PR characters are funny, because we’re not all alike. You have the pushy, the know-it-all and the non-sleepers. Whatever you find yourself being (or having to deal with) we hope it’s not one of these.

Unavailable PR Pro
They come a callin’ and you go disappearing. People are looking to you for answers, so you need to be available to answer questions from the client and journalists, and in a timely fashion.

OCD PR Pro
Yes it’s your responsibility, and yes things need to be perfect, but you need to be willing to compromise. This goes both with clients (you need to respect their opinions) and journalists (who quite frankly, don’t appreciate being bossed by us).

Impersonal PR Pro
You want and need things from the journalists. What do you do? Wait last minute and chat them up into printing your story. Have you ever tried calling when you don’t need anything? Offered to take them out for coffee? Or, even know anything beyond the sound of their voice on the phone? Take time to make a personal connection and it will pay off in the long run.

No-News PR PRO
The CEO bought a red t-shirt from his store…big deal. Nobody cares about this stuff, so stop trying to get the mundane printed. It’s your job to find a newsworthy angle for your client, and if there isn’t one, own up to it. Nothing wrong with waiting for a press release until something actually happens.

That’s not even the worst of the worst. You have the disrespectful PR pro, the bribing PR pro and the whiny PR pro.

We might be a bit biased, but we’re pretty sure we’re not any of these. And hopefully, after reading this, neither are any of you.

Hate your PR pro?

For the past year I have been working so many different angles on so many different accounts in so many different industries and, while my previous articles we more concentrated on the digital world and how establishing a strong solid presence online works to your benefit, it’s time to address traditional media. Yes, offline is still important. Jumping into online full on, and leaving traditional behind, is a mistake you can’t afford to do.

Of course, I’m of the online camp. It’s cheaper and more measurable, but I still think you need the two to tango.

The costs
Traditional media has been alive for many years. In the real world, generating new business and spreading awareness comes from fantastic outdoor advertising campaigns, print ads and TVCs. Traditional media is about concepts, messages, and ideas, and how they will be delivered. While hiring experts or an agency to take over this job costs a lot of money, what will also cost you is production, graphic designing and finalizing. When it comes to online media, it is simply cheaper.
It’s reality that social media will cost you less than traditional. Anyone can open up a Twitter account and get going, but it’ll also cost you not to invest in the more traditional as well. Why? Getting your name out there is about the seamless perfection of the two. This way you hit the events, the magazines and the billboards they drive by – while Tweeting on their phones.

The monitoring
So you live in a busy city were you find advertising banners overtaking the malls, streets and public places. I have been impressed with quite a few that have really managed to capture my attention. The messages were pure, simple and conceptual; and while you may not go out and buy the product that very instant, the messages will linger.
Problem is with mass media advertising, you cannot say for sure who watched your advertisements, which means you can’t measure. If you have a company page on Facebook, you know that there are graphs that tell you how many Likes you’ve received, how many people your messages have reached and so forth. You just can’t get that with traditional media; but again, it’s about getting the masses to see your brand.

Things have changed in the way we invest. We want to see where our dollars and dirhams are going, because we want to be able to justify the costs. With traditional, this isn’t that easy, whereas for its counterpart, it’s a breeze.

BUT, let me end with a very important point. While with online media, you can measure things you just can’t with traditional; one thing that remains the same…

Measuring sales for both will essentially be the same. Knowing where your leads came from at the end of the day (through internal monitoring) will let you know in which direction you should be headed.

Traditional or online?

Today I’m celebrating a milestone of my own – my baby turns two. Looking back, it’s been an amazing journey. He’s learnt and grown, and so have I.

From sitting up, to walking, to saying his first sentence – this is a journey unlike no other.

This is oddly similar to my own evolution at Cicero & Bernay. I came from a Marketing & Communications background, yes, but taking each step has been like learning how to walk, along with the joy and happiness that comes with each and every step a new-born takes.

Sitting up
Used to wonder how I could ever have a final say in what was written about a client. Me? Who am I to tell you? Of course, there are the account managers and directors that lead the way, but ultimately they depend on me for advice – and you can’t do that, or sit up for that matter, until you have confidence in yourself.
That starts with owning your work and your abilities, and being able to admit that you can and will do it.

Walking
That’s where you start to explore, see what you can do with what you are given. If you’re a mom, you know that if you give them an inch they will run a mile; so why not embrace that for yourself? I started editing the blogs, as part of my role, saw that I had a knack for it, and went full forward.

Managers, bosses or people in general, won’t know what you are capable of until you show them.

My First Sentence
This has been the most rewarding so far. I have a voice, a real voice that people listen to online, thanks to the initiative that started off hopeful and continues to be ambitious. Speak, because now, more than ever, you have the ability to do so.

So as we blow the candles, and I secretly wipe away a tear for all the time that flies by, I realise that this is just the beginning and I’m here to enjoy the ride.

Still crawling?

So simple yet so complex. Sure, anyone can write a blog, but it takes a special team of people to target for SEO and to build a following on Social Media to get their blogs read.

But to get back to the question – why do we really need to blog?

Building a name
You want exposure; a blog will give you just that. Say a potential client is looking for a PR agency. Where do you think they’ll probably be turning to? I’d guess Google, and the more content you have there, the easier you will be to find. What’s more, the higher up on search engines you go, the more likely people will find you.

Another great reason to blog? Other than finding a company on Google, this is a place where clients can do research about a potential company whose services they seek. This is your online resume. If you control the content that is linked to you, you get to put your name out there just as you would have it.

Coverage
What is the one thing that ever PR pro wants more than anything? Coverage. The more you build yourself up online, the better able you will be at getting coverage for the clients you represent.

You can do this through Social Media, sharing your clients’ content on the same channels you use to promote your blog. You can even summarise their content and share it on your blog itself – discussing the ‘how to’s’ of PR.

You can blog about anything
Any topic is up for blog. A housewife can blog, a farmer can blog and so can a PR professional. This is a medium that appeals to so many people individually, which why it is so successful today. Going back to the personal aspect, you can introduce your new Director, your new approach to crisis management or even your next big event.

To answer the question, you need a blog to be relevant, and I think that says enough.

Do you have a company blog?

Now, I’ve never been particularly bothered about how many ‘friends’ I have on Facebook, so I shouldn’t really let this bother me, right? Well, Twitter’s all about having a voice and I’d like to think that although I’ve started off using the platform for recreational purposes until I get to grips with it, eventually, I’d like to be able to use it to influence people. So what am I doing wrong?

I turned to our very own Reem Heather Dabbas for advice. As someone who has managed to build up an impressive fan following pretty much from scratch, and in less than a year (if Twitter was an American high school, Reem would be Prom Queen…at least in the C&B offices), I knew she would have some surefire pointers for me. Here’s what she had to say:

1. RETWEET like mad. People like having their content shared, and when they thank you, they will mention your name to their followers.
2. Pick a topic/theme. Stick to something that will make people want to follow you to learn more about. This could be anything from Social Media to PR or even blogging. Choose a subject and become a spokesperson for it.
3. Follow a bunch of people. The more users you follow, the more will follow you back. Be clever about it though, gauge whether the people you are following are likely to follow you back – generally if someone has 50,000 followers but is only following 50, they’re unlikely to return the favour.
4. Stay updated on specific hash-tags. See what other people are saying about your chosen topics (i.e. #bloggers #blogs #blogging) and keep in line with trending conversations.
5. Maintain activity and engagement. Sometimes there’s a Tweet that you can really comment about, which the original Tweeter might reply to, giving you the opportunity to get a conversation going.

Rich Leigh of 10 Yetis PR, on the other hand, suggests there’s more to gaining popularity on Twitter than just following your favourite celebrities and re-tweeting interesting stories. Although Rich’s article on Behind the Spin was written over a year ago, the advice still rings true for anyone hoping to establish an online presence.

I, for one, fully intend on taking these suggestions on board – with a little bit more originality and substance to my posts and strategic reasoning behind who I follow, maybe I can steadily make my way up Twitter’s social ladder too.

Will you follow me?

3D movies put us right in the action, which makes the experience even more thrilling. We find ourselves consumed with an alternate universe – there is no escape.

When it comes to PR campaigns, we have to be ahead of the game, so 4D PR comes into play.

A 4D strategy includes the four components of media: television, print, radio, and social media (the youngster of the bunch). The most effective approach will make use of all those elements, because each is significant in its own right- they feed off one another.

The online force is the connecting bond between those four components. Newspapers, magazines, television stations, radio shows, etc. must have an online base to make their presence known.

Let’s say you want to get your organisation’s name out there. Well it’s easier than you might think. Don’t underestimate the power of any media outlet- big or small. If you have an opportunity for an interview with a local newspaper, take it, if you can be present on social media, do it.

The only way to get your name heard is to say it. Now thanks to the World Wide Web, that’s easier done than said. What’s harder is making sure you understand that online means interaction, and you will need to know how to talk to the people.

As for the social media aspect, you are on reverse here. When you establish social network, it can later help you reach the off-line community. An individual or organisation with a larger following or fan base is instantly more appealing to the public, which in turn draws the attention of other media forms.

A good PR campaign strives to CONNECT after all.

Are you living the 4D experience?

That however, has changed. And if you talk to any blogger today, they will tell you flat out that getting more followers and maximising clicks is the goal. You hear about klout and followers more than you hear about the satisfaction of being heard of.

Blogging now is a big business, and there are ways to succeed in being influential in the social media sphere. From where you place your media icons on your website, generating traffic using recommendation engines, using link shorteners – even when you don’t have to, and even communicating more with other bloggers, there are many guides to succeeding in the increasingly complex domain of social media.

It starts with knowing how to play the game and then taking it one step further to be significant in your own right. Anyone can write a blog now, and promote it through social media channels; but the one that gets the second hit is the one that stands out.

What are you doing to make sure people keep coming back without manipulation?

If you dress like a CEO, people will treat you like a CEO.
If you dress like a kid, people will treat you like a kid.

It’s the way it is and always has been. People judge you on your race, hair colour, shoes and outfit.

Why? The world is full of stimuli. We are bombarded with so much information in one day, that we would not be efficient if we weren’t capable of making snap judgments.

That’s why, when you see someone in uniform, you expect them to be all official and authoritative.
You see someone in a suit and you assume they’re a hotshot businessman.

What should you take away? If you’re currently and executive but want to move on up to manager, you need to start dressing the part.

That shirt…really?

But then I got over the guilt trip and realised that this isn’t necessarily just about me, most of us are managers at varying levels therefore we all need to examine our managerial skills and I think the questions the author asks us to ask ourselves are very pertinent.

It then led me to think what are some of the other attributes that make a good manager? The list is, I am sure, extensive but in my case I’d like to think the following of being high up on the agenda.

• Don’t try to be someone you are not! Very simple.
• Always share objectives then ask your team how they can help you achieve them, because people respond to being given responsibility.
• Give feedback openly and this isn’t a case of telling someone they have got it wrong – it is also about telling them when they have got it right. And the latter is frequently overlooked.
• Managing and leading are not the same thing. The art is in knowing when to delegate. Staff will develop better and quicker if leadership experiences are delegated.
• Carry on developing one’s self. Managing is a skill which needs to be learned and practiced and then learned some more.

Few are born great managers but there are plenty of ways to become a better one. What would you add to this list?

Nancy Messieh’s article on The Next Web suggests tips on how businesses can effectively adapt their content for Facebook Timeline to meet business objectives. Based on case-studies of six major brands including Pizza Hut, Manchester United, Gap, Coldplay, American Express and Coca-Cola, Nancy provides an analysis of what works and what doesn’t.

Ultimately, an analysis of these brands Facebook pages show that the focus should be placed on communicating key events through the brands history in order to show long-term establishment and evolution, rather than on aesthetics such as a creative use of cover and profile photos.

This, along with increasing the visibility of engaging apps, is essential in order to pique users’ interests and encourage them to create rhetoric with the brand. Of course, once that channel of communication has been established, it is equally important to keep the momentum going by posting regular updates and answering any questions existing and potential customers might have.

By implementing these simple components into your social media strategy, companies can not only widely increase their brand exposure and reach but also gather useful feedback from a targeted audience.

Do you have any tips on how best to utilise Facebook Timeline?