Release the News

With the NCAA Men’s Basketball “March Madness” nearing an end of its season, we have focused so much on this the past few weeks.  The athletes are extremely important in it, but so is the business side.  According to this article, Coke Zero sponsors a huge highlight of this.  In addition, McDonald’s announces new updates to their business through a news release, as well.  News releases brought attention to new points in business that the world may be unaware about right now.

News releases serve many different purposes in the business, especially regarding public relations.  When the public relations employees write news releases, they need to remember to write “for the ear and the eye;” make it appealing and pleasing.  The ideas must be thought before writing starts; simplicity is better; and a particular audience must be centered at.  Writing news releases can really have a large impact on businesses in any aspect.

Photo: www.basicbloganomics.com

Caring for the Community

In public relations today, a main focus of the business is how the community sees you.  With this, the public eye is extremely important.  Why?  They are your customers.  Creating a solid strong relationship with different groups in the community can positively effect your business overall.

For example, I work with the Davenport University Sports Marketing department on campus.  Our overall job description is that we find creative ways to engage fans, including students and of the community, to attend events and get involved.  One part of this is that we hope to earn partnerships with local businesses for sponsors.  Creating relationships and connections this way can only benefit your business as a whole.

In this article, there are five listed ways that can influence community involvement.  The community expects a positive appearance of the business, participation to having them engaged, stability to rely on, and to take pride in what they do.  There are many ways in which strong relationships can be made within the community.

To Print or Not to Print… That is the Question.

With social media on the rise, questions start to rising as to if printing forms of media is even necessary anymore.  In years past, newspaper was an extremely essential source of receiving current events in society.  However, the real question is, where does the newspaper stand next to all other recent forms of media?  Is it even necessary to our society‘s growth anymore?

Society today has shifted its way of media to countless additional forms.  Today, the Internet, cable TV shows, radio talk shows, and especially different forms of social media seem to be running society.  Regardless, any form of media will help promote the business and create relationships with the clients.  Interviews can occur due to or on media itself, and this is a great way to establish easy communication through fellow employees.  Whether we are printing our forms of media, speaking them, broadcasting them, or just using the touch of our fingers to post on the Internet, media has a huge impact on how businesses succeed.

Photo: https://www.google.com/search?q=should+newspapers+stop+being+printed&biw=1366&bih=667&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=oA0WVbO-BI73yQT2p4CYDg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAw&dpr=1#tbm=isch&q=newspapers&imgdii=_&imgrc=9We5p7D_9XcISM%253A%3BOv5HftTmez3TWM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Frsnash7.files.wordpress.com%252F2011%252F11%252Fnewspaper_20icon_15b15d.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftechfate.blogspot.com%252F2013%252F02%252Fnewspapers-might-become-thing-of-past.html%3B1500%3B1005

Let’s Keep It Ethical, Now.

Social media is a huge fad right now in our days. We see posts, pictures, comments, tweets, and everything else relating to current events and issues.  Have you ever thought about how social media sites need to keep their business ethical with the posts that you see?

Facebook, specifically, has to decide which posts are ethical or not to have posted on their site at all times.  As in the article attached, many debates are present.  As with any business, this applies for the public relations aspect.  Public relations professionals need to keep their decisions ethical in business practices.  They must relate and coordinate with legal practices, in which any decisions must relate to the lawyer they may be working with at the time.

In addition, public relations coordinators need to keep their research ethical.  This includes their interviews (of any type), focus groups, sampling, surveys, and theoretical/ secondary research.  Everything should be ethical to the majority of people, as well as to the client they are currently working with.  Whether working with clients or any type of social media, ethical practices must be used in public relations.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcnewss.us%2Fbusiness-news-ethical-dilemma%2F&ei=35wNVYfLEIWRyQT_t4BA&bvm=bv.88528373,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNGaG5unIEA86e8FxyylbmIfRUSY3A&ust=1427041877986770

Sail or Sink: The Media

Scrolling through my Facebook feed the other day, I was stopped by a strange title of an article shared from a friend.  “Meth lab found inside Walmart restroom in Indiana,” it said.  Being from Indiana and living near a Walmart, it caught my attention even more.  Well, after reading the article, of course, it was not as bad as the title made it sound.  The choice of words through media can help a company sail or sink.

With public relations, social media is portrayed everyday with businesses.  Promotions are used from the Internet; Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages are made for customers to follow businesses; and consumers can use social media to express their opinions: whether good or bad.  Words about a business can quickly spread on the Internet, as public relations employees realize.  These employees can use this to get the inside scoop as to what customers really think of their business.  And as us, consumers, we can use this to shift our opinions in a positive or negative way for any particular business.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRiRSM4kaZpHW3kkaYaKnC0MTqMRKjiPw_o2y_vlpGf3GEvWDqr8XwKGxE

What Color is This Blog’s Text and Background? Blue and Black? or White and Gold?

Social media took off rapidly these past few weeks with the “Colored Dress” phenomenon.  Within seconds of this being posted, anyone with a computer, cell phone, or television was hearing about the colors of some strange dress.  Why was this so important?  Why was this spread all around the globe?

Just as the colors of this dress covered all forms of media extremely quickly, so can any information about businesses via social media.  As I have began learning in these first few chapters, the public relations department is the one making relationships with customers, as well as spreading news about the business.  Public relations representatives are the ones addressing the public with issues and interests that the business may have at that time.  As this is a form of marketing, the public relations side of businesses focuses more so on promoting the business as a whole, rather than promoting single products that the business may have to offer.  Employees in this industry have to remember their to be very open-minded, have a willingness to agree, persuade, and inform, as well as work well with people.  In addition, these workers should have a very up-to-date knowledge about society’s advancements in technology, marketing techniques, ways of journalism and communication, as well as the updates on current ways of social media in the world today.

While keeping up with social media, public relations representatives can have the inside scoop as to the customers’ needs, wants, desires, complaints, and compliments toward their business.  An article attached covers, “The 7 Social Media Trends Dominating 2015.”  These seven tactics include: Scommerce, Integrated Social Advertising, The Revolution of Mobile, Social Video, Agile Marketing, Anonymity, and Private Messaging.  Understanding some of these topics could help students, like us, in the business field, but also consumers, employees, and supporters of many local businesses today.

My question for you, going forward: How can public relations representatives engage more with the customers’ needs over social media?

Hello world!

This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.

Happy blogging!