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Join #PRStudChat on April 28th for a State of Digital Video Tweet Chat

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PRSTUDCHAT

On Tuesday, April 28th at 8:30 p.m. ET, the #PRStudChat community will gather to discuss the state of video communications in 2015. Today, professionals are using video as a part of the communication campaigns and programs, whether it is on the fly, raw footage from a smartphone or professionally recorded and produced video segments. When you’re in PR, you’re very familiar with video, having used videos over the years for B-Roll footage, Satellite Media Tours (SMTs), and video to enhance your news releases. However, today we are able to take video to the next level with Vine, Meerkat, and Google+ Hangouts On Air, as well as the use of those unplanned viral videos that spark incredible passion and interest in our social communities.

To help us better understand the incredible possibilities of “all things digital video” Doug Simon @dsssimondoug), CEO of D S Simon, will be our #PRStudChat special guest. Doug will share his insights about video over the years and how we can ramp up our communications with digital video. In addition, after conducting a recent in-depth survey with over three hundred journalists (the D S Simon Media Influencers 2015 Report) Doug will also discuss why video is capturing the media’s attention more frequently than other types of content.

The April 28th #PRStudChat session is an opportunity for students and professionals to brush up on their 2015 video knowledge and skills. Get ready to roll up your sleeves for a learning session that will not only uncover new ideas and tools, but also help you to move forward with an easy way capture and use video in your communications programs.

Prior to our chat session, if you have any questions for Doug, just tweet us at @dbreakenridge or @valeriesimon and we’ll be sure to include your questions in our community discussion. See you on the 28th!

More About #PRStudChat:

It began with a simple question asked by Angela Hernandez, then President of PRSSA at Central Michigan University (CMU). “Is PR Right for me?” A follow up blog post by PR 2.0 expert Deirdre Breakenridge inspired a series of direct messages on Twitter between Breakenridge and fellow PR industry pro, Valerie Simon. This was an important question and one that should be explored beyond one student or one blog post. Why not build a community to help students across the country, and even the globe, learn from the experience and perspective of industry professionals… A community where everyone can learn and grow together. Read more

PRStudChat

#PRStudChat Packs Up & Goes to Summer Camp Beginning in June 2012

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Our seniors have graduated and #PRStudChat is getting ready to go to summer camp for the months of June, July and August 2012.  We’re trying something new this summer, with a special contest for our students! We’re inviting the class of 2013 and 2014 to participate in an easy contest in which we will select three winners to lead #PRStudChat during the summer months.

The contest is simple…if you’re a member of the #PRStudChat community and in the class of 2013 or 2014, then you can have the chance to be one of our camp counselors over the next few months.  The winning camp counselors (three counselors in total, one per month) will select their #PRStudChat session topic, develop the nine or ten discussion questions and also be responsible for moderating our #PRStudChat session.  Of course, Valerie Simon, @PRStudChat and myself will be there to support our counselors.  In addition, there may be an opportunity for each camp counselor to share his/her experience in a guest post on the PR 2.0 Strategies Blog, as well as a guest column for the Examiner.

Here’s how the contest works.  Just simply put the hashtag #PRStudChatCamp in a tweet. Then, let us know you’re interested in being entered into our competition.  Or, you can DM either one of us and we’ll enter you into the drawing.  We’ll pick one winner per month.  Remember, our first summer camp session begins on June 19th at 8:30 p.m. ET, so we’ll be selecting our first winner by June 13th.  Good luck and we hope you’ll join us for #PRStudChat summer camp.  Get out the virtual sticks and the marshmallows!

A Little More About PRStudChat:

It began with a simple question asked by Angela Hernandez, then President of PRSSA at Central Michigan University (CMU). “Is PR Right for me?” A follow up blog post by PR 2.0 expert Deirdre Breakenridge inspired a series of direct messages on Twitter between Breakenridge and fellow PR industry pro, Valerie Simon. This was an important question and one that should be explored beyond one student or one blog post. Why not build a community to help students across the country, and even the globe, learn from the experience and perspective of industry professionals… A community where everyone can learn and grow together. Read more

#PRStudChat Graduation Celebration on May 16th

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It’s a graduation celebration and you’re invited!  On May 16, 2012 at 8:30 p.m. EST, #PRStudChat will be honor the graduating class of 2012, and be recapping a terrific year with our students, professors and PR professionals.  Our graduates will face exciting new PR opportunities, as well as industry challenges ahead.  With so much to look forward to, we wanted to send them off with insight and advice as they pursue their new career endeavors.

In the spirit of graduation, we thought a terrific way to celebrate would be to bring back one of our past #PRStudChat graduates; he’s out in the work world now and ready to share his experience with our community.  Kion Sanders, who graduated from the University of North Carolina, is now working at MTV, as a social media coordinator. Kion will join us as a graduation speaker to offer his insight on different work initiatives and challenges on the job. At the same time, as a community, we can look back and reflect on the year filled with our favorite stories, projects, resources, obstacles and advice to help our graduates, as they transition into their new roles.

Here’s a little more about our graduation speaker:

Kion Sanders works at MTV Networks as a social media coordinator. His professional experience includes: political communications, grass roots marketing, consumer public relations, media relations and training, event planning, social media marketing and corporate communications.  Kion blogs at “They Call Me Social K,” which is a community for communicators, marketers, small business owners, students, social media addicts and the casual Internet browser to converse about marketing and branding.

We’re looking forward to celebrating the graduating class of 2012, reflecting on the year and wishing our students well, as they venture into new career opportunities.  We hope you will join us on the 16th and be a part of the #PRStudChat commencement program.  “See” you at the party!

A Little More About PRStudChat:

It began with a simple question asked by Angela Hernandez, then President of PRSSA at Central Michigan University (CMU). “Is PR Right for me?” A follow up blog post by PR 2.0 expert Deirdre Breakenridge inspired a series of direct messages on Twitter between Breakenridge and fellow PR industry pro, Valerie Simon. This was an important question and one that should be explored beyond one student or one blog post. Why not build a community to help students across the country, and even the globe, learn from the experience and perspective of industry professionals… A community where everyone can learn and grow together. Read more

Social Media and Public Relations Book Launch

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Finally, it’s here … my book, Social Media and Public Relations: Eight New Practices for the PR Professional, is available in all digital formats and paperback copies too.  The book crystallizes eight new practices for public relations professionals to shift their mindset from tactical to strategic, learn new skills and knowledge, create greater opportunities to collaborate as influencers and to use new practices for professional development, as well as to raise the profile of public relations in the eyes of our executives and the public.

My video discusses a few of the many experts who contributed to my book including: Ariel Hyatt, Priya Ramesh, Jason Kintzler, Sarah Evans, Valerie Simon, Shonali Burke and Brian Solis.  You can watch the video to get a sneak peak at the content shared in their interviews.  I look forward to your thoughts and opinions, and the new practices you’ve put in place with respect to social media and public relations!

Special Announcement: #PRStudChat Holiday Chat to Celebrate our Favorite PR Things!

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It’s December and we’re ringing in the Holidays at #PRStudchat! Growing together over the past 2+ years, we’re like one big family and it’s amazing how much we’ve shared together.  On December 21, 2011 at 8:30 p.m., get ready to share some more. Our Holiday Twitter chat session will give PR professionals, students and educators a chance to discuss with friends “a few of their favorite PR things …”

Here is what we want to hear from you that night:

Q1. What are your favorite PR tools/services?

Q2. What are your favorite books?

Q3. What are your favorite classes?

Q4: What are your favorite PR communities … online and off?

Q5. What’s your favorite PSA (favorite Social Good campaigns/hashtags)?

Q6. Who are you favorite PR industry leaders/role models?

Q7. What are your favorite conferences?

Q8. Do you have a favorite portrayal of a PR Pro on TV or in the movies?

Q9. Do you have a favorite current Holiday campaign?

Q10. My favorite part about being a PR pro is …

We’re also taking this opportunity to invite the other PR Twitter communities to join in our December Holiday chat, to make it a more of a Holiday Mixer.  So, if any of the other PR communities want to participate in the festivities, please send @ValerieSimon or myself a note. We’ll add your hashtag to the communications moving forward and also promote your participation in future articles and blog posts.

We’re really excited about our Holiday celebration.  It’s a special time with special friends. We want to celebrate all of you and the tremendous support you’ve given us through out the years.  We look forward to a dynamic discussion filled with “a few of our favorite PR things.” Of course, if you have any ideas about your favorite PR things that you want us to discuss on December 21st, please feel free to post them on our LinkedIn Discussion Group.  Hope to “see” you on the 21st.

A Little More About PRStudChat:

It began with a simple question asked by Angela Hernandez, then President of PRSSA at Central Michigan University (CMU). “Is PR Right for me?” A follow up blog post by PR 2.0 expert Deirdre Breakenridge inspired a series of direct messages on Twitter between Breakenridge and fellow PR industry pro, Valerie Simon. This was an important question and one that should be explored beyond one student or one blog post. Why not build a community to help students across the country, and even the globe, learn from the experience and perspective of industry professionals… A community where everyone can learn and grow together. Read more

 

 

Special Announcement: #PRStudChat Back to School Night on 10/19/11

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On October 19, 2011, at 8:30 p.m., #PRStudChat will hold its annual “Back to School Night” for our students, educators and professionals.  The session will focus on PR education and the ever-changing learning environment.  Students will get a glimpse of what’s being done in other classrooms and professionals will get a full view of the current academic environment.

We’re excited to announce our panel of professors who will be joining us that night:

Stefan Pollack:

As president & chief financial officer of The Pollack PR Marketing Group, Stefan plays an integral role within the agency. His responsibilities include management of client services, new business development and financial planning for the agency. Stefan also oversees and directs media relations, social media and outreach programs on behalf of several clients in various industries in addition to leading the agency’s professional service firm practice.  He is the Immediate Past Chair, Americas Region Board of the Worldcom Public Relations Group and is an Adjunct Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California. Follow Stefan on Twitter @stefanpollack.

Stefan was recently interviewed for an Examiner post about Success in the Public Relations Classroom and beyond.

Amy Sauertieg: 

Amy Sauertieg joined the faculty of Penn State Harrisburg in Fall 2010, where she teaches course in Public Relations, Event Planning and Public Speaking. She began her career developing and marketing entertainment vehicles for such companies as Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods and Anheuser-Busch, and has been a marketing and public relations executive in a variety of industries, including television, economic development and social services. Previously, she taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology (SUNY) and Marymount Manhattan College. Amy is a member of the PRSA and is a board member of Healthy Media Choices. She received her BFA in theater from Boston University and her MA in media studies from The New School.  You can follow Amy on Twitter @asauertieg.

Amy was recently interviewed in the Examiner regarding the Academic Perspective.

Kirk Hazlett, APR, Fellow PRSA:

Kirk Hazlett, APR, Fellow PRSA, is Associate Professor of Communication at Curry College in Milton, MA, where he teaches undergraduate public relations courses, oversees the public relations concentration, and serves as Faculty Adviser for the Curry College Public Relations Student Association. In addition, he is Lecturer in Communications at Regis College in Weston, MA, where he teaches graduate communication courses and serves on the College’s Graduate Communications Advisory Committee.  You can follow Kirk on Twitter @kirkhazlett.

Prior to his move into academia, Kirk practiced nonprofit and government public relations and marketing for more than 35 years in the US as well as Asia. During his professional career, he managed communication programs for healthcare and member services organizations as well as the US Army and US Air Force in Vietnam, the Philippines and the United States. He also provided consulting services for both the Manila and the Singapore Red Cross.

Accredited by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Kirk a Member of PRSA’s national Board of Directors and has held leadership positions with PRSA Educators Academy and PRSA Northeast District as well as with the Boston and Hawaii PRSA chapters. He was inducted into PRSA’s prestigious College of Fellows in 2009 and is one of just two actively-teaching college professors in Massachusetts to have earned this distinction.

Kirk was recently interviewed in an Examiner post, where he shared his Advice for College Students and Professors.

Karen Russell:

Karen Russell is a PR professor at the University of Georgia and the editor of the Journal of Public Relations Research. Karen joined us last year for the October 2010 #PRStudChat Back to School Night. You can follow Karen on Twitter @karenrussell.

A few of the questions that we’ll be asking our panel of professors and our community members will be:

Q1. What are the most effective learning tools used in the classroom today?

Q2. What are your favorite books and why?

Q3. How do you collaborate on group projects (social groups vs. physical setting)?

Q4. How do you integrate internships into the academic setting?

Q5. PRStudChat PSA – What hashtag or social media effort would you like to share with the community?

Q6. What are you learning inside of the classroom that you can’t learn anywhere else?

Q7. What’s your favorite assignment?

Q8.  What professor(s) have influenced you the most and why?

Q9. What sort of technology would you like to see professors using in the classroom?

We’re really excited about our Back to School night session and look forward to helping students and professionals to uncover different ideas and techniques to use in the classroom environment. If you have any questions for our special guests, please feel free to post them on our LinkedIn Discussion Group.  Hope to “see” you on the 19th!

A Little More About PRStudChat:

It began with a simple question asked by Angela Hernandez, then President of PRSSA at Central Michigan University (CMU). “Is PR Right for me?” A follow up blog post by PR 2.0 expert Deirdre Breakenridge inspired a series of direct messages on Twitter between Breakenridge and fellow PR industry pro, Valerie Simon. This was an important question and one that should be explored beyond one student or one blog post. Why not build a community to help students across the country, and even the globe, learn from the experience and perspective of industry professionals… A community where everyone can learn and grow together. Read more

Are you Prepared for the Shift in the Purchasing Process?

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A Guest Post By Valerie Simon

  • 1990:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I open up the yellow pages, or a copy of a local magazine to find a seafood restaurant nearby. I call two additional restaurants for more information and reservations.
  • 2000:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I do a quick Google search and find several Seafood restaurants online in my area. I check out three websites, choose the one I want, and make a call.
  • 2010:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I post a status update on Facebook asking for recommendations. Within 30 minutes I have numerous suggestions from friends with comments telling me what to order and even where to sit. I go to the website or FB page for the phone number and call.
  • 2020:  I want to go to a new restaurant. I get dressed, hop in the car and  say “Grilled Tuna – $18” into an app on my mobile device and local seafood restaurants immediately respond matching my price, offering discounts and an online tour of the space. I click on the restaurant and see the reviews from all of my connections who have been there. Another click and reservations are set and an online hostess directs me to the parking lot.

Traditional advertising was all about the brand. Today companies understand that it’s about the consumer, and that companies are only important in regards to how they can satisfy customer needs. Until now, the burden of research for a sales transaction has been primarily on the consumer. Assisted by advertising, sales teams, marketing material, websites etc., it has been incumbent on the consumer to seek out prospective solutions. But why?

New platforms like Zaarly, described as the “the ultimate demand engine” by co-founder Bo Fishback, are empowering consumers in new and exciting ways. State what you need, and let others bid for your business. Social platforms like Quora and LinkedIn make it easy to crowd source specific expert advice, and in doing so influence purchasing decisions. And every new customer is suddenly an “expert” with the ability to share his experience with the marketplace;  New research by NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Company, notes that 68 percent of social media users go to social networking sites to read product reviews.

Building and maintaining customer relationships has never been more important. Earlier today, watching the trailer for Brian Solis’s new book The End of Business As Usual, I was reminded of the harsh realities companies are facing in a new digital culture. A failure to listen to the marketplace, can be fatal, as Katie Paine recently noted, in her analysis of the now defunct VMS.

With such high stakes what steps must brands take to leverage the listening power of these new tools to create and grow brand evangelists?

Strive not to sell products or service, but relationships. At the end of the sales cycle, what have you achieved? Rather than “Always Be Closing” the new mantra should be “Always Be Opening.” Social media presents new opportunities to engage customers outside of specific sales. Find opportunities to open the door for continued conversation and to stay top of mind. Seek to turn your customer into an extended member of your sales team, someone who will be quick to offer  referrals, testimonials, and honest market intelligence.

Location, location, location… The social universe is grand. Your budget and resources likely are not. Carefully consider where your customers/prospects live online, before investing time and money. Extend your search beyond Facebook and Twitter. Those in the fashion and beauty industry certainly want to consider Tumblr. B2B organizations should consider taking advantage of LinkedIn and SlideShare. Seek out the forums and active industry blogs where your customers spend time. And if you cannot find a specialized network meeting the social needs of your customers, consider whether you have the resources to build your own community. Mercedes Benz does, and welcomed their youngest customers into “Generation Benz”, a branded social network that allows Mercedes to interact with customers and solicit feedback.

Implement a social CRM program that puts the customer at the center of the organizations operations Rather than pushing messages to customers, use social networks as a means to listen and converse with customers Listening is not a matter of simply hearing words. Listening requires a concentrated method of digesting the information, and using that information to take action. As this simple example from Fed Ex demonstrates, a strong social CRM program can help you head off potential problems and improve your customer experience.  Identify how customer feedback will be quickly heard and managed by the appropriate member of your organization. How will follow up responses and communications be efficiently managed?

Be on a continuous quest to add value Allow your customers and the greater marketplace to guide you in identifying opportunities to pursue and vulnerabilities to address. Listen not only to those issues that pertain to your product or service as it exists today, but seek to understand the greatest needs and challenges of your customers and in the marketplace.

What will the next level of social media platforms offer consumers? And out of curiosity, how do you think you will go about deciding what new restaurant to try in 2020?

 

Valerie is an innovative developer of teams, communities, products and communications programs.  Formerly Senior Vice President, BurrellesLuce, Valerie has directed the implementation of new and upgraded services, planned and executed social media initiatives, and used social media to build relationships and sales. She has had the opportunity to work with a gamut of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies to regional hospitals and colleges to help integrate social media channels into existing marketing, communication and outreach programs and demonstrate ROI.  Valerie is passionate about the opportunity social media offers to build communities and business. Valerie is co-founder of #PRStudChat (PR Student Chat), a trending Twitter chat that brings faculty and students together for dynamic discussions with professionals and co-founder of HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out), an initiative designed to use social media to leverage relationships and help facilitate introductions between employers and prospective employees. Connect with Valerie on Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+

 

Introducing my PR Guest Blogger Friends

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I’m kicking off a PR guest blogger series on October 3, 2011.  Several of my blogger friends have offered to help out while I’m working on a new project, which I’ll be sharing soon.  I’m excited to announce the names of my blogger friends …

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