Honoring National Woman’s History Month

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In honor of March being National Woman’s History Month and the public Blog Photorelations industry being dominated by woman, we celebrate educational and professional freedom for woman by applying the words of some of the most powerful and influential woman in history to our own career paths.

“We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.”
– Michelle Obama

Most millennials wear their workaholism with honor. We tend to lose sight of how stressful a career in public relations can be. We need to remember the importance of keeping a balanced life, free from havoc on our health, happiness and job performance. Whether you take up a certain hobby, read a book, take a bike ride or visit friends, truly think about what you do to relax and designate time for it.

“You won’t change things unless you are prepared to fight, even if you don’t win. But I do hate losing.”
-Wendy Davis

In today’s crowded media space, creative public relations planning is a huge part of any public undertaking. Never be afraid to introduce new ideas to your team. Having new ideas to introduce means staying abreast of industry trends and continuously developing your creative potential. To boost your creativity, step outside of your own comfort zone. Open up your mind to new perspectives and take time to learn skills that you would not normally be interested in.

“Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you. “
-Hillary Clinton

Constructive criticism is a key part of any position. Be sure to pay attention to critical comments from supervisors and co-workers. Always being prepared to take notes during meetings and conversations will help avoid making the same mistakes twice.

“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”
-Oprah Winfrey

Ethics plays a huge role in public relations as a profession. By always promoting the flow of accurate and truthful information, young professionals can continue to build a better reputation for public relations as an industry. Help educate your clients by letting them know what rules you are governed by and what values should be followed when communicating with the public.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Believing in your capabilities and planning for your success are ultimate keys to achieving your dreams. Pave your career path by setting long and short-term goals to reach throughout the year. Remember to always take advantage of mentoring and networking opportunities. Cultivating relationships with co-workers and supervisors is a likely way to gain valuable insight and advice on how to navigate through the early stages of your own career.

 

Bio PhotoMagan Felitto is currently a freelance public relations professional, working with a major entertainment company in New York City. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology’s, Advertising & Marketing Communications program in Summer 2013 with four years of experience as Vice President of Chapter Development of her former PRSSA chapter and a plethora of internships under her belt. She is also a proud member of PRSA National, PRSA-New York, and PRSA New Professionals Section. Ms. Felitto can be reached at MaganFelitto@gmail.com.

Diversity and New Pros: Be a Storyteller, Make a Difference

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

As new professionals in the public relations field, we constantly work with people of all walks of life across many disciplines. Working with a diverse range of people opens our eyes to the possibilities and opportunities out there.

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That being said, the PR profession is not as diverse as you might think despite ongoing and tremendous progress that has been made. According to the PRSA Foundation, ethnic groups make up 30 percent of the U.S. population yet only 10 percent of minorities work in public relations.

When most people hear about diversity, the primary identifiers that come to mind include race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. There are many more than that, some of which you might least expect. What makes everyone unique and different in their own ways most likely falls under this category. To name a few, it also includes income level, religion, disabilities, socioeconomic status and age.

Addressing such issues is no easy task yet very much achievable. Local PRSA Chapters can do their part in working on diversity initiatives custom tailored to their communities in order to help diversify its memberships. PRSA members can serve as mentors to PRSSA students of all walks of life as a way to provide professional guidance and support to help prepare the next generation of leaders.

One attribute of PR professionals is that we are storytellers. We all have stories of our own to tell based on our knowledge, experience and upbringing. As no two stories are completely alike, it is having those unique stories that makes us diverse. By learning from one another about our differences, it helps us become competent professionals as a result. If we want to stand out as professionals getting started in this field, it is important that our individual stories be heard to help ourselves advance in this profession.

Now, I would like to hear from you. Each month, I hope to feature on this blog a new professional of different backgrounds and how it relates to your experiences as a PR professional. Speak from the heart so that we can all understand where you are coming from. If you are interested in submitting your story, email simonoh804@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from as many new professionals as possible.

 

Simon_Oh-5Simon Oh is the diversity liaison for the PRSA New Professionals executive committee. He is currently a graduate student at San Jose State University, studying transportation management. His professional background includes public affairs and community relations within the transportation field. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

March Twitter Chat Highlights: Crisis Communications

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the March #NPPRSA Twitter chat focused on crisis communications planning. We discussed what is required for any thorough crisis communications plan, which departments to include and how to prepare employees.

PRSA Twitter Chat Highlights: Crisis CommunicationsSpecifically, we’d like to thank Valerie Merahn Simon, senior marketing executive and Director of Marketing Communications for Plymouth Rock Assurance. She is also the co-founder of the #HAPPO and #PRStudChat Twitter chats.

Join us again on April 3 for our next #NPPRSA chat and stay up-to-date with PRSA New Professionals on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

Review highlights of the chat below. What did you learn from the March chat? How can you plan for unanticipated events for your brand? What methods can you use to prepare co-workers and executives for dealing with the public? Who can you collaborate with or who should you include in a crisis plan?

 

 

Lauren Rosenbaum

Lauren Rosenbaum is the PRSA New Professionals Social Media Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Soversity, a public relations and digital marketing company. You can connect with her on Google+, LinkedIn or Twitter.

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PRSA New Pros Teleseminar: March 13 on Real-Time Marketing with Arby’s

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

Josh Martin, Social Media Manager at Arby’s, will host our first PRSA New Professionals Section Brown Bag Discussion of the year. Josh gave us a preview of what you will be able to learn from his teleseminar on Real-Time Marketing Done Right. Register for the March 13th teleseminar today.

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How would you personally define real-time marketing? 

To me, real-time marketing is simply making timely responses to mainstream events.

What are some notable differences when executing RT marketing with an agency vs corporate?

Agencies bring a lot of creativity and strategic thinking to the table when it comes to RT marketing. Corporate lives/breathes the brand on a daily basis and often has a better understanding of what will work with their audience. The magic happens when both agency & corporate can work together seamlessly.

What are some of your goals when planning/executing RT marketing? 

My goal for RT marketing: Don’t do anything stupid. RT marketing is about two things: listening and engaging. We want to make sure we’re listening first and understand the conversations that are taking place. If we decide to pursue an opportunity, our goal is for the content to not feel forced and stays consistent with our brand voice.

What advice do you have for brands/companies that don’t have a budget to promote/push out their content?

Brands can still be effective in social media, even with a limited budget. They need to be laser-focused on developing a content strategy and be patient with results.

In your opinion, is there a good ratio to be used of pre-planned content and real-time content?

Specifically during a major event, when brands are trying to stay relative. It’s important to have pre-planned content at the ready so you can move quickly during a major event, but it’s as equally important to be flexible and pivot to real-time content when an opportunity presents itself.

Want to learn more from Josh? Register here.

 

Four Trends to Watch in Online Video Marketing

Lauren Gray 2 Comments

The average American is exposed to thousands of advertisements per day. In responding to this ocean of information, we’ve become skilled at selective attention and retention.

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So how can you make your company stand out? The answer is a well-crafted online video. Within the next three years, it is predicted that 69% of all consumer Internet traffic will be from online video. Video is the next major frontier for marketers and PR professionals, so recognizing the trends in this realm is vital to future success. 

Know Your Audience’s Attention Span

Consumers want videos, but you have to know what consumers are willing to watch. It’s difficult to get consumers to sit down for five or ten minutes to watch your video in an online environment. At the same time, conveying a strong message in a six-second Vine or fifteen-second Instagram video might not always be possible.

Finding that happy medium, generally between one and three minutes, is ideal for conveying a message while maintaining the attention of your viewers. As Mallory Perkins, Social Media Analyst for Coca-Cola, noted at the PRSA International Conference, “we have seen that videos that are shorter in length that tend to be even a minute and a half…have worked the best.” But don’t live and die by that rule. Rules after all are meant to be broken. If your media assets are only strong enough to produce 45 seconds worth of solid video content, or if the video is super engaging at 7 minutes, go with it!

It’s All About the Content Marketing

Consumers won’t seek out or spend time watching traditional marketing advertisements aimed at selling something, regardless of the quality, length or message. However, consumers are more willing to engage when there’s other value for them—in other words, if it is a content marketing video.

Clients no longer want their videos to be over branded. They want viewers to take in the message first and then associate that message with their brand or organization. Without the sales message in the forefront, consumers become much more trusting and more willing to watch the video, leading to higher levels of engagement with the customers and a better relationship with the brand. Check out some great examples of content marketing here. One of my personal favorite partnerships in content video is between Acura and the web series: Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee by Jerry Seinfeld.

Multi-Platform Accessibility is Key

As mobile capabilities continue to expand, so, too, will the demand for content that is optimized for all technological platforms. Quality, loading times and viewer size all vary by platform. And while those stats you put in the corner of your video appear completely legible on tablets and laptops, it won’t be very easy to read on a phone with a four-inch screen. Consumers depend much more heavily on mobile platforms than they ever have before, so making sure your video is viewable whether it’s on a four-inch screen or a fourteen-inch screen is vital to video marketing success.

Sharing is Caring

No matter how well made or interesting a marketing video is, if consumers aren’t engaging with the video, it won’t gain the exposure it needs to have an effect on the brand. Social networks are an excellent way to gauge the effectiveness of a video. Not only can you track how many people have seen your video, but you can read what they’re saying about it and see whether they consider it to be “share-worthy.” A good video marketing strategy usually is accompanied by a solid distribution strategy.

Has your company had success with video marketing? What worked well and why do you think it was a success?

 

Tod Plotkin is the Principal of Green Buzz Agency which serves as a video content creator for brands like Hilton Worldwide, Under Armour, and Cisco Systems. Tod also organizes the largest annual Marketing conference in our nation’s capital called What’s Next DC. Feel free to connect with him on LinkedIn. If you are interested in applying to a PR, Marketing, Social Media, Event Planning, or Video Production internship at GBA send your resume to info@greenbuzzagency.com