As professionals in the business of PR and communications…if we can’t promote ourselves, we have no business being in the field.

Companies expect us to build reputations, create awareness and get out key messages. When was the last time you thought about those important elements when it comes to brand you?

I cannot stress the importance of self promotion…in a modest way of course. As communications professionals we need to learn how to create awareness and value for what we do. We are the educators, ambassadors and voices of an organization. Believe me, its easier to sell a product than its is an idea or an image. I know, I’ve done both.

We are there in the forefront fighting public backlash, extinguishing company crises, promoting product launches, devising strategies and above all communicating with the public. Keep in mind the ability to communicate effectively is a gift and skill that not everyone has.

My guess is that I’m not the only emerging professional feeling this way. I’m sure for all students, regardless of age, starting a new career is always a jolting experience. First, you need to decide what type of organization you would like to be a part of and then you have to locate the opportunities.

Today’s high tech society offers us a bit of a double-edged knife. In one way we have a wealth of opportunities at our fingertips. With the power of the Internet, we are able to browse jobs and companies in a blink of an eye. We can read bios and profiles, reports and websites, contacts and customer reviews. By the time we decide to apply for a position, we already feel like part of the company because we know so much. On the other side of that knife, this quick access to information makes for a highly competitive job market where e-mails are disregarded just as fast as they are received. We no longer live in a time where you can personally hand your well thought out resume to the HR manager and sneak in a personal introduction. Those days are in the past.

Emerging professionals need to be strategic…especially in PR and Corporate Communications. Selling yourself without saying a word is a hard skill to master. It’s sometimes easier to persuade someone to listen to you when you’re right there in-front of them. It’s not as easy over an e-mail. So how do we get noticed in that massive HR inbox?

Here are some tips that I’ve come across along the way:

1. Be creative…no one wants to read the same old cover letter over and over again. Don’t copy and past some random template, rather use your communications skills to create something original and attention grabbing. Using the same type of language as the organization will help; show them you’ve done your research.

1. Market yourself…have a strong and positive on-line and off-line presence. Make sure you have a list of professional references and on-line achievements you can use at the drop of a dime. Blogs and professional networking sites are some good examples to use. Also, monitor your on-line presence, if the person in-charge of hiring types your name into a Google search, pictures of you praying to the porcelain God should never pop up. Reputation is everything when trying to land a new job.

1. Research, research, research…there are numerous opportunities out there. Do your research to find them. You can use on-line career sites such as Workopolis, Monster, national on-line newspaper classifieds or company websites.
   

1. Match your cover letter to reflect the posting…grabbing their attention off the get go is crucial. Use some key phrases or words from the initial job posting in your opening lead. Hook them at the beginning by telling them why they need to read on. It’s unfortunate, but we only have one chance to impress, before they press…delete message. We want them to read on and open our attached resume. The cover letter should do just that. I wish there was a simple formula or template…but everyone is unique and all opportunities are different. Tailor your cover for each every job you’re applying to.

1. Don’t give up…it’s not easy to find that perfect career. Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t hearing back from companies. Instead, review your resume and cover letter to see where you may be going wrong. Try having a colleague or friend review it for you. Above all, remember that searching for that perfect career is hard work and a job in itself…if you put in the effort, you will eventually see the results.

Good luck to all job seekers in the field, I wish you all the success. If you have some helpful tips that you would like to share, please post them for others to read.

Many veterans in the field will agree the face of PR has already changed significantly due to the various tools offered on the web. Still there are those who prefer to use more traditional PR tactics and communications tools. Regardless of where you stand on the subject, we need to recognize both the positive and negative impact the Internet and its plethora of tools can have on our organization or our clients.

As an emerging corporate communications and public relations professional, I would like to recommend some best practices to consider when using Web 2.0 tools for PR.

Know who’s talking about you

The Internet knows no boundaries. Everyone is a critic, so you can be sure there is one talking about your organization. It’s important for any organization to know where they are on the web at all times.

Be aware of what people are publishing about your company, cause or product. Positive or negative, you need to know what’s being posted. Monitoring Internet content is as easy as setting up a Google Alert . Straightforward and effortless, alerts allow you to navigate through the clutter to find what matters most to your organization.

In this highly competitive world, your organization should be aware of its on-line presence and reputation.

Manage your on-line image

Consistency is key when promoting your organization or yourself on-line. It’s critical to ensure the messages you send out to the world through the Internet, are the ones you want everyone to receive.

For example, if the CEO of your organization decides to create a personal Facebook profile displaying content that contradicts the organization values, it reflects poorly on the organization. The same principal applies to social networking tools such as Twitter and LinkedIn . If you have a professional image to uphold, be consistent throughout the various social networking sites. Strategic thinking must be applied when posting information on-line, both personally and professionally.

Make a personal connection

Consider the impact a live person could have on your on-line customers. The Internet is no longer a one-dimensional method of communication. With the introduction of vlogging and video streaming sites like Youtube , Ustream and Seesmic , companies now have the ability to connect with their audiences in a more intimate way. Tools such as these allow companies to communicate as if a representative was right there with the client. They add the power of body language and human interaction to an otherwise isolated mode of communication.

Consider responding to customer’s questions and concerns via a video blog post instead of the more traditional e-mail. Discovering innovative ways to connect with your audience will help build lasting relationships.

Provide the information they need

Creating social bookmarks is a great way to stay connected to your audience and establish communities. Posting information relevant to your organization and its audiences is also a great way to build a strong following and credible reputation. Through sites like Delicious , your organization can provide links to articles and research that support its initiatives and values.

Don’t play hide and seek

In today’s busy world no one has the time to search for your organization. Make sure your company information is easy to find and planted where it needs to be. Research consumer sites and on-line forums significant to your organization and industry like Get Satisfaction and post links to your website if you choose not to participate.

Equally important is ensuring your organization’s website has updated contact information and an easy to find “profile” page. You audience has a short attention span when it comes to searching the web so educate them on who you are and how to contact you in the most direct way possible. They’ll appreciate the user-friendly features of your site.

I hope these tips have been helpful in your quest for PR information. If you take anything away from this post I would like it to be this:

Remember…PR is about building relationships. The Internet is merely another tool to accomplish that goal.

Monitoring a few companies over a period of one week provided good insight to the potential benefit the site could offer companies who actively participate. The organizations I monitored were Google, O’Reilly Media and HP. All three companies had sufficient consumer activity, but they differed in employee replies and availability.

I found the more employees a company had online participating in discussions with consumers, the better the response was after the initial problem was posted. This was the case with O’Reilly Media that had 36 employees available to address concerns. The opposite was apparent with Google, only having three reps and a lot of unanswered consumer questions and concern. HP was a similar to Google with only three company representatives and a lot of consumer complaint about its products.

As mentioned above there are certainly pros and cons to this site, but the cons could be turned into pros if the companies put forth more effort to monitor and reply to negative feed back, questions and concerns. The biggest downfall of the site or any site like this is by neglecting to respond to consumers to complain about products or services, you allow the problem to escalate and spread like a virus. The pros I believe outweigh the cons. If properly monitored and with the right representatives, a company’s reply can be quite powerful. This service provides consumers with an additional outlet to voice concern and reach out for assistance. Even if representatives can’t help every time, they can guide consumers to the company’s customer service department and or another outlet.

Overall the site was user friendly. It was simple to sign in and start browsing through companies. Using images of company logos helps users identify the company’s they may not know by name alone. It also makes them stand out more.

The site was simple to navigate through and providing a search bar at the top of the page helps users find relevant company information. Also the subject headlines and descriptions beside the companies showing latest ideas or problems was a great tool. Clicking on the company logo would then bring you to a list of all related discussions was easy to get to. This is important for users, especially those who are not use to computers.

The way the site flowed made sense to me. It was straightforward and basic, easy for most consumers to use. What I found difficult was locating information about company representatives. There was not much in regards to profiles or qualifications.

This type of site would be extremely beneficial in the PR role. If used properly it can create a path of communication from company to consumer that would build relationships, confidence and loyalty. It is also valuable because a company can monitor and confront issues surrounding its products or services that could potentially cause problems with its publics.

On that note, I see no harm in participating in on-line social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube, though I do have my reservations about Second Life.

From a business perspective, I’m excited to explore Second Life. I see a tremendous amount of potential and a wealth of opportunities in communities like it. The ability to communicate and network is endless. The potential for organizations to speak to their publics is priceless. Second Life alone has 13,868,639 users or “residents” in its virtual world.

With that being said, from a personal viewpoint, I worry about a world where we pay money to own non-existent virtual property. I worry about our youth and how they will cope with real world situations, if their lives are lived in virtual societies based on fiction. I’m concerned that they will spend more time and effort creating a fictional life rather than living the ones they have .

“I’ve become fascinated with the fact that more and more people are spending increasing dollars and hours in the virtual world. And I’m very interested from a public policy perspective about the impact it is going to have on our physical reality.”

Gerri Sinclair

I would really enjoy hearing feedback on your own virtual experiences and why or why not you choose to participate in virtual worlds.

I can almost say with certainty the reason I first started using computers was purely one of necessity, not choice. That first forced contact paved the bumpy road to my relationship with technology.

In the beginning, I only learned what I needed, when I needed too and then eventually just because I could. I remember struggling with my inner anti-tech persona when the gleaming black keys and bright computer screen replaced my pen and paper.

It seems as if a lifetime has passed since those tumultuous days. Today I no longer fight with the idea of technology. Rather, I have come to embrace the many positive features technology offers in my advancement through life. I’m now on a constant journey to find a balance between what technology has to offer me and the useful tools I need to take from it.

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