Business 101: Why PR Students Should Take A Business Class

Most, if not all, aspiring PR pros shudder at the thought of taking a business course. We went into public relations for a reason; to avoid taking accounting, economics and any other classes that involve numbers. That may be a bit of an exaggeration but I have yet to meet a PR student or professional that enjoys the subject of math. 

A professor recently told my class he had taken a basic business course while he was in college and that, although he absolutely despised it, it was one of the best decisions he ever made. Why you ask? Simply because everything in life is a business. There is no getting around it. If you are looking to become successful in the public relations field, you will most definitely be working with clients who only speak in business lingo. That means they communicate in terms of numbers, metrics and, most importantly, money. 

Public relations is all about knowing your audience. There will be numerous points throughout your career in which your audience is going to be upper management and business professionals. It is our job as aspiring PR pros to learn their language. There is a serious need for young professionals to understand the realm of business. Knowing certain business jargon will not only be beneficial to you, it will also help to put you ahead of your peers. In today's job market, you should be willing to do anything and everything that will put you ahead of others. 

So, instead of using that elective credit on a pointless aerobics class or a boring music class, aim instead to take a business course. Look for an introduction to management, marketing or a business 101 course to give you that extra knowledge that will not only open up your mind, but will help to get you ahead in your career!

What business courses have you taken? Let us know!

The Five Types of Social Media Users.

In the world of social media, all users process and disseminate information differently. There are the producers who create original content. The commentators who keep the conversation going and always having something to say, both good and bad. The gatherers who find the information and overload our feeds. The joiners who strengthen the community and build our followings. Then finally there are the observers who process all of the information which the others have encoded and disseminated. These are the users that increase our views, popularity and hits.

Which type of user are you?

What a new logo can do for your brand

A new logo can say more about your business to an audience than any advertisement. A logo can provide a connection for a consumer, it can be like putting a face to a name. It can even provide an identity for your brand. Or, like Microsoft, you may want to consider changing your logo when you have a reputation, who after 25 changed their logo.

A logo should be a mirror of your brand and your mission. It should represent the culture in which you are immersed and a projection of your audience.

Changing just the font and/or color can say a lot about the direction of your brand. Color can represent an audience that you are trying to appeal to. For example Microsoft ‘s new four colored logo square are a representation of,”…the diversity of our (Microsoft’s) products and the diversity of people that we serve, “ says Jeff Hansen,  Microsoft’s general manager of brand strategy.

If it is not about your client’s logo, how about your own personal logo? Creating and developing a logo for business cards or personal letterhead can be a real stand-out in the job market. Designing logo can be as simple as using a consistent font or color scheme for all your literature.

5 Useful Apps For PR Pros

Today marks my one week anniversary with my iPhone 4, and I don't know how I've managed life without it! Being able to access the world with a swipe of my finger allows me to multitask, organize, and communicate like never before. Smart phones have definitely become a necessity to anyone who needs to be able to email, tweet, and share information on the go. Here are 5 smart phone apps that will help make every PR pros life a little easier:

1. Pulse: If you love staying current and getting live updates from all of your favorite publications, then Pulse is the app for you. Pulse allows you to make a live news stream featuring articles and headlines of interest to you. 

2. Dropbox: Dropbox allows you to share and store files on your computer, phone, and on the web. This app is perfect for anyone who needs to access lots of documents, photos, or files without taking up a ton of space on one device.

3. JotNot Pro: Jotnot Pro converts the camera on your smartphone into a scanner. Even when you are out of the office, you can scan documents and send them out via your smart phone.

4. World Card: Are you always exchanging business cards with other professionals but haven't found an effeciant way to store your new contacts? World card converts the information from any business card to a storable contact in your phone. You can even save an image of the business card to help jog your memory.

5. White Noise: If you find that your profession causes you to travel often, this app is perfect to prevent sleepless nights. White Noise can help you block out noise in any setting.

What smart phone apps do you use the most? Let us know!

For The People, By The People

Everyone has someone to answer to, it's a fact of life. But when you are writing a press release or blog, whether it will be read by reporters or the general public, it can be hard to think about who you're writing for, when you have to hand it up to your boss to look over. I experience it myself, all of the time. I want my supervisor to like what I've written, and I want to make them happy, but the bottom line is that you are not writing for you supervisor or board of directors, etc. You are writing for an audience. Check out the tips below on how to write for your readers--not your executives:

Use the words your audience would use when describing your product: While you may work for a company that manufactures technology used in space, using industry jargon will get you no where. If you are aiming at a younger audience in an effort to gain more widespread support, think about the language they use. The culture they are in. Adjust to that, and you will get more of a response and a better understanding of the product you're selling.

Your customers are people; treat them that way: In some industries, companies will refer to their customers as "insureds" or "patron". Using these terms can sometimes de-humanize clients. Your customers are people too, and most likely don't refer to themselves as such, and may not even appreciate it. I would personally prefer someone to cut to the chase and call me what I am--a consumer, or a customer.

Writing informally is not dumbing down: Nix the ain't and the ya'll, writing informally is getting rid of the static and getting down to the roots. Who, what, where, when? Try to write in such a way that your reader won't have to keep going over what you wrote. This saves both you and the customer time, energy and frustration.

Have you ever been met with the challenge of writing to your audience while still keeping appearances with your boss? How did you manage? Let us know!

Crucial Details to Remember when Tempers Rise in PR

Its not always smooth sailing in the field of Public Relations. As the professional, we have been taught to always keep calm in a situation of crisis and to never show fear in the face of a challenge. Although, when your blood starts to boil because your diva client thinks he or she knows everything or a journalist featured your company in a horrible story, reacting carefully and calculating your plan of action will remind everyone that you are the professional for a reason.

Let me give you an example: your client seems to think that telling the New York Times that the company funding his project has a pompous CEO who doesn’t understand art. The story runs front page and you have three missed calls, from your boss, the artist, and the CEO. Lets be honest, your fuming...but you don’t have time to be angry because YOU have to fix this. Write down your plan of action, the first call your going to make is to your boss alerting him of how you plan to sooth hard feelings. You will probably take the heat for your prima donna’s big mouth so be prepared to endure criticism from your boss. As the PR professional, you do not get the time to be furious so don’t let anger hinder your ability to come up with a plan of action.

 The pretentious client gets the second phone call, because he can not believe that the journalist choose to quote him stating his opinion. Calmly remind him that in the future he must stick to pre-fixed talking points for this exact reason and that just because press asked a question, does not mean he has to answer it. An apologetic phone call or email from the artist to the CEO is unlikely, therefore when you contact the CEO funding the project, you are apologizing on behalf of the artist. Be sure to remind him of the positive press he has received through this project and ensure him that this story can be countered. Repairing relationships between your clients, the public and other parties is imperative. NEVER try to cover up the negative incident, you have to acknowledge what happened and take steps to counter its consequences. 

Often there is nothing you can do about the published story, it’s out there in the public eye. Although you can make your clients unavailable to that particular journalist in the future. After speaking with your client again about press etiquette, hopefully all potential press contact will be negotiated by you. Your presence is necessary for all future interviews and talking points will be the only matters discussed with journalists. Lastly, try to immediately follow this negative press by pitching a positive story about your client or the company funding his/her project. It is best to just stash your frustrations because although yelling and complaining about the press or your client may make you feel better, it will not help you solve your problem efficiently and in a professional manner. 

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Emily Storz.

Resume Refresher

It is hard to believe the beginning of the semester is right around the corner. Although you may not have classes for the next couple of weeks, this is the time to finish applying for fall internships. This may be the first time you have applied for an internship, or, it may be your third time. No matter what, one thing to remember when applying for internships is to always update your resume.

Since it may have been awhile since you last edited and updated your resume, here are some great refreshers to keep in mind:

1. Sell It, Don't Tell It: Don't simply state facts. Promote it, advertise it and make sure you draw attention to it.

2. Focus On The Big Things: When deciding what to put in your resume make sure to focus on new things and major projects. You want to pick out the most important things you were responsible for and how well you did them.

3. Make It Easy To Read: It is easy for resumes to become distracting with its structure and content. Make sure to keep it nice and simple.

4. Be Truthful: Don't make up skills and qualifications just because you think it will get you the job. Honesty is always the best policy.

5. Be Confident: In order to succeed at anything at life, confidence is a must. Your resume should reek of confidence because you wrote it to sell you and highlight your qualifications and your success.

Good luck!