Strategic Agility & Learning Agility

As we close 2011, I am struck once again by the profound evolution of our industry. As I reflect on this year professionally and set goals for 2012, I am reminded of the advice given to me by Sheri Leonardo, one of the best human resource professionals I have ever worked with. She said the two hardest things to cultivate in an employee are strategic agility and learning agility.

Strategic agility comes with experience and knowledge over time. It's recognizing opportunities/threats and then swiftly taking action as appropriate to modify and optimize initiatives to maximize performance and achieve stated goals. We all (hopefully) acquire this ability as our careers develop and change over time.

Learning agility is the ability to continually develop and refine one's skills in a profession throughout your career and apply that knowledge to new situations. It's using transferable skills to grow your own understanding to solve new challenges. It requires ongoing learning and consumption of information. It's more than "staying current." It's actively seeking new challenges and knowledge to address issues and achieve goals.

Sheri's words echo in my head as we move into 2012. While I know some organizations make great investments in ongoing training and development for employees, it is important to recognize that continued professional and personal development is not "up to companies," but up to the individual.

What are some of the skills you want to develop in 2012? Are there good resources you would recommend to fellow professional communicators looking to expand their knowledge and learn something new?

Résumé Tips

As I've written about before, I meet with a lot of students either looking to learn more about the communications industry or they are young professionals seeking information on how to get to the next level in their career (the transition from AE to SAE for example). While I am not a recruitment expert, I can attest that this is the good advice that I have received (and followed) over the years that may help you stand out during your job search in the public relations/communications field.

Cover letters are for telling more about you. Résumés only provide a snapshot of who you are as a candidate. Your cover letter is your chance to introduce yourself and expand upon relevant skills and outcomes listed in your résumé. Most importantly, it’s the opportunity to talk about why you are a fit for this current position and why you want the job. Be as specific as possible and keep the length to one page.

Highlight key information upfront. I cannot tell you how many résumés I’ve seen where contact information and other key pieces of information are buried or in font so small you need a magnifying glass to see it once it’s printed. Highlight key information upfront to include your contact information, education, digital skills, relevant awards, professional societies, online portfolio, etc. It makes it much easier for recruiters and those who will interview you to learn something about you ahead of your interview.

The difference between a more entry-level person's résumé and a mid-level/senior level person's résumé is that the latter talks about results. I have seen so many AEs with résumés that essentially list their qualifications in terms of tasks (e.g. "Conduct daily media monitoring and compile media report") without explaining the use or how it informs the client's larger strategy (e.g. "Conduct daily media monitoring and compile media report to share with larger team for campaign optimization and client's market awareness.") Same goes for "Pitch bloggers and print media for trade show events." How about: "Pitch bloggers and print media for major client technology trade show leading to 25 confirmed media interviews which resulted in a 35 percent increase in coverage of client than the previous year." See what I mean? It makes a big difference.

Have additional résumé tips? Would love to hear what has worked well for you.

The Professionals of Tomorrow: Why You Should Make Time for Students Interested in Communications

An article in last week's PRWeek (subscription required) caught my attention. In essence, the piece highlights how some public relations/communication students are having trouble connecting with and learning from veterans in the industry.

Last year, I was contacted by 22 students seeking advice and information about what it is like to work in communications today. The majority of them found me through alumni association career networks or LinkedIn. More than half were undergraduates and studying disciplines such as communications, computer science, public relations, political communications, political science or journalism. I responded to all 22 and met with 18 of them in person. During all of these meetings, students asked for insight into how professional communications has changed and wanted my opinion regarding what types of skills would make them more marketable in an extremely competitive hiring environment. I enjoyed meeting with each and every one of the students and several of them have kept in touch with me.

That's why I was surprised by the PRWeek piece.

When I first started out in communications, I was blessed that several senior level communicators served as my official and unofficial mentors. I have reached out to other communicators at all professional levels over the years and have shared and received amazing insight and advice.

The number one reason I make time for students interested in public relations/communications is you never know what you'll learn. More importantly, the students are the professionals of tomorrow. They could be your future employees, future clients, or future boss. Engage with them now to impart your knowledge and learn as much from them as possible. You'll be very glad you did. Trust me.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I haven't blogged in quite some time and as 2010 ended, I realized how much I missed writing about our industry. As the public relations industry continues to change and communication disciplines become more integrated, I am going to make more of a conscious effort in 2011 to blog more often and focus on topics that mean a great deal to me. This includes focusing on client service, metrics and digital engagement.

I hope you are having a great start to this new year. May 2011 be a fantastic year for us all.

Be A Silo Smasher

It takes a lot to be an effective professional communicator. One of the early lessons I learned in public relations is that it helps to be a silo smasher.

Silo smashing can occur for clients (I've actually been in rooms where in-house sales, marketing and communication teams rarely, if ever meet except to discuss budget issues). It can also occur within a communications organization. If the only time teams meet is to discuss a specific project/initiative (i.e. new trade show booth) and not examine a holistic approach to marketing communications, they may miss an opportunity or new perspective to more effectively target and reach potential stakeholders.

Effective silo smashing is about facilitating relationships across organizational and departmental lines, encouraging internal collaboration, and fostering opportunities to effectively raise awareness of a product/service/idea and foster an organization's brand awareness. Being able to "walk through walls" to meet with and get other organizational leadership and knowledge experts to collaborate often yields better overall ROI for marketing and communication plans.

Professional communicators are in the best position to be the silo smashers in that communication and marketing development means taking a "big picture" approach to solving a client's business issue. Consequently, the expertise and information that is needed to build, implement, measure and sustain a successful communications campaign means reaching out past those whose responsibilities are confined to marketing and communications . Often professional communicators are welcomed (even if it is with a healthy dose of skepticism) when they reach out to other departments for information.

Communication plans that take place in a vacuum are less effective than those that are developed with input from relevant parties that have a different perspective on certain aspects of a product/service/program. Depending on the organization and the goals of the campaign, communicators may need to and should reach out to individuals in research and development, finance, design, and other subject matter experts to effectively communicate the value and develop a robust and effective marketing communications campaign to achieve an organization's goals. Having more information to understand the business case as well as the technical and creative case will only help to make the campaign more robust and unique. It will also help to expand the support and enthusiasm for marketing and communication efforts throughout the organization.

People often want to give their opinion and demonstrate their expertise when it comes to promoting and educating stakeholders about a product/service/idea. Learning how to smash internal client silos is a good step in enhancing client service while raising trust and creating a lasting partnership for many years to come.

My First #PRBC post: "Communicating to Uncle Sam"

I am super excited that my first contributing post to PR Breakfast Club (#PRBC) is posted this morning: 'Communicating to Uncle Sam' is a very broad overview about what companies looking to market and raise awareness about their products and services to the federal sector should consider when seeking to reach a government audience. The post is in no way exhaustive or comprehensive, just a snapshot of how to approach and effectively communicate to the government stakeholders. I plan on writing future posts to expand upon this topic.

I would love your comments and feedback.

PRBC is a great resource with amazing PR professionals who contribute to the site everyday. I highly recommend signing up for the Daily Mailing List which will deliver each day's posts directly to your inbox. It's great!!!

Happy HAPPO Day! (Resources)

Happy HAPPO Day everyone!

Last year, I wrote a post called "Resources for Those Looking for A Job." I am pasting what I think are some of the best sources and including in this post some twitter hashtags I follow regarding the job market. While I know today is about extended networking and job listings not necessarily found on job sites, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite resources to help those who are continuing to search for a new opportunity.

Below I have listed some of my favorite job sites. Please feel free to suggest additional sites in the comments section of this post. This list is in no way comprehensive - just where I or others I know have had some success:

The Brad Traverse Group - A subscription site ($5/month) the Brad Traverse Group lists jobs in and around the DC area for those interested in public affairs, public relations, media and consulting. It's worth the $5 a month as many jobs are exclusively listed and will not appear anywhere else.

Indeed.com - A job listing aggregator, Indeed.com will save your searches and let you know how many new jobs have been listed since your last search, saving you time. I really like Indeed because it is simple and efficient.

Ned's Job of the Week - Ned's list (available for view on the Web site) highlights jobs in defense, communications, and event marketing/promotion. While the job listings span the globe, there are quite a few in DC Metro Area.

HillZoo.com - An online publication for those on and around Capital Hill, HillZoo.com lists on and off the Hill jobs for those interested. Some are political, some aren't. Definitely worth a look.

Social Media Jobs - For social media and digital strategy pros, Social Media Jobs lists opportunities nationwide.

Other job sites for PR Pros/Communicators:

O'Dwyer's PR Job Seekers and Employers

PRWeek Jobs

Ragan Communications (A great site for corporate and internal communicators)

SoloGig.com (Great for independent consultants. Also lists some short time and permanent positions)

PRTalent.com

Public Affairs Council (Government relations, associations, public affairs, policy and communications positions)

DC Public Affairs + Communications Jobs (Great blog that seems to catch and list hot jobs in the DC Area and beyond)

For those interested in nonprofits:

Idealist.org

Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, DC Chapter - You will have to register to gain access to its career center, but registration is free and it's a great way to network.

Twitter:

I follow the hashtag #prjobs on Twitter to see who is posting jobs. I strongly recommend this. Of course, I would also follow #HAPPO and the specific #HAPPO tag for your area (e.g. #HAPPODC). For entry level I would follow #EntryPR and for internships #PRIntern. You will be able to see individual agencies as well as independent pros, recruiters and job boards that post new opportunities.

Please feel free to send me your favorite job resources and links. Let's all try to help each other out today!

Inaugural #HAPPO Hour

Kick-off #HAPPO week with the first-ever DC #HAPPO Hour tomorrow night at The District Chop House!

DCFlacks' February happy hour will join forces with Help a PR Pro Out (#HAPPO and for DC job-seekers #HAPPODC on Twitter) to connect PR job seekers with employers looking for top talent. Join us Tuesday, Feb 16 at 6:30 p.m. All you have to do is show up, then meet and chat career opportunities with your peers. Many thanks to Mike Schaffer (@mikeschaffer) and Amanda Miller Littlejohn (@amandamogul) for connecting DC Flacks to the DC-area HAPPO happenings. Learn more about #HAPPO here.

Register for #HAPPO Hour here.

Hope to see you there!

C'mon and Get #HAPPO!

Most of us all know someone who has lost their job or is searching for a new job in communications/marketing/social media/PR in this rough economy. Job searching is tough. Interviewing can be a nerve-wracking, anxiety- ridden process, and to top it all off, many professional communicators may be frustrated that they feel they aren't seeing or finding all the opportunities that may currently be available to them.


Most recruiters will tell you that the best way to find a job is to network. I will admit that I have gotten most of my jobs in communications by networking.


A little background:


I got my start in PR by getting an internship at a major agency in DC when I was still in college. This was shortly after the dot com bust and the only reason I was even considered for the internship is that a professor wrote me a great letter of recommendation to include with my application (this is was back when there were about 300 applications for one paid intern position - yes, paid! I can only imagine what the number is now.)


The same was true with my first job out of college. Another professor was able to recommend me to the CEO of a strategic communications firm who was looking for a new hire. Over the years, I've written many letters of recommendations, given verbal commendations, and provided insight and job leads for former interns, colleagues and friends who are actively looking for and pursuing other opportunities. Paying-it-forward has always paid off for me.


I have been very blessed and fortunate that my network has helped me time-and-time again with finding jobs. But what about those looking for a new position right now? How do they become a part of your extended network?

Solution: Help A PR Pro Out (HAPPO)! A brilliant idea of Valerie Simon (@valeriesimon) andArik Hanson (@arikhanson), HAPPO is an effort to connect brilliant communicators with organizations looking for smart and savvy professionals! On Friday, February 19, from 10 am – 2 pm CT PR bloggers, agency leaders, and PR professionals from across the country will donate their time and talents to help fellow PR pros connect with employers as part of the first-ever “Help a PR Pro Out” day. Here's how you can get involved/help:

• Are you a job seeker? Prepare a creative blog post, pitching yourself to prospective employers and share it via Twitter during the event on Feb. 19 using the hashtag#HAPPO. The HAPPO “market champions” (see below) will help by retweeting and connecting you with potential employers in your specific market (or markets you’re willing to relocated to).
• Are you an employer looking for talent? Follow the hashtag #HAPPO on Friday, Feb. 19 and share your openings. Market champions will do their best to connect you with talent they think matches your specific needs.
• Are you a PR blogger/Twitter addict? Yes? Then share the #HAPPO tweets with your personal networks and lend your support to those in need. Help your market champion identify job seekers and pair them with potential employers. This is your chance to make a difference!

Below is a list of HAPPO champions. Over the next week leading up to Feb. 19, these folks will be posting and tweeting about the event. Make sure to connect with them if you're a job seeker or an employer looking for PR talent.


#HAPPO Champions:

• Jeremy Pepper (National)
• Mary Deming Barber (National)
• Jeremy Porter (Atlanta)
• Kellye Crane (Atlanta)
• Doug Haslam (Boston)
• Jennifer Wilbur (Southern CA)
• Gini Dietrich (Chicago)
• Sarah Evans (Chicago)
• Allan Schoenberg (Chicago)
• Lauren Fernandez (Dallas/Fort Worth)
• Richie Escovedo (Dallas/Fort Worth)
• Jamie Floer (Florida)
• John Sternal (Florida)
• Justin Goldsborough (Kansas City)
• Arik Hanson (Minneapolis/ St. Paul)
• PR Cog (New York Metro)
• Deidre Breakenridge (New York Metro)
• Valerie Simon (New York Metro)
• Heather Whaling (Ohio)
• Anne Buchanan (Philadelphia)
• Abbie Fink (Phoenix)
• Deanna Ferrari (Pittsburgh)
• Adrienne Biggs (San Francisco)
• Danny Brown (Toronto)
• Dave Fleet (Toronto)
• Shonali Burke (Washington, DC)
• Mike Schaffer (Washington, DC)
• Heather Huhman (Washington, DC)

Other resources in Washington DC (#HAPPODC) include Debbie Friez (@dfriez), NicoleN(@NicolePRexec), Patrick Wixted (@pwixted), Ashley Settle (@amsettle), Meghan(@meggiepoo), Amanda (@amandamogul) and of course yours truly. Watch for us to tweet for information about the event and resources for job seekers during this coming week.

For more information about Help A PR Pro Out Day, visit http://helpaprproout.com/.

2010 #PRStudChat Schedule

The popular and extremely informative PR Student Chat (#PRStudChat) on Twitter is making some exciting changes in 2010. Founders and Moderators Deirdre Breakenridge and Valerie Simon have announced the 2010 dates for the monthly chat. They have also announced that each chat will focus on a theme or issue. January's chat will take place on January 13th and the topic will be "Focus on the Educator."

To see the 2010 #PRStudChat schedule and learn more about the upcoming changes, click here.

The Disclosure Post (My New Gig!)

My apologies to all who have been checking my blog for updates the last few weeks only to discover no new posts. After freelancing through the summer, I have joined Ogilvy Public Relations as an Account Director in its Social Marketing practice in the Washington, D.C. office. I started in late November and have been busy getting ramped up on accounts and learning about the company. I have had a fantastic (and busy) few weeks and I thank all my colleagues at Ogilvy PR for welcoming me to the team!

Full disclosure: Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (Ogilvy PR) is part of the WPP plc, one of the world's largest communications services organizations (NASDAQ: WPPGY, www.wpp.com). The views on this blog are my own (as they have always been) and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer or clients.

I hope to update this blog more often as we head into the new year. You can find me everyday on Twitter and connect with me on LinkedIn as well. I look forward to hearing and exchanging information with you!

Happy holidays all! Thank you all for your support!

A Reminder To Build Relationships

Seeing this post over at The Bad Pitch Blog this week made my blood boil. Please go read the post in its entirety and draw your own conclusions. I feel so bad for the journalist who reportedly begged to get off an agency's media list only to continue to be bombarded with unwanted pitches and no response (or reported action) from the agency to rectify the situation.

Unfortunately, it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. Reports like the one above remind me why it's so important to establish and build relationships with key media as far in advance as possible. Being transparent about who you are representing and being available to the media as a resource (not just a source) for stories is crucial. The media may not cover my clients every time, but I'm flattered when they ask me if I know someone who can help them with a story they are working on or point them to a colleague who may be able to help.

I have argued for Better Rules of Engagement when it comes to media relations. This means doing all you can to build relationships with all media before pitching. I look at it this way: cold pitching the media (just making a list based upon a database or minimal research) is tantamount to running up to someone and explaining a solution to a problem that they nothing about or may not care about. Be transparent, be a resource and introduce yourself (as much as possible) before representing clients. Most importantly, if a member of the media asks that you remove them from future communications - YOU DO IT and QUICKLY. Sending a quick note to let them know you have done so, as well as an apology can go along way and not burn a bridge.

Remember: media relations is person-to-person communications. YOUR own reputation is at stake. So, research, craft relevant pitches and then be responsive to who you are pitching - even if the result is they don't want future communications about your client.

Clients Can't Approve or Reject Ideas They Aren't Shown

Creativity in PR and marketing is a goal that all great professional communicators want to achieve. Creative campaigns and strategies make you memorable. They often think outside the box. Often the best ideas challenge teams to use other multichannel strategies and tactics (e.g. guerrilla marketing, event planning, mobile engagement, etc.) that often haven't been considered to enhance their client's campaign. Creative ideas to generate awareness and visibility of a client's mission can have a big return on investment. If all relevant stakeholders are taken into account, it can garner the much sought after media attention, increase awareness of an organization's mission as well as reinforce and introduce an organization's brand to audiences.

However, how many times have you been in brainstorming meetings to develop new ideas, engagement strategies, or even themes only to hear: "The client won't go for it" or "We need to be mindful and only suggest ideas that are in the client's realm of comfort."

While taking the emotional and cultural considerations of clients into account is important, really good creative ideas are often dismissed because they are perceived as "too risky" by certain members of the team in charge of the client's business. I shudder to think how many creative ideas, which may garner the most attention and bring the most success to a campaign, die on a white board, word document or collaborative wiki, never having been seen by the client for feedback/input.

Clients cannot approve or reject ideas that are never presented to them.

Professional communicators should take their client's comfort level into account when developing ideas. Showing a little creativity and refining ideas to demonstrate the potential effectiveness of a what is viewed as a newer or "riskier" strategy goes a long way.

In my experience, the best way to get what are perceived as more outlandish and radical tactical strategies approved is:

• Do research! Conduct soft soundings with trusted key media in the client's industry and other key stakeholder groups (associations, investors, etc.) to get their input on the idea(s). See if it has any interest for them and be willing to further refine the campaign based on their input.
• Do an outline/timeline of the strategy to present to client initially. This does not have to be a comprehensive plan, but taking the time to provide an overview of how the project will be executed can help convince and alleviate some of the fear that clients may have on the strategy's validity. It also shows that your team is able to execute and understands the amount of work and input that will be needed from the client side.
• Keep trying. Just because one client doesn't want to execute a newer strategy or ideas doesn't mean that he/she won't change their mind in the future. It also doesn't mean that others in the same organization won't welcome ideas outside "the press release." Demonstration of creativity as well as core communication principles goes a long way.

Now is the time to be bold, creative and present new ideas to help clients achieve their communication goals. Don't be afraid to speak-up.

Journalism School - The New Higher Education Choice for Emerging Media and Corporate Communicators?

When the recession got particularly bad last February, a friend of mine who had been laid off from her job as a corporate public relations manager told me she was going back to school to earn her master's degree. Happy for her, I asked what she was going to study (thinking it would be some sort of degree in strategic communications or health care since that was her career background). Her answer: journalism.

I didn't understand at the time, but now I see that she wanted a structured program that would give her the practical tools in content production (to include video, audio and online content) as well as insight into the mindset and needs of today's busy journalists and media companies.

I noticed an interview by Fern Siegel with Stephen D. Soloman, associate director, Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at NYU, and Nicholas Lemann, dean of the graduate school of Journalism at Columbia University, discussing the future of journalism schools and journalism jobs. The piece is quite insightful. What struck me most about it was how much the journalism curriculum has changed with the times.

Both esteemed academics point out that journalism schools are evolving and more graduates may find themselves writing for online outlets as opposed to traditional newspapers or magazines. Consequently, more journalism schools have revamped their curriculum to include additional focus on content development for all students (not just those interested in production) as well as focus on specialized topics (e.g. arts and culture; business and economics; local reporting) to further prepare journalism students. What struck me, however, is how the new curriculum and specialized reporting focuses could be leveraged in the corporate, non-profit and government arenas.

While public relations is often viewed as "joining the dark side," by some (not all) in the journalism profession, it seems that journalism schools today are preparing their students for lasting and rewarding careers in the communications industry (outside of traditional journalism jobs). With almost every company and organization becoming its own publication house, demand for experienced and trained professionals who understand journalism practices and can produce content are very much in demand. With the media shrinking, organizations are looking for savvy individuals and agencies that understand the news media and can also produce compelling, informative and creative content to help generate awareness for their brand or cause.

I now understand why my friend chose to return to school for a master's in journalism. When she graduates next year, she will have a wealth of new tools and skills to offer to a new employer. When I ask her if she plans on finding a job in journalism, she smiles and says, "We'll see."

More In-House Communications?

Jennifer Walzer, founder and CEO of Backup My Info!, wrote a great account in today's New York Times' 'You're the Boss' blog of how her business is able to garner and generate its own PR without the aid of an agency. 

Walzer lists tips and resources in the post for how other companies looking to generate press for themselves can go about the process.

What is interesting to me and what I applaud is Walzer and her company have devoted the resources internally to cultivate and execute their own media relations strategy. Many companies and organizations (especially small ones) often don't have the personnel that can take the time to network and develop these relationships. As a result, media relations is often the first and most requested service offered by PR/communications agencies.

Walzer's post is particularly striking to me because there appears to be a resurgence of in-house communication departments in wake of the recent recession. Over the last year, I have spoken to several senior agency PR executives who have lamented and/or celebrated the fact that clients have hired away mid-level or even experienced junior account executives to head up media relations or communications in-house. What's even more interesting to me is that half of the senior level agency executives I spoke with said this has not had the huge impact on their business and revenue as they thought. No longer doing day-to-day media relations in some cases allowed agencies to focus on helping their clients develop and execute more long-term strategies to help grow their business. In other cases, however, clients reduced or completely cut their agency budgets to bring communication operations in-house.

When I first started this blog, I noticed a trend towards companies restaffing or bringing media relations and even entire communications divisions back under the corporate umbrella (usually under marketing. I viewed it as a resurgence in corporate communications). While I don't think this trend is widespread nor do I believe that all or even a majority of businesses and organizations will bring all executable communication initiatives in-house, it is interesting to see that more companies are doing more for themselves in regards to their communication plans. All communication strategies come down to experienced and available resources that can be devoted to developing, executing, and measuring the agreed upon communication tactics, resources and time to be devoted to a particular campaign. I believe the majority of companies will continue to rely upon agencies to serve as strategic advisers as well as tactical executors to help them achieve their business goals.

Striking the Balance - Tipping Towards Integrated Measurement

"If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." --Benjamin Franklin

Traditional media vs. New media.

Counting impressions vs. Measuring engagement.

Measuring share-of-voice vs. Overall return on investment.

Lately I've been reading a lot of articles, blog posts and even Twitter conversations that seem to focus on the dichotomy of balancing the traditional model of communications/PR with the established social media and digital practices that are increasingly popular. Everything I read points out that there must be a balance or strategic approach to all activities (traditional or new) that justifies the cost and spend of any communication investment. 

What strikes me now is that I see a tipping point where agencies, companies and government entities are starting to look beyond the traditional communication metrics and take a more encompassing integrated approach to evaluating and gathering information about their outreach activities. I see less emphasis on the estimated number of impressions and more on the engagement and conversion rates to measure the success of or if necessary, tweak the direction of a communications campaign. 

Integrated measurement of communication tactics is not new. It's just a happy trend that I see becoming increasingly popular as private and public organizations seek to integrate social and digital communications into their traditional marketing and awareness campaigns.

Last week, Commentz pointed me to Olivier Blanchard (@TheBrandBuilder) presenting The Definitive Social Media ROI Presentation. It is the first time I have come across a presentation that articulates how companies should approach and measure the effectiveness of their social media and traditional marketing communication activities. Engaging as well as informative, Blanchard's presentation is the first one I've seen to talk about the non-financial impact (the focus of most social metrics initially) and mapping those to overall business metrics/analytics that accounts for and tracks real dollars and cents. I highly recommend viewing Blanchard's presentation. It struck me as the most articulate and accurate way to discuss the real business value (not just awareness and frequency) with C-Suite executives.

I also came across this article in today's Advertising Age which articulates how MS&L, Weber Shandwick, and Porter Novelli are tweaking their PR metrics to measure not just the effectiveness of their communication campaigns, but how their communication strategy can be mapped back to sales and conversions for their clients. While this is not new (a lot of IMC agencies have been doing this for years), it is exciting to see that "PR" firms are taking the lead on measurement and are not just using the data to evaluate the campaigns effectiveness, but are gathering information to tweak campaigns and raise client's situational awareness to address issues and engage in real time. 

"PR" is becoming less about controlling the message and more about collecting, analyzing and acting upon intelligence from all stakeholders. Are you seeing more agencies, companies, and organizations moving towards a more integrated approach to measuring ROI? Are more resources (monetary or other) being devoted to listen and get actionable intelligence?

Take the PR Student Chat Challenge (#PRStudChat)

Are you a student studying PR? A professor in communications? A pro who teaches public relations courses? Then get ready for the PR Student Chat (#PRStudChat) challenge!

Yesterday, #PRStudChat moderator Deirdre Breakenridge (four-time author and president of PFS Marketwyse) and host Valerie Simon (Senior Vice President, BurrellesLuce, media monitoring and measurement) announced a twist to the upcoming October 21st #PRStudent Chat (Noon ET/11AM CT/10AM MT/9AM PT). According to the press release:

Whichever school has the greatest number of participants in the October 21st chat wins an in-depth conversation with public relations industry veteran Deirdre Breakenridge via Skype. The winning students will have an opportunity to pose questions and interact with one of PR’s leading professionals. Additionally, the winning school will have the opportunity to earn some publicity for their PR programs. Also, BurrellesLuce will be donating a $50 American Express Gift Certificate to the students and school in order to celebrate their PR Student Chat win!

#PRStudentChat brings together students studying public relations/communications to interact with some of the most experienced and brightest minds in the business and academia. For more information on how your school can participate in the challenge, read the press release which provides next steps. Also, don't forget to check out the PRStudChat Group on LinkedIn as well as #PRStudChat Group Guide to Twitter Chats.

I hope YOUR school takes on the challenge! 

Thank You: Media Relations Class at American University (Resources Too!)

Gotta give a shout out to the AMAZING students in American University School of Communication's media relations class. I was invited to speak to the class last night about my experiences in public relations/communications and I had a BLAST! Thank you again for having me!

Below is a brief list of resources that I included at the end of my presentation. This is by no means an exhaustive list. My goal was to provide some high-level sources for the class to go to for information about the changing communications industry.

Here are just some of the resources I check everyday. Almost all have free newsletters, webinars, white papers, or other content to further our knowledge of the communications world:

• SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization)
• Marketing Profs
• Mashable 
• Media Post Publications
• BtoB Magazine
• DM News
• Social Media Today
• O'Dwyer's Public Relations
• PR Week
• Ragan Communications

I also strongly recommend signing up for Commentz, run by the wonderful Sarah Evans (@PRSarahEvans) and David Teicher (@Aerocles). It's free and a great resource for those who want to look at informative and important communications stories of the day.

Finally, Twitter! Thanks to Valeria Maltoni (@ConversationAge) for her excellent list of 100 PR People Worth Following on Twitter. If you are a communications pro looking to expand (or start) your list of people on Twitter, definitely start there. Also, I have to thank Meryl K. Evans (@merylkevans) for her excellent post of all the Twitter Chats that may be of interest to budding and veteran communication pros. She just updated the list yesterday so make sure you check it out. I most often attend #journchat on Monday evenings, but after looking at the list, I see that I will be joining a few more chats in the very near future!

Finally, here is a link to a post of some of my favorite job search sites. I also strongly encourage those looking for a job to use Twitter. I find #prjobs, #printerns #PRSA #IABC #PR are good hashtags for those looking for opportunities on Twitter.

Again, thank you to the media relations class at American University. I wish you all continued success in your studies and your budding communications careers. Do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you in any way!

Your Input Needed: Information for the Next Generation of PR Pros

I've been asked to speak to a media relations class at American University in a few weeks. In addition to going over new media tools, media monitoring, pitching basics and how to build and effectively maintain media relationships, what information, tips, advice or general knowledge should I share with the class? Students: what types of information would be useful? I'm told this a senior level class with a few graduate students as well. I appreciate all suggestions. Feel free to e-mail me, leave comments on this post, or @ me on Twitter with your recommendations. 

Thanks!

No Shades of Gray When It Comes To Ethics

Last week the PRSA (arguably our industry's most influential organization) released a statement in response to reports of public relations practitioners violating its ethical codes. 

In its press release, PRSA states: 

Over the last few months, there have been several news accounts of promotional tactics that signal a common thread of malpractice under the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Code of Ethics and PRSA Professional Standards Advisories (PSA). While each tactic varies in method and medium, PRSA states categorically that misrepresenting the nature of editorial content or intentionally failing to clearly reveal the source of message contents is unethical.

PRSA then goes on to address what constitutes deceptive online practices, illicit front groups, and anti-PR pay-for-play coverage, reminding communicators to remain transparent in their dealings online and disclose who, what and where the sources generating coverage are coming from (e.g. If a company sends you something for FREE to test out and evaluate on your blog, disclose that fact). Seems simple and straightforward to me. 

In a time where most agencies are just now beginning to recover from the recession, it pained me to read stories where firms and independent consultants allegedly violated or skirted ethical standards. I found myself asking - why is this happening? Is this a sign of the times because of the economy? Have firms and clients become so desperate in getting any kind of traction for their company/cause that we've now given up on creativity, genuine messaging, true engagement and caring about a customer/stakeholder that agencies and some individuals have turned towards an "easy fix" to generate manufactured ROI that allegedly influences and persuades audiences? Or worse yet: Has this *always* been going on?

I hope not. 

As I've advanced in my career, I'm met with a lot of young PR pros who have been taken advantage of by employers who wanted them to post anonymous or in some cases personal responses on blogs, online industry forums, or in the comments section of news articles to refute or attack a story or post about their client or bash a competitor. When I asked if they disclosed who they were working for/representing when responding or if they would have posted comments/reaction if they weren't prompted by their boss, more often than not they said no. They also did not seem to know that this was skirting the ethics of the PR practice as "online reputation management" was part of their job description.

One recent report alleges a PR firm AstroTurf-ing (faking) positive reviews of its client's iPhone applications in iTunes. What was so appalling to me about this is that it is reportedly the interns at this agency that were writing the evaluations. IMHO, having the interns write the supposed transparent evaluations is potentially setting them for a tough time later in their careers. It seems to be standard practice for an employer to research potential employees online to review social media interactions as well as any comments/stories/etc. to which the potential employee may be linked. Posting comments/posts without disclosing a relationship to a party may damage a candidates chances for a position later on or worse, misrepresent the character or interests of an individual. Even more disturbing is that young PR Pros may learn that this is "acceptable" PR practice and continue to perpetuate this tactic for other firms or on behalf of other clients. 

Online media and social networking has changed the way we communicate for ourselves and for our clients. However, even in this immediate gotta-know-right-now-press-publish world, we PR Pros need to adhere to and follow the ethical guidelines to play fair and engage openly with all audiences we serve. This starts with the core of understanding that transparency, openness, and responsiveness is the key to combating the negative associations with public relations. Now is the time to instill lasting ethical and strategic communications practices that reinforces all that is good and necessary about our profession.