February 4, 2014 Meeting Recap

This past Tuesday, we had the opportunity to hear from (whom many of us may consider) Southwest Florida’s “Queens of PR”:  Karen Ryan APR, CPRC, Teri Hansen, APR, CPRC and Mary Briggs, APR, CPRC.
Each PR pro discussed with us what it takes to achieve success with their “loved ones” aka their target audience.

Karen did a fantastic job reminding us the importance of staying in love with our internal audience including co-workers, management and vendors.  LCEC is a perfect example of how individuals in the PR department rely on many employees outside of their department (and even outside of their employer) to make projects successful. She also provided some tough lessons she’s learned over the years when it comes to managing her relationships with her peers.

Mary Briggs, spokeswoman for Lee Memorial, highlighted many of the relationships she has maintained as Systems Director—in particular, the media.
As PR professionals, we are often expected to build and maintain relationships with the media, but what does that really mean? Mary’s rundown on successes and challenges was a perfect way to get an inside look at what the media truly needs from us as public relations professionals and also reminded us the balancing act we all are expected to play between our two lovers, the media and our boss.

Teri, owner of Priority Marketing, offered a unique perspective on the relationships she regularly maintains.  Differing from the other panelists, Teri has over 80 clients from multiple corporations, which—to Priority Marketing—are 80 different bosses.
Some of her main points included helpful tips on how to stay in love with Priority’s number one lover, their client. She also reminded us the importance of remembering their clients’ number one lover is their target audiences and understanding that is the key to having a successful relationship with each client.

All panelists offered differing points of view, whether from an internal, external or governmental stand point. Wrapping up the session was probably the greatest reminder to us all, which was that we need to maintain our loving relationships with each other. Remember that FPRA is a network that encourages all members to work together to help one another achieve their goals.  Whether that means, asking for advice, or helping a fellow member by dressing up in a wacky costume, the SWFL Chapter of FPRA is here to help all members. Where else can you find that kind of help?

A HUGE THANK YOU to all our panelists and a special thank you to Programs Chair, Betsy Clayton, APR as well as the enter Leadership Team who helped put this event together!