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Hiring the Best in Public Relations

You want to make your business, soar. You want it spoken from every tongue and housetop. You can hardly wait to see it grow.

What do you need? Some folks in public relations to get the word out.

What should you look for?

  • At least a bachelor’s degree in Communication. The emphasis could be journalism or public relations, but the degree should be in Communication. Within the Mass Communication arena a student learns about television, radio, newspaper and the Internet. A creative writer may know how to write but they may not know how to market without this degree. Added experience in journalism and publishing lends to a greater understanding of the public relations area and vice versa.
  • Experience working in an advertising agency or public relations field is good, but don’t discount someone with the creative skills and excitement to do the job. Great ideas come with the new as well as the seasoned. Hard workers are easy to find if you ask about the potential employee’s GPA and find out what they have done within the community.
  • If your company is small; fewer than 25 employees, one public relations expert should suffice. Have them write up press releases, work on your website, plan and carry out the company party, etc. Get them working on brochures, fliers and other forms of media to garner new interest for your business.
  • A large company; over 25, usually enlists the help of additional public relations personnel. They may split the online work from the hands-on work or may hire freelancers to do the work that they can’t get to.

The best in public relations are not only hard working and creative, they get the job done on deadline and work well with others. They do their share and then some, and always give credit where credit is due.

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Public Relations in Government

Public Relations in Government

You’re interested in government, and working in public relations seems to be your thing. What jobs are out there for you?

  • Become a press secretary. A press secretary lets the public in on what government agencies and officials are doing. Tell the public about a particular representative’s accomplishments, let the public in on the latest official news.
  • A public relations specialist develops, researches, and writes needed materials for a public relations executive, handles organizational functions and discovers the needs within a community to further develop relationships.
  • Policy advisors are focused on the operational aspects of policy making although they do a small portion of what a policy analyst does. An advisor will advise the policy analyst on various issues including a particular program run by the government.
  • Policy analysts are more focused on analytics. Write reports, analyze information, and speak with stakeholders.
  • Politics staff writers cover congressional campaigns and elections. A staff writer needs to know what is happening in the world as well as in their home town when it comes to political issues.
  • An account executive in government vies for continual understanding of accounts including, products, markets, incoming work, media outreach and more.
  • Healthcare Media Directors have account and media relations experience, usually in upwards of 8-10 years as well as knowledge of the health care industry as it relates to government issues.
  • Public relations employment in government also offers prospective employees opportunities in the world of event marketing, coordination and public affairs.

In many ways public relations in government runs similar to what a public relations professional would do while working for a retail business or a non-profit organization. The main difference is who the public relations expert serves, (both the public and the government), and their needed greater than average understanding of law—a must have for work within government.

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Networking in the Field of Public Relations

You’re probably already aware that the field of public relations works just a little differently than others, so for this reason, your networking strategies need to be a little different. There are a few ways that public relations networking is different, and some tips on how you can make this difference work to your advantage.

  • Public relations can be a crowded field. The person or company you are trying to reach may be the same one that practically everyone is wanting to contact, also. You’ve got to figure out a way to stand out from the crowd.

One way to do this is purchase small business cards carriers with your business logo and contact information printed on the front. Then, let your personal business card be the first one in the carriers. Not only will you have provided your contacts with a means of storing the other business cards they receive, but both the carriers and your business card be the first thing he sees.

  • Take advantage of social media websites, both to network and to find out information on upcoming events that may provide you with additional networking opportunities. Post your information on these sites, and, if possible, let the person or company who has posted an upcoming event know you are planning to attend.
  • If you are engaged in public relations networking in the writing field, make sure you attend events and take the opportunity to befriend editors, other writers, bloggers, reporters, or anyone else who can help you. Provide them with several business cards (the carrier idea mentioned earlier will work here, also), but also maintain contact with them right up until you send them your press releases or other content. Doing this will ensure that they remember you, which may cause them to notice your work first before others in your field or genre.
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Managing Your Time in Public Relations

You consider yourself a professional, but often, assignments stack up faster than the daily newspaper and you’re unsure of what to tackle first.

These tips will help:

  • Last minute projects will come across your desk when you are going full-force. Putting aside what you are working on to fulfill the new last minute project will tell your boss that you are flexible and can multitask.
  • Get projects in on time. This should go without saying, but using an excuse like, “I just didn’t have time” probably isn’t go to fly with a boss who is in charge of the entire chi bang.
  • Focus more on the projects at hand and less about your friendships or stomach. This also goes without saying, but the time you spend taking calls (not all for business) getting drinks at the water cooler or treats from the vending machine, add up.
  • Keep business phone calls as short as possible. I remember a gentleman calling for a meeting. When everyone entered the room there was no chairs to sit on. The meeting lasted 15 minutes. See yourself standing up if you have to.
  • Don’t let fear keep you from doing a project or speaking to a journalist or other media personality. Your heart is probably still going to beat wildly, but you must learn to get up and get going despite your fear.
  • Do projects in the order that they are due. A calendar is a good way to keep track. Plan ahead by listing your projects, what days you will be working on them, and what day they are due. It’s even a good idea to get your project to your boss or manager BEFORE the due date. It makes their job that much easier.

Managing your time is rarely easy; rather it is an opportunity to stretch yourself and your abilities as you factor in the element of time.

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When you Fear Speaking to a Reporter

You are in business to share with others. Sure, you might be competing for the top slot, but you are also in business to learn from others and share what you know. Profits are important, so is the “little guy” trying to get his business known. But something changes when you have to speak with a reporter. It’s easy to get tongue tied, easy to say the wrong thing. Hearts are pounding, questions are more than likely running through your mind like a long distance runner.

Fortunately, there are great helps to muffle our fears, even to cure them to a large extent. Here’s how:

  • Ask the reporter when they contact you the direction they see the article taking. This will give you a good idea what questions they will ask. Write the questions and your answers down on paper before the interview and take the paper with you. Make sure you write down the difficult questions with your answers too.
  • Watch your body language. Try not to cross your arms and legs and speak directly to the reporter. The good news is that, when taking notes, a reporter will look down, and so you will have an opportunity for an eye-contact break.
  • Remember that the reporter is nervous too, even if they don’t look nervous. Meeting someone new is rarely easy and creates fear for everyone, even those expert in interviewing.
  • Be honest, but give the answer tactfully and as positively as possible. If you don’t know the answer, don’t lie. Admit to the reporter that you don’t know the answer and will get back to them ASAP. Reporters have a quick turnaround on articles, so always get the information promised to them within at least a day or two–a few hours is always best.

Reporters are people; they are coming for the answers, and so the more prepared you are, the less likely your nerves will take over during the interview.

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Keeping Customers Happy Once They Decide They Like You

Customers are pouring in; you can hardly keep a handle on it. And then one day the numbers begin to trickle. You wonder why. Is it the economy? Perhaps. Folks are more careful than ever with their money, especially when it comes to big ticket items or services suddenly thought of as “frivolous.”

What can you do? What will it take to keep your customers begging for more?

These ideas will help:

  • Have a family craft day. It doesn’t matter if your store sells shoes or toboggans; crafts bring families in to a business in droves. The craft doesn’t have to be costly or large, it just has to be an idea that most families want to get their hands on such as a bird house or a hand-made kite.
  • Put together a free demonstration. Cooking stores can put together cooking demonstrations, but so can a book store selling a new cook book. How about an author signing, a lecture series (museums often do this with favorable results) or a demonstration on one of the products within your store. Story time works well at the library, why not in your children’s clothing store?
  • Give something away free to the first 100 customers.
  • Have a discount day. Send out coupons to your loyal customers before the big day.
  • Invite a cuddly friend. You know the ones; Big Bird or Oscar the Grouch or Santa Claus. Take free photos.
  • Ask for feedback at a Feedback Box. Get feedback on interests, problems the customer is having in finding items or in understanding a product. Find out what they suggest for improvement. Award a winner once or twice a month with the best idea.
  • Have a business card drop. Award a winner a month.

If you keep your customers happy, the results are easy to figure. Suddenly, they are no longer thinking about money; they are more concerned about your excellent service.

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What does the Tax Compromise Mean for Your Planning?

There isn’t any specific health care and insurance information in the administration’s compromise with the GOP, but there are a few things you should know when you sit down with your insurance agent to plan your future. The picture is clouded by the near-universal condemnation from the Democratic side, but there’s still plenty that you can learn. While industry leaders need resolution of death tax and gift tax rules, individuals need to know how these issues will affect their planning for the inevitable. There is confusion, and the compromise does not really clear up anything for most people.

Assuming nothing gets repealed or changed at a later date, planners still have to take into account the uncertainty of how an estate will be treated because the tax rules remain in limbo. It has been said that if you plan to die soon, do it before December 31 of 2012. From a planning perspective it appears this deal will have an overall negative effect for two reasons: 1) the $5 million exemption may lead individuals to believe planning is unnecessary; and 2) the 35% rate is the same as the income tax rate, which may lead people to believe there is no gain to be had from serious planning.

There are other options, though, that can be considered. If you have a good tax planner, he or she can definitely help you get the breaks that you need. Putting things in trust and using other options can also help you avoid too much estate tax. The take-away from all of this is simple – planning is even more imperative when the rules are changing almost daily. If there is any possibility that your estate will be affected by changes in the rules, see a qualified legal adviser or estate planner. The consequences of failure to plan can be devastating.

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Using Social Marketing for Public Relations

Public relations are very important for a business. If you don’t have good PR, you might end up really alienating your customers or stopping potential customers from even giving you a chance. You also have to consider that it’s important to make sure customers know you’re there. Too many businesses fail because they just don’t market themselves the way that they should. It’s unfortunate, and it’s something that could completely be avoided by businesspeople who are paying close attention and who are interested in succeeding. If you’re taking your business seriously, one of the things you can do with PR is get a social media presence.

Whether you use Facebook, Twitter, or something else – or a combination of many different sites – you can easily find that you can create a strong presence with the right words. People should be able to find you, so you should be searchable. The words and phrases that people would type into a search engine to find what you’re selling are the words and phrases that you want to have on your social marketing pages. That way, you’ll be a lot more likely to get found.

You also want to post things often. If you wait too long between posting, you’re not going to attract as many people to your social media presence. Conversely, though, you don’t want to post something every few minutes, because that gets annoying and can cause you to lose followers. A few times a day – or even a few times a week – will keep you in the forefront of people’s minds and help ensure that you’re getting your name and other information out there. Be sure to offer more than just information about how to buy what you’re selling. Be helpful to others, and you’ll gain respect as an expert in your field.

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Can You Start Up a Business for Free?

Whether you can start up a business for free depends on your definition of ‘free.’ For example, you could start a business with only a Facebook page or a free blog, but what about the money you pay for the Internet access and your computer? Do you count that money? If you would have those things anyway, you could avoid counting them and saying that your business was ‘free’ to start up. A lot of writers, artists, and photographers start their businesses that way, because they don’t want to spend a lot of money (and don’t need to) in order to get customers.

If you’re starting up a business where there are goods involved, you probably can’t do that for free. You’ll need the goods that you’re going to be selling, so you’ll have some investment there. There are drop-shipping options where you don’t actually touch the goods, too, and those could be considered if you really wanted to start up a business for free. There are many options, but you’ll want to explore them carefully. That way you’ll be sure to make the right choice for you, whether you spend money or simply start up a blog or social media page to market a service that you’re going to be offering.

Consider your business plan carefully, and take a look at the ways you may be able to get your business off the ground. If you do that, you’ll have a better idea as to whether you can start your business for free or nearly free, or whether you’ll have to invest some money – and maybe even get financing – in order to get going. It’s good to have options, and some of them will work better than others depending on the type of business you have, so consider carefully.

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Getting to Know Your Customers Can Pay Off

When you start talking to your customers, you might find that you have a lot in common with some of them. Others won’t have as much in common with you, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You can learn from people who aren’t similar to you, because they have different – and often interesting – ideas, goals, plans, and beliefs. By keeping an open mind, you draw people to you. If you have a business, these people who you draw in may be more likely to buy from you because they won’t feel as though you don’t like them or they can’t relate to you.

No one likes to feel as though he or she is being judged, although some people are more sensitive to that kind of thing than others are. If you want to keep customers coming back, get to know them, express interest in their lives, and don’t judge what they say or do. Of course you’ll have an opinion on it, but if it’s not affecting you it doesn’t really matter. By keeping that attitude, you’ll be more likely to let people know that they can talk to you and be around you without fear of being mistreated or not accepted.

While there are plenty of people who just want to buy their goods and get out, there are many who want to get to know others a little bit. If they can make ‘friends’ with the shopkeepers and others in their town, they won’t feel as alone and they’ll have more to look forward to. They may even go to your store over other stores, or spend more time in your store (and, usually, more money) because they feel happy there. Don’t underestimate how the average consumer feels, and how much he or she might value a kind word.

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