Samantha Jo Linnett
Public Relations, Public Affairs, Coffee and Wine

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—Thoughts and scribbles.

CuseCon 2014: The Secret to Social Commerce

This year, Syracuse University’s W.P. Ehling Chapter of PRSSA was chosen to host the PRSSA regional conference, thus dubbed CuseCon.

On March 1st and 2nd, an amazing speaker line-up filled the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with some great tips for using social commerce and the future of public relations. I wanted to share the main points from the speakers that I saw during the conference with you.

Bob Pearson, W2O Group: Social Commerce and Your Career – How to Thrive in a Connected World

  • The media landscape has completely changed
  • 1, 9, 90: 1% create the content, 9% share the content, 90% absorb the content
  • There are 5 drivers of content: Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Video, Mainstream Media
  • Since media has been redefined, old media plans are obsolete
  • You must know the patterns of those you are trying to reach
  • You must know your target audience’s influencers
  • Targeting is the only way to beat the mass amounts of data
  • Build mountain ranges, not skyscrapers, of online conversation
  • Storytizing will replace advertising: Give people a story and watch them run with it

Immy Khan, Creative Director at Google: Creative Storytelling

  • Technology makes things endless
  • Digital is real: digital experiences are enhancements, not diversions, in our everyday lives
  • There is no clutter: we filter in what we want and out what we don’t
  • Technology is the tool for people to start their own ideas and create their own content
  • You can’t just push information out at people, you must challenge them to educate and participate on their own
  • Use story engines: aim at something bigger than an ad and maybe even bigger than your brand
  • Ask a question that you don’t know the answer to
  • Erase the boundary between marketing and real life
  • Mobile is eating the world
  • Amazing is always on the other side of yes

Bill Jasso, Professor of Public Relations: Taking Every Last Penny

  • On negotiating for your first job:
  • What is negotiable? Salary, bonus, insurance (maybe), 401K/pension, start date, performance review date, relocation expense, education/seminars, vacation, computer/laptop, cell phone service, signing bonus
  • How do I negotiate? Do your homework!
  • Research the company
  • Research the salary: by position, by location, by skills
  • Don’t be afraid of them taking #2 because you negotiate. You are #1, and they want YOU

Fred Cook, GolinHarris: Unconventional Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO

  • Expose yourself: Get experience and take yourself out of your comfort zone – prepare for the “real world”
  • Hit the Road: Americans are afraid to travel, but you learn so much through traveling
  • Ask the Captian: Make an impression and meet the senior people in the office that can make a difference in your career
  • Find a way past “No.”
  • Enlist an Entourage: Behind every famous person there’s a group of professionals working to keep them that way
  • Assemble your Team: Friends, family, teachers and coworkers
  • Work for Tips: Customer service is at the heart of business
  • Don’t be afraid to fail: Even if you fail, you gain great experience
  • Guide a Tour: Improvisation takes skills and practice, but a little preparation and a lot of creativity can convince anyone
  • Substitute: Teach yourself in every job that you do, whether it’s where you want to be or not
  • Make the Rules: Ask for opportunities and promotions will follow
  • Courage is built by experience, so don’t be afraid to walk you own path

Panel Discussion: Career Advice for the PR Professional
with Imran Khan, Creative Agency Lead, Google;
Craig Radow, Media Relations, 20th Century Fox;
Kristine Weise, Global PR, SoundCloud

  • Try some stuff out – don’t always do the conventional
  • Take some time to be young
  • Find your passion and make that your North Star
  • Be patient, show enthusiasm, and go to work like it’s your first day every day
  • Don’t be concerned about getting the big names on your resume – use the experience you get whether big or small
  • Don’t be afraid to make a change if you are in a space that doesn’t fit you
  • Be able to articulate your ideas, both through writing and speaking
  • Always continue to learn

Joe Cohen, APR, National Chair of PRSA & SVP of MWW: Social Commerce for You – Building your personal brand

  • The Human Brand: you feel like you know who they are
  • Define your brand with characteristics, voice, style and values. Show what you stand for.
  • Navigating the social ecosystem: What’s on your social media pages? What does it say about you? Does it connect with what you would show in an interview?
  • Do: be authentic, be consistent, be active, stay current, be protective of your brand
  • Don’t: be unprofessional, engage in rants, be too relaxed when it comes to sharing personal information, be too trusting of privacy settings

Matt McLernon, Communications Manager at YouTube: 8 Things I wish I knew before starting Agency Life

  • Have perfect grammar
  • Use “we” generously and “I” sparingly
  • It’s okay to not start working right away
  • It’s okay to switch agencies based on your clients or prospective clients
  • Titles and promotions are often used in place of compensation: don’t fall for it
  • The best PR people are a little crazy. Only a little.
  • The thing PR people hate the most is being surprised. Even if it’s a good surprise.
  • Treat everyone the same: like a person. (Admins make the world go round.)
  • Bonus: Your own life needs to be a priority

Joe Cohen, PRSA National Chair: Leading the Way – Fearless Future for PR

  • 2012-2013 was a transformative period for PR: Social media, blurred lines of who is posting, increased perceived value of PR
  • PR is a profession poised for growth: it is one of the fastest growing business categories, business leaders increasingly view strategic communications skills as vital, and budgets are rising and will continue to do so
  • PR has a heightened role in the strategic process with greater leadership opportunities
  • PR sits at the convergence of Paid/Owned/Earned/Shared media

Seven Deadly Sins of PR:

  1. Thinking like a journalist, but not like a marketer
  2. Suffering from an inferiority complex
  3. Getting a cheap thrill from deadline pressure
  4. Chasing shiny objects
  5. Hatred of math
  6. Failure to measure
  7. Fearing to admit failure
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