As the pitching landscape changes, new methods and innovations are slowly becoming more popular among experts in the profession as public relations practitioners aim to create better content. It has become necessary to determine how globalization, the economy and evolving technologies are affecting the profession and discover ways to develop better methods of communication that puts a client’s or company’s content in the right hands. This process entails better structuring of messaging and building relationships with the right people, thereby helping public relations professionals achieve the results they are looking for.

In this week’s PRSA “Friday Five” post — an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary — we look at a brand new “press release” that could change the way companies make big announcements and delve into numerous expert opinions on how to position content (even during a client’s slow period) to garner placements. We also take a closer look at the role that larger global issues are playing in the development of quality content.

Continue reading " Friday Five: Seeing the Bigger Picture Allows PR Pros to Create Better Content "

Editor’s note: This is the 10th in a series of 12 guest posts from industry thought leaders predicting key trends that will impact the public relations industry in 2013. Hosted under the hashtag #PRin2013, the series began Jan. 7, 2013, with a compilation post previewing some of the predictions.

Last year in her #PRin2012 blog post predicting key trends for the public relations industry, MaryLee Sachs predicted that convergence would continue as “organizations’ brands and reputations merge. . . making the most of a blended approach to marketing and public relations.” Of course, she was right.

Continue reading " Connecting the Dots with Content "

When you water down your content to try to appeal to a mass audience, you are doing a disservice to your pitch, your messaging and your potential reach by way of earned media. You are trying to appeal to everyone and, in the end, you reach no one. Today’s public relations professional has become somewhat of a social composer, where they create meaningful content for their audiences as a means to engage them and hold their interest over time.

In this week’s PRSA “Friday Five” post — an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary — we explore the benefits of creating meaningful content for a target audience and the increased opportunity for earned media as a result. We look at how tailoring your message according to a specific audience can build relationships that lead to earned media, can help build a brand’s reputation and engage consumers in a way that keeps them coming back for more. A great example of targeted messaging is the “Latinos for Obama” initiative, which we will look at closer.

Obama Campaign Courts Latino Voters With Ads, Outreach (ABC News)

President Obama’s re-election campaign is stepping up efforts to mobilize Latino voters, launching its first Spanish-language TV and radio ads of the 2012 election and a new grassroots organizing group, “Latinos for Obama.” The campaign says “Latinos for Obama” is the “largest-ever national effort to communicate to Latino voters and organize and mobilize the Latino vote.” In 2008 Obama won 67 percent of the Latino vote. Most independent analysts say the Republican nominee will need to get around 40 percent of Latino voters in 2012 to win the election. This is an example of the Obama campaign developing focused content targeted at a specific audience. Understanding the target audience allows the Obama campaign to tailor their messaging to the Latino community, successfully gaining their attention and trust.

Continue reading " Friday Five: Offer Meaningful Content and Leave Your Audience Wanting More "

The latest monthly survey by the National Federation of Independent Business indicated a brighter employment picture and significant increase in future hiring plans. Similarly, the Manpower survey of hiring intentions, represents the most promising hiring outlook since 2008.

Monster.com has reported an uptick in online advertising in recent months, and a recent study from WantedAnalytics found that hiring demand, specifically in the public relations industry has steadily increased in 2011. In looking at the number of new online job ads hiring for PR managers and specialists over the past 90 days, the study saw a 10-percent increase compared to the same 90-day period in 2010. That report indicates that beyond an increase in specific job openings, there is a fundamental shift taking place in the way the job market functions.

The year ahead will see employers identify new ways to leverage the social networks of employees’ to recruit and retain talent. Over the course of 2010 and 2011, you likely read a great deal about social medial policies. According to the October 2011 Booz & Company/Buddy Media Survey, 65 percent of organizations have social media policies and another 29 percent are in the process of developing or planning a policy.

Social media policies and guidelines are essential; employee networks boast a formidable power.

As of November 2011, LinkedIn claimed more than 135 million members. With policies in place, and employees well connected throughout their respective industry, in 2012, companies will be poised to better harness their employees networks to strengthen the organization. Businesses will find ways to capitalize on these networks by utilizing employee referral programs.

In 2011, all employees became an asset (or liability) to marketing, publicly representing themselves and, as a reflection, their brand online. The coming year will find employees encroaching on HR territory, serving as brand ambassadors to prospective employees. A coordinated effort between HR and public relations to offer continued social media training and guidelines is essential. PR practitioners with social media responsibilities will begin looking at retention and recruitment metrics in their own analysis.

Even those organizations not yet prepared to commit to hiring must take significant steps in 2012, if they hope to retain valuable talent and survive the next decade. Employees whose profiles are on LinkedIn (and Google+) essentially have their resumes “out there” and are more likely than ever before to be approached by a competitor. Organizations that have been retaining employees simply as a result of a fear of the economy will be increasingly vulnerable as savvy growing businesses easily acquire their top talent.

The economic recession of the early 1990s was marked by several years of high unemployment, but five years later, the “dot-com boom” hit. Overnight, it seemed jobs were plentiful, with companies striving to outdo their competitors in perks as they fought to hire and retain talent. The economy will again turn, and the steps organizations take in 2012 will determine whether they are positioned for success.

Continue reading " #PRin2012: Talent Acquisition Goes Social "

Editor’s note: This is the 10th in a series of 12 guest posts from industry executives predicting key trends that will impact the public relations industry in 2012. Hosted under the hashtag #PRin2012, the series began Dec. 19, 2011, with a compilation post previewing all 12 predictions.

Audience fragmentation and downsizing have taken their toll on the traditional news media. One trend filling the gap is “Brand Journalism.” It refers to the practice of an organization employing its own “reporters” to cover its events/announcements and then publish reports using the conventions of news.

Layoffs and rapid turnover mean many PR pros are finding it difficult to establish solid relationships or earn the attention their promotional efforts may deserve. Enter Brand Journalism.

The advantage of Brand Journalism grows with the ubiquity of the Web:

• Google owns 65 percent of the search market share, according to ComScore, and it has added press releases from wire services to its Google News aggregator (though consumers do have the option to filter them out, along with blogs).
• Coincidentally, 65 percent of adults use social networking sites (up from 61 percent in 2010), according to research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Services like Twitter are attracting more news consumers every day with the speed they can deliver current events (far faster than traditional news outlets).

A company could potentially have more visibility producing its own content as opposed to relying on the news media to carry its message (provided it’s indexed properly).

Brand Journalism is fraught with ethical perils, however. Both Chevron and British Petroleum (BP) drew fire for their own Brand Journalism by employing it during crises and giving themselves undeservedly-positive treatment.

Continue reading " #PRin2012: Brand Journalism Brings New Ethical Perils "