Introducing Katie Wall: How To Have Something Worth Saying

LAF Note: Katie Wall is the second regular contributor on the LAF blog. Please welcome her!

Like Chevis, I was more than honored when Laura asked me to contribute to her blog. Every day I scroll through countless Twitter posts and find myself drawn to people who I consider “valuable contributors” or “key players.” I can’t help but marvel at the content and worth of the information they share and wonder how they do it…

Why didn’t I think of that?!

Before I ever post anything on Twitter, I try to ask myself “Do I really have anything worth saying?” “Is anybody really going to care?” or “If no one responds to my questions or re-tweets what I say, does that mean I am not saying something that matters?”

On August 16 David Spinks wrote a post on his blog entitled “Are You a Social Media Expert or Evangelist?” I was intrigued. He talked about enthusiasm for social media versus actual application of the medium, and how, as a social media evangelist, it’s easy to share someone else’s ideas or advice, but experts build their own content and add value to the conversation.

*Sigh* I’m just an evangelist.  But why?

First there’s the issue of having time to create valuable content. I’m sure we’ve all been there before: sitting & wondering “How the heck does *generic PR person on Twitter* post so many things that I want to read in one day?!” It seems that no matter how many times I revisit Arik Hanson’s post on the LAF blog PR pros: Overwhelmed by social media? Stop complaining and start taking action, where he encourages PR professionals using social media to stay focused, take time and start small – I still tend to be distracted, rushed and try to take on the world.

Then there’s the matter of understanding the medium as a tool for generating conversation and disseminating information. I think this has been one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in my recent transition from college life to the professional world. I’ve grown up on social media – it’s just something you do. I guess I still need to learn how to change my mentality from a simple college status update (i.e. “5^th floor, Davis Library—come find me (and bring chocolate)!!”) to a thought provoking post that can get people talking.

So how can we change that? How can we learn? Any secrets to share? I’m all ears.

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Katie has an ever-playing jukebox in her head, and when writing this,  all she could think of was the song “Q” by Cartel http://tinyurl.com/ltkxxy “If you’re not getting answers ask better questions…”

Does Technology Make Us All-Knowing?

If you’re a Gen Y-er, technology sometimes makes you believe you are – brand knowledgable, that is. Meaning:  you understand how to execute campaigns from a full strategy plan.

Think about it.  20 something’s straight out of college are being entrusted with huge brand campaigns in the form of social media. The reason? Some (not all) older generations that don’t understand aren’t willing to buy-in and learn, but are willing to pass off their hard work and the foundation they’ve built in their brands communications to an entry-level.

It’s bound to make some feel pretty important. The 20 something is now the face of your brand. With the evolution of technology, social media and how people get their news – they are more than likely to turn on a computer than flip open a paper. They are more likely to look at Twitter than your company Web site. Why? Ease and people on the go need information quick.

How does this work? Why is this now the trend? As 20 somethings, what can we do to make sure we don’t endanger the brand? This doesn’t mean 20 somethings aren’t qualified – if they approach it correctly. Many just aren’t ready, and that’s a fact.

My thought? Stratagize with your boss. Ask them for advice. Ask them what messaging they want to see. Have them monitor it for a bit to make sure you are on the right track. Show that you want to earn their trust and you deserve to have it.

What do you think? Why is this the trend? Is it right? How can we make it so the brand doesn’t take a hit?

Introducing Chevis English: What Makes Us Qualified?

LAF Note: Chevis English will be a regular contributor to this blog – so make sure to say hi and welcome her!

When first approached by Laura about being a contributor for her blog, I immediately thought, “I can’t do that, I am not qualified to write on Her blog.”  I then stopped for a minute, because I did not understand why I had this thought.  I have always stepped up to a challenge and consider myself to be a doer, not a be’er (New word alert: Be’er, the noun form of to be.)

What really makes one qualified anyway? Is it a college education? Experience in the workforce? Reading books on various subject matter? Being mentored by someone who has been deemed qualified?

Well, I know everyone has their own opinion about what makes one qualified, but I feel like it is a mixture of the things stated above along with actually doing the things you fear you may not know how to do.  It is by doing things for ourselves that teach us the most.  I read a quote recently by Marissa Mayer, vice president of search product and user experience at Google, who said, “Do something you’re not ready to do. In the worst case, you’ll learn your limitations.” (Who says Vogue can’t feed the mind?)

It seems like everybody these days considers themselves to be a guru or expert of something, and who is to say they aren’t?  I definitely do not consider myself to be a PR or social media expert, but I am a learner of the practice and as long as I continue to do and not just be, then maybe I will eventually become very knowledgeable of the industry.

With all that being said, I am very happy to be a part of the LAF blog and I look forward to learning from all of your feedback on my future posts!

From {Young Minds}: “Excuse me, the offer is how much?”

This guest post is part of the Young Minds Series, and written by Kate Ottavio.

Forgive me if I make an overgeneralization here, but it seems us Gen Y-ers come off as a bit “entitled.”

Boss: “We’d love to have you be a part of our firm. We will start you at $XX,000.”
Kid fresh out of college with a PR degree: “Um, excuse me? $XX grand? That’s it?”

Yes, my dear, that’s it. Face it, even with that expensive college degree, your experience level and skill set hasn’t yet made your time “worth” much more.

It’s the young people who react in such a way that give a less-than-wonderful name to many of those happy to work hard and bust their behinds in their brand new careers as PR professionals. When Laura first introduced me to her Young Minds series, I was thrilled and flattered she asked (of all people) me to contribute. In my humble opinion, who am I?

This reaction reminded me though, that I (hopefully) have my head screwed on straight. Some in my age group can really harm the value of the work so many others put forth.

Gen Y-ers seem to have given themselves a bad stereotype that we deserve the world and more. What’s important for me to get across here is that there are so many young professionals out there willing to work hard…willing to take constructive criticism…willing to better themselves. Check out Michael Coffey for example. Michael directs a Young Professionals Group aimed at connecting young pros across the country to share networking ideas and best practices for their local groups.

We young people have so much to share, so much to say. I recall a story from when I was born, the nurse told my mom: “this ones going to be a talker.” Ha! Little did she know…I digress. Let us first, before we spew our thoughts unnecessarily and expect great praise, learn from professional mentors…be sponges and soak up every bit of knowledge we can from those more experienced. It is then we can truly process and produce worthwhile, fresh and fantastic ideas! I will quote a friend of mine, Kathy Hokunson, who recently commented on a post where I discussed “self-labeling” with the “expert” title:

“The reality is that there are some very important traits and skills that come from wisdom – time in the trenches. No matter how smart or educated you are it takes time to really learn and understand the important nuances of what we do.”

As a young professional myself, I’m the first to say I don’t have all the answers. So what do you think? Are you a young professional who has made great strides? Are you a more experienced professional willing to contribute your thoughts on how we can shatter this stereotype? Please share…I will happily be the sponge.

Kate Ottavio is an Account Coordinator at Co-Communications. She maintains and writes for the firm’s new blog and contributes to PRBreakfastClub.com.

PR Pros: It's Never Our Work, but the Brand's Work

So I was feeling a little blue yesterday because a press release I wrote went through two people, but then was edited hardcore by the third. We’ve all felt it – we put a lot of effort into something, and it comes back with a ton of red. Sometimes we take it personally, but as PR professionals, we have to brush it off as constructive criticism and learn from it. This time, it felt like I wasn’t doing a good job, and I want to produce the quality that I expect of myself.  I was told that I had, but this stuck with me when discussing it with my boss:

“It’s never our work, but the brand’s work.”

True? Absolutely. Is it hard to be humble in this profession? At times. Do we do it? Yes. Guess what? It’s not about us. It’s what being said about the brand. You might strategize with the CEO, but they are the ones saying it. Press releases have the stamp of the brand on them – not your stamp. Press releases are a team effort – and they are vital to your organization. I’ve always viewed it as PR professionals leave their mark on materials, efforts, events, etc – but the brand leaves its impact on the public. Is this wrong? Why is it called public relations if that’s the case?

So how do we overcome that feeling? Is there such a thing as too much editing? We all think differently. Some people edit just to edit, but many others have great ideas that you never thought of.

Being a PR professional can be different than being a working professional. Our hard work is recognized internally, but it resonates with the public in a variety of ways. Could this be why it’s so hard to define our jobs?

The Difference Between PR and Publicity

Yes, there is a difference. Publicity might be a component of public relations, but there is a whole other world that is just about publicity.  I have previously interned for both 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures in a field office, where hard work, perseverance and long hours paid off in the form of packed advanced screenings, grass roots marketing success and red carpet hits.

Here’s the thing. Everyone seems to be complaining about Kim Kardashian and her new reality show with Command PR – which touts how it’s about public relations. Actually, it’s publicity, but why complain? There will be a spotlight whether we like it or not. Let’s take this opportunity to educate – this is a key component as a public relations professional. When something WRONG is being stated about our client, profession, whatever – it is our job to educate and show the positive facts about it. PR professionals communicate on a daily basis and engage in their communities. So, why don’t we?

Differences between PR and publicity:

1. Publicity is all about grass roots marketing.
2. Publicity rarely encompasses press releases, but focuses on media alerts and blast e-mails, phone calls, etc.
3. Publicity focuses on planning events, and crisis tends to arise a bit more frequently – but on a smaller scale.

But guess what? They both work just as hard. They both deal with media. What else would you add? Do you disagree? Are you disgusted by the reality show, or do you think it’s an opportunity?

*Photo copyright of People Magazine.

Social Media Relationship Killers and the PR Effect

This is a collaborative post by David Spinks and Laura Fernandex.

Social Media has opened a lot of relationship and network building doors, making it easier to connect with people you might only see at conferences or have never heard of before. It’s easy to be optimistic and think social media is the best thing since Johnny Bravo (I mean, you can’t argue how awesome his hair is) but its negative might loom as the ‘honeymoon stage’ wears off.

As PR pros, we are able to communicate with ease on a daily basis. This is in person, where you can tell tone. So does the platform make a difference? How can you keep your networking efforts and relationships with people at an even keel – and not push them away in disgust?

1. Self Promotion – The Me Me Me Effect
You know the type. The person that bombards you with DMs, e-mails and @ replies about their accomplishments, are always talking about themselves, and doesn’t even realize they  aren’t giving others a second thought. How can you change it? Tout someone else. Let others discover your talents – it’s much more believable if you aren’t shoving it down someone’s throat.

2. The Debbie Downer – Why Me Effect
Complain, Complain and Whine are three ‘friendly’ faces surrounding this Joe. Sure, we all have bad days. Things happen. We can complain. But if you keep doing it, you’re bound to turn people off. Mix a little positive in there, poke fun at yourself, and you’ll probably end up cheering yourself and your friends up.

3. The Needy – The Need Need Need Effect
These ones are online for one thing, and that’s your time and resources. You’ll only hear from this person when they want you to comment on their post, RT their tweet, make an introduction, give you advice etc.  They’ll act like your friend, they’ll say how awesome you are, but the only reason they’re on twitter is to get the most out of you.

You’re not going to please everyone. That’s an issue we’ll all face when using social media tools…when you speak, you speak to everyone.  Every once in a while, we’ll say or do something that might bother others in our social networks. Thats ok. Don’t however, let one of these “effects” rule your personality, especially when dealing with those you consider your close friends or contacts.

Microsoft was being a (Poor) Marketer and PR, but Racist?

Disclaimer: LAF is a huge Apple fan, and refuses to purchase (most) Microsoft software. I do have Office on my Macbook Pro.

A slew of blog posts, news articles and Twitter upheaval happened yesterday about Microsoft and their alleged ‘Web Racism.” A photo appeared on the US site that featured an Asian man, a white woman and a black man. A poorly done Photoshop picture of the same people was on the Polish site – however, the black man had a white face put over his. His hands stayed the same color.

Stop for a second though. Are we too quick to call racism on this one?

Poland became one of the most ethnically homogeneous in the world as a result of the radically altered borders after WW II. As marketers and PR people, target audience and demographics are huge. We get results by pitching correctly and reaching out to the right source. I know many who target ads and pitches to specific minority groups, depending on the region. For  example, Texas might use more Hispanic people in ads because they relates to the culture and population  of the state.

Ads and pitches are meant to relate to us – it makes us want to write about it, talk about it and experience it.  If the population of Poland is 99% white, it should be targeted in that manner. We target very specifically in our field. We’ve all done it.

Racism? I really don’t think so. I’ve experienced racism being half Hispanic and half white. This does not rub me that way at all. Am I completely off base? What do you think? From a PR standpoint, an apology definitely needs to be issued and the process explained. It’s not right what they did by any means. If you’re going to be lazy about an ad, edit it correctly.

*Image copyright of Microsoft.

Are we Conformists to Social Media and PR 2.0?

I was talking with a CEO over the weekend, and we had a very interesting discussion on authenticity, CEOs posting to social networks, Whole Foods debacle, etc. He posed an interesting question to me: “Do we conform to social media standards or should social media conform to us?”

We tend to jump on people if they “don’t use social media right,” so my first instinct was to tell him that social media should conform to the brand and user.  But there is also the right way to use social media (which varies from person to person) so is it maybe a little of both? As PR professionals, we are used to conforming to brands and what clients ask of us. Does that mentality from PR 1.0 transfer to PR 2.0? Do we try to achieve what “experts” and “gurus” say is the right way to use social media?

I’m on the fence about this one. I really think it can be a blend of the two, but is this possible?

Pro to conforming to standards:

1. We are accepted by community and have a network to fall back on and learn from.

Pro to conforming to brand:

1. We use the space to benefit the brand, and set our own standards, being a leader in the space if used successfully.

What are your thoughts? Are we conforming to social media standards or do they conform to us?

Under 30 Working Pros: What issues do you want to discuss?

My good friend David Spinks and I have come up with a new idea: #u30pro chat on Twitter. You see #journchat, #pr20chat, etc…. but we want a place where we can chat with those of all ages on how young professionals can contribute, learn and flourish in the workplace.  So even if you’re 110 years old, you can contribute.

I’m open to any and all ideas for topics on what to discuss – this is, after all, a community. One of my big passions is the generation gap, and how Gen Y/Millennials can overcome stereotypes and be rockstars in the workforce. We wanted to make it all ages because advice from those over 30 is what can help us overcome that. You’ve been there in the trenches. You interact with us.

So, leave an idea in the comments for David and I to save and mull over. We have our own ideas, but we want to hear from you. What do you experience in the workplace? What successes have you had? What irks you? You might see it in a future chat.  Under 30 pros will be held on Thursdays at 7 p.m. EST starting next week. All you will need to do to follow the conversation is use Tweetchat (or something like it) and use the #u30pro hashtag at the end of each message.

In case you don’t know, our Twitter handles are:

@DavidSpinks
@CubanaLAF

Cheers!