Category: Miscellaneous

By: Grace Gilani

The days when we regarded social media indulgence as a bad habit, or a generational flaw, are essentially gone. Instead, it has become one of the most integral aspects of modern society, particularly amid the pandemic when many of our real-world forums have disappeared.

Now more than ever our digital social media marketing skills need to be at the forefront of our strategies. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, brands and companies have had to reinvent their marketing strategies to tailor them towards an almost all-digital world. Recently I realized just how important these campaigns were as I was brainstorming potential ideas for campaigns with my friends for Instagram. Even before the pandemic, our world was primarily online throughout the wide variety of social media platforms we have out there. Now, it’s hard to reach your audience when most of them are staying home. In an article by Forbes, they lay out some best practices when it comes to forming your social media strategy.

1 .Know who your audience is. 

While conducting your research you want to take into account who your target audience is and what platforms they might be using. For example, Instagram is the biggest social media platform with over one billion active monthly users. Breaking that down even further, 49 percent of their users are male while 51 percent are female. With Instagrams having such similarities there are other apps that reach more of a diverse audience, such as Twitter. Knowing who your audience is and how you want to reach it should be at the forefront of your mind. 

2. Stay up to date 

As we all change and grow throughout our day-to-day lives, it is important to keep an eye on the current trends circulating throughout the industry. As many of us are aware, all PR pros alike wake up every morning and do a news sweep and look at current trends. These trends have become increasingly popular on the fastly growing social media platform TikTok. If your company were to jump on one of these trends it would have the potential to reach millions of users and catapult your brands’ social media to a new level. 

3. Considered sponsored content 

In our world now everyone is considered an influencer if you successfully run your own Instagram account. However, knowing the difference between macro and micro-influencers is important. Many times brands will collaborate with these influencers in hopes of reaching their audience, however, macro-influencers can oftentimes come with a large price tag. If your brand is small and this is your first time experimenting with influencers, a good way to test the waters would be to use micro-influencers and assess your strategy from there by the data you collected. 

Another idea to reach your audience at home is purchasing sponsored content. By using sponsored content you are able to tailor your demographics and reach the right audience, or the one that you think could be the best for your audience. For smaller companies just $10 would suffice, it’s all about getting your brand out there. 

Even during these terrifying and uncertain times, an important thing to remember is that social media is forever, it will always be there, but remember that it can be what your brand makes of it and how you tailor it to your needs. Social media will be your best friend, especially when you look at exactly how many people use it on a daily basis. 

By: Kailey Gaffikin

For college students, a new year brings a semester full of updated schedules, approaching deadlines and never-ending assignments. All of this information overload at once can be overwhelming for some and exciting for others. However, a common question presents itself during any new transition in life.

As a college student venturing into a new semester full of deadlines with classes, internships and jobs, you may ask yourself, “Where do I start?”

The simple answer: plan ahead.

The first matter of business is to make a priorities list, which outlines the most urgent deadlines that require your attendance and participation. Some of these deadlines may be recurring whereas others may only occur once. It is crucial to make a list to map everything out onto paper since it is easy to accidentally forget a schedule full of new deadlines.

Once you have your list written, your next step is to outline the main goals for what you want to achieve out of this new schedule. Find time to prioritize any extracurriculars and self-care activities to implement within your schedule. Setting goals is a great way to remind yourself of the reason behind why your deadlines are important to you and what you want to achieve out of your new schedule.

Finally, use a planner to write out your deadlines ahead of time on a monthly basis. This is a great tool to use to your advantage. It provides a road map for you to look at when you feel scatterbrained or to serve as a reminder for certain deadlines that may of slipped your mind.

Once your planning guide is complete, you are on your way to increasing your productivity. Planning is an outlet to use at school, in the workplace and in life. When planning ahead of time, you’ll know what to expect, when to expect it and how to prepare for what you need to meet your goals and succeed to your fullest potential.  

Coffee seems like such an important part of everyone’s morning routine. It’s an essential part of life for a lot of people. I mean, during the day, there are countless times where I hear, “OMG I literally cannot talk to anyone until I’ve had my coffee.” While there are those who simply cannot function until they have taken a sip of their iced caramel macchiato, or whatever coffee flavor is in style, there are also those, such as myself, who dislike coffee. Not everyone is a huge coffee fan, I know I’m not. For those people that are looking to cut back on coffee or that don’t like it, but still want and need that boost of energy to get through the day, there are so many alternatives that can help. Here are a few:

Tea is one of the most popular alternatives to coffee. Not only is it healthier, but it also has the caffeine that so many people crave in the mornings. For those looking to cut back on caffeine, tea also comes in non caffeinated packs. There are so many choices, each with a different health benefit to it. It can even be sweetened with honey, my personal favorite, or sugar. The choice is all yours.

Another alternative drink, or drinks, that help get the most energy out of your mind and body is making infused water. For those that don’t know, infused water is taking fruit slices and putting them inside of your water bottle, about 16 ounces to start . Place your water (the fruit slices should already be inside) in the refrigerator overnight and the next morning you will have delicious energy water to drink. Some of my favorites include cucumber, strawberries and mint. There are also apple slices and cinnamon or lemon and lime with some some mint. The combinations are endless and there are so many more ideas you can find online. Not only will infused water bring you energy, but it will also detoxify your system. In order to add an extra dose of energy, add chia seeds to your drink.  

Smoothies are one of my favorite alternatives. Although preparing and making a smoothie can become time consuming, especially if you’re in a rush, preparing fruits and vegetables in a bag and sticking them in the freezer until the time comes to use them is a great way to prepare your smoothie when time is slim. Another tip is to prepare your smoothie the night before and place it in the refrigerator overnight. This can become tedious when the days are long and you just want to get to bed, but it saves time in the morning and you’ll be rewarded with a delicious, healthy drink. You can also add chia seeds to your smoothie for that extra boost. My personal favorite morning smoothie recipe is a peanut butter and banana smoothie, there are so many great recipes out there to try.

The alternatives for coffee are endless. While to some, coffee is the reason the world functions everyday, to others it’s not. Don’t be confined by coffee and go out and live your best life from your newfound morning energy By.

 By: Katya Villegas

My boyfriend and I met when we were sixteen and have been, figuratively, inseparable ever since. But when college decisions came along our senior year of high school, we realized our educations would be taking us to opposite sides of the country. His to Baltimore, Maryland, to play lacrosse and study biology, and mine to Chico, California, to study public relations. We knew we had two options, throw away what we knew was too special to waste or make the distance work. We said our goodbyes and we have been in a long distance relationship ever since.

Being in a relationship with someone across the country comes with a learning curve, especially when you’ve never done long distance before. When will we talk? How often do we video chat? When will we see each other again? To answer these questions, we figured out very quickly that communication is key. Through dating him, I have been able to take valuable communication lessons and apply them to public relations. Here are five things I learned about communication through navigating love from 2,000 miles away.

1.    Never let a problem get swept under the rug

If a problem emerges while completing work for a client, be open and transparent. Hiding even the smallest of issues can cause distrust and could even cause the issue to get worse. Communicate with your client so you can brainstorm a solution together.

2.    Always reply to texts and emails within 24 hours

Don’t leave your client waiting on your reply. Check email and voicemail one to two times a day to make sure all messages and questions are answered.

3.    If you’re busy, communicate that, but make sure they know they’re still a priority

It’s important to communicate to your client when you are busy or unable to talk. However, when doing this, always make sure that they know they are still a priority to you, and you will get back to them as soon as you can.

4.    Be attentive

Make sure to check in on your client often to make sure they are feeling okay about the work you are creating for them and see if there is anything else you are able to do for them.

5.    Meet as often as you can

Try to meet with your client as often as you are able, ideally once a week or biweekly. If it’s harder for them to meet that often, then consider Skype or Google Hangouts is a viable meeting option.

By:Arianna Silvestri

                                     

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist that has been dedicated to science education and helping people understand his field of study. He has been in the public spotlight for decades, and he has been on television since 1989.  Since then, he has become well known through his television shows like StarTalk. He has also appeared on many talk shows and podcasts like “The Tonight Show” and “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

It is through these talk show appearances that I first became a fan of his.  At first, I was captured by his low baritone voice. There was something about it that was easy to listen to. I also found it easy to understand and pay attention to what he was saying.

I became a fan before I started to study communications. Now as I’m studying the subject, it is clear to me that he is great at communicating. Using Hubell Communications article “ 6 traits and tactics of a spokesperson“ explores the top three ways that he gets the everyday person interested in the science of space.  

1.  Be knowledgeable and conversant

His master’s in astronomy takes care of the knowledgeable part. More importantly, Tyson strives to keep his language conversational and easy to understand.  Notice in the the following clip how well he tells the story of his first time on television.

 

He makes sure to define terms like plasma.  He describes in understandable terms what an explosion on the sun means.  He explains such terms all the while taking you back to the place and time of his story. He brings in the audience with little details like how he had to change quickly before the appearance.  

2. Be available and open

Tyson’s willingness to appear on different kinds of shows illustrates how approachable he wants science to be.  As would be expected, he often speaks to students like in the previous clip. He is also willing to talk to more general audiences like those he reaches on Stephen Colbert’s late-night show. On Colbert’s show, he successfully fights the stereotype of the stuffy scientist. He takes a jovial approach, telling jokes and wearing loud clothes.

His appearance on “Hot Ones” has been watched over nine million times. On “Hot Ones” the interview is conducted while the subject eats steadily spicier foods.  Other scientists in his field may feel that such an interview is beneath them, but since he is willing to do a goofy show like “Hot Ones” he has reached many people he may not have. In between bites of food, he still communicates his excitement towards astronomy and the need to fund space exploration.

 

3.  Be Genuine

This is where Tyson excels. His infectious enthusiasm for his subject is shown in many different ways.  On video you can see him look in wonder and hear his voice rise up and down with amazement. He doesn’t stand still while he is explaining a concept. He uses his arms and his eyes.  He does all these things to show how much he loves what he studies. I find it very easy to imagine him acting this way when the cameras are off just talking to fellow colleagues. His appearances never feels like a faked performance. It feels like an actual part of himself.  

I think that is the top of what you can achieve as a communicator. In this clip, host Stephen Colbert knows he only has to ask what in science Tyson is interested in to create a engaging moment. Tyson then takes Colbert’s audience on a journey that touches on scientific concepts like dark matter and reflections on the nature of human knowledge. In a short three minutes Tyson shows how he takes his excitement and makes you feel what he feels about science.

 

 

 

With these three traits, Tyson overcame a major challenge that faces many public relations professionals. Often, the subject that a public relations person must tell the public about is a subject that is obscure and boring at first glance.  A common question is how do I make this interesting? Astrophysics is a prime example of such a subject. Through his enthusiasm, his clear, easy to understand communication and his willingness to participate, Tyson makes the subject fun and interesting. He turns  a subject dense with science and math into a subject an audience can understand and want to learn more about.

By Martin Chang

Photo provided by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

I first walked onto this campus in 2016 as a transfer student from San Jose State who wanted to study journalism. This, though, however was just a vague explanation that I would tell all the new people around me.

 

In 2016, I couldn’t tell you that I was a first generation college student, queer, transgender, person of color.

 

Living authentically in my identity was put on the back burner until I could feel safe in my new environment. In 2017, we saw the most violent and deadly year for transgender people with 28 deaths, a majority being black trans women people of color. I needed a sense of security before I could open up and share my experiences with the people around me.

 

Now, I’m 10 weeks away from walking the graduation stage. I’m THIS close to being the proud parent of a journalism degree with a focus in public relations and a minor in photography.

 

Through my public relations classes, I have learned ways to amplify the voices of marginalized communities, like my own. I fought and rose through my classes with a fire for success. Now, I have the privilege of writing to you as the social media director for the highly competitive, Tehama Group Communications.

 

I can now reflect on my experience and see how much I have grown within my own identity. I’ve become, what I would consider, a successful student and I’m on my way to being a change agent.

 

I like the Metropolitan Group’s concept of a change agent and the power of voice:

“Voice is a critical catalyst for social change.”

 

I strive to be a change agent. I want to use my skills, voice and power to help empower marginalized communities and their members.

 

As I move that tassel from right to left, I will hunt to find my place in the public relations field where I can make a direct difference to the people I wish to serve.

by Jae Siqueiros

Photos by Jae Siqueiros