Practical PR Suggestions for the Real Word

by David L. Burton

I attended and helped to organize the Southwest Missouri PRSA Chapter's Spring Boot Camp on April 28 in Springfield, Mo.

I've heard it said that if you leave a workshop with one good take away sentence then your time has been well-spent and the workshop was a success. Here are my take-away sentences for the day!

CUSTOMER SERVICE

What is your companies plus one? What are customers wanting from you? Answer that question and then do something extra.

WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Because of mobile access to web, writing lean is essential. Treat it word like it costs a $1 and spend as little as possible.

PDFs do not load well on mobile devices. Who knew? This changes everything for me if my goal is to make our website more mobile friendly.

Google prefers blogs of 1500 words or less. Keep it updated.

STORYTELLING TACTICS

Tell a specific story with a specific point of view. Start In the middle of the action. Start when story begins. Use details to convey meaning. If possible, subvert expectations. If possible, establish and resolve a conflict. If possible, set up a puzzle or mystery.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Social media does not do magic. Social media does not maintain itself. It is extremely hard to use social media to convert a follower to a customer. Social media does not replace your website or blog.

Six words are a good length for headlines. Brevity is crucial on social media.

In news, the readers and viewers are the product and they are sold to advertisers.

POWERFUL STORYTELLING

Keep the ego out of stories. If you are telling a story, it is not about you.