To join or not to join?

Being in a Corporate Communications program, there was no surprise when we were urged to join certain P.R. circles. CPRS or IABC, they were all the same to me. But now as the start of our internship gets closer and I am thinking more seriously about my career, I have to say that my original impresssions are starting to sway. There isn’t anyting that seems to be more beneficial for a newcomer than associating themselves with others in the same field.

There are three opportunities that stand out, and which may be relatively impossible to find any other way; job postings, efficient networking and job exerience.

A resource such as job postings, limited to members, is something which almost ensures a valuable work experience. The best opportunities, in my opinion, are those that are not publicly listed. Many listings found, on the internet or on paper, do not provide what they claim to offer; I know this from experience. Being a member gives you an upper hand on the rest of your colleagues.

And, unfortunate as it may be, opportunity is as much about who you know as it is about talent and good work.

You also have the occasion to make an impression and showcase your work to other professionals. Why go knocking on someone’s door when you have the chance to get them to come knocking on yours.

The potential for various job experiences, even if just through volunteer work, comes in very handy. Myself, for example, I am (I think) primarily interested in marketing communications. And while there may be an area I ight potentially enjoy more, I am not willing to risk my only internship in order to “test” something out. Volunteering in various areas would provide any newcomer with the benefit of trying out different areas before making a more permanent decision as to their career path.

I think it is each professional’s responsibility to take advantage of all the resources made available to them.

BLOGGING IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY

 A few weeks ago, for my Online P.R. class, we were asked to develop a Podcast interview. The interview subject, of course, was to be a social media expert. Given the expertise and passion of our interviewee (for social media) there was no doubt in my mind as to what I was going to hear; a twenty minute discourse of the critical importance of social media and how its methods such as blogging, are the most promising actions a company can take. So, i must admit that at the end of the interview I was satisfyingly amazed with what my interview subject ended up saying.  According to my expert, methods such as blogging are only useful and beneficial when used correctly. What does this mean? It means that blogging can be used incorrectly. That’s right, you heard correctly. I have long believed that and my expert has just confirmed it. Blogging is NOT for everybody! Blogging can impair an organization’s (or even an individual’s) reputation just as easily as it can further it. Though I myself am no expert, I do strongly believe that business blogging should me more about strategic communications. Blogging is a strategy! And it seems that many bloggers, particularly corporate bloggers, have a tendency to forget that. The failure to remember that small important point, is where I think that blogging can do more harm than good. As with any strategy within a corporate plan, research is the key ingredient. Know what you are talking about and why you are talking about it. And what seems to be most important, is the knowledge of what others are saying about your company within these on-line forums. Take the time to research it. Stephanie Boothe,a full-time blogging/social media/social tools consultant and speaker tells us, “Learn the culture: this is the big bit. Listen to bloggers (online and offline, in-house and out). Get training (this is where it’s worthwhile to put your money, as you’ve saved on expensive software).” If you are going to enter a conversation on-line, particularly defending a product or service, it seems to be a smart idea to take the time to find out what the problem is? What are they saying? Jumping in without this knowledge will work against you. It can make you and those you work for seem inexpert and unprepared.  “Companies interested in opening up branded blogs to the broad public face plenty of risks.” says Steven Baker in the article “The Inside Story on Company Blogs” for Business Week Magazine. Opponents of the company can use these forums for criticism, he continues to say. Unsatisfied customers, who use the same forum for complaints are already displeased, and so being unaware and unprepared in your responses may simply fuel them even more. Since social media is a relatively new technology in the corporate world, many companies are not too savvy in the field. What’s right, wrong or appropriate seems to go way over their heads. And if “experts” are hired they are not closely monitored by their employers. The ones who should be most aware of the state of their company within the blogosphere are most unaware. And is when things can go astray. Todd Defren, a P.R. executive suggests having “Rules of Engagement” within this forum. More importantly, having employees (where relevant) educated on these “rules of engagement”. “To the unsophisticated marketer, this “blogging stuff” may simply represent a new channel to exploit.” he says. And it is precisely that attitude that needs to be avoided. LINKS: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2006/tc20060214_402499.htmhttp://www.pr-squared.com/2007/09/blogger_relations_good_intenti.htmlhttp://climbtothestars.org/archives/2007/09/24/how-blogging-brings-dialogue-to-corporate-communications/

Marketing or P.R.?

Even as the end of my P.R. program approaches, I still seem to get stuck when trying to decipher between P.R and marketing. Though I know that they are different and am aware of what each imply, I can’t help but get into trouble in the areas where they overlap. When I say trouble, I am referring, of course, to class assignments and my grades.

When I flip through communications plans I come across a few “marketing” tactics; though some seem to be acceptable within a communications plans whereas others do not. Ultimately what I’ve found is that it simply depends on who you ask. Each P.R. professional seems to have a difference in opinion of that shady gray area where the two overlap.

 Is it Marketing or P.R.? A simple yes or no would suffice. And yet I cannot seem to get a straight answer. Isn’t it ironic how so many things within the communications field are so difficult to understand? Or more accurately, so difficult to explain.

Now, while I fear I my offend many people, (in particular P.R. people and marketing people), I must admit that to me, you can’t have one without the other. I think that in order to be an excellent P.R specialst or consultant, that you would need to be just as savy in the marketing field. As P.R. professionals, you will likely recommend, and perhaps even employ, a variety of marketing tactics. But how can you recommend something of which you do not know anything about. I think that the best P.R. programs would be equipped with a strong marketing-based course for students. And I am at times shocked at how many people disagree. They react almost offensively, as if indicating the audacity one would have to even mention the two fields in one breath.

 

 

Anyhow, wether you’re a P.R or a marketing professional, can’t we all just get along?

 

P.R and the small shop

I’ve been thinking about just how valuable communications can be to an organization. Now, I am not speaking about the large companies, but more so the little one-man shop.  For someone who does not have much money to spend, some good P.R. may just be the best thing they can invest in.

This has sprung to mind out of my Client Project i’ve been working on, a small design and alterations store; I’ve produced a communications plan for them. It is nothing extravagant or complicated. Simply what I’ve been taught to do in class. The goals are practical, the strategies are simple and the tactics, cheap. I strongly believe that if my client takes in my suggestions and begins to develop a few of the tactics, it may potentially garner them quite a bit of attention and new clients. The potential benefits really are amazing, especially considering the minimal amount of time and money needed.

 I can understand how the value of P.R. may get lost amidst the millions of dollars of a large complany. But, for the little man, or woman, it’s value is clear. Through helping out the little guy, I can slowly start to see where one may develop a passion for this stuff. 

Passion for P.R. Really?

Corporate, agency, not-for-profit, big, small, mid-size. These are the words that have been floating around in my head for the past few months now. It seems sad, doesn’t it? I can’t help but wonder how I got here.

As a child, I did not dream of a career in P.R. I would be shocked if anyone did. I ended up here only out of default; I didn’t know what else to do with myself. Since I started this program I have been desperately trying to find a passion for this industry. But, for me, the words “public relations” and “passion” seem to be mutualy exclusive.

As hard as I try, I cannot imagine that a job in public relations could be as fulfilling as medicine, law, or any artistic occupation. Though I wish otherwise, the idea of writing a communications plan, doing podcasts or writing articles simply does not thrill me.

I’m curious to know if this sentiment is shared by other budding P.R people. Anybody???

Blog? I don’t think so!

I am not an advocate of blogs. I do not like them on a plane, on a train or anywhere else for that matter. I do not understand their purpose. More important I will never understand their value. For the most part, blogs are simply the mass ramblings and “dear diary” entries of people who have nothing interesting to say and nobody to listen to them. Of course, if you ask them, they will tell you different.

This world where the words “blog” and “blogosphere” seem to dominate the English language has created an anomaly; the individual who believes that his/her random words are as significant to the world as were those of Friedrich Nietzsche. It seems that everybody has been put under a spell; a misguided impression that they too can be authors, philosophers and poets.

Have the majority of people quit their day jobs in pursuit of literary expression?

It seems unsettling to me that the younger generations are being taught to spend their time reading the insignificant opinions of trivial people. Can it really be that there are individuals out there who believe that knowledge of “Tony’s day-by-day occurrences at the car shop” is of more importance than Bronté’s Wuthering Heights or Flaubert’s Madame Bovary?

I know that there are people with important things to say. I know that! But they are a minority; a rare diamond in a field of crap.

So why am I writing a blog? Because. I must. It is a compulsory part of my Post-Graduate program. So for now all I can do… is write.

  

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