Put a Face to Your Voice!

We know that with its high level of source-receiver engagement, the most effective and persuasive type of two-way communication is interpersonal communication such as one-on-one communication or small group meetings. So why don't we use it more often? Technology could be an answer. Of course technology has its perks, with one being the convenience of being able to pick up the phone or send an e-mail to reach someone.

Cone Public Relations, located in Boston, MA, stresses that while you can be successful in communicating over via phone or email, there is still nothing like face-to-face communication specifically in media relations, where one must establish a strong relationship with the media, a strong influencer of public opinion.

Account Executive at Cone PR, Jennifer Newberg, provides a few approaches to restore face-to-face communication in media relations:

Deskside Tours: when a brand representative travels to the offices of several outlets a day. Reporters find these convenient because they don't need to leave their offices and feel comfortable to you in their own atmosphere.

Editor Events: when editors gather in one location to hear an announcement. This format slightly limits one-on-one interaction but still allows brand representatives to speak to a variety of people in one location.

Lunch meetings are always encouraged when a brand wants to create a deep relationship with a reporter or if the reporter is a new contact and the brand wants to build a personal relationship.

Lastly, Newberg reminds us all that for face-to-face meetings it's important to have any available press materials, key message points, and background information on the reporter including his or her recent stories on hand. In addition, developing a sample Q&A anticipating any questions the reporter may have will definitely be helpful. Always keep in mind the type of media you are trying to reach. If its a high-level business media, a CEO or senior level executive should be part of the meetings. If its a lifestyle editor, an industry expert could be valuable. If the reporter is in high demand, you need to be creative in your meetings or events!

Students Send Off Bid for $10,000

RWU PRSSA decided to respond to a Request for Proposals from Kohler.  Four students were chosen to participate: Kelly Ahern (SR), Mary Conconnan (SO), Sarah Beron (JR), and Stephanie Hunt (SP). This was an outstanding opportunity for these members to build their portfolio, learn about the RFP process and to get national recognition for RWU PRSSA!.

Kohler was seeking teams of three to four students to submit campaign proposals to build brand awareness and support for Kohler's Save Water America (savewateramerica.com) initiative. Save Water America seeks to increase awareness of the need for water conservation and sales of water-conserving products. Roger Williams sumitted their proposal Feb 1, 2010.  We are awaiting notification of our standing.

The top three Chapters will receive funding from Kohler to implement their proposals and will compete for prizes, including cash awards for the Chapter, water-conserving products for the students and a campus building, and a trip to Kohler headquarters. The top team will win $10,000.

To see the proposal the team put together follow this link: RWUPRSSA.COM

Relax Already!

As future public relations professionals, we are repeatedly told that we need to multitask, be aggressive and "network, network, network!" Sure, a major part of our job involves interacting with coworkers, upper-level staff and clients, however, a successful public relations professional is doing more than running up and down the office corridors all day shaking hands. When it comes down to it, we need to designate large amounts of time to planning and creating plans for clients, and this requires a huge amount of commitment and focus.

Think about the last time you completely forgot about the clock. This is what Everett Bogue challenges us to do in his post, The Hidden Art of Achieving Creative Flow. Bogue explains that flow is when part of the mind switches off and we "just do." The best work is sometimes created when we are in a state of flow because we are not constantly pausing to attend to other matters. If you were writing a PR plan in a state of flow, all of your thoughts would spill out on the page without your conscious brain having a chance to stop and look for faults and errors. (You can always go back and edit the work for simple corrections later). It is hard for PR professionals to achieve a state of flow because we experience so many distractions. To practice experiencing flow while writing or brainstorming, follow some of these steps recommended by Bogue:

1. Eliminate distractions- your phone, email or neighbor could easily break your state of flow.

2. Give yourself a time limit- it will be easier to dedicate complete focus to something for a designated amount of time.

3. Practice- we are so used to multitasking that focusing on a single activity is challenging at first. Stay with it!

Paid Internship: New York Times

The New York Times Company has a full-time internship at the Company's headquarters in New York, for a six to nine-month basis.  While assisting the eleven-member corporate communications staff in many projects and administrative duties, the intern will focus primarily on media relations.  This is a paid internship.  Active college students and recent college graduates are eligible. Duties: Assist members of media relations team in handling daily television and radio bookings; Work with team members to coordinate logistics of media appearances; Create and maintain press contact lists and databases; Assist members of the department in editing and drafting communications; Answer telephone calls; take complete and accurate messages; Provide back-up for other support staff; Various administrative duties; Other duties as assigned. Skills: Interest in and knowledge of TV and radio programming; Knowledge of and interest in social media; Excellent verbal and written communication skills; Excellent grammar and proofreading skills; Strong multi-tasking skills and ability to prioritize; Strong attention to detail; Excellent organizational skills; Ability to think strategically and creatively. If you have a passion for media and communications, please review our Company's Web site at www.nytco.com then e-mail your resume and cover letter to: ccmac@nytimes.com.  This is very important:  Please include the dates you would be available for interviews (preferably in person in New York).

How To Get Ahead

Building and maintaining a strong business network is critical to professional success. The key is accessibility. You must gain access to the key people, the job leads, and the industry-specific information that you need. In turn, it is crucial that you are connected and accessible to the people who want to speak with you.

Networking is especially important for a jobseeker in today’s challenging job market. In this “buyer’s market,” employers can choose from several qualified, interested, and available candidates (compared to a “candidate-driven” market where employers have to lure candidates to new positions). Employers prefer to hire based on referrals or recommendations which people in your network can provide. Managers and recruiters looking to fill a position will first search their own networks for candidates before the job hits the public. Gaining access to these key players and hiring managers in your desired field is tied directly to your professional network.

Building this professional network is easier than it seems. It involves figuring out who you know, deciding who you want to know, and implementing a strategy that showcases your best personal and professional skills. It may come naturally. Otherwise, you must figure out what networking style works best for you to meet and connect with your professional circles.

To see the five most important things to do, and to see specific sites for specific businesses follow this jump.

The RWU COMM Connection

RWU now has just under 200 people on Professor Shelton’s facebook (“profesor Shelton”). This is great news for those of you who are wanting to network and see where some recent grads have ended up.

As a member of the Alumni Network, you have the opportunity to connect with other alumni in your area. We can start holding receptions at graduation.  We can also post the video and/or audio from guest speakers to help educate everyone.  This way if someone  can’t travel back to Bristol for these events,  you can listen various speakers share cutting-edge business information.

Facebook is just the first step in creating a lasting relationship with people who share the RWU experience!

What PR Means To You

According to a Fortune magazine survey, the field of public relations is one of the top-10 fastest growing industries nationwide. Similarly, Money magazine's 50 Best Jobs in America article states that public relations professionals earn an average annual salary of nearly $85,000, with an earning potential of nearly $250,000 a year. Additionally, the article states that there are more than 9,000 annual job openings, with a projected 23 percent 10-year growth rate increase. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are 200,000 practicing public relations professionals nationwide, while The Global Alliance estimates there are three million people worldwide practicing public relations. What do all of these numbers mean for you? Quite simply, if you study public relations, your chances of getting a job and earning a great living are very good.

Public relations is, without question, the most comprehensive type of communication. PR Graduates are sought after and on average, the highest paid. Graduating with a Degree in PR means you will possess the most comprehensive set of communication skills available.  You will be among some of the most sought after communication professionals in the industry. On average, your starting salary will be higher than most of your other communication colleagues.

Director of Communications stats

Pay
Median salary (experienced)	$78,300
Top pay	$135,000
Opportunity
10-year job growth (2006-2016)	17%
Total jobs (current)	26,000
Online want ad growth (April 2009-August 2009)	33%
Quality of life ratings
Personal satisfaction	A
Job security	B
Future growth	B
Benefit to society	B
Low stress	C

From the November 2009 issue

Notes: All pay data from PayScale.com. Median pay is for an experienced worker (at least two to seven years in the field). Top pay represents the 90th percentile. Job growth is estimated for 2006-16. Total current employment level is estimated number of people working in each specific job. Sources: PayScale.com, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Conference Board Help Wanted Online Data Series, and MONEY research

NYC Jobs and Internships

Check out this link for decent opportunities in the NYC area.
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mar/

Fashion PR Job NYC

Emerging and exciting contemporary fashion label seeks freelance Fashion Publicist who has experience working at an agency or in-house. Must be a go-getter, who loves pitching the media, a strong writer , an excellent communicator who is enthusiastic about joining an exciting contemporary collection.
Must have relationships with media, relationship-building skills, never bored of researching new opportunities.

The salary is $10 per hour to start and would be on a contract/freelance basis.In the beginning we are looking for a time commitment of 15-20 hours per week initially and this would grow throughout the next several months.

As a freelancer, requirements for our freelancer include having access to media resources & editor lists. We seek a creative, smart, style-savvy self-starter who can work independently and as part of a team, who is enthusiastic, with fresh ideas and a great attitude.  While a part/time freelance position currently, we expect that this can grow into a more full-time position for the right person.  Please send a resume and a little bit of information about yourself and your experiences in PR and why you would be a good fit.

Send cover letter and resume here.  See Ad here

Job in NYC

Reliable and organized creative thinker needed for Marketing Coordinator position at luxury tour operator based in Manhattan's Flat Iron district. Hours are 8:45 am to 5:45 pm (or later as required), Monday through Friday.  Entry level position with possibility of advancement and significant responsibilities for the right candidate.
Duties include:
- Assist the Director of Marketing as needed
- Coordinate a wide range of Marketing projects
- Manage image gallery
- Manage the fulfillment of brochures as requested by potential travellers
- Organize trade show displays and materials
- Oversee supplies – inventory, ordering, negotiating
- Create Powerpoint presentations
- Fluent in Microsoft Office: Word, Excel
- Plus if you know Mac, InDesign, Quark, Photoshop & Illustrator big plus
Ideal candidate will be recent college graduate, enthusiastic, team player, work well under tight deadlines, able to multi-task. $10 per hour to start, 40 hours per week. Please forward resume and cover letter to marketing4travel@gmail.com.

Optimism of PR Firms Despite Poor Economical Conditions

Although this downfall of the economy has been nothing but bad news for most companies, PR Firms have been able to find the light in it all. Statistics from a survey say that 63.7% PR agencies reported revenue declines from the previous year, while only 23% of firms achieved a high revenue from last year. Given these numbers, you would think PR agencies should be just as worried as everyone else but that does not seem to be the case.

As anyone in the field of Public Relations should know, PR has appeared to be a lot more inexpensive than other services, such as advertising. That alone allows for PR to become more appealing to other firms and business, especially when they are feeling the loss from the downfall of the economy. Not only have PR agencies themselves become appealing, but their knowledge in the field of social media has as well.

Traditional media outlets have become too expensive, forcing business to look to outlets that are more individual such as Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, LinkedIn, etc. Therefore, the strategy businesses use in order to reach their audience has changed but the fundamentals are still the same. These fundamentals are something that are said to be "mastered by professional public relations practitioners".

Overall, the downfall in the economy has simply transformed the way in which business are to communicate with their audience, therefore creating an increase in the demand for PR services.

Social Media: A Succes or Failure?

Social Media seems to be a growing fad among many companies. These companies have looked to social media in order to advocate their selves, products or services. For some employers, it even comes down to who is most familiar and adept with the most popular social media today. Whether social media is actually beneficial is a question that has just recently been brought about.

Social Networks are not popularly used as a resource for shoppers online. According to a recent survey, a majority of consumers do not visit retailer pages on Facebook or Twitter. When consumers do follow or ‘friend’ brands or companies, it is to mostly to stay informed of exclusive deals or offers.

Social Media Today plays the roll of devils advocate by bringing up questions that are not thought about by companies prior to getting involved with social media. The main question is whether the limited money and resources you are spending to maintain social media for your company will be made back, at the least, by the sales made at one's source of social media. Most customers are all about convenience and if your web form is not explained step by step, or they are not up-to-date with current day technology, then your attempt in using social media to reach new customers is not a success. Therefore, despite what everyone says, it would behoove your business to weigh the costs and benefits of a social media source before investing your resources into maintaining one.