The Freshman 5: Tips for Interns

(Post by Adriana Van Duyn, APR, Account Supervisor)

Just when you thought you would never have to be a freshman again, you start an internship. Here you are, back at square one, feeling a little overwhelmed, but really excited. This is a great opportunity with even greater potential: a job offer.

For some, this will be your first time working in a professional environment. For most, it will be your first practical exposure to your chosen profession.  Either way, it can be pretty intimidating on that first day. To help take some of the pressure off, below are some tips to help interns soar through their first (or second or third) internship. We hope they help!

Learn the Company Culture – while this may take some time, learning a company’s culture will help you assimilate more effectively. Pay attention to how people communicate and interact. This not only exposes you to some great – and maybe less than great – examples, it will help you more easily integrate into your new role. Once you have a sense of the corporate culture, respect the rules and the chain of command … it’s there for a reason.

Act (and Look) the Part – first and foremost, redo your voicemail message. “Hey, this is Katie! Leave a message and I’ll holla back at ‘cha” is no longer appropriate. Neither is swearing, talking negatively about people or being late (even if it’s only 5 minutes). This all reflects negatively on you and kills your “new hire” potential. Additionally, invest in some work appropriate attire. Proceed cautiously on “casual days.” If you’re unsure, overdress the first day and scope out what the rest of the office is wearing. It’s worth it!

Write Right – “THX … C U L8TR!” Is not an appropriate response to the 3 p.m. meeting request you just received. So much of what we do as PR professionals involves writing, so write correctly. Address your emails appropriately, always include a subject line and proof read everything (twice). Once you have a better sense of the corporate culture, you can adjust accordingly.

Be Yourself! – and be the very best you. You were hired for your capabilities, background and fit to the organization. So, be confident, upbeat and positive. At this stage in your career, attitude is everything. Companies can teach you the needed skills for the job, but they can’t fix a negative attitude or lazy work ethic.

Take Advantage – don’t be afraid to ask questions! Internships are a great way to get hands-on practical experience while building your portfolio and, hopefully, having some fun along the way. Sure, there will be some less-than-engaging tasks, but take every opportunity to make yourself shine. Ask questions: why is this done that way? What is the next step for this project? What is the ultimate goal? Take notes and soon you’ll have an arsenal of information and experience.

For some additional tips on what NOT to do as an intern, check out our “You Might Need a New Intern When …” post.

# # #

Reflect & Relate: Eight Factors for Successful Media Relationships

(Guest post by Account Coordinator Jaclyn Reardon)

As I celebrate my one-year anniversary at Bianchi PR and my first year in the PR industry I’ve come to realize a major part of the firm’s success after 20 years stems from the relationships the BPR team has developed with industry peers and (especially) with the media.

So, I thought I’d share what I’ve learned so far and create a “back to the basics” list as a reminder of how important starting, developing and keeping relationships with the media can be.

1. Get to Know Them

In any new relationship, you always ask questions about the other person in order to get to know them better. Getting to know the reporter you’re pitching is just the same. Research the publication and the reporter’s articles to figure out what beats they cover and make sure your story will be of interest.

 2. First Impressions

Your first time contacting or meeting a reporter, whether it’s in person or by email, sets the tone for your relationship. Make sure you have your ducks in a row. Reporters are always working on tight deadlines, so you don’t want to waste anyone’s time.

 3. Show What You Have to Offer

Start with a specific opportunity and stick with the facts. Reporters don’t have the time to go through long pages of text. If you have a strong, news story don’t inflate it with filler and fluff. Get to the point.

 4. Exclusivity

When pitching a reporter it’s important to be exclusive. Avoid pre-packaged stories. Reporters have competition (just like you do) and tend to look for stories they can develop as their own.

 5. Invest Time and Energy

To be successful in media relations, you need to focus on making your relationship with a reporter grow. It may be a while before your pitch. The first time you pitch a story, they might not be interested. Try to find out why and keep at it. Read what they write, follow their work.

 6. Follow-up

If your pitch is a success and you get an article/interview opportunity, be sure to follow-up as soon as possible. Provide any additional information they need or asked for…and don’t forget to thank the reporter.

 7. Take Initiative / Plan Ahead

A reporter will almost always have more questions or need more quotes, images, examples, facts or figures for the story. Always think across the board – from words to visuals. Have these materials ready and easy to access. This will continue to build a stronger relationship if they know they can count on you to come through.

 8. Communication is Key

Be available and responsive. Reporters are busy, so be quick and ready to respond to inquiries and requests that same day – if not within the hour.

Relationships with the media are the same as any others. What you put in is what you get out. You have to work at them. It takes time and effort, but the reality is you should treat media the same as you would treat a client, because in a sense, they are your customers.

Part 6: Social Media Consistency Targets and Measurement for the Business Professional

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR,  VP – Account Services)

At this point in our six-part series, you may be wondering how much time you should dedicate to your social media efforts?

Well, it varies for every professional, but we typically recommend a total time commitment of two to three hours per week – which could include one hour of outreach on LinkedIn (via posing questions, answering questions, starting conversations, etc.), one tweet or re-tweet per day and three posts on Facebook per week.

However, keep in mind that these are general recommendations, no need to force a post if the content just isn’t there.

If measurement is important to you and your organization (as it is to most), here are a few thoughts on that topic.

• Define specific goals at the onset so you know what you’re working to achieve;
• Define how you will measure those goals – tone of feedback, issues being discussed, message tone, etc. – and what constitutes “success” for you and your company;
• Monitor and measure visitor statistics via your website, www.bitly.com, Facebook’s View Insights, etc.;
• Analyze and compare data at set intervals and tweak your posts as necessary; and
• Incentivize people to learn how they found out about you and your organization.

Some final thoughts on this series: Your social media efforts are only as good as the contacts, followers, and friends you reach, so take the initiative to invite folks into your social media circle and follow those you want to follow you and your organization.

In order to maintain your level of contacts, have fun with it and don’t be afraid to show a little personality. Above all else: BE CONSISTENT!

I think social media guru Peter Shankman said it best in a Facebook post I once read: “Every time you tweet, post or blog, you’re producing content. Content is your legacy. Make it good.”

So, get out there and make some professional social media magic happen for you and your business … start the dialogue, engage the audience, build relationships and provide helpful, informative and appealing content. And let us know how it’s working for you!

Part 5: Creating Social Media Content and Process for the Business Professional

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, Vice President – Account Services)

So you’ve created your professional social media accounts … now what?

Continuously creating content is one of the biggest challenges in successfully implementing social media tactics for the business world. In the final two parts of this six-part series, we’ll share some thoughts on content, what to promote, the process, consistency targets and social media measurement.

In order to create content, here is a list of questions you can look to as a guide to help you:

• What kinds of topics or content would motivate customers / potential customers to engage in a conversation or get in touch with you?
• What kinds of problems or issues are they tackling? Can you or your company offer tips or advice?
• What articles, blogs or videos have you seen that might be newsworthy or helpful to share?
• Are there any issues or topics that you would like other’s people input or insight about?

Mix those general topics and helpful information with content about your company, but be careful not to make it all about you. When promoting yourself and your company via social media, here are some suggestions on what you might want to consider posting, intermittently:

• News releases / event announcements;
• Videos / photos (as we often say to our clients “everyone ‘reads’ pictures”);
• Community involvement stories or photos;
• Positive media coverage about your company or your industry;
• Start a discussion on industry trends and issues; and
• Ask questions / solicit feedback / conduct a poll or survey. (One of our most popular posts is based on an annual survey of identifying the most-hated business buzzwords for communicators and marketers.)

To be consistent with your social media efforts, we recommend establishing a process that you’ll follow time and time again. First, when linking to another source (website, article news release, etc.) shorten the link’s URL by using one of the many URL shortening sites. We like www.bitly.com, as it offers real-time link tracking to measure your social media efforts. Then develop your actual post to accompany the link, writing something that’ll grab attention. And we recommend drafting the post in Word first, so you can do a spell check.

Now you’re ready to post the content to your social media pages. And, yes, post it to all of them. Although it may seem a bit redundant, your various contacts, followers, friends and fans have different preferences for the social media they use — some turn to Twitter, some follow Facebook, and others  like LinkedIn. By hitting all your outlets, even though you may customize the posta bit  to fit the unique qualities of each platform, you can ensure that your content isn’t missed.

• For LinkedIn, we recommend posting to your personal account first, then to your company’s business page and finally to all appropriate groups you belong to.
• For Twitter, remember to make sure your Tweet comes at 130 or fewer characters, so it can be easily re-tweeted by others and still meet the 140-character limit. Use a shortened URL to save space, and consider using a hashtag for increased searchability.
• For Facebook, again use a catchy headline and shortened URL, as well as pictures and video.

Now, the big question is: as a professional, how much time should you dedicate to social media?

We’ll cover that in our final part of this series, as well as measurement and some closing thoughts on social media for business.

Part 4: Blogs for the Business Professional

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, VP – Account Services)

A business-oriented blog can help you connect with new prospects, position you and/or your company as an expert in your field, and drive traffic to your content on other social media or digital properties.

The word “blog” is a contraction for “web log” — a term used to describe a website that maintains an ongoing chronicle of information. Many blogs focus on a particular topic. For example, our Bianchi Biz Blog focuses on useful information and perspective on PR and social media, especially for the business-to-business community.

The Basics: To set up a blog, you can select one of the many blogging sites out there. We use WordPress for its functionality and ease of use. To set up a WordPress account, go to www.wordpress.com and click the “Sign Up” button. You will then be directed to a page where you will need to choose an address for your blog, username and password. After you provide your email address, an email will be sent to you to activate your blog … and you’re in business!

So you’ve created a blog, now what? Here are some key things to keep in mind:

• Your blog is not a commercial about you or your company. You can draw upon your experience, but tie it to helpful, useful information to keep your readers coming back and perhaps even sharing your content with others;
• People like bulleted lists, as they pack a lot of info into a small space. Some of our most popular posts are bulleted lists that offer tips, how-to info or facts.
• Just as much as people like bulleted lists, they also like “reading” pictures. So offer up images, video, charts or infographics to supplement your words. For example, we used screen shots to explain how to use Facebook in part three of this blog series, Facebook for the Business Professional
• Tie your topics to the latest trends and issues. For example, our Pinterest’ed In Today’s Hottest Social Media Site? was one of our most-read blogs to date;
• Make your headlines catchy. We’ve found fun or sensational headlines like The Sneaky Seven: How to Avoid Media Interview Pitfalls, helped increase visits and solicit feedback from our readers;
• Be sure to post regularly, perhaps every week or every other week. Consistency in frequency and quality is important to building and maintaining your blog audience;
• Create and build a rolling list of potential blog topics, and write a few extra blog posts so you’ll have a few on the shelf and ready to go when you’re pressured for time or lacking inspiration;
• Build community by checking out and subscribing to other blogs, linking to other blog posts that augment your post and inviting guests you respect to contribute a guest post;
• Promote your blog via posts on your other social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, LinkedIn groups, etc.), as well as on your website, your email signature, advertising, enewsletter, etc. Invite your contacts to visit and follow; and
• Have fun with it!

Now that we’ve covered the basics for LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and blogging for professional use in the first four parts of this series, the next two parts of this series will focus on creating content, the process, consistency targets, measurement and more.

Part 3: Facebook for the Business Professional

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, VP – Account Services)

Launched in 2004, Facebook users may create a personal profile, add other users as friends and exchange messages, including automatic notifications when they update their profile. Additionally, users may join common-interest user groups, organized by workplace, school or college or other characteristics.

The Basics: A Facebook page can be developed quite simply using your work email address. To establish your page, go to www.facebook.com and you’ll be directed to a page where you can set up an account. Find the box marked “Sign up for Facebook” and fill in the tabs. Choose a password and click the “Sign Up” button. Complete the form on the next page titled, “Sign Up and Start Using Facebook.” Click the “Sign Up” button once again.

You will receive a confirmation email at the address you provided during sign-up. Click the link in the email to activate and you’ll receive a message confirming that your account is ready. Sign in with your professional email and password.

Once your account is set up, I highly recommend establishing two “friend” lists – a personal list and a professional list. Why? I know the goal of social media is to be “transparent.” But let’s be honest, wouldn’t it be nice to keep our professional contacts separate from your personal contacts. (I’m quite certain that most of my professional contacts probably don’t care about the 101 images I have posted of the holidays, my baby, etc., but they probably do care about our firm’s latest PR insights, blogs, tipsheets, news, etc.)

So categorize each “friend” into one list or the other and then, each time you post, be sure to customize who you want to see the post – either your professional list or your friend list.

OK, you’ve created a Facebook account and established your two lists of friends – professional and personal – now how do you leverage it professionally? We suggest the following:

• Fill out your profile with your professional information, as well as uploading a professional headshot.
• Build your professional list inviting peers, customers, media and prospects to be “friends” – keeping in mind that not everyone will accept and that’s ok;
• Post news stories, blog entries and questions to start conversations with your friends;
• Post pictures and videos of events, products / services, news conferences, etc. tied to your professional work;
• Create a viewable calendar of upcoming events that you and your company may be hosting and industry events that you’re attending;
• Update your wall with current activities and projects so friends will have a sense of consistent action – although there is no need to post too many times in one day; and
• “Like” your peers, customers, media and prospects’ corporate Facebook pages to keep track of their activities and comment when appropriate.

Here’s an example of my page:

After creating and leveraging you own professional Facebook page, if you’re interested in learning more about how to create a corporate page and how to best utilize it to build your business and its brand, check out our tipsheet, Build Your Business Using Facebook. Also “like” Bianchi PR on Facebook to see how we’re utilizing the site for our business.

Next up – Part 4: Blogs for the Business Professional

Part 2: Twitter for the Business Professional

Created in March 2006, Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as “tweets.”

The Basics: To create a Twitter account go to www.twitter.com. Click on “Sign Up for Twitter.” Type in your name, email and password. Create a username (typically your name). Click “Create my Account.” Upload a photo. And finally, write a brief summary about yourself (up to 160 characters).

So you’ve created your professional Twitter account, now how do you leverage it? We suggest the following:

• Begin following top influencers in your industry segment / field to learn about breaking or industry news and trends, in turn they may just start following you;
• Keep your message to the 140 characters allotted (to enable a full re-tweet), use a URL shortener (like www.bitly.com) and consider using a hash tag for increased searchability. A hash tag is simply a way for people to search for tweets that have a common topic (i.e. #PR);
• Steer followers to company or customer-posted news, blogs, sites, etc. by posting links or retweeting;
• Generate media opportunities by following journalists and positioning you or your company as a possible expert source;
• Get feedback on your products / services and review updates, view comments, questions and / or possible criticism;
• Post video and image links tied to promotional campaigns and encourage users to follow along to receive exclusive information; and
• Posting on-site, real-time updates and insights from conferences or trade shows you may be attending.

Here is an example of a profile and a series of Tweets:

After creating and leveraging your own Twitter account, if you’re interested in learning more about how to create a corporate account and how to best utilize it to build your business and its brand, check out our tipsheet, Think Before You Tweet – Writing Tweets Worth Sharing.  Also follow Bianchi PR on Twitter for an example of how we’re utilizing the site for our business.

Next week: Part 3 – Facebook for the Business Professional

Social Media for Newbies: How to Use These Sites for Business

(Post by Jessica Killenberg Muzik, APR, VP – Account Services)

In recent weeks, I’ve been part of the following conversations concerning social media:

• A fellow from my former networking group commented: “I see you’re really active on these social media sites. Can you explain to me how to post articles?”;
• My father-in-law mentioned: “I noticed you post a LOT on LinkedIn. I’m on there too and want to start doing more”; and
• Upon giving a social media “basic training” presentation to the defense industry, one of the attendees said: “My boss wants to do reverse mentoring. He specifically mentioned that he’d like me to teach him about social media. I’ll be honest, I may be young, but I haven’t a clue how all of it works.”

Based on these conversations, it’s occurred to me that not everyone is versed in using social media for professional purposes. Often times social media novices sign up on the various social media sites – such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. – because they know they should be there, but they don’t necessarily know how to use the sites to their fullest capabilities.

Or, worse yet, they don’t bother to sign up … because they just don’t get it.

Thus begins our six-part “Social Media for Newbies” series. While aimed at novices, perhaps even some seasoned social media types will pick up a tip or two … or better yet, offer up a tip or two of their own for the rest of us.

After all, social media is about starting the dialogue, engaging the audience, building relationships and providing helpful, informative and appealing content.

Here are the topics this series will cover:

• Part 1: LinkedIn for the Business Professional
• Part 2: Twitter for the Business Professional
• Part 3: Facebook for the Business Professional
• Part 4: Blogs for the Business Professional
• Part 5: Creating Content and Process
• Part 6: Consistency Targets and Measurement

Part 1: LinkedIn for the Business Professional

Did you know that all Fortune 500 companies are represented on LinkedIn? LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site launched in May 2003 and is mainly used for professional networking. We often say that connecting on LinkedIn is like exchanging business cards, but with much more useful information.

The Basics: To create a LinkedIn account, go to www.linkedin.com. Enter your name, email and password and click “Join Now.” Start creating your professional profile by adding a photo of yourself, developing a summary and entering in your experience, education, personal information and skills.

So you’ve created your LinkedIn account, now how do you leverage it? We suggest the following:

• Start building your contact base by sending contact requests to peers, clients, media and prospects that you know;
• Join professional groups, organizations and associations to show involvement in your industry / community, as well as participate in the discussions they are having;
• Post news, project updates and links to blogs and articles that are relevant to your industry;
• Network and make connections with new business prospects, as well as research to learn about the background, education, previous experiences and memberships;
• Give recommendations and, in turn, people will often give you a recommendation back; and
• Post job openings within your company / industry, find possible job candidates and maybe even find a new job for yourself.

Here are a couple of slides offering an example of a personal LinkedIn profile:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After creating and leveraging your own LinkedIn page, if you’re interested in learning more about how to create a company page or group and how to best utilize it to build your business and its brand, check out our tipsheet. Also visit our Bianchi PR corporate page to see how we’re utilizing the site for our business.

Next up – Part 2: Twitter for the Business Professional

6 Ways Businesses Use Pinterest:

 (Compiled by Cayce Karpinski and Jaclyn Reardon)

Pinterest is a great way for business-to-business brands to gain recognition and establish an online presence. With its impressive “length of stay” engagement numbers – third only to the time spent on Facebook and Tumblr – and rapidly growing popularity, Pinterest offers a number of ways to increase visibility when B2B brands have the right content to leverage.

Here are 6 ways that businesses might use Pinterest:

• Market products and services: Most people are visual learners. Pinterest’s visual focus provides a number of ways to market products and services visually. Anything from new product images to video demos to manufacturing plant images could be pinned and shared without any clutter.
• Boost SEO and drive traffic back to originating websites: When Pinterest users pin images on their boards from outside websites, the original link is automatically stored within the image, allowing visitors to click back to the original source. Therefore, any company can quickly connect an audience with its story, mission and future plans, all via a pin. The more pins and links, the more potential traffic to your site.
• Conversation and feedback: Users are able to comment on images or content that they view, allowing companies to see user opinions on products and trends in certain industries.
• Create a brand board for a company: The site doesn’t allow companies to openly promote its business in a sales-y way yet, but it does allow them to create pages just as Chrysler did. It’s more about showing the uniqueness and personality of your brand, rather than a traditional sales or marketing approach.
• Post photos from events or trade shows: Attendees and employees can pin and tag photos as another way to visually share current company events.
• Add a “Pin It” button to product pages or blog posts: This will allow your customers and readers to pin your products onto Pinterest. The Pin It button is made to look like and function similarly to both Facebook’s and Twitter’s buttons.

To learn more about Pinterest, check out our how-to guide.

Pinterest’ed In Today’s Hottest Social Media Site?

(Compiled by Cayce Karpinski and Jaclyn Reardon)

As business-to-business communicators, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest social media trends. The latest craze is Pinterest; a virtual pin-board that tracks users’ interests by allowing them to create and share theme-based image collections. While Pinterest is still quite new to many people and may not be adopted by the B2B community for some time, it’s still worth a look.

Here’s what you need to know:

Pinterest is a virtual pin-board-style social photo sharing website that tracks users’ interests by allowing them to create and share theme-based image collections.

 

 

Users create and name photo “boards” that fall under certain categories or topics, such as design, entertainment, hobbies, etc. Here’s how Chrysler uses Pinterest:

 

 

They then post or “pin” relevant photos of their own – or photos from other websites or sources – on the boards, which can be shared or viewed by other users. Users can follow one another based on interests, “re-pin” and “like” images they see posted by others.

 

 

Be sure to watch for Part 2: 6 Ways Businesses Use Pinterest.

To learn more about Pinterest, check out our how-to guide.