SWFL Chapter Meets Goal of 100!

Yesterday, new member Melissa Vogt was approved as the 100^th member for the year. That means the SWFL chapter has met their 100 member goal and it’s all due to the reputation of the chapter and hard work of new membership outreach.

If you know someone in the PR field who may be interested in joining FPRA, have them check out our chapter’s website and our chapter’s blog for all the networking opportunities and benefits that come with being a member of FPRA!

APR Trivia - September

Q: True or False: Questions concerning media relations represent the largest portion of questions on the written APR examination?

A: False. Media relations questions total only 5 percent of the written exam. The largest section of the test comes from the RPIE model: Researching, Planning, Implementing and Evaluating PR programs.

I can’t live without...

I can’t live without dual computer monitors. I don’t know how I ever survived the work day with just one monitor! Having dual monitors allows me to tackle a multitude of tasks in half the time it would take with a single PC screen. Now if I could only set up my home office like work, I’d be one happy PR camper!   

Laura Puerto

LCEC Public Relations Specialist

Social Media Corner: Conference Takeaways

This year more than ever, the FPRA Annual Conference talked about and involved social media. Here are a few takeaways from the stellar speakers on what to focus on in social media for business and some tools to get the job done efficiently.

By Samantha Scott, APR

Social media was a large part of conference this year. From speakers to the blog team and attendees, it seemed to penetrate every part of the four days attendees enjoyed in St. Augustine. Obviously interested and active in social media myself, I took this opportunity to explore what others were doing/seeing in the marketplace and get a few takeaway pieces of treasure. Here are just a few.

Storytelling:

In the words of Mickey Nall, APR and PRSA fellow (https://www.google.com/search?q=mickey+nall+ogilvy&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a), Managing Director for Ogilvy PR, “we’re not talking about making up stories, it’s truth-telling.” Every company or brand has a story  – where they came from, why they were created, how they’ve evolved and where they are going. How do you communicate that or are you at all? Remember, people connect with people, not brands. If you can share the story of your company and put it people terms, give your audience something to connect to, then they are more likely to engage and remain connected. This applies to social media. Use online communication channels to tell a story and engage in two-way communication. Don't just blast out company news, sales info, etc. Use it to share stories and connect with your consumers.

Measurement:

We've covered this before in the social media corner, but it's still a key point. Patrick O’Donnell, Senior Project Manager at Ketchum Global Research & Analytics (http://www.ketchum.com/research), presented an info-packed talk on the basics of research and how that initial step plays a big role in the evaluation and measurement. I was surprised how few people in the room are using social media, but aren’t measuring it. Nonetheless, it was made clear that all things PR can be measured and there are better ways than the old-school AVE process (http://www.cuttingedgepr.com/articles/commmeasure_aves.asp). Patrick was kind enough to share his presentation, which I'd be glad to email to anyone interested in reviewing it. 

Socialize your Newsroom:

Most of you reading this will be familiar with an online newsroom. It's the area of your company/organization website where you probably post news releases, old newsletters, maybe a digital version of your media kit and contact info for press. Those are all good elements, but you can do SO much more with it! Per presenter Steve Momorella of TekGroup (http://newsroom.tekgroup.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=3805), here are a few suggestions:

• Reconsider your content - it should be searchable, include the staples of "old school PR" and multimedia items such as videos, photos, etc.
• Remember to provide tools - the newsrooms should be a resource for media, so be sure to provide PR contacts, Help FAQ and a downloadable media kit
• Analyze it - be sure there are analytics in place, track downloads, consider password protected/registration required areas for downloads, etc.

Resources / Links:

• The FPRA Blog - review a post from EVERY presenter and/or event from Annual Conference: http://fprablog.org/
• Prezi - an alternative to PowerPoint that has more features, recommended by Mickey Nall, APR, PRSA Fellow: http://prezi.com/
• Infographics - present data visually, easy way to communicate complex concepts: http://visual.ly/ (just one site that has infographics you can share and the ability to help you create them)

Next Meeting: September 11

Join us on September 11 for our September Business meeting which will bring a wealth of information from the recent State Conference to our chapter membership.  The Southwest chapter of FPRA had a significant presence at the professional PR conference with 15 attendees throughout the event.  And four of those attendees were able to enjoy this experience through generous scholarships provided by our chapter.  Samantha Scott, APR; Melissa Cofta, APR; Karen Ryan, APR, CPRC; and Sarah Nadal will form a panel to discuss the highlights of this trip; sharing tips, insights, and trades with members who were not able to attend this year.

We will also install the 2012-2013 Board and Leadership Team for the SWFL chapter during this meeting.  Our chapter will have another successful year thanks to this great group of member volunteers!

Congratulations to SWFL's Golden Image Winners!

Award of Distinction – Promotional/Marketing
Shell Point Discovery Club Program
Jessica Clark, APR
Lynn Schneider, APR, CPRC
Rochelle Chernaiwski

Judges Award – Promotional/Marketing
VIB Rewards Program
Samantha Scott, APR

Award of Distinction – Special Events
Base Ops Dedication Ceremony
Lee County Port Authority Public Affairs Team

Award of Distinction – Special Events
Love that Dress!
PACE Center for Girls of Lee County
Christin Collins
Melissa Cofta, APR

Award of Distinction – Specialty Item
Promotional Incentives “PI Gumby”
Promotional Incentives, Inc.
Holly Originals
 
Grand Golden Image Award – Audio/Visual/Online Tools of Public Relations
Golden Image Award – Website
Judges Award - Website
Shell Point Website Redesign – www. Shellpoint.org
Mike Haber
Rich Cerrina
Shell Point Retirement Community

Award of Distinction – Video –Promotional/Marketing
Guadalupe Center “239 Men” 30-second Video Spot
Craig Bamberg