Red Shoes Speak No 11 - Avatar Depression and Economic Escape

Red Shoes Speak No 11 - Avatar Depression and Economic Escape from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Jess and Tommy talk about James Cameron's Epic movie Avatar and the news reports that people are leaving the movie depressed and some even suicidal. Can a nearly 3 hour movie really bring on feelings of depression and make an otherwise normal person suicidal? What do you think? Join the discussion on twitter using #redshoesspeak.

Don't forget company culture when evaluating next career move

Right after my initial contact with Red Shoes PR, I knew that their company culture must be a little different. As hardly any PR agencies had entry-level openings or internships posted at the time of my job search, I began emailing different places asking if there were any openings. I probably emailed about 25 agencies, and Red Shoes PR was the only place that didn’t send me a generic, “No, we have no openings at this time. Please check our Web site for postings.” Karen responded to me and said that while they didn’t have any openings, they were always up for connecting with PR students and invited me in for a meeting.  I was impressed with this response and with their openness.

After my first informational interview with Red Shoes PR, the vibe I got about their company culture was confirmed. I immediately went home and told my roommates that Red Shoes PR was exactly the type of place I wanted to work. Observing the way employees interacted with one another, dressed and even the colors of the walls made me excited about the possibility of working there.

I believe that company culture plays a major role in the attitude, productivity and motivation level. Some aspects of company culture that I think are important are:

1.  Mission and purpose of the organization. Does everyone in your company understand the overall big picture and long term goals of the organization? If employees know what the company’s goals are and feel like their role in the company is valued and contributing to the big picture, they are more likely to have a positive attitude towards their job. Red Shoes PR does an excellent job of communicating to employees what the long-term goals are and how employees contribute to the big picture.

2. Organizational structure. Is your company structured as a traditional vertical hierarchy or is it more horizontal? Are employees encouraged to be competitive with one another or take on more of a team approach? Red Shoes PR aims to lean towards a horizontal structure and definitely takes a team approach. For us, this really seems to work well. Being able to share ideas and have candid conversations has helped me to learn at a much quicker pace than if it were a strict hierarchical structure.

3.  Work environment. Do people in your office sit in their offices with their doors closed? Do you work in cubes? What color are the walls? Do you have strict office hours? These are all details that can affect your productivity and attitude towards work. Until August, all five of us at Red Shoes were packed into 400 square-feet. So, we had no choice but to work closely together. Even as our space has expanded, we try to work collaboratively and spend time working in community spaces. We also have a bit of fluidity when it comes to work hours. We do not have a strict beginning of day/end of day. Everyone works hard and is accountable to one another.

4.  Work/life balance and values. Does your company take a stance on this? Is work supposed to come first? This is one of the most important aspects to think about when seeing if you will fit in with a company, yet often times I think it is overlooked. Red Shoes PR aims to be a company where employees and their families come first. People perform better at their jobs if their lives are balanced and other areas of their life are in check. It is also important to take vacation time and personal time. If work becomes the number one priority/only priority in your life, it is only a matter of time until you are burnt out.

While it may be tempting to get caught up in simply searching for the highest salary during a job search, company culture should definitely be considered. If you are able to find a company whose culture aligns with what you want as an employee, you are going to be much happier and successful in your job.

Are there such things as "days off" in PR?

My boss, Lisa Cruz, had a very wise tweet a couple of weeks ago, "PR tip: If the media works and you are in PR: You work." (http://twitter.com/LisaRedShoesPR/status/7243291681).

I have to admit that the reason she tweeted this was because she was covering for me when a reporter called to interview one of our clients. It was New Year's Eve afternoon and I had taken a six-year-old to see Frog Princess when I got an e-mail from the reporter. I  texted Lisa from the theater to give her the details and she said she'd take care of it for me. (Don't I have a great boss?)

Then two weeks ago there was a late-day, multiple-injury accident and a number of injured were taken to one of our client's hospitals. I got the first call from the reporter at 9:12 p.m. and Lisa and I finished up the media calls around 12:15 a.m.

The point is that when you commit to a job in public relations, you commit to providing around-the-clock support to the media on behalf of your clients or company. There is always someone sitting at the news desk and if something breaks after-hours, the media is going to cover it, which means you're going to help them. (I'm not even going to get into social media, which also requires 24-hour-a-day monitoring.)

The key to making your job manageable is having a great team of backup support. We have to properly manage vacation schedules so that there are always enough "shoes" to cover anything that may come up. I know that when I take a vacation, I'm asking my colleagues to pick up anything that comes along, whatever time of day or night - and I'm more than happy to help when when one of my co-workers takes vacation. Although you may be lucky enough to take a few days off, your client should never be unavailable to the media.

It also helps to have the expectation that you'll get calls on Saturdays and Sundays. I find that some of the best stories come when I get a call from a reporter on a Saturday afternoon who is following up on a pitch I sent during the week. Gratefully taking the call and getting interviews set up as soon as possible goes a long way in maintaining great relationships with the media.

Social media good

(photo credit: change.org)

In the past year, we have seen many major stories unfold via social media; from the Tiger Woods scandal, to the Gosselin divorce, to the balloon boy hoax. While these stories may seem trivial, last week, we saw how social media can also spread the word to make a difference.

 

After the earthquake in Haiti, Twitter was utilized to share photos and provide updates on what was happening in Haiti. Beyond sharing this information, Twitter also helped spread the word of a text message campaign hosted by the American Red Cross. People were encouraged to text 90999 to have a $10 donation added to their phone bill. As of January 17, the Red Cross reported it has raised over $22 million dollars from the campaign (New York Times).  Many people spread the word about the campaign through Twitter and Facebook.

 

Other companies and individuals have stepped up as well; Google Inc., Coca-Cola Fund, Sandra Bullock and Madonna are among the companies and individuals that have donated $1 million to Haiti.

 

As organizations, companies and celebrities have been thrown into the spotlight for their generous giving, some people may wonder whether or not it is appropriate to share what they are doing via social media or pitch their story of giving to the media. Is it bad to use such a tragedy to gain attention? While this can be a touchy subject, spreading the word about who is giving and how much people are giving may inspire others to give or to start their own giving campaign.

 

The idea of inspiring others via social media and traditional media points to an overall trend happening online—social media good. Web sites such as change.org and dothedeed.org encourage people to take action to make a positive impact. These sites go beyond just sharing information, encouraging people to take action. Dothedeed.org promotes the idea of a chain reaction of giving; you do something nice for someone, they in turn do something nice for someone else, etc.  Change.org raises awareness and gets petitions going around various issues. Sites like these are yet another way that people who otherwise had no connection can come together for a common good.

 

So, if your company is doing something good for someone or something—share it. Tweet it, blog it and pitch it. You never know who you might inspire.

Red Shoes Speak No. 10: Fly Conan FLY

Red Shoes Speak No. 10 Fly Conan FLY from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Lisa and Tommy talk about the late night talk show spat between NBC and Conan O'Brien. Conan is getting a reported $40 million to leave NBC, now's the time for him to start anew. The Tonight Show is getting old and stale. Does he needs to get away from network TV and take his show to the internet? Be part of the conversion, tell us what you think. #redshoesspeak on twitter.

Red Shoes Speak No. 9 Social Media and on demand television

Red Shoes Speak No. 9 Social Media and on demand television from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Jess Dennis and Tommy Clifford talk about the impact of social media on our TV watching habits. We are in a "I want it now" mentality and social media gives us the feedback we crave, when we want it. Now if TV could just keep up. DVR's help, but they don't give us the true access we want.

Red Shoes Speaks No. 8 Social media, strategy or communication channel

Red Shoes Speaks No. 8 Social media, strategy or communication channel from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Jess and Tommy talk about Jess' blog post called Social media, not a strategy or a tactic…a communication channel. How should companies be using social media and incorporating it into their marketing plans? Jess and Tommy discuss best practices for corporate social media use.

Be a part of the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #redshoesspeak.

Social media resume, or blog?

Given current economic conditions and job changes, we at Red Shoes PR have done a lot of education on how people can use social media sites to differentiate themselves from other job seekers. This got me thinking about how much has changed online and how we communicate versus how we apply, interview and eventually land a job.

 

Companies are now using Twitter, LinkedIn and the like to post jobs rather than taking out an ad in the local newspaper. Job seekers are also using social media sites and online word of mouth to learn of available positions. With all of the recent advancements it surprises me that people are still using the old way, written, resumes to showcase their talents and experience.

 

As public relations professionals, one of the new tools we utilize to share stories with the media is something called a social media news release. A social media news release is similar to the traditional news release in its format, but includes more social interaction in the form of links, photos and video. Social media news releases also allow you to share the release via Twitter, Facebook, Digg, etc. What if we were able to apply this same logic to the traditional resume?

 

The entire purpose of the social media news release is to harness the power of the social Web to further explain the content contained in the release. The same idea would be powerful for resumes. How can an employer really get to know a job candidate from a one-page Word doc.? Your background and experience is only half of the picture. What is your personality like, what things do you like to do in your spare time, what are your passions? An article in the New York Times I read over the weekend talked about this very subject. The article featured Tony Hsieh, the chief executive of Zappos.com. It talked about how important company culture is and how when a job candidate is interviewed it is imperative that the individual is a good fit for the company.

 

A lot of smart job seekers utilize their Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts to put their best foot forward, and if you are one of those people, certainly include these links on your resume and make sure your profile is open. If it’s not open, what other ways are you going to show your potential employer who you really are?

 

Could there be a Web-based document program that allowed users to include their background and experience but then also a section for video and photos? Dan Schawbel wrote an article about this topic for Mashable about HOW TO: Build the Ultimate Social Media Resume. In his article he talks about how to build a personal blog, but a personal blog shouldn’t only look like a resume. A blog is a great way to share more information about yourself if you dedicate quite a bit of time to build it up. What if there could be a platform that allowed people to build an online resume in just an hour? Another benefit of a social media resume would be that companies could open the video and photos. A lot of companies still have social sites blocked so even though you may have tons of great videos on YouTube, no one will ever see them.

 

What do you think? What would be included in your social media resume?

 

SlideShare Presentation: How to Effectively Execute Media Relations

Karen Buckoski talks about how to effectively execute media relations for any organization. Media relations is not sending out press releases and keeping your fingers crossed that it gets picked up. Nor is it calling a reporter when you need something. Media relations is continuous, proactive communication that builds relationships with reporters and bloggers.

Social media, not a strategy or a tactic…a communication channel

“We want to be in social media.”

 

Does this phrase sound familiar? Is it written into your marketing plans for 2010? We hear this phrase more and more from various companies looking to differentiate themselves from their competition and reach their target audience.

 

Our message to these companies is simple: this should not be your strategy or tactic to reach your target audiences. That’s right, if your marketing plans include social media as a strategy, take it out.

 

Social media and all of the sites that fall into this category are communication channels, not tactics. Social media, as defined by Wikipedia are, “Internet-based tools used for sharing and discussing information among people.” This means that social media is anything that allows people to interact (via comments, ratings, photos, video, etc.) online. Some sites include YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and Facebook.

 

Depending on the goals of your organization, social media may or may not be applicable in order to share your story. People are changing the way they connect and interact with people. It is changing the way people receive their news and how they filter it.  

 

If you want to incorporate social media into your marketing plans use it the way these tools were made to be used, for interaction. YouTube wasn’t built for commercial content, Facebook wasn’t built as an external-facing billboard; they were all developed for users to share information and communicate. Many social media sites didn’t even have revenue models built in behind them when they started; they were built for the user and the money came second.

 

There’s no reason companies can’t be involved in this space. After all, people are seeking out your product or service, so why not use the channels they are participating in? Just make sure you do it right by sharing relevant content and interaction!

Social Media/Technology Predictions for 2010

Social Media/Technology Predictions for 2010 from Lisa Cruz on Vimeo.

Will e-mail be around in a few years from now? Are Web sites on their way out? Should companies have a social media corporate policy? Tommy and Lisa share their 2-cents worth on what they think is coming up in 2010 and beyond.