We work as strategic partners with clients, learning about their business, creating a PR plan and develop key messages. If there is a product or service involved, our job is to create and build awareness. If there is the possibility of something bad happening, we work with clients to mitigate the damage. This doesn’t mean we try to whitewash a problem, rather we help them to find ways to respond in the best way.
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It’s been a while since South Florida has seen a hurricane, so many people either may never have experienced one, or they have become complacent and unprepared. As a native Floridian, I have weathered many a storm. And, as a journalist, I saw up close and personal the devastation hurricanes can bring. Preparing for a storm can be a lot like preparing for a public relations crisis. We hope it never comes, but if it does, we can make it through if we are prepared. As Tropical Storm Erika makes its way through the Atlantic, many people are taking a wait-and-see attitude. But is that really the best approach? As with public relations, probably not. These days you can’t take a stick-your-head-in-the-sand approach and hope that whatever happens blows over. As a hurricane nears the last thing you want to do is decide that now is the time to run out and buy plywood for your windows and stock up on water and batteries. The same applies in public relations – prepare for the worst and hope for the best. The following are some things you should put into place before a crisis occurs: I recently was asked to give a presentation to a group of business people. One of the things they asked me to do was tell a little about myself. This forced me to sit down and to think about who I was and how my career had evolved over the last few decades. Before going into public relations, I spent my formative years as a journalist learning and honing my craft. But I rarely let grass grow under my feet. Some might say I job jumped too much and sometimes I even worried that perhaps I should have stayed in some jobs longer than I did. Back in my parents’ day companies instilled in their workers a sense of loyalty. As a result, you took a job and tried to hold onto it until you retired. But that is changing. I recently read an article that said U.S. workers have an average job tenure of only 4.6 years. A Careerbuilder study published in May found more than half (55 percent) of employers surveyed said they hired a job-hopper and nearly one-third (32 percent) of all employers said they have come to expect workers to job-hop. The next time you are considering a new hire consider this: Job jumpers bring with them a sense of excitement and desire to learn and share their knowledge. They are more adaptable and can get up to speed more quickly than those who have grown stagnant in their jobs. Many jump because they are recruited and are desirable to have as employees. That’s not to say there aren’t negatives to hiring job jumpers, but the onus is on the company to make them want to stay. As for me, I think my job jumping days are over. I like it where I am in life. Susan R. Miller is founder of Garton-Miller Media, a full-service, South Florida based public relations firm. Susan is a former journalist with more than 30 years of experience. Everyone talks about how, as summer heats up in South Florida, business cools down. Although it is true that many people hit the road on vacation, while others spend weeks or even months at a time at their summer home, for those of us in public relations, summer provides the perfect opportunity to reach out to the media. Many reporters actually find it difficult to track down long-time sources. This provides those of us in public relations with the chance to offer up new ones. I know that when I was a reporter, I often went back to the same tried-and-true sources for their insights and comment. But I always kept a Rolodex (that's how long I was in the journalism profession) of possible alternatives. Many of them later became my go-to people, even after the summer months ended and my usual sources returned. Summer is also the perfect time to take advantage of those days when your clients are gone. While you may be tempted to take an extra-long lunch, or just ditch the office and head to the beach, this is actually a great opportunity to do some planning. Why not go through your media lists and make necessary updates? While you are at it, give some reporters/editors a call and see if they can make time for lunch. Look at those editorial calendars that may have been pushed off to the side gathering dust while you were busy putting out daily fires. What opportunities are coming up that you might be able to pitch? Take the time to craft pitches today that can be used in the future. If you write blogs for your clients, topic shop and write a few evergreens that can be put into the mix when things start to get busy. Look for opportunities to sharpen your existing skills or learn new ones. Have you ever wanted to learn iMovie, Photoshop WordPress? Now is the time to start. Yes, summer is a time for everyone to get a little R & R, but it's also the perfect time to take advantage of some downtime by building your skills, relationships and business. Susan R. Miller is founder of Garton-Miller Media, a full-service, South Florida based public relations firm. Susan is a former journalist with more than 30 years of experience. I have been fortunate to work with Expert Beacon for a while and provide the website with informative articles from many of my clients. Recently, I was asked to write one for myself on a subject near and dear to my heart -- public relations. The format provides a list of do's and don'ts. And while relatively simple, it's a good starting point for those who have never considered publicizing their company. Click here to read more. |
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October 2017
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Garton-Miller Media is a full-service, South Florida-based public relations firm. Founder Susan R. Miller has 30 years of experience as a writer, journalist and PR professional. Categories
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The material on this website may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used without the prior permission of susanrmillermedia.
We are a results-oriented, Raleigh, North Carolina-based public relations and content marketing firm serving clients nationwide. We focus our practice on media relations, content creation and social media.