March 28, 2008

Follow your niche

As if you didn’t know already, blogs are important. I’m positive you know this, because you’re reading this one. I bring this up because during yesterday’s professional development meeting we discussed the importance of social media in business.

Our presenter, Rosh Sillars, is a professional photographer who has photographed many of our clients as well as celebrities from Britney Spears to Helio Castroneves. He also knows a thing or two about blogging and the positive ways companies and individuals grow and start their business.

Before I go any further – in case you’re wondering – professional development meetings are done almost every Thursday at Eisbrenner. Each meeting involves a topic that helps the team to refine or develop their professional skills.

Rosh brought up an interesting topic today, something that I haven’t given much thought to, the “Long Tail” effect. The idea is that content which caters to a niche is often more profitable than appealing to the masses. Blogging to a niche audience like students interested in PR, for example, has a much greater chance of gaining an audience than if I were to blog about world news, which is of course, a highly saturated market.

Although focusing on a niche appeals to a smaller group of people, they are much more engaged and are more likely to seek out your information. The opposite is true of a mass audience, which is less likely to seek your information on broad topics and generally turn to the most popular sources for information.

Rosh gave a good example of this when he explained how posting a blog about his Britney Spears shoot gathered plenty of attention immediately, but did little for him in the long-run because there is already so much on the Web about her. However, his blog about a photo shoot of food for Cake Nouveau, a bakery in Ann Arbor remains practical because food photography is a niche market, which only has a few people blogging about it.

March 14, 2008

Research always comes first

It always amazes me how much planning and research goes into public relations work. It’s obviously good practice to make sure everything with company’s name attached to it is well planned and researched. However, in PR, you’re not just protecting your company’s reputation from scrutiny – you’re also protecting the reputation of your client.

I’ve had numerous chances to get involved with client research and planning. It is very rewarding to see the information you research become part of a proposal, media release or even passed along to assist in a client meeting.

Because the information I gather travels everywhere, it has to be dead-on. That may sound dramatic and maybe even a little nerve-racking – probably why I like it.

Don’t get the impression that I am buried in research, making sure everything is correct before I send it off. No way, the great part about working in a team-based environment is that everyone pitches in. If I’m stumped on locating journalists who are supposed to attend the Chicago Auto Show or finding data on information technology, chances are someone on my team can help.

March 03, 2008

Advice from the frontlines

One of my favorite online reads is Fortune’s "Ask Annie" column. I know what you’re thinking. Fortune Magazine. Boring!

Well, I’m not going to argue that, but the "Ask Annie" column has plenty of good advice for the career hopeful. One of the latest columns, "7 tips for job hunting in a tougher market," was extremely insightful.

Most of her information is geared toward business professionals, but that is the best place to learn. Reading advice from those who are already in the trenches can better prepare you for what is out there and, what to expect.

The job hunting tips are useful for anyone hunting for a job in or out of the mitten. Here’s a quick rundown of the seven tips:

  1. Request more face-to-face meetings. People need to have more in-person meetings, in order to gather more information and make a better impression.
  2. Set up your job-search activity. During a slower economy it is important to better your odds by making more contacts. Increase your resume circulation and make more follow-up phone calls to prospective employers, recruiters and others.
  3. Try to be as flexible as you can. Accept part-time or contract work. In relation to recent college grads, try looking for another internship if you can’t find anything permanent.
  4. Consider relocating. Being open to the idea of moving improves your chances for success. You have a bigger playing field with more opportunities.
  5. Scour the hidden job market. Apparently, only 20% of available positions are posted. Dig deeper and contact potential employers and scour their websites.
  6. Avoid internet job boards and help-wanted ads. Fewer job openings mean more people are chasing the same advertised positions. In my experience, internet job boards have very little value and are often postings useless unskilled soliciting positions.
  7. Take advantage of social networking sites. Get on Facebook, LinkedIn or any of the other networking sites. Use them to see where your friends are or who they know.

Aside from all the advice given in Annie’s columns, the comments section always hosts a couple smart opinions from career-minded people.