Build your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses

Research shows that it’s more effective for professionals to focus on developing their strengths than expending effort to improve upon their weaknesses.

The caveat: Even the most masterful professional still needs a basic level of skill in categories like writing, social media and storytelling to let his or her other strengths shine.

Ragan Workshops allow you to work on your core strengths and improve those that are lacking.  

Mark Ragan, Jim Ylisela and other experienced communicators lead these daylong deep dives into subjects that are vital to communicators. Topics include social media, speechwriting, advanced writing and editing and more.

We’ve also just launched a workshop for your colleagues in other departments called Ragan's Business Writing Clinic.

Check out the entire workshop schedule, including dates and locations.  

The following workshops take place around the country:

Advanced Writing and Editing for the Influential Communicator 

Internal Communications Master Class 

Crisis Communications Master Class

Hands-on Video Boot Camp for PR, Internal Communicators and Marketers

Video Storytelling Workshop

Immerse your team in practical knowledge in an area of your choosing. Sign up now!

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Share your content-based brand loyalty program

 

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6 emerging PR trends

Which public relations trends can help your growth and development?

These aspects of the job can be tough to master, yet they can help you get a running start toward the industry’s future.

Here’s what’s in store:

1. Promoting expertise at all levels

In the past, only top-tier executives were put forth as an organization’s industry experts. Now lower-level employees are offering their insights.

This has multiple benefits. First, it helps your brand to target a wider, more diverse audience and distribute more content. Second, when top executives leave your company, they don’t leave a knowledge vacuum.

[Event: PR Daily World Conference]

Help those at all levels to grow and nurture their own personal brand. Encourage them to write thoughtful content and create social media profiles that show off their expertise.

2. An overall rise in PR spending

According to a joint report from the Association of National Advertisers and the USC Center for Public Relations, spending on PR will change. More specifically, marketers plan to increase internal staffing and overall spending on public relations over the next five years.

This is due to the evolution of PR over the past decade and the increased importance it has had for marketers.

Think of some primary PR components that make it so valuable to a business's growth. Digital communications, for one, has never been more important for business, and PR is at its center.

Another big component of business growth is social media. You can't be in business today without a social media presence. PR provides the strategy and content to amplify your social media presence.

3. A growing reliance on specialty PR firms

Many boutique PR firms specialize in specific aspects of public relations, such as launch PR and reputation management. If you’re having a problem in one of these areas, you will want a skilled authority calling the shots.

Don’t be shy about calling in extra help on occasion. Using adept professionals during key moments of your company’s development could save you from PR disaster.

4. A shift toward digital

When one survey asked about major PR trends for the next five years, digital storytelling, social monitoring and big data topped the list.

To align your PR and marketing with this changing world, use digital storytelling to engage your audience.

Help outsiders get to know the people within the company, and inform them about what sets you apart from you competitors. Share your passions and your struggles. This kind of narrative will endear you to prospects and keep them engaged in your story.

Become a master at social monitoring with apps like Hootsuite and Mention. Be the first to see negative conversations about your brand, and be ready to address problems before they get out of hand.

Use big data to adjust your content and strategy to reach more of your target audience. Big data can show you what topics and problems are trending in your industry, so you can be among the first to address it. Use it to deliver your own insights on emerging topics before your competitors have a chance to react.

5. Providing alternatives to ‘dark social’

Social media and its influence have become an integral part of PR, and savvy pros use tools such as BuzzSumo and Hootsuite to use online platforms.

Beyond them lurk communication methods such as text, email and chat apps, which are nearly impossible to monitor.

Organizations must create, own and manage their own digital property. By developing a proprietary platform, you can build a library of unique and valuable content. This will heighten your audience’s engagement, keep them coming back for more and give you visible results.

6. Quantitative versus qualitative measurement

People find comfort in seeing specific numbers of page views, “likes” and rates for measuring the success of their PR. but how do you gauge growth in brand trust or awareness? This is where PR pros must draw the line between quantitative and qualitative measurement.

Quantitative metrics might be easier, but they do not give an accurate or full-scale picture of public relations ROI.

We are seeing a shift toward qualitative measurement. PR has made great strides in measurement with tools like AirPR and TrendKite.

Wendy Marx is president of Marx Communications. A version of this post first appeared on the B2B PR Sense blog.

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3 tips for using social media to widen addiction awareness

Substance abuse reaches all corners of this country. Fortunately, so does social media.

Social media enables individuals and organizations to reach millions of people at a minimal cost. All it takes is some creativity, relevant content and a good sharing strategy to get your message across.

Whether you’re an individual practitioner who wants to raise awareness of addiction or you work for a recovery center that depends on awareness to keep the doors open, social media can be the core of your outreach strategy.

Increase the effectiveness of your organization’s social media outreach by focusing on these three aspects of your communications:

1. Take a visual approach.

Today, visual content is king. Infographics, such as this one from Georgia Drug Detox, engage your audience with digestible information that is more likely to be shared than a simple blog post or research study. Memes, videos and images also do well.

These before and after pictures of heroin addicts from New Health Advisor are effective examples of the power that images can bring to a blog post or online article.

As you develop a social media strategy, make sure you’re putting visual content at the center of your approach.

[RELATED: Discover the digital strategies you need to break out of your silo and succeed in today's changing marketing communications mashup.]

2. Use facts and data.

The internet is filled with opinions, false statements and fake news, so be sure you’re using research studies and scientific reports to educate your target audience.

This infographic from Magellan Healthcare is a good example of a well-researched piece of content. Every piece of data has a citation, with sources coming from reliable organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

3. Make addiction relatable.

One primary issue with drug and alcohol addiction is that most people don’t recognize the signs and symptoms and the struggles associated with it. They never consider the possibility that someone close to them could be an addict and doesn’t know where to get help.

You can change the narrative surrounding addiction by creating a context that will raise the awareness of the average person. This article from The Huffington Post shows people that addiction is just as common next door as it is in the inner cities and impoverished areas. As you create and share content, focus on making addiction relatable to the masses. Humanize it, as opposed to criminalizing it.

Anna Johansson is a freelance writer, researcher and business consultant. Follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Saying FSBOs sell for less is misleading.

I read an article referencing a study on how For Sale by Owner (FSBO) sell for less. In my opinion, this is misleading because they are only looking at FSBOs that did NOT sell through the MLS.

These days, most successful FSBO listings are on the MLS. They use a flat fee services that lists them on the MLS. They might also use a professional photographer for great photos, and many do open houses that are also listed on the MLS so everyone knows about them. They also offer to pay a fair buyer’s agent commission.

I would agree if you do not list on the MLS you are going to sell for less. You will have less demand, and therefore will be more likely to sell at a lower price.

However, if you are listed on the MLS, have great photos, and do some brokers and public open houses, then I think you will find the selling price is about the same. There are no statistics to prove this point, or to say it is not valid, which is why stating FSBOs sell for less is misleading.

What this study really shows is if you sell without being listed on the MLS, you will sell for less.

Realtors add tremendous value to every transaction. We do not need to quote a misleading study to try to get sellers to sell through us. If you want to use this study I think it is fair to say that if you sell without being listed on the MLS you will sell for less. To say FSBOs sell for less is something we do not have good data on, so it is a misleading statement.

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3 inspiring communications tips from Microsoft, Amazon and Hulu

Are you almost ready to throw in the towel when it comes to adversarial senior leaders, disengaged employees or a distrustful public?

You’re not alone. Changing technology and emerging trends are making it harder than ever for communicators to do their jobs.

That’s no reason to give up—just ask these communicators at Microsoft, Amazon and Hulu. Here are their tips to overcome your most stubborn workplace challenges:

1. Rob Wolf, director of communications at Microsoft, works with influencers to engage the public in an authentic, genuine manner.

2. Amy Alcala, director of global internal communications at Amazon, stresses that the best way to build employee advocacy is to develop a full understanding of staffers’ needs and wants.

3. Mike Rocco, manager of employment branding and communications at Hulu, uses its new intranet to promote conversations among all levels of the organization.

Want to tap into even more of their expertise and hear from other top communicators? Join us from your desk on Oct. 5–6 for the ninth annual Employee Communications, PR and Social Media Summit Webcast.  

You’ll leave with practical solutions to the difficulties facing modern communicators, as well as valuable new industry connections.

Register here to save $100.

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The power of ‘we’ and how technology connects us for good

A little bit of Sunday inspiration to do more good in the world… watch this TEDx talk by Jessica Hansen from Kiva.

PS: Jessica also spoke at Inman.

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