Yesterday I was invited to talk Pinterest for PR at the Public Relations Association of Louisiana in New Orleans.

When Abbie Fink asked me how it went, I said, “It’s really fun talking Pinterest with 30 PR girls (and three guys).”

Because, as we all know, I LOVE PINTEREST!

Rather than talk to the room from slides, I had written down 16 ways to use Pinterest for PR and I walked around the room asking for examples for each.

I began the discussion by reminding everyone that using Pinterest is not a strategy. So I remind you of the same. These are fun ideas for using Pinterest at work (and feeding the addiction), but they should be used as part of a larger marketing or communication strategy.

I now give you those 16 tips. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Lisa Gerber.

I’ll never forget the day the Counselors Academy brochure arrived in the mail.

It was Jan 2009, and my PR business was almost five years old. I had been growing it every year in double digits and had added an employee in 2008.

And then it all hit the fan, and I lost about 40 percent of my business in one fell swoop, and let my one employee go.

It felt like I was back to square one.

I realized at the time, I knew a lot about PR, but I didn’t have a clue on running a PR business.

That’s when I opened the Counselors Academy brochure – a conference for agency CEOs and leaders about the business side of the agency.  I thought long and hard about it. At a time when I was to be implementing austerity measures, I was contemplating a fairly significant expense.

There are two reasons for this post:

1. I have drunk the Kool-Aid that is Counselors Academy and want to pass the glass around; and
2. Whether Counselors is for you or not, the idea of taking a risk, and investing in yourself and/or your business is an important one. Continue Reading »

It’s Facebook question of the week time (clap, clap, clap!).

But this week I have a different video for you.

Johna Burke and I had a little chat about ethics at Counselors Academy in Las Vegas (well, really Lake Las Vegas, which is nowhere near the Strip) in May.

I know that was months ago, but she just posted it. Talk to her about it! Continue Reading »

I met Abbie Fink in Naples (Florida, not Italy), gosh, four years ago?

We were there for Counselors Academy and I had flown down a day early to help my co-chair Ben Wheatley with whatever committee we were working on at the time. But, that first night, he had an executive committee dinner and I was stuck, alone, in the hotel.

He suggested I call Abbie to see if she wanted to have dinner with me.

Now, for those of you who know me, you know I’m an introvert. So for me to call a stranger, in her hotel room, and ask her to dinner was HUGE for me.

I am so glad I did. Continue Reading »

We just returned from Counselors Academy,  a PRSA conference for PR firm leaders. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. I can hardly believe it’s been two years since I was the newbie there.

Back then, I was intimidated as hell to go. As a small PR practitioner based in Sandpoint, Idaho, I assumed everyone would wonder what I was doing there.

I was there because, when I started my business, I had no idea what I was doing. I needed to learn the business side of running an agency. I arrived and discovered that everyone was excited I was there. I have since met and made some of my closest friends and confidants (Gini Dietrich as one perfect example). I learned a ton about the business, and in general, simply raised the bar in my professional life.

This year, as always, I packed my brain with thoughts and ideas in the almost three days full of breakout sessions, keynotes and round tables. Continue Reading »

It’s Facebook question of the week time, but there will be no video. I am working from home today and, well, don’t feel like showering and getting ready just so I can do a video. And, while I’m daring, I’m not daring enough to do a video in my PJs with bed head.

Today’s question comes from Bob Reed, co-founder of Element-R, author of No Silver Bullet, and fellow Counselors Academy member

Is it permissible to post content to an open association Facebook page that is helpful, yet slightly promotional, without clearing it first? I have a client video that features one of its members using the client’s IT solution. Continue Reading »

One of my favorite sessions during Counselors Academy this past weekend (as it is every year) was Darryl Salerno’s English As a First Language. I am an English major, and take great pride in my grammar and spelling skills, but this session always does me in. As my friend Roger Friedensen says, “This is a great way to keep your ego in check.”

Continue Reading »

I’m just back from Counselors Academy in Asheville, which is part of PRSA. The annual spring conference brings together agency leaders from the U.S. and Canada and, this year, there were about 120 of us.

Between riding the Blue Ridge Parkway, hitting mecca at Mast General (see photo), playing Sorry on a Saturday night with seven other PR pros, Club 461, dueling pianos, a 60s party, and crashing prom, we actually did quite a bit of work. The sessions that were of most interest were on social media, client engagement, business growth in a new economy, and creating a vision for your business.

Following are some nuggets of wisdom I found during my trip:

Continue Reading »

My good friend Martin Waxman (@martinwaxman) posted on his blog, great reasons to attend Counselor Academy this year.  His post follows:

I wasn’t able to make it that first year, but I’ve been faithfully attending ever since and I have to say it’s one of the best things I’ve done in PR.

There are superb keynote speakers like psychologist Dr. Robert Cialdini or Robert Scoble. I first learned about social media at CA from Giovanni Rodriguez, who piqued my interest in the blogosphere and started my head swimming.

Whenever I leave a spring conference, I’m filled with fresh ideas, energized by the people and excited about our industry. It’s the highlight of my year.

Hope to see you there.

Gini’s Note: Ben Wheatley and I coordinated the breakout sessions for this year’s conference. We focused on finding the best of the best to discuss profitability, people, and potential, including other communicators, but also leaders from other industries.

See you in Palm Springs May 31-June 2!