Filed under: Public Relations | Tags: authentic, communications, PR, PR and yoga
Public relations and the communications industry should take a lesson from yoga. We need more balance, more stretching and most of all, don’t forget to breathe.
Filed under: Social Media | Tags: 2011, audience, Charlotte, communications, PR, research, social media
My initial response. Photo by Corbis.
It happened again. I overheard a seasoned communications professional say, “she’s young, so she gets all that social media stuff.” Seriously? I feel like a broken record – just because we have new communications tools (digital media, new media, social media…) doesn’t mean that basic communications strategy has changed. And it’s about much more than Facebook – what about the fact that there are more than 5 billion people using mobile phones across the globe?
Do you have to be young to embrace new tools? I certainly hope not. (Reminds me of this controversial comment from a Charlotte marketing panel a few months back – really made me feel better to review these comments again!)
I allowed myself 5 minutes of frustration. I boiled in it. But then I realized something – those of us who are “young,” (whether that’s your actual age or your state of mind) and who try to embrace new communication tools actually have the upper hand. So what if only 1 in every 5 new media platforms will eventually become essential to your business? Don’t you want to be the one who “gets” it when it does?
I do.
Filed under: behind the scenes, Uncategorized | Tags: backstage, communications, PR, preparation, public relations, research, social media
From Flickr photostream by Danielle Pearce
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
-William Shakespeare
One of my Twitter acquaintances and a fellow solo PR pro, Shonali, posted an article today that got me thinking: If I can’t communicate to my own friends and family what it is that I do as a “PR” or “communications” expert, how can I expect to communicate well on behalf of my clients?
As a freelance communications professional, it is hard to fit what I do into just one box – it’s PR, writing, editing, strategic thinking, implementing and learning about social media, etc. etc. Generally, these could all fall into the category of “communications.” Hence, my approach to “Backstage Communications.”
However, I also do believe that all of these jobs fit into a larger understanding of public relations. My own definition of PR is very simple: it’s how you communicate your messages to the audiences you care about. As Shonali points out, it’s so much more than just press releases, media relations and publicity. She puts it this way:
It means figuring out
What your story is,
Why it matters
Who you’re trying to tell it to, and
Where, When and How you’re going to do it.
Seems simple, right? Well, so do some recipes. But that doesn’t mean that I end up burning dinner if I don’t plan ahead.
Figuring out the answers to these questions generally requires copious amounts of research, many, many drafts of message development, blood, sweat, tears and finally more research.
Those of us in the communications and PR professions will continue to have to help people understand what we do. (I’m pretty sure my dad still thinks I’m in advertising, despite numerous attempts to explain the difference).
Maybe we are all so focused on delivering the best strategies and exploring the most innovative tactics for our clients that we don’t have time to explain and revise our own job descriptions. And if that means more people will pay attention to my clients instead of my own behind-the-scenes work, that’s ok with me. After all, I’m just setting the stage for my clients to shine!
Filed under: behind the scenes | Tags: 2010, employee engagement, employee relations, Employees, Grady, Karen Russell, PR, spokesperson, training, UGA
Please check out my former college professor’s blog, Teaching PR, to read a compelling example of how, if you think about it, any employee can impact their company’s brand. Every employee is a “face of the company,” not just designated spokespeople. I think it’s a good message to remember for business owners – a great argument for why you should train and trust your entire payroll.
