tehamagroup – Page 29 – Tehama Group Communications

February 27, 2015March 16, 2017

PR FAUX PAS! a Reminder & Laugh

First and foremost, honesty is considered the golden rule of public relations. As we further progress into the art of PR, we remind ourselves that we’re on the outside looking in. Be honest, who doesn’t love a good PR disaster?

We’ve seen these disasters trending on Twitter, being solved by Olivia Pope on Scandal or posted on PR Daily. Perhaps the only ones not enjoying them are the poor agencies in charge of cleaning them up.

At the end of the day, anyone is capable of making mistakes. Unfortunately in some of these PR cases, it’s often huge ones. Luckily social media provides a platform for them to be front and center. Pull out your smart phones and swipe away.

1. DiGiorno Pizza
It is very important that you research the hashtags you plan on using. DiGiorno Pizza learned the hard way after it failed to do its research on a specific hashtag. The tag #WhyIStayed extended from the various users on Twitter who were victims of domestic violence.

Unaware of the meaning, DiGiorno co-opted the hashtag and turned it into self-promotion. The damage could have been easily avoided had they done any research on the subject matter.

2. Susan Boyle
The PR team of worldwide pop music sensation Susan Boyle made a simple mistake. During a Twitter campaign for the singer, no one on her team noticed that the hashtag #susanalbumparty also spelled something a bit racier than it intended to.

After catching the mistake, they rushed to change it to #SusanBoylesAlbumParty but the damage had grown to catastrophic measures. Beware of what your hashtag says.

3. American Apparel
There’s nothing more exciting than an online sale. As soon as those sale signs hit my smartphone screen, I pull out my credit card. But never in a million years would I imagine that a company would take advantage of a natural disaster to promote a few crop tops and spandex shorts. American Apparel has a history of inappropriate behavior.

Leave it to American Apparel to launch a Hurricane Sandy sale. Perhaps the worst parts was to stoop so low as to use the hashtag #sandysale. Unfortunately, I have a friend who lost his home during that disaster. It was a devastating time, and i don’t think a pair of tight gym shorts is going to cover the pain.

By Angel Huracha, social media assistant

February 25, 2015March 16, 2017

Seven Ways to Improve Your Writing

We’ve all heard it — that one person in class who says, “I can’t wait until I’m done with school, so I’ll never have to write another paper again,” and then we don’t know if we should give them a hug or knock some sense into them, but either way they’re in for a rude awakening.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news for those poor souls, but everybody writes. Whether you find yourself writing a press release, business plan, research paper, blog post or even a tweet, writing is something you just can’t avoid in the professional world.

Some people dread writing while others love it, and even the ones who love it sometimes do whatever they can to put it off. Whichever category you fall under, I’ve found a few ways to help improve your writing:

1. Create a routine

Like a basketball player going to the free throw line, find a routine that makes you feel comfortable and puts you in the zone. Maybe you need music playing in the background or your favorite mug filled with coffee to get you in the writing mood. Or maybe you need to take your shoes off or do a couple jumping jacks first. Do what works for you — nobody’s judging.

2. Get your creativity flowing

It’s pretty hard to sit down and be able to bust out a good piece of writing at any time of the day. Make yourself a creative space to inspire you or do some writing exercises to warm up your brain.

3. Just keep writing

I once had an elementary school teacher tell me, “You’re not a writer unless you write.” I, of course, thought she was crazy. Of course writing makes you a writer — it’s in the name. But the more I write, the more that phrase makes sense to me.

You can love writing as much as you want, but unless you actually write, you’re not actually a writer. Don’t wait for inspiration to strike you, because that doesn’t happen as often as it should. Give yourself a set time to write every day, and you’ll see your writing improve. It doesn’t matter what you write, just keep writing.

4. Embrace the ugly

I’m a firm believer in the ugly first draft. In fact, I love my first drafts. I quickly throw everything I’m thinking onto the page, and then when I look back at what I wrote I’m often inspired to go in a different direction. Just because you wrote something you liked the first time around, it doesn’t mean you have to keep it, which leads me to the next tip.

5. Be a ruthless rewriter

Love one line that you wrote in your first draft, but it doesn’t fit with everything else? Get rid of it. It’s hard, but sometimes necessary.

6. Share your work with a friend

I’m my own worst critic, and I never feel like anything I write is ready for anyone but me to see. This has been one of my hardest habits to kick, but easily the most important one for me to change. How can you expect to improve if you don’t get any feedback while you’re writing? Find someone you trust — who isn’t your editor — to give you their honest opinions and suggestions for change.

7. Proofread, proofread, proofread

A quick way to alienate your editor is to turn in work that you obviously didn’t reread before you sent in. Save everyone some time — and grief — and proofread your own work. It will give you a sharper eye for your mistakes, and it also gives you a chance to make any last minute changes.

By Corey Bruecker, account executive

February 20, 2015March 16, 2017

8 interviewing tips for writers

To craft the perfect press release, newsletter article or blog post, PR pros must know how to effectively interview insiders. The following eight tips will help you get the most out of your sources, from business executives to eccentric chefs.

1. Don’t limit your notes to a Q&A format.

It may seem logical to write down all of your must-ask questions with three or four lines in between for responses, but this format can limit the flow of conversation. It’s easy to forget about follow-up questions if you’re focused on making your way down a list.

Instead try writing your most important questions at the top of the page for reference. As you interview, note which questions you still need to ask, and work them in when the conversation slows.

2. Be personable.

It can be very awkward if an interviewer asks question after question and never looks their source in the eye. Ask follow-up questions, show interest and if you’re meeting face-to-face, remember to look up often.

3. Establish purpose.

Make sure your source understands the purpose of the piece you are writing. If you hope to capture the personality of a business owner for a feature story, don’t let your source talk finance for 20 minutes.

4. Limit initial research.

PR pros sometimes serve as translators between industry experts and the public. It’s important to have a basic understanding of the topic before an interview, but don’t do too much research.

It will be much easier to decide what information is important and what information needs to be simplified if you come to the interview knowing just enough to formulate effective questions.

5. Hunt down direct quotes.

Direct quotes establish credibility, express personality and add color to written work. Being mindful of possible quotes during an interview will save you a lot of time in the writing process.

When your source says something particularly helpful, interesting or entertaining, glance at your recorder and jot down the time elapsed. This way it’ll be easy to replay that part of the conversation and get a strong, accurate quote for your piece.

6. Get personal-ity.

When writing a piece in which a person is the subject, remember to capture the individual’s personality.

Ask personal questions, get your source’s opinion and, when possible, observe your source’s nonverbal behavior. What are they wearing? Do they have an interesting smile, laugh or habit? Some of the best feature story leads are drawn from personality.

7. Ask for help eliminating jargon.

Save a lot of time translating terms by asking your source to explain industry jargon in common language. Don’t worry about sounding uninformed, and ask a few questions that focus on the general public’s understanding.

8. Observe your subject in action.

When time allows, witness your subject at work. Whether you’re in the kitchen with a local chef or exploring the features of a new tech item, it’s easier to report on what you’ve seen firsthand.

Keep in mind that as you interview, your sources are observing you in action. Consider these tips to improve your interview conduct and impress the people who supply you with interesting content.

By Jessica Barber, Account Executive

February 18, 2015March 16, 2017

Moving to the city comes with a cost

With the continuous growth and opportunity surrounding the tech PR industry, many grads find themselves relocating to the Bay Area after college. Landing your dream job, meeting new people and exploring all that San Francisco has to offer sure sounds appealing, but there is one dreadful factor that can’t be overlooked—finding a place to live.

Photos by: Kayla Wilkinson

I am one of those soon-to-be grads seeking out a career in the Bay Area. If job hunting wasn’t already enough of a stressor, try adding in finding a place to live that costs less than $3,000 per month. Let’s just say, it’s not easy. With graduation quickly approaching I’ve already started my search for finding a place to live.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

According to Kiplinger.com, San Francisco comes in third for the most expensive place to live in the U.S., right behind Honolulu and New York. Yikes.

As a rule of thumb, I found that only 30 percent of your salary should be spent on rent. Well, let’s do the math to see how much we should spend on rent:

A base salary of a public relations assistant account executive or account executive in San Francisco averages to about $35,000-45,000 a year according to hoojobs.com. Let’s just say a job offers you $40,000. That means that 30 percent of your salary would come to $12,000 leaving only $1,000 per month dedicated to rent. With the price of rent for a one bedroom averaging at $2,920.50 per month, there is no way this is financially affordable.

So here’s some things you can do:

Find roommates! The easiest way to lower the cost of rent is to find roommates to split it with.
Utilize social media. Tools such as Hootsuite and TweetDeck make it easy to search for keywords like “rent in San Francisco” or “Bay Area housing” so that you can stay on top of new listings. You can also post status updates that let your friends and family know you are looking to relocate. It’s all about networking.
Check Craigslist. You never know when someone is in desperate need to find a roommate and is offering a great price for a room.
Use Livelovely.com to refine your search and set alerts. This site makes it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. If nothing is currently available, you’ll be alerted when something comes up.

For all of you in the same boat as me, I wish you luck on finding a place to live. As much as it is a hassle to find housing in the city, I have no doubt that it will be worth it. Let me know if you have any other tips for finding a place to live!

By Kayla Wilkinson, General Manager

February 18, 2015April 2, 2015

Finding the balance between personal and professional social media:

Today, as college kids, we put our entire lives on our social media; we feel the need to share every thought, feeling and activity. But when the time comes for us to join the job hunt, our future employers will, without a doubt, search through that social media to get an idea of who we are.

Ranting on social media is never okay, especially if you have professional followers.

Often people advise to have two separate accounts, one personal and one professional, for each social media outlet. But I disagree, partially because I barely have enough time to master one of each channel, let alone two of each.

While I prepare myself for the career world, I’m taking a deep look into my accounts, and deleting what doesn’t need to be seen by my future employers. However where do we draw the line to avoid deleting our whole personalities?

With a little help from College Express, I’ve crafted a short list of the major do’s and don’ts of social media for college students on the job hunt:

DO:

Show your personality: A page that’s strictly professional is boring. Employers want to see who you really are, as your personality is what makes you different from every other applicant.
Play with the background and/or cover photo of your page: An original background photo can offer an opportunity to make your profile stand out and show what interests you.
Be active: Social media is designed to be social! An employer wants to see that you are active on your social media channels and engage with followers.
Research about how successful people manage their social channels: Start with USA Today’s article and conduct your own research. Knowledge is power.

DON’T:

Post photos containing alcohol consumption of any kind: While you might think the innocent photo of you and your friends wine tasting is classy, it’s best to just leave out drinking altogether.
Express your opinions on controversial topics: Your political and religious beliefs can be a huge part of your personality, but unless they relate to your job field, it’s better to stay neutral during the job hunt process.
Get emotional: Everyone has bad days, but be careful not to get caught up in the moment and share too much. Always keep in mind that even if you delete a post, it still existed, and who knows how many people saw it.

By Gwendolyn Corner, PR Director

February 12, 2015March 16, 2017

Using Social Media Professionally

Technology is constantly evolving and it seems almost impossible to keep up with all of the changes. Social media is one major component that has continued to grow with the changes in technology. Aside from being used for just social communication, social media has proven to be an effective way for companies and professionals to market and expand their networks.

When using social media for a company, it is smart to create a page that consumers can easily “like” or “follow”. According to Forbes, some of the benefits of social media marketing are:

Strengthened brand recognition: Increased visibility through social media is vital to help the company grow. Customers can then easily recognize the brand and the content it promotes.

Improved customer loyalty: With business social media profiles, customers are more likely to remain loyal to that company because they have the ability to directly connect and engage.

Show a higher level of customer service: Social media allows businesses to gain that extra step in customer service. Direct engagement allows for customers to easily voice their opinions and for the company to take action immediately. By responding quickly and truthfully, companies can maintain a transparent and trustworthy image with their consumers.

Social media can also be utilized by individuals from a professional standpoint. LinkedIn is a social media channel that is specifically geared toward professionals. Users can easily connect with other businesses and individuals in order to promote themselves on LinkedIn. One advantage is that users can join groups that are directly related to specific companies and interests. Here are some ways using groups can be beneficial according to the LinkedIn Official Blog:

Join groups that relate to your industry: Topics can range from broad to more general, so it is easy for users to find a group that interests them. By joining and participating in groups, users can more effectively network and connect with other professionals.

Become a top influencer: By joining a group and regularly posting relevant content, a user can become a top influencer of the group, meaning that other group users view them as an asset to the group.

Start a discussion: Creating a discussion within a group can get other members involved and can help promote a specific topic. Users can also share discussions on other social media sites in order to gain additional publicity and engagement.

In order to improve a professional image, individuals and companies can utilize social media to help network and engage with consumers and professionals.

-By Rachael DiCicco, Social Media Director

December 18, 2014December 17, 2014

Happy Holidays!

Thank you for following our blog during the fall semester. We wish everyone happy holidays and safe travels!

Check back in January for new blog posts from our spring 2015 team members!

-TGC

December 11, 2014December 17, 2014

PROCRASTINATION ASSASSINATION

They say admission is the first step in the road to recovery, so here I go: My name is Corey, and I’m a serial procrastinator. I’m easily distracted and even more so easily entertained — two characteristics that make a deadly procrastination combination.

My motto in life has always been, ‘Why do today what you what you can put off until tomorrow?’ I’ve lived by this mantra whole-heartedly, although my mom has always accused me of having a procrastination problem — To which I reply, ‘I don’t have a problem. I can stop whenever I want!’

I try to justify my foolish behavior by claiming that I work better under pressure, but that’s far from true. I crack like an iPhone screen under pressure. The closer that impending deadline gets, I begin to feel overwhelmed, complain to my roommates about all the stuff that I have to do, pity myself and then crawl into bed to take a nap because I just don’t have the time to take care of all my responsibilities. Woe is me.

While I always miraculously get my work done after days of procrastinating, I pay for it with my mental stability. Doing everything last minute will eventually wear you down. As a soon-to-be college graduate, I’ve finally decided to stop being the root of my own stress. I’ve found a few ways to help me manage my time more effectively and stay productive.

Get a planner and write in it religiously

It’s likely that if you don’t write your tasks down, you’ll remember them at a painfully inconvenient time — like when you’re in the shower and you have a quiz due online in 30 minutes.

Organizing all your priorities into a list is not only a good way to remind yourself that it needs to be done, but it also shows you just how many things you have to do. Extra-long lists will make you panic for a minute, but they also force you to realize that you need to get started on your work before it completely consumes you.

Find what motivates you and give yourself incentives

There are tons of reasons to get your work done in a timely matter. For me, it’s being free to always say yes when a friend calls me to go on a spontaneous adventure — something I can’t do if I’m working with a tight deadline. If I’m feeling particularly unmotivated, I tell myself that I can’t go out with my friends until my finish my paper that’s due next week. Stay strict with yourself and reward yourself when you deserve it!

Get rid of the distractions

Two words: cat videos. This guilty pleasure is my No. 1 Internet weakness. They lure me in with their enticing titles and inescapable cuteness. And before I know it it’s two hours later, and I still haven’t started my research paper.

Don’t let the Web suck you in! If you’re like me and can’t be trusted, you can download programs to help you, such as StayFocusd, an extension of Google Chrome that restricts the amount of time you spend on certain websites. Once you’ve used up your allotted time, the sites you choose to block will be inaccessible for the rest of the day.

And finally, my most useful piece of advice:

Suck it up and get it done

I think this one speaks for itself.

– By Corey Bruecker, assistant account executive

December 9, 2014December 9, 2014

Finding Your Dream Job

When people think of a dream job they often don’t think about the work that goes into finding or creating it. Whether you are job-hunting for the first time, new at a job or looking to switch jobs, there are things to consider before committing to a career. If you want a career that will last a lifetime, take a look at the points below to set you on the right path:

When looking for a job of course you want to take salary into consideration. But try to be realistic about how much you’ll be getting paid considering the position’s responsibilities and your experience level. In addition, keep in mind what you really may need to make to cover bills, rather than how much you want.

Do you want to work for a big company, a small company, or self-employed? Some people prefer a big company because the clients’ budgets are often bigger, which in turn can allow for more creativity when handling their affairs. Others prefer a smaller company atmosphere where individual responsibilities are more varied, and you get to know all co-workers. Still others prefer to be self-employed to maximize ability to be creative and independent.

Take into consideration the hours you will have to work. Do you hate being stuck inside for eight hours a day? A desk job may not be the right path for you.

Notice the things that you do that make you happy, and find a job that fits with those kinds of tasks. You can use the skills from things you enjoy doing in your free time to lead you to your career. For example if you like being creative and working in groups, perhaps something like marketing is right for you.

Laura Garnett in “5 Steps That Will Uncover Your Dream Job” recommends that you not only find your talent, but also know how to talk about it. She also recommends that you find how to do this by asking others. It may seem intimidating, but if you ask others about your strengths then you can get a better idea of how to sell them.

Ultimately doing it and seeing if you like it is the final test. Try out that internship or volunteer. The only way to know if you like it day-in and day-out is to do it.

As Jordan Wedell says in “3 Steps to Determining Your Dream Job,” you can’t be afraid to fail. If you tried your best and it doesn’t work out, that may mean you just need to keep trying new things. It’s okay to learn from your mistakes and then use lessons learned to find your dream job.

Still not sure? Try taking a quiz from The Guardian to see what job you have aptitude for.

– Jason Balangue, graphic designer

December 4, 2014March 17, 2017

Behind the Scenes: Sacramento Kings PR

It’s basketball season! I sat down with the Sacramento Kings Senior Director of Communications Laura Braden to talk about working in the real world and the post-grad job hunt.

A Day in the Office

A typical day in PR doesn’t exist, Braden said. As a PR professional you are always plugged-in and on-call in case of a client emergency.

“I always tell people if you are looking for a personal life, public relations is not for you,” Braden said.

The media isn’t a 24-hour news cycle anymore thanks to Twitter and other social media, she said. People want second to second updates now.

Her day starts at home checking emails and news feeds to catch up on the Kings and the PR world. After responding to emails received throughout the night, she heads to the Sleep Train Arena office.

Braden said she wakes up daily with a to-do list and a plan that could be thrown-out at a moments notice, if a crisis arises.

“You’re putting out fires or this amazing interview opportunity comes up, and you can’t say no, and they want to do it at 2 o’clock, and it’s 1:30, so you’re scrambling to make it work,” Braden said.

The rest of her day is filled with meetings and more emails. The stress and the pace is a constant to her daily routine, she said.

“But every day is different and that’s what keeps it fun and challenging,” said Braden.

The New Arena

The Kings current project is the construction of the arena in downtown Sacramento, the Sacramento ESC. The project promotes the progress of the demolition and construction of the new arena, but also highlights the downtown Sacramento community.

“Our strategy is to create this kind of strong community,” said Braden “We want to be a good neighbor and partner to the groups and people that work around us.”

She directs the business PR that focuses on the NBA 3.0, Vivek Ranadivé’s philosophy based on globalization, community and technology, Braden said. She is part of nearly all external communication, from news conferences to big announcement-events.

But her work day is just getting started after the meetings and emails. After hours she is extremely active in the Sacramento community. After all, engaging in the community is incredibly important to her job, she said.

“It’s good to be out in the community and receiving feedback and hearing about what’s going on,” Braden said. “When you work for the Kings people want to know what the Kings are up to, and they also have lots of feedback for you.”

Tips for the Job Hunt

Graduation is quickly approaching meaning the post-grad job hunt is right around the corner. Saying good-bye to the comforts of college and hello to the realities of the real world begins to set in.

“The hardest job you will ever get is your first one,” Braden said.

Five Pieces of Advice

The more real life experiences you can get the better.
Figure out what makes you unique and own it and sell it.
What really matters is: what is on your resume, who you know and what you know.
Your resume isn’t an archive of all the things you’ve done, it is a reflection of what you think you can bring to a particular job.
Keep whatever is making you money on there because that shows you’re able to juggle multiple hats, and you can handle full-time employment.

– Sarah Winning, social media director