The publishers of Campaign, a leading business media brand serving the marketing, advertising and media communities, offer an editorial on their website entitled “What’s the secret of a long ‘marriage’?” In that, former Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO chief executive and current CEO of Girl Effect Farah Ramzan Golant offers these wise words: “The key to long-term client relationships is constant reinvigoration…. You should constantly be looking at how you can do things differently, keep freshening the account teams and stay ahead of the game.” As a communications consultant providing ongoing, dedicated counsel to a small roster of clients, I firmly believe in these vows. Among many activities aimed at ongoing education and innovation, I regularly participate in webinars being presented by industry thoughtleaders, adopting the best ideas and lessons into my arsenal. One in particular, presented by five-time published author and entrepreneur Deirdre Breakenridge entitled “Eight Techniques of the New PR Champion,” began paying dividends immediately.
On the date of this webinar in December, 2011, I had been handling PR for innovative business leaders and their (often relatively small) businesses for more than 20 years, and naturally I remain very proud of my accomplishments helping my clients consistently achieve phenomenal success. There are many aspects of my experience which play well into my roles; a few examples include my Instructional Systems Design and Public Affairs training and background in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, my high-level contributions to Emmy award-winning television productions for major networks, my writing, editing and pitching skills honed over the years for premier brands and agencies, and my previous posts handling PR, marketing and sales for ambitious companies serving the advertising and entertainment industries. Most importantly, feedback from my clients consistently endorses the indispensable value I’m providing to their business ventures, even when PR is not a top priority.
Especially in the early days of 2012, I began encountering opportunities among seasoned executives who are very focused on PR, and see it as Deirdre presents it – forming the mission-critical center of virtually all aspects of business operations.
If you have further interest in the evolving role of public relations in successful business ventures, I encourage you to read Deirdre’s books, check out her videos, and otherwise immerse yourself in the lessons she offers. In the webinar I attended, she described in detail these eight “new practices” where PR professionals continue to add immense value to businesses:
#1 The Policymaker
#2 The Internal Collaborator
#3 The Pre-Crisis Doctor
#4 The Reputation Task Force
#5 The Master of Metrics
#6 The Relationship Analyzer
#7 The Communications Organizer
#8 The Technology Tester
Even before detailing these areas and providing insights into the tools she has developed and used, the processes she has embraced, and more best practices and benefits that come from putting them to good use, Deirdre paused to make a key point: “PR people are perfect for handling social media.” With her encouragement and the confidence I’ve gathered in handling my clients, and with all the amazing insights into how to manage PR across organizations of all sizes, the achievements and accolades I am producing with my clients continue soaring to new heights.
