You're Invited!

To PRSA's Gulfcoast Chapter Holiday Mixer

Wednesday, December 5th
The Hilton Naples - Holiday Lobby Bar
5:30 - 7:30 PM  (come anytime)
$15 for appetizers and first drink

Bring a book for kids at Grace Place  - Early Readers from Pre-K to 3rd Grade and Toddler Board Books.

 

 

 

 

Save the Date for FPRA Conference 2013!

FPRA Conference 2013!

Mark your calendars to attend the FPRA State Conference from August 4-7, 2013 in St. Petersburg Florida.  The conference this year will celebrate the 75^th Anniversary of FPRA at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club, and rooms will be $139 a night plus tax.  The cost for conference this year will be $695 for members who sign up before July 20, 2013.  After that date, members will pay $775.  The conference cost for non-members is $900 before July 20, and $925 after July 20.  Stay tuned for more details about this exciting event as we get closer to the date!

President's Word

I still can’t believe we are nearing the end of the year 2012!   Each year seems to go faster and faster.  I am sure most of you are in the holiday mindset, with Thanksgiving last week and Christmas right around the corner.  This is the time of year where we usually stop and reflect on what we are thankful for and spend time with loved ones or help others in need.  As PR professionals, our schedules are always full with events, networking, media relations, programs, and more, so it is nice to know we have a time of year to stop and look at all the great things we have in our lives.  I am thankful all year for so many things: my family, my friends, my job.  But I also want to say how thankful I am for FPRA, because this great organization has helped me accomplish so many thing professionally, receiving my APR and learning about the position I have here at Shell Point.  It has also brought me some of my closest friends, people that I may have met in passing at events, but have truly gotten to know through our FPRA connection.  In many cases, our families spend time together outside of work.  So, even though I should try to think of my blessings throughout the year, I am glad there is a time that makes me stop and really recognize the important things in life, and I would like to say that I am thankful for each and every one of you!  I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season!

I can't live without...

 Apple iPad
 By: Jessica Clark, APR

This year I purchased an Apple iPad, and I am so glad that I did.  I have had an iPhone for a few years now, and rely on it for so many things regarding my personal and professional schedule.  So I knew that I loved the platforms, apps, and programs that were part of the Apple products.  

One of the main reasons I purchased the iPad was to use as a mini-computer in meetings.  I was always carrying my large laptop to every meeting to take notes and to access the internet, and it was such a cumbersome thing to have.  Now with my iPad, I can carry it in my purse, and I have a cover that contains a keyboard, so I can use it as a computer in meetings.   I purchased a few special programs that assist in my needs with the creation of and storage of documents, and those help with my record keeping.  The keyboard operates as a blue tooth, so I can have the keyboard out of the cover and on the desk closer to me without wires or worrying about connections.  And being able to access the internet in meeting areas and hotels has been great as well.  

I guess you could say I love Apple, as I use both my phone and my iPad to email, keep my calendar, store and take photos, keep up on social media, and more.  Plus, the entertainment and game apps are always handy when you are in a waiting room or have down time.  

November Member Spotlight

Jessica Boles, Director of Marketing, Charlotte Behavioral Health Care

Jessica Boles serves as the internal and external communication link for Charlotte Behavioral Health Care. serving over 10,000 consumers annually. Some of Jessica’s duties include establishing brand identity to raise awareness of the Agency’s mission and assists her community via media services, including preparation & distribution of the following: press releases, monthly email newsletters, website, program & agency brochures, marketing material and social media outlets. Jessica also develops strategic marking campaigns to build search engine results and traffic to CBHC’s website. She also serves as the CBHC liaison to the Fred Lang Foundation Board and provides support as Event Chair for the annual fundraising event – Summer Ball and is responsible for seeking additional funding through grant searches and preparation of grants in collaboration with appropriate agency staff.

How long have you been an FPRA member?

February 2012

What is the most rewarding benefit you have found by being an FPRA member?

Annual Conference was a great way to meet others in my profession and make friends with more of our chapter members.

What’s a fun fact that no one in your chapter knows about you?

I love to fish! I have a team, Liquid Addiction and we compete in a multitude of tournaments in Lee County. I also help out at The Flats Tournament, Chix-N-Stix, The Calcutta Redfish Tournament and many others around town.

PR University 2012 Recap

Another successful PRU occurred last week.  Thank you to our guest speakers and to those who attended and made this event so successful!  And a very special thank you to all our sponsors and to Carla Ulakovic and Michelle Nagel who made this event extraordinary!

If you could not make the event, please be sure to check out the below news release by Gail Dolan detailing the many useful topics at this year's event.

FPRA’s PR University one-day workshop of “Pump up the Volume” was a big success

The Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) hosted its annual PR University November 8th at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Estero, FL. Entitled “Pump up the Volume,” the professional development program featured local and national experts in event execution, branding law, nonprofit marketing strategies, and traditional and social media to help attendees hone their marketing and PR skills.

Lydia Antunes Black, Executive Director of the Lee County Alliance for the Arts urged nonprofit organizations to not only market their products and services, but to market their impact on the community as well to put a face on how it impacts the quality of life in the community it serves.

Chris Cifatte, news anchor at Wink-TV offered tips for contacting and sending press releases to WINK-TV, their news cycles, and the kinds of stories they seek to showcase daily.

Attorneys Edward Livingston and Bryan Loeffler of The Livingston Law Firm in Naples spoke on the importance of protecting trademarks and copyrights of company brands and provided guidelines to writers and graphic designers when producing web content.

John Korff of Korff Enterprises, Inc. of New York City provided interesting insights into event planning and crisis communications in sport and event marketing. As a veteran in the entertainment industry, he provided attendees with examples of how he has creatively generated publicity and attendance at professional tennis and golf tournaments, triathlons, concerts, and balloon and music festivals all over the country.

Mary Briggs, APR, CPRC, System Director for Media Relations for Lee Memorial Health System shared statistics from the Pew Research Center on how the public obtains its news—and how that is changing. She provided thorough insights on how to anticipate reporters’ needs and prepare and submit press releases that will be welcomed and published.  

The topic of social media concluded the day’s program, as Rafael Sangiovanni, social media strategist for rbb Public Relations of Miami discussed the growing importance of using visuals in the social media, including how to build a corporate brand using Pinterest, best practices for Facebook, and recent changes at Twitter and LinkedIn.

Sponsors for the event were The News-Press Media Group, PKE Marketing & PR, Simplify PR, Embassy Suites Hotel, and Verizon Wireless. Annual sponsors of FPRA, SW Florida Chapter are LCEC, Shell Point Retirement Community, Flame Productions/Internet, Owen Ames Kimball, Charlotte Behavioral Health Care, and J.J. Taylor Companies, Inc. 

 

Monthly APR Trivia: November

Question: How many flashcards must a candidate memorize in advance of the written exam for Accreditation in Public Relations?

      A.     121

      B.     200

      C.     323

      D.     625

 Answer: 323. Candidates who are members of the Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA receive the flashcards in three convenient formats: as labels in a Microsoft Word document, as a Microsoft Excel document and in an electronic flashcard format for viewing on computers and/or smartphones.

Social Media Corner: Getting Into Instagram

By Jessica Boles

Instagram defined is “a free photo sharing app that lets users click pictures from their mobile phones, apply an optional "filter" to the image and share it with their friends via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram's own social network.” You can take pictures within the Instagram app, filter and even title your photo to share with other users or e-mail to yourself. With 58 photos being uploaded per second, folks these days are taking pictures more than ever before.

Besides being one of the most popular social media outlets for individuals, businesses are taking this a step further and using this handy little app to give them better visibility in their communities. Some suggestions for these businesses include the following: Taking pictures of your products and showing them off. Taking some “behind the scene” shots, give sneak previews and introducing new employees to your followers.

Just like Facebook, companies can use this social media outlet to build brand awareness and direct their marketing campaigns toward a targeted audience. Using Instagram for business is an easy way to take advantage of promoting your products and services and more companies are leaning towards this app to help with their media campaigns and social media marketing efforts. 

Renew your membership and receive a FREE registration to conference this year!

Attention members:

Everyone who completes their renewal by December 31 (the final deadline for renewal without paying a late fee) will be entered into a drawing for a full conference registration at the 2013 Annual Conference valued at more than $600!

You can renew today online by visiting Renew Membership at FPRA.org 

If you have questions or want details, please contact Carla at carla.ulakovic@gmail.com. 

Renew Today!

Don't Miss A Minute of Membership! Renew Online

Did you know you can renew your annual FPRA membership online? If you haven't sent in your renewal yet, or if you misplaced your renewal form, all you have to do is go to Renew Membership at FPRA.org.

Don't miss a minute of the networking, professional development, credential opportunities and other 

benefits. Renew TODAY!

Marketing Advocacy: One Nonprofit's Perspective

Create a balanced approach to Nonprofit Public Relations by moving beyond Marketing to Advocacy. Nonprofit art marketing professionals tend to focus a majority of their time on marketing a product, but fail to commit the same amount of time and effort to marketing their impact on the community.  In the nonprofit arts sector, we strive to market our programs/shows, price our tickets competitively and affordably and raise sponsorships, but we often fail to put faces on our cause and educate about the cultural impact of the arts. Challenge yourself to get out of the daily grind of operations, programming or presenting and build credibility for your mission by identifying opportunities to share your community impact and put a face to your organization.



 






















Register online by clicking here!