Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Social Media...With a Purpose
In August, I was fortunate enough to go to New York City and see Broadway musical Avenue Q. Avenue Q, a parody of Sesame Street, features a character named Princeton-- a fresh-faced university grad who can't find a job and talks about his need for a "purpose." A large chunk of the musical revolves around Princeton's search for his purpose, as he navigates his way through post-university life.
Bringing this back to PR, I'd like to share an anecdote about needing a purpose. During my final semester at university, I interned with a small business magazine for professional women. As the only intern at the publication, I was given a fair bit of creative freedom and was encouraged to contribute ideas to the magazine, which was only getting ready to launch while I was working there. Of course, being the facebook-savvy university student that I was, I naturally suggested that they broaden their base by entering the social media world. I just figured it was trendy and the thing to do-- I neglected to consider purpose.
My editor was hesitant. She was not too familiar with Facebook, and was weary of penetrating an oversaturated realm popular with those outside of her target niche market. I let her know that in fact, Facebook was now frequently used by older men and women and as such, could be a useful tool in generating publicity, contacts, and networks with other like-minded groups. She agreed, as long as I could convince her with stats and a formal presentation. Nerve-wracking though this was, it paid off, as their Facebook group has allowed them to reach interviewees and experts for future issues as well as inform potential subscribers about the publication.
My point? The editor of this magazine only wanted to use social media if it suited her purpose, which in this case was to expand the scope of a brand-new magazine. She didn't want a blog, a myspace, or flashy ads. I also obviously didn't create a facebook group and invite all my university friends, none of whom would have been in the intended audience-- I had to seek out groups and individuals who I legitimately believed would fit within the target market and would be interested in the magazine. I posted links all over the place, and called for interviews and expert opinions on aritcle topics. Facebook allowed me to reach a broader audience than I ever could have found otherwise, and essentially served as free advertising.
So, my question here is, what are other ways to use social media with a purpose? Are there examples that anyone can share?
Bringing this back to PR, I'd like to share an anecdote about needing a purpose. During my final semester at university, I interned with a small business magazine for professional women. As the only intern at the publication, I was given a fair bit of creative freedom and was encouraged to contribute ideas to the magazine, which was only getting ready to launch while I was working there. Of course, being the facebook-savvy university student that I was, I naturally suggested that they broaden their base by entering the social media world. I just figured it was trendy and the thing to do-- I neglected to consider purpose.
My editor was hesitant. She was not too familiar with Facebook, and was weary of penetrating an oversaturated realm popular with those outside of her target niche market. I let her know that in fact, Facebook was now frequently used by older men and women and as such, could be a useful tool in generating publicity, contacts, and networks with other like-minded groups. She agreed, as long as I could convince her with stats and a formal presentation. Nerve-wracking though this was, it paid off, as their Facebook group has allowed them to reach interviewees and experts for future issues as well as inform potential subscribers about the publication.
My point? The editor of this magazine only wanted to use social media if it suited her purpose, which in this case was to expand the scope of a brand-new magazine. She didn't want a blog, a myspace, or flashy ads. I also obviously didn't create a facebook group and invite all my university friends, none of whom would have been in the intended audience-- I had to seek out groups and individuals who I legitimately believed would fit within the target market and would be interested in the magazine. I posted links all over the place, and called for interviews and expert opinions on aritcle topics. Facebook allowed me to reach a broader audience than I ever could have found otherwise, and essentially served as free advertising.
So, my question here is, what are other ways to use social media with a purpose? Are there examples that anyone can share?
Friday, November 21, 2008
Hello and Welcome
Welcome to my blog! I admit, it's been a while since I've done anything like this. Some might argue it's the first time, depending on your position on online journals (don't judge). Anyhow, I figure I'll start off my foray into the social media world with a little bit of an intro to what I'm doing and why I'm here.
As most reading this would know, I am currently enrolled in the Corporate Communications and Public Relations program. Nearly three months in, I can say with confidence that it's been an enlightening, eye-opening and extremely rewarding experience.
Why, you may ask. Well, for starters-- and I can't emphasize this enough-- my classmates are awesome. Sometimes it's hard to believe we only met at the beginning of September, because it feels like I've known them for years. Though at times we may be stressed and tired, there is something comforting about the college experience--where we're with the same people all day every day, from the morning coffee, to lunch time in the cafeteria, to the walk to Pape station in the frigid cold and of course everything in between. I know that many of us will continue to find each other in the PR world after we graduate, and I look forward to sharing stories long after this program is complete.
Another wonderful thing about a program like ours is that it has challenged me to examine myself-- not just my interests or my experience, but how I communiciate, what my character traits are, and how those would best be applied to the corporate communications and public relations sphere.
Not to shortchange my university experience in any way, but university for many (including myself) is about choosing classes that either look interesting or are neccessary for graduation. Or, in some cases (I can't exempt myself from this either), what time of the day those classes are offered and how many times a week. Personally, I was never a fan of evening classes in three-hour blocks.
College is a different story. Since our program is career-oriented, each class challenges us to apply the knowledge we've learned to where we see ourselves in the PR world. When we discover our strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, we determine what sectors would fit us best. Everything has a practical purpose, and with everything we do, we have our future jobs in mind. It's not just about getting to class, writing an essay on cultural theory, and studying for a 30% midterm in the campus Tim Hortons (guilty as charged)-- its actually a real-life exercise in thinking about where we see ourselves eight months down the line. Once again, I quite enjoyed university while I was there, but there's something seriously refreshing about feeling useful in what I do.
In developing (and hopefully updating) this blog, I'm trying to practice what I preach and be just a little bit more practical. In case you haven't heard, the internet is a pretty important communication channel-- and in PR it's only growing as web 2.0 expands. So here I am with my little blog, hoping to start a Public Relations Conversation. Enjoy!
As most reading this would know, I am currently enrolled in the Corporate Communications and Public Relations program. Nearly three months in, I can say with confidence that it's been an enlightening, eye-opening and extremely rewarding experience.
Why, you may ask. Well, for starters-- and I can't emphasize this enough-- my classmates are awesome. Sometimes it's hard to believe we only met at the beginning of September, because it feels like I've known them for years. Though at times we may be stressed and tired, there is something comforting about the college experience--where we're with the same people all day every day, from the morning coffee, to lunch time in the cafeteria, to the walk to Pape station in the frigid cold and of course everything in between. I know that many of us will continue to find each other in the PR world after we graduate, and I look forward to sharing stories long after this program is complete.
Another wonderful thing about a program like ours is that it has challenged me to examine myself-- not just my interests or my experience, but how I communiciate, what my character traits are, and how those would best be applied to the corporate communications and public relations sphere.
Not to shortchange my university experience in any way, but university for many (including myself) is about choosing classes that either look interesting or are neccessary for graduation. Or, in some cases (I can't exempt myself from this either), what time of the day those classes are offered and how many times a week. Personally, I was never a fan of evening classes in three-hour blocks.
College is a different story. Since our program is career-oriented, each class challenges us to apply the knowledge we've learned to where we see ourselves in the PR world. When we discover our strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, we determine what sectors would fit us best. Everything has a practical purpose, and with everything we do, we have our future jobs in mind. It's not just about getting to class, writing an essay on cultural theory, and studying for a 30% midterm in the campus Tim Hortons (guilty as charged)-- its actually a real-life exercise in thinking about where we see ourselves eight months down the line. Once again, I quite enjoyed university while I was there, but there's something seriously refreshing about feeling useful in what I do.
In developing (and hopefully updating) this blog, I'm trying to practice what I preach and be just a little bit more practical. In case you haven't heard, the internet is a pretty important communication channel-- and in PR it's only growing as web 2.0 expands. So here I am with my little blog, hoping to start a Public Relations Conversation. Enjoy!
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