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IPA’s NEW Social Media Reboot! No foolin’!
We have new IPA social media plans and channels with you! We’re eager to have you join us on our new social media channels.
Starting with our new PRSA IPA Facebook Page and PRSA IPA Twitter. We plan to post notices about our monthly teleseminar topics there, and to share any other useful Indie content we find – including useful tips from IPA members’, too! Please take a look. We hope you “Like it”.
Join us for our March 12/60 — How much am I worth? How to price your Services
3/10/15
Last month we looked at the nuts and bolts of taking the first formal steps of selecting a business entity and basics of branding. This month we are fortunate to have Dennis Spring joining us to talk about prevailing rates and how to set your own.
Dennis Spring began his business career at what was then the largest public relations marketing and service organization of its kind in the world with offices in more than 8 U.S. cities and London. The company served over 2,000 corporate PR departments and firms. He founded Spring Executive Search, Inc. in 1980. Ten years later the name of the firm was changed to Spring Associates, Inc. In addition to executive search services, the company also handles communications audits, mergers and acquisitions, client/agency reviews and PR agency selection searches.
Independent Practitioners: A Special Breed of Public Relations Professionals
2/17/15
Submitted by Nathan Hokama, IPA Past President 2014
Launching any business is a big challenge. It may be even more difficult if that business involves selling professional services. It’s simply not the same as selling tangible products. Independent public relations practitioners are a special breed who face even greater obstacles. We must not only sell intangible services, but also explain what the public relations function entails. We may find ourselves having to respond to two questions. First, there is the perennial question that’s all too familiar: “What exactly is public relations?” This may be followed by a new question: “You mean, you get paid to do that?!”
Social Media as a Tool for Professional and Business Development
I first dipped my toes into the social media waters a few years ago, with the idea that I needed to stay abreast of how they affected public relations. If clients were to ask about incorporating social networking into their marketing efforts, I wanted to have a foundation of information and insight so I could answer any basic questions. There’s a balance between being a know-it-all and answering questions like Sgt. Schultz from Hogan’s Heroes, whose famous phrase was “I Know Nothing.” I didn’t want to transform into a social media consultant, but I do want to be viewed as a PR professional with a solid understanding of the tools, the technology and the trends that impact my clients. Just like with other aspects of my consulting business, I knew I could outsource to a specialist if necessary.
Value of Networks Go Beyond “Networking”
Public relations consultants can be some of the best – and worst – self-marketers and new business development experts. Whether gung-ho champions of their brand or admittedly invisible and glad for whatever referrals come their way, PR pros need to find a better way to collaborate with smart colleagues, commiserate about ethics and legal issues, and communicate their strengths to referral sources and prospects.