strategic public relations and personal branding
DESCRIPTION
Alan Weinkrantz presentation to Students at Trinity University on Strategic PR and Personal Branding. Presentation includes discussion case study of Denim Group, founded by 2 Trinity Univ. alumniTRANSCRIPT
Strategic PR& Personal Branding
Trinity University
September 28, 2010
Before we start
• Inventory of cell phones
• Leave them on for the 1st 20 minutes of the discussion....turn up the volume
• Take all calls, but speak in soft voice
• Check Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, email
• Respond to IM in real time
Today
• This course is critical to your career / life path regardless if you become a PR person, politician, doctor, lawyer, rock star, architect, etc or win the lottery never work a day in your life.
Today• Background
• PR as it was
• PR as it is becoming
• Social Media
• Case Story: Trinity Alumni Company- DenimGroup
• Personal Branding - you!
About
• PR guy for 25 years
• Social Media for the last 5 years
• Blogger with.... 4 blogs
• Former Journalist.... contributing columnist “Express-News”
• Content producer
When I went to college
No PC - we used a typewriter
Research was done the Library
No InternetNo iPhone or wireless
devicesNo digital camera
Social Media did not exist
Caveat
• Presentation based on my belief sets
• I try things out and like to experiment
• Not everything I do works, but the good news is that this costs almost zero, other than your time
PR
• PR still matters in the traditional sense but it’s rapidly changing
• message
• voice
• content
Strategy
• I still believe in strategy, but even the best laid plans have shorter shelf life because the media and how “news” gets reported moves so fast
I still pitch
• I still develop story ideas
• I still pitch journalists
• I still get “media coverage” for clients, but it’s getting harder and... less relevant
Every company is a...• Media Company
• content creator
• story teller
• community builder
• aimed at being discovered and shared if you do your job right and deliver on your brand promise
Premise
• Don’t just study “PR” at Trinity
• become your own client
• start marketing and selling you in advance of your graduation so you can go on to grad school, start a new business, or get an amazing job
Today
• Focus on branding
• you are a brand
Dear Mom & Dad... today in
school, I learned that I was a
brand
How to package yourself
• Thought leader
• Innovative
• Connecter
• Networker
• Ear to the ground
raise money
build a team
partners
grad school
cool job
Influence is the new currency
• Influence and thought leadership is the new currency
• Make your voice heard
• Make a difference
study. work hard. have fun.
start storytelling
stream your
narrative
build a following and new deal flow will come
your way
how: > ?
converse
interface
broadcast
inform
share
spread you ideas
give away as much information about you as you can
The Basics
• Develop your “voice”
• Write like you speak
• Write to and for your audience(s)
• Give yourself six months to see it work
Who are you trying to reach?
• Have the right message and tone of voice
• the right people
• the right networks
• be persistent with outreach
The Social Web
If you populate the social web with great and relevant content about yourself, you’ll be found, and it will serve its purpose in whatever you want to do after you graduate from Trinity
static
Web Site
Brochures
Press Releases
active
Trade Show Booth
VS.
Go wide and deep
You Company Technology
BlogArticle
submissions
Digg
YouTube
Comment on other blogs
SlideShare
Docstoc
Slideshare
delicious
How I’ve used the power of social web to get media coverage, gain credibility and
demonstrate thought leadership as a pro-active consumer of AT&T’s three screen
service offering
trade business/financial broadcast radio
YouTube -great way to pitch the media
Industry leaders demonstrate
N-trig technology
Re-purposing content...
Industry leaders demonstrate N-trig applications & product
differentiation
How To: How I watch Internet TV - U-verse and Internet TV
DenimGroup
• Founded by 2 Trinity Alum
• Dan Cornell & Sheridan Chambers
• Building secure software
• 50 + employees
• Inc 5,000 company 3 years in a row
PR / Social Media
• Thought leadership in emerging market category
• Hard news
• Media coverage in tech / IT / security media
• Social Media / Content Development
Branding YOU
• Your brand is your best personal resume
• If you understand the power of personal branding it will help you get into grad school, start a new business, or great an amazing job when you finish Trinity
• Branding really shows who you really are
How I am branding Alan
• Social Networks
• Blogging
• Journalism
• Self PR
• Photography
• Videos
I’m a mini broadcasting
network
What about you?
• Student leader
• Innovator
• Collaborator
• First mover
• Entrepreneur
• Community builder
Consumer facing blog covering AT&T positions me as an authority in triple play services in
telecom
Facebook connects me to friends & business associates in
the U.S. and Israel
LinkedIn - business focused social networking in the U.S. and Israel
Flickr photos....I always carry my camera when I travel for fun or business
Monthly columnist for San Antonio “Express-News” covering AT&T
and Social Media
B.B. King, Tom Petty, The Who in Concert
Branding You!
• Join a few networks
• Determine what you want to communicate about yourself
• Make sure you have an up to date photo
• If you are on social networks, make sure you have an up to date profile
Branding You• Your personal site on Facebook
incorporated with your school work
• Start a blog on your professional interests
• 30 days of listen
• 30 days of research to see who you want to engage with
• 30 days of conversation and outreach
Brand Persona
• @TrinityHottie
• @LoveMyBeer
• @BigAssCamero
• @AnarchyNation
careful how you brand yourself on
twitter...
Be aware
• You are what you post...
• “got shit-faced last night at Fiesta”
• “going to Mexico this weekend to....”
• “Prof. Smith is an ass-hole”
• “looking to buy term paper on....”
Contact
• Alan Weinkrantz
• www.alanweinkrantz.com
• @alanweinkrantz - Twitter
• FaceBook, LinkedIn too!
Copy of presentation
• online today: alanweinkrantz.com
• Slideshare.net
• copy and share with others
• this is just what I believe and seems to work
• your mileage may vary
start story telling
be your own client
don’t just “study” PR; do it for yourself
Thank You
© 2010