear about is ROI–return on investment, and also a new term “ROE”–return on engagement, since social media is about engagement more so than just generating impressions. How do we measure what we’re doing and if its even worthwhile? No one has really been able to put a true value on that yet. At the same time, measurement or no measurement, social media isn’t going away and it can’t be ignored as a tactic. And because social media is about two way communications, that’s a new development, because so much of PR is about communicating one way to a mass audience. Now it’s about one-on-one conversations. It’s a different game now that we’re getting real time feedback from consumers. Communities in social media expect a real time response, and from real people, not an automated response. It’s forcing everyone to re-think their mission, their staffing and their response time 24/7.

5. You’ll be presenting at the PRSA New Pros Atlanta networking event. What information are you most excited to share with new professionals?

New professionals have entered our profession during a major downturn in the economy and at a time when the profession is re-inventing itself. Bad times actually present the best opportunities for advancement. I want to tell them they’ve picked a great career but I also want to give them the benefit of my experience. While it’s almost impossible to learn from someone else’s mistakes, I hope I have made enough for all of them! A lot of people are calling the rise of social media Web 2.0. I was around for Web 1.0, and hopefully some of those lessons still apply. A lot of the things we talked about for Web 1.0 are now only possible with Web 2.0. What’s Web 3.0 going to be? They may be the ones to build it!

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BEN GARRETT will present at “Honing your social media skills while networking with New Professionals in Atlanta”, a New Professionals of PRSA networking event. The event will be from 6 to8PM on Thursday, September 24. Registration is required by Monday, September 21. For more information and to register, go to the event site.

professional development event…How to Break in to International PR (Sept. 16)

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Did you think you had to curb your wanderlust and settle down before you could enter the public relations field? International PR is one way you can feed your interest in travel and culture while still getting a paycheck doing the public relations work you enjoy; but how can you, a new public relations professional, tap into the international PR scene?

Next week, the International Public Relations Section of PRSA is hosting a teleseminar specifically designed to help PR newbies get a foot in the international door. Jim Holtje (Senior Manager of Leadership Communications for Siemens Corp) and three others will share their Tips to Breaking into International PR on Wednesday September 16.

Holtje was kind enough to give us a preview of his experience in international PR, including how he started on the international track and what advice he’d give newbies who want to break in. If you’d like to hear more about international PR and how to break in, register for the teleseminar–Oh, and don’t put it off for too long; if you want to dial in to the live event, you’ll need to register by this Friday!

How did you break into international PR?

I began studying foreign languages in middle school and continued through high school and college. In college, I traveled a lot to Europe, taking advantage of cheap student airfares, Eurail passes, sometimes sleeping on friends’ floors to save money. I had also gotten some practical journalism skills working as the features editor at New York University’s student newspaper, The Washington Square News, and worked on a PBS television program. After NYU, I got my M.A. at Columbia University in international affairs and economics. At first, I wanted to work for the State Department but ended up in a private sector career.

My professional career started out in international political consulting working on a 1992 presidential campaign in South Korea. I then worked for a number of PR agencies and consultancies doing international PR for Chrysler, DaimlerChrysler, Wal-Mart, Eli Lilly, Deloitte, Deutsche Post, and others in Washington, D.C. and New York. I started working at Siemens USA seven years ago including a three-year stint at the Munich headquarters as the chief English-language speechwriter. As far as international goes, I absolutely love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else!

What skills are especially important in international PR?

Most international PR pros are often generalists who have a tremendous passion for the world beyond their immediate borders. That passion could come from previous travels or living overseas or just plain “wanderlust.” Either way, they enjoy working and dealing with the world beyond their immediate horizons.

Personally, I think the skills that count most include foreign language ability; hard-core PR skills, including writing and pitching; as well as empathy for others who are not always like you culturally or linguistically. Last but not least, flexibility and patience. You have to be ready to roll with the punches in the international arena. International PR is not always seamless or easy. A lot can get “lost in translation.” But that’s the challenge—and for me, that’s what makes the work eternally interesting.

What’s a typical day when you work in international public relations?

There probably is no “typical” day. A lot depends on where you’re working and whom you’re working for. For example, when I worked as a speechwriter at Siemens’ global headquarters in Germany, we had to write speeches for our CEO to deliver in China, India, Brazil, Egypt, Russia, etc.

That meant quickly getting up to speed on our businesses there, plus learning what would work—or not work—culturally. You constantly have to strike a balance between what your core corporate message is while keeping in mind what foreign audiences are looking for or expect.

Typical? Not likely. Fascinating? Always.

What are you most excited about talking about during the Sept 16 telesem?

I’m excited that we have such great guests from the corporate, agency, and not-for-profit worlds who can give New Pros some real-world advice about international PR. Real world advice–not theory. This is especially valuable in a down economy when people are looking for ways to distinguish themselves in a tough marketplace.

Anita Larsen at Unilever; Robin Kim at Burson-Marsteller in London; and Blair Palese in Australia who used to head Greenpeace PR in London; all bring practical experience to the table that New Pros can benefit from. I’m looking forward to a very lively discussion and to participants getting some real value from the experience.

My hope is that it that the teleseminar ends up changing a few career. It will be well worth the hour investment.

What advice do you have for new pros who are interested in breaking into international PR?

The panelists on September 16 will have their own tips. Here’s a sneak peak at mine:

1) Travel. It can change your life.
2) If you’re already in PR and working at an agency, seek out either foreign clients or large American clients with operations overseas. Large global PR agencies also have opportunities overseas.
3) If you work for a foreign corporation, look for ways to work at the company’s overseas headquarters. If you work for an American multinational, find ways to work at their foreign affiliates.
4) If you’ve haven’t already learned a foreign language, give it a try. If you already speak one, improve your skills. You don’t have to be perfect, but you should at least make an effort.
5) Don’t neglect your core PR skills: writing, pitching, problem solving.
6) My advice no matter what you do in PR: Network, network, network…

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JIM HOLTJE will be one of the panelists during “Stand out in a down economy: Tips for breaking into international pr”, a PRSA teleseminar. The event will be 1 hour long, mid-day Wednesday, September 16. For more information and to register, go to the event site.

pr strategy… Facebook Group v. Fan Pages–Never build a group page by Janet Krenn

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Go to any professional development seminar and the first thing you’ll hear is, “You can’t ignore social media. Get your company on Facebook.”

Yes do, but for pete’s sake, never build a Facebook Group Page! If you’re looking to build a Facebook presence for your company, use a Fan Page. Looking to build a presence for an association–Fan Page. Facebook presence for your church group or club–Fan Page.

If your company, association, or club is already using a Facebook Group Page, kill it and relaunch as a Facebook Fan Page. That’s what your New Pros Section did this week, and although only time will tell how well it meets our members’ needs, I’m betting the additional functionality will make us better connected than our previous page. In case you’re ever charged with building a Facebook presence, I thought I’d share with you some of the improved functions that only a Facebook Fan Page can provide–Oh, and if you haven’t already, Become a Fan of New Pros!

Fan Pages Send Updates to Members’ Homepages

How well would you keep up with your friends on Facebook if their updates never made it to your homepage? I bet not very well, and unfortunately, no part of a Facebook Group Page will make it to your members’ homepages. Events, wall postings, and discussions will all go unheeded unless you send your members a message. It takes away from time you could be spending developing new and better content. Fan Pages work just like Personal Pages. If you update events, the wall, or any other part of the Fan Page, it will make its way to your fan’s homepage. This means you can save the “message members” function for big announcements that need a little extra attention.

Fan Pages Can Receive RSS Feeds

When you’re working on a multi-layered social media campaign, you could be looking at 4 different networking sites and let’s face it–you need to streamline. A Facebook Fan Page can receive an RSS feed and automatically post new content to your wall as it becomes available. This could be a great tool for promoting a blog or another on-going effort, without having to manually update your Facebook Page everytime.

Fan Pages Allow Apps

Okay, confession time, in the previous paragraph when I said Fan Pages can receive RSS, I was referring specifically to the “Notes” application. But your app options don’t stop there on a Facebook Fan Page. Any box, application, or function you can put on a Personal Page, you can put on a Fan Page. Or if you have the budget, you can higher a developer to build a unique app to spruce up your page and build that coveted brand identity.

Fan Pages Help You Integrate Facebook to Other Online Venues

You may have noticed that in the sidebar of this blog, we have a new Facebook widgit. When you launch a Fan Page, you get the code for this nifty little box. You can add the code to your website, your blog, anywhere that runs javascript, and it visitors to your other online venues can become your Facebook fan just like that!

Fan Pages are User-Friendly

Your wall is the most important part of any Facebook page, but only the Fan Page keeps the wall at the top of the page, where it belongs. Group Pages bury the most frequently updated parts of the page: Discussions are under layers of static text, the wall ends up at the bottom of the page, and events are tucked away in a sidebar. If you want the newest information you post to show at the top of your Facebook page, you need a Fan Page.

Fan Pages Have Analytics

If you need to show your higher ups, or yourself, that your Facebook efforts are successful, know that only Fan Pages provide analytics. A few simple clicks and you can check out fan demographics, page visits, multimedia views and more. You can even export your data into an excel file or a comma separated variables list.

Fan Pages Have It All

Okay, not really! But I’ve found the functionality of a Fan Page to be shockingly superior to that of a Group Page. If you’re considering building a Facebook presence for your group, go for the Fan Page and never look back!

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JANET KRENN is the Communications Co-Chair of the New Pros Section. She wants you to know that the opinions expressed in this post are that of her own, and should not be assumed to be the opinions of PRSA or the New Pros Section, although she suspects that they hate Facebook Group Pages as much as she does. Oh, and Janet’s always looking for new contributors to the New Pros Blog. Email janetqs(a)gmail.com if you’re interested in contributing.

pr strategy… Case Study in Building Community Trust by Sara Cullin

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Few industries are as misunderstood or outright detested as landfills.

According to the 2009 Saint Index, which measures the politics of land development, landfills hold the top position as the most opposed form of local development. That said, few industries draw as much curiosity.

I work for Rumpke Consolidated Companies which operates eight landfills and six recycling centers. Our communications team is often confronted with misconceptions about the solid waste industry. To address these, we wanted to create a program to develop advocates by harnessing the public’s interest in what happens to their garbage.

Designing a Community Program that Meets Needs and Answers Questions

In 1996, the company began organizing tours of its largest facility. Since then, our communication department has offered prearranged landfill tours every week. A 45-minute bus trip around the site provides a first hand look at landfill operations. Our tour guides share information about the history and future of the landfill, construction and environmental protection, as well as fun and interesting facts about the site.

Obtaining Support for the Program within the Organization

Providing clear expectations for management and operations is often key to gaining support. There is a fear that opening the door to the public is also an invitation for more criticism and scrutiny. By demonstrating the effectiveness of providing the public informative, organized, and consistent information, we have been able to utilize more community relations tactics. Tracking feedback from visitors has been important to demonstrate success.

Monitoring the Program for Effectiveness

Although tours have been offered for several years, we began gathering feedback from participants in March 2009. Within a few days of visiting, we email a link to a brief online survey to whomever scheduled the tour. The survey consists of just seven questions, but it has helped us identify topics that could be emphasized more or are of particular interest to visitors. We are also able to gauge the impact of the tour in motivating visitors to be more conscientious about waste and recycling.

Most of all, the feedback provides confirmation of the effectiveness of having an open door policy with the public. Many of the comments we receive not only in the survey, but also in phone calls, emails, and letters, express appreciation for simply providing the free public service. One-hundred percent of survey respondents indicated they would recommend the landfill tour to someone else.

Expanding Efforts to Build a Supportive Community

Our open communication policy has made our organization a trusted source for many local schools, universities, and community agencies that regularly contact us for tours and presentations. To accommodate the volume of requests, we have produced educational videos, as well as provided virtual tours and activities on our Web sites. We have also expanded our tours to other facilities within the company.

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SARA CULLIN is a corporate communication coordinator for Rumpke Consolidated Companies Inc. in Cincinnati.