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By: Samantha Scott, APR
Having been on a number of non-profit boards and helped many others with public relations, I understand there is a need for information in this industry about 1) what public relations is and 2) how non-profits can use it.
As part of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, I prepared a presentation outlining these two points. It includes some tips on what YOU can do if you work for a non-profit and some tips for using the resources available to you.
I’m including this presentation for your review. Just click the link to download it. Check it out and see what might apply to your situation. If you have questions, please feel free to leave your comments below!
Many professionals have credentials or letters after their name, but what do they mean? Do they even matter? This week’s blog post is going to discuss one such situation – the APR.
APR means Accredited in Public Relations. For those of you who read our blog regularly, you know that I (Samantha) recently received my APR. For members of FPRA, PRSA and other professional public relations organizations, you probably understand the significance. It’s an earned designation that is received after completing a peer-hosted readiness review (or case study presentation) and passing an in-depth exam. It sets the recipient apart as someone not only skilled in the field of public relations, but also in leadership, financial responsibility and management.
The question, I really want to focus on is from the client’s perspective. Does it really matter if the public relations professional I work with has his or her APR?
As the owner of a public relations firm, I’ve done proposals for many companies of the years and met with many business owners who were looking for assistance in communications. Price, team size, location and experience in the industry or location are all areas of interest. What the potential client really wants to know is how well you, the agency or public relations professional, can do the task at hand. Having someone on the team, or better yet, the leader, with their APR offers a leg up – but only if the potential client understands what it means.
Coordinated by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), “APR is a mark of distinction for public relations professionals who demonstrate their commitment to the profession and to its ethical practice, and who are selected based on broad knowledge, strategic perspective, and sound professional judgment.”
Currently, there are 5,000 public relations professionals worldwide who earned this voluntary certification. Its fundamental purpose is to unify and advance the profession by identifying those who have demonstrated broad knowledge, experience and professional judgment in the field.
The APR exam draws its questions from all areas of the public relations body of knowledge, including:
- Research, planning, implementing and evaluating programs
- Ethics and law
- Communications models and theories
- Business literacy
- Management skills and issues
- Crisis communications management
- Media relations
- Using Information Technology efficiently
- History of and current issues in public relations
- Advanced communications skills
As you can see, it’s a powerful way to measure a public relations professional’s skill set and knowledge base. I am proud to say that I have my APR because it proves my level of knowledge and experience. My work is a testament to that and now I have credentials that are as well. I am thankful to my local FPRA chapter for their support and guidance, as well, which without would have made this process significantly harder.
For more information on how you can become accredited, visit the UAB website or talk to the credentialing chair at a local FPRA chapter.
By Sarah Reaves, PR Intern at Pushing the Envelope, Inc.
I am as eccentric and high-energy as they come. I have a habit of looking overwhelmed on the outside (I talk too fast, trip over things, drop things, and even turn red when I’m nervous) but on the inside I have a great sense of what’s going on. I am so eager to please that sometimes my enthusiasm hinders rather than helps. Here are a few mistakes that we all (or at least, I) make when landing our first big internship.
The first day is, to put it simply, not easy: new wake-up time, unfamiliar route the office and the inevitable anxiety that seems to sneak up on you. Here are a few mistakes I’ve made in the past that can be easily overturned.
Mistake #1: TOO Much Coffee
Overloading on the caffeine to make up for one’s lack of sleep is overcompensating at its finest. Sleeping in is one of college student’s most priceless perks but it must be let go if you want to succeed in the internship real world. Guzzling mass amount of java only left me jittery, anxious and sweaty (August + Florida + hot coffee = sweat). Rather than coming off as a composed and focused intern I seemed frazzled and overwhelmed. When it comes to that 6am wake-up call, start with ONE cup and sip slowly. The caffeine will hit you before you know it and you will avoid looking like a hot mess.
Mistake #2: Skipping Breakfast OR Not Packing Lunch
I am as guilty as they come when it comes to skipping breakfast–the mornings are hectic! Adjusting to the early mornings is hard enough but you will be kicking yourself when you’re in the middle of a meeting and your stomach growls are the main topic of conversation.
Save yourself the discomfort and plan ahead. Pack your lunch the night before so you can grab it and go. I’ve also learned to always have a granola bar or some sort of snack in my purse for an impromptu breakfast on the drive to my internship. It seems simple but preparing my food the night before has saved me time and helped keep me focused on long days at the office.
Mistake #3: Slacking on Staying up to date – The PR world is ever-revolving
Joining PR associations like the FPRA is a great way to stay in touch with the PR world. Attending conferences, receiving newsletters, etc will keep you in the loop and the networking opportunities are endless. Put yourself out there and make your name known in the PR world. You will learn a lot by reaching out to your PR peers and colleagues. Being an intern gives you the advantage to ask questions and allows you to find your place in the PR world. Every ounce of experience is helpful and organizations like the FPRA are a great way to get started.
Brush up on the latest versions of vital writing guides like the 2011 AP Stylebook. Writing is essential in PR so when you write your first news release or feature release be sure to have the latest version of the AP Stylebook an arm reach away. PR writing rules are always changing and being added (i.e. social media section in the 2011 AP Stylebook). You don’t need to memorize the book from start to finish but at lease show some type of initiative. It will benefit you in the long run and save your co-workers time when they are editing your work.
Side note: I’ve also learned that having a thesaurus nearby (I use the FREE dictionary app on my iphone) is always a plus. You want to stand out in your news releases. Avoid cliché wording at all costs. Search for new words if you can’t come up with anything off the top of your head. Expanding one’s vocabulary is never a bad thing.
I’m looking forward to seeing this internship through and learning a lot. I hope these tips help you make your internship the best experience possible too!
It’s official – I’ve changed my name. It’s now Samantha Scott, APR. For those of you in the public relations field, you know what this means and what a process it is. For those of you unfamiliar with this, it stands for Accredited in Public Relations – and it’s a big deal!
The Public Relations Society of America with the Universal Accreditation Board facilitate the process. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in honing and expanding their public relations skills and knowledge. What an eye opener!
You can get all the details on accreditation here. They even have a Facebook page and Twitter account!
The process took six months, many hours of reading, 10 weeks of study sessions and one grueling test, but it’s all worth it! As my fellow APR credentialed professionals can attest, becoming accredited proves you know what you’re doing.
I couldn’t have done without the support of the fantastic folks at my local Florida Public Relations Association Southwest Florida chapter including, but not limited to – Kara Winton, APR, CPRC and Mary Briggs, APR, CPRC.
Now it’s time to put all the training to good use!
The PTE team at the Local 2011 Image Awards - Alex, Samantha and Annette
It’s that time of year again – award entries. Seemingly endless details crunched into just two pages combined with mounds of supporting material… what does this equal? An Image Award entry for the Florida Public Relations Association. It’s a lot of work, but we enter at the local level through our Southwest Florida Chapter every year. This year, the fourth year in a row we’ve entered, we’ve won – this time, four awards!
We were honored to be able to enter three projects this year and each one won! Our work with Scott Fischer Enterprises and their Rocket Harley-Davidson dealership won an Award of Distinction and a Judges’ Award. Additionally, the work we did with the Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida and their Literacy Buddies program as well as our social media efforts for California Closets Southwest Florida each won Awards of Distinction!
An Award of Distinction highlights an outstanding public relations program while a Judges’ Award signifies maximum client exposure or success through a public relations program for the least amount of money.
We are very excited to have received these honors and look forward to entering the FPRA Golden Image Awards next. Wish us luck!
This is part 3 of our 3 part series covering lessons learned and tips gathered at the recent FPRA Annual Conference.
Failure to plan is planning to fail.
Peter Hollister, APR, Fellow PRSA, CPRC of Hollister, Trubow & Associates, offered a lecture on strategic communications during the conference. Before you start yawning (no offense Mr. Hollister), as we all know strategy talk can sometimes be dry, this was a powerful presentation.
First of all, there has to be an understanding that communications plans (or really any marketing plans) must have a long range view that relates to the company or organization’s brand and branding efforts. Additionally, we have to “get” that this not something that will be developed then put on a shelf or adhered to the same way now as it will be 5 years or even 2 years. With the ever changing media and communication landscape, we have to move forward and design our strategic plans in such a way that they are flexible and a living document.
- Strategic Planning vs Long Range Planning
- A strategic plan does not have an ending. It’s a dynamic, living thing. Components within have an ending, but not the plan.
- A strategic plan has evaluation built into it. Benchmarks, etc. so you can tell as you go along if you are making the expected progress.
- Strategic planning is participative. You must be involved in it, not invite an organization in and hire them to do it.
“Strategic management provides guidance, direction & boundaries for operational management.” – George A. Steiner Strategic Planning
A strategic plan encompasses all aspects of an effort or initiative and is people and customer centered. This is of the utmost importance! Now, with social media and consumer driven/derived media we (communicators) are considering this more. Before there was a push mentality.
We would push information out. Send our messages where we thought our target audiences were. Now, we can ask them. Listen and find out what they want and communicate WITH them, not AT them. It’s really relationship management. We have to be constantly thinking about ENHANCING RELATIONSHIPS.
Every strategic plan must take this into account. And, as Mr. Hollister pointed out, this change in thinking and way of designing a strategic plan explains what PR and communications is and does for those not in our industry.
Mr. Hollister’s Strategic Thinking Process:
- Why are we considering this tactic?
- What is the key message?
- Who are the key audiences?
- Will this activity respond to an objective?
- Will this activity respond to a relationship goal?
- Will this activity enhance the mission?
- Are there resources available?
The checklist above is so simple, but so powerful. If we could learn to apply these questions, as a vetting system per say, to each strategic plan our industry and our clients would be far better for it.
8 Characteristics of a Good Strategic Communications Plan
- It is participative (not just you or the PR director, but HR, sales, IT & the CEO)
- It is dynamic
- It is flexible
- It is audience-driven
- It combines the best of PR and Marketing
- It contains a mix of strategy and tactics
- It is measurable
- It is do-able
Consider these guidelines and checklists the next time you put together a strategic plan. They will help I guarantee, but the bottom line is, you’ll be better prepared and stand to offer a better value to your client(s).
This is part 2 of a 3 part series on the 2010 Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) Annual Conference. We’re highlighting some of the primary sessions offered as part of the 4 day event held in Naples, Florida.
Hallett's "social media meat grinder" - what goes in, goes out... to the customer
Social Media in the Trenches & Across the Globe
Presentation and Slides By: Josh Hallett of Voce Communications & Hyku
Representing the likes of Disney Parks, Playstation, CBS, Yahoo!, ebay, Intel and my personal favorite – the NFL, Voce Communications and Josh Hallett know what they are talking about in terms of social media.
One of the sessions that stood out right away for me, I was looking forward to hearing Hallett’s thoughts on measurement implications and strategies for social media in the public relations landscape. He didn’t disappoint.
Every plan or effort in business (and life, really) should have a strategy. Social media is no different and, as we’ve been hearing a lot of recently, listening is key – from the beginning. Hallett emphasized that doing a conversation audit and asking the questions in the beginning can help secure a strong direction for social media endeavors. However, the listening shouldn’t stop there. We must, as communication professionals, listen at all times and respond to queries, issues, comments, etc.
In the timetable below, Hallett discussed an example plan for implementing the strategy. It doesn’t all have to be done at the same time. In fact IT SHOULDN’T. Starting at a manageable pace and measuring along the way ensures your social media efforts can be sustained. Get bogged down or behind in the beginning and the plan is likely to be ditched – by your team or your boss.
Use a timeline to plan out additions to your strategy and test/measure.
Getting the material out involves the “4 Ps”:
- Preparation – discovery and planning (calendar, editorial content, etc.)
- Publishing - the actual sending out of material (use the network efficiently & consider “shelf life” – Twitter is seconds, Facebook a little longer, blog longer, etc. Don’t forget our cross contamination concept either!)
- Participating - watching, flaggin and responding (this would be where you listen & engage, remember that part?)
- Performance – measuring and more measuring (Web analytics, engagement through likes & comments, sentiment PLUS revenue, authority & share of voice/market)
Getting started in measurement:
- Set measurable goals
- Align measurement tools
- Stats tracking sheets
- Benchmarking
- Report frequency
- Measure, rinse, repeat
As Hallett referred to and Deirdre Breakenridge noted, measures and communication are changing. Our methods and tools are changing and the audience is in control. The old measures aren’t as valid. We don’t have to throw them out completely, but new tools should be introduced and utilized too.
Hallett’s “Blender Model for Measurement”:
- OLD
- Traffic
- Circulations
- Hits
- Placement
- Message Penetration
- Delayed Response
- Spread
- NEW
- Links
- Subscribers
- Posts
- Search Listings
- Word of Mouth
- Instant Response
- Velocity
- PLUS
- Share of Voice / Influence (results on search)
- SEO (ranking in search, page ranks, key wording)
- Risk Avoidance
- Audience Value
- Conversions/Sales
- Efficiencies/Comparisons
- Insights
Social Media programs are multifaceted... Be sure to take this into account.
Measurement TOOL Recommendations:
Some are pricier than others, some are free and some aren’t for you. Consider the size of your company, budget and involvement in the medium before moving forward with any of these.
- Radian6 (sentiment)
- CoTweet (Twitter management of multiple accounts – FREE)
- Google docs (excellent for team collaboration – FREE)
- Yammer (more team & client collaboration, no email needed)
- WordPress (blogging – paid & FREE options)
- Flickr (photo sharing – FREE)
- Viddler (video sharing with branding & analytic options)
- YouTube (video sharing with branding options, limited analytics – FREE)
- Ping.FM (content automation – FREE)
- Spredfast (content automation)
- Bit.ly (link shortening & tracking – FREE)
- Tiny.cc (link shortening & tracking – FREE)
- Google Analytics (Website traffic tracking – FREE)
What tools are you using? What plans have worked for your company or are you considering for the future?
See all our conference photos in our gallery. Or, check out the FPRA gallery for ALL the images.
· The blender model for measurement
o The old:
§ Traffic
§ Circulations
§ Hits
§ Placement
§ Message penetration
§ Delayed response
§ Spread
o The new
§ Links
§ Subscribers
§ Posts
§ Search listings
§ Word of mouth
Not us, but that’s ok! Last night was the 53rd Annual Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) Golden Image Awards. While we didn’t bring home a Golden Image Award we did receive an Award of Distinction.
Sheridan Becht, APR, CPRC and State President and Samantha Scott
An Award of Distinction highlights an outstanding public relations program, and as part of the Golden Image Award program, it represents excellence on a statewide level. The award was for our work done in collaboration with Internet Services Group of Florida on our Website and their integration of social media (like the blog you’re reading right now!).
We are so happy for all the winners who were honored last night and honored ourselves. To see our hard work recognized is very special – especially when we were up against the best in our industry statewide. Congrats to all the winners – full list available here.
ABOUT the GOLDEN IMAGE AWARDS
The competition is conducted annually by the
Florida Public Relations Association to recognize outstanding public relations programs in Florida and to encourage and promote the development of public relations professionalism in the state. They represent the standard of public relations excellence in the state of Florida. For more information about the local chapter, please visit http://www.fpraswfl.org.
Yesterday marked the second day of the 2010 FPRA Annual Conference, but it was the first day I attended. The opening keynote was none other than PR and Web 2.0 leader, Deirdre Breakenrdige! You may recognize her from the book “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations” or her #prstudchat on Twitter – or one of the many other things she’s involved in.
While the entire conference is a knock out, packed with information for all PR professionals to grow on, I was particularly excited about this session. And, per PTE style – have laptop, will travel – I took notes to blog on the session for you (who couldn’t attend)!
Below are excerpts from the presentation. For more notes and reviews, be sure to check out the main FPRA blog.
PR R(e)volution: When Traditional Communication Meets Social Media
The Evolution of Communication
We are reinventing our industry. We’re moving away from complacency of communication to this new social media (SM) power. Before, most marketing/PR/advertising professionals used a “spray and pray” method of reaching audiences – sending messages out into the masses. Those broadcast messages don’t exist in the SM landscape and we’re now (or should be) more focused on interaction, engagement and relationships. This new media has given us a direct connect to the end user (target audience) that we never had before.
It’s very simple: Meaningful communication = valuable resource
PR can lead to earning new found recognition. With SM there are choices for how a business can tell a/their story. It’s no longer just press releases. Using connections has more power and resonates more. Instead of an ad, it’s someone the target audience trusts telling them about it.
Deirdre broke down the various online storytellers. These are the bloggers and people will influence online. They are independent, but often have the power of a national publication. However, depending on the level or category they fall into, there are pros and cons…
- Online audience/storytellers
- Primary newsmaker bloggers – 300,000 followers (equal to NYT, they offer a heavy first hit of coverage, but move on quickly)
- Secondary (magic middle) – influencer with less following, but still packs a PR punch. They have a loyal audience.
- Tastemakers – fewer followers, but they take the story from the beginning to the end and really sell it.
Here’s the key – consumers drive and control their communication. We have to listen 1st before we start sending our messages. This is something we as PR/marketing/advertising professionals have been hearing more about recently. It’s really common sense though. How can we know what our consumers want if we don’t ask and/or listen? With SM we can.
The Hybrid Factor – Blending Traditional PR and the New World of SM
- A hybrid exists in the middle. It’s the best of the past, traditional PR, and the new, social media.
- Traditional – audiences reached through impressions
- SM – audience reached through engagement
- The Strategy Wheel – by Deirdre Breakenridge
Characteristics of the Hybrid PR Professional:
- Social media “expert” (there really is no such thing as a SM expert, as we’re all continually learning, but someone who has a good command of the tools)
- Sociologist
- Market analyst/expert
- Web marketer
- Customer service representative
- Relationship marketer
- Viral marketer
- Conversationalist/listener
- Research librarian (as we are always learning, we’re also always looking for new information, tools and tips to grow ourselves, our companies & colleagues)
On the way to becoming a hybrid PR professional, there are a few questions to consider for your organization/clients:
- Have we evaluated our recent communications?
- What’s working for us traditionally?
- What’s working for us online?
- What’s not working?
- Have we listened/monitored the social media landscape?
- Are there places that it would make sense to engage?
- Who are we looking to reach?
- What’s the best type of content to share?
Don’t forget your guidelines!
Anytime a company is engaging in SM it’s imperative that ALL parties are on the same page. From who will manage it, to scheduling and what can/can’t be said online, the SM policy is critical to real SM success.
Policy development should be done in the beginning! It coincides with your strategy and planning and should include security and legal aspects. For instance, what if an employee leaves? Do you have their passwords? What if trade secrets are released on negative comments are being made? Have a plan in place!
SM policy examples:
- Complete online database of SM policies – Social Media Governance
- Corporate example, fully viewable for everyone – IBM
- Mashable’s 10 Must-Haves for your SM Policy
Want more? Here’s Deirdre’s bio:
Deirdre Breakenridge is President and Executive Director of Communications at Mango! A veteran in the PR industry, Deirdre leads a creative team of PR and marketing executives strategizing to gain brand awareness for their clients through creative and strategic PR campaigns. She counsels senior level executives at companies including ASCO, Hershey, JVC, KRAFT, and Michael C. Fina. Deirdre is an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey, where she teaches courses on Public Relations and Interactive Marketing for Global Business management program. She is author of four Financial Times/Prentice Hall business books: Putting the Public Back in Public Relations, PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences, The New PR Toolkit, Cyber Branding.
- Contact:
Deirdre Breakenridge
President and Executive Director of Communications
Mango!
dbreakenridge@marketmango.com
@dbreakenridge
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The FPRA (Florida Public Relations Association) Annual Conference is coming to Southwest Florida, Naples in fact. Packed with TONS of – you guessed it – PR tips, trends, news and related material, I’m especially excited to attend as it’s my first time being there in person!
I’ve only enjoyed the renowned speakers (think Deirdre Breakenridge, Peter Shankman, etc.) and taken tidbits away before, but it was vicariously. You see, as a group of communicators I’m proud and thankful to say FPRA does a great job of sharing the information and knowledge offered through their events. (For those of you who are members of other organizations you know why this is such a big deal. It’s often not the case. What is said in the conference stays there. Stagnant.)
One way of sharing is via blogging. Common sense for most computer savvy people in this day, but it’s not just the main keynote speakers/topics that are covered – almost all the presentations are reported on by some attendee or another. This year, one of those will be me!
As a reader of the blog posts of past, I’m happy to help those of who might not be able to attend – whether for time, cost, other or all of the above. Rest assured, you can still benefit from this conference and fellow bloggers like me will be helping you all along the way.
So, be sure to BOOKMARK the BLOG page and visit it throughout conference (August 8-11).
For a complete list of bloggers (thus far) click HERE.
For details on conference, registering & the schedule click HERE.
In Southwest Florida? Check out the local chapter site too.
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