During the Planning Stage, you will want to consider everything that could occur in the Implementation Stage. You’ll prepare your messaging and overall communications plan, and one of the tactics to heavily consider is creating an editorial calendar. Editorial calendars help you keep content organized during a specific timeframe. We have four considerations when planning out your editorial calendar.
Read MoreHaving social anxiety means that you fear social situations. This manifests itself in multiple ways for different people. You may feel awkward at a party in which you don’t really know anyone, afraid to start a conversation because you may feel “stupid” or out of place. Networking events could be like torture chambers to you because you have to speak to strangers, eat in public or start an actual decent conversation while you feel like you’re going to hyperventilate yourself right out of that room. Here are three practical tips to help you through even your most socially awkward and anxious moments.
Read MoreMedia placements and impressions are viable measurements of success, but are they the be-all-end-all of your campaign? Public relations and business are greatly tied to each other. In many cases, you’re reporting to investors, a Board of Directors, employees and other key stakeholders about your daily-to-annual company happenings. They will ask you questions in official and more nonchalant meetings, and you have to be able to tell them about the success or failures of the campaign’s efforts. The more information you have to share, the better. You want to show your campaign’s value, as well as what public relations brings to your organization. Here are some KPIs you can measure to showcase your campaign’s Evaluation.
Read MoreThis month, Hourglass Media is highlighting public relations strategies and tactics. Think of strategies as the bread (big, broad picture) and tactics as the butter (small, detailed picture). Every PR plan addresses a problem and then goes through several strategic motions to reach the Evaluation end of the process. Vital components of every PR plan include publics, goals and objectives.
Read MoreIt is vital to push yourself to achieve your goals and objectives; however, when it compromises your mental, emotional and physical health, it’s time to take a step back and analyze the pros and cons of your behavior. As I get older, I’m learning to accept my limits. I will be honest, though. I have not mastered this skill, and I may never reach the pinnacle of being OK with my limits. What I can offer in this blog post is how I cope with my thoughts and processes during flare-ups. Here are three ways I have found inner peace while attempting to accept my limitations.
Read MoreHumans love colors, and often, the color of a product will make or break if someone buys it. When a company or individual pays attention to color psychology, that means they delve into primary and secondary research methods to see the impact color has inside and outside of its brand structure. Colors are an instrumental aspect of your brand’s personality. Just like with your tone and other consistent materials, colors are part of your brand’s story.
Read MoreI allow my work to speak for itself, so I do not report to anyone but my clients and colleagues on projects and services. Still, however, others’ notions that I’m just sitting at home watching Netflix all day puts a strain on my self-esteem, especially when it comes from left field from people. So, yes. I run a successful company out of my home, as crazy at it is sometimes (especially when you have to balance home and work lives simultaneously). How do I eliminate anxiety and boost my self-esteem when I work from home? Here are three sure ways to denounce criticism without blinking an eye and letting your work speak for itself when you work from home.
Read MoreEven as adults, our brains crave images, whether it’s scrolling through a social media feed or enjoying a coveted piece of art at a museum in a big city. Images make the world go ‘round, and as communicators, it’s our duty to provide beautiful imagery for our companies, clients and other key stakeholders. We owe it ourselves and our narratives to showcase goods and services in visual formats. Here are some best practices when using images in digital storytelling.
Read MoreStorytelling through photography has always been in my blood. Photography means, “writing with light,” and everyone knows I love the written word. Why not add a visual component? When I was a child, I would use my mom’s 35mm film point-and-shoot camera and my dad’s instant Polaroid camera to take photos of family members, still-life shots of my toys and, of course, clouds. The skills I learned in that first photography class in high school remain with me 15 years later. Here are some photography basics I learned.
Read MoreAnxiety makes fear a prevalent occurrence in my life. My mind plays tricks on me and allows fears to pervade my thought processes — even when I know fully well that my thoughts are more on the illogical side. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I allowed fear to shape my destiny. How do I combat fear in my life? I do not claim to have all of the answers, and I still deal with fears on a daily basis; however, here are four consistent ways to keep fear at bay.
Read MoreI can find inspiration anywhere. As a natural daydreamer and a person who is sensitive to everything, I can sit outside and find myriad muses and flashes of awakenings. Being sensitive is often seen as a less-than-wonderful attribute, but I use it to my advantage when it comes to inspiration and other success ways to cultivate sensitivity. Traveling adds value to my life in so many ways. Here are five ways traveling can boost your inspiration and make you a more well-rounded version of yourself.
Read MoreOver the course of my decade-long career, I’ve found myself in different cities for one common goal: to learn something new to bring back to my daily PR toolkit. I’ve traveled from St. Louis to Atlanta and Orange County, California, to New York City. I’m not going to lie: I love business trips. Business trips combine my loves of working and travel. So, it’s a match made in heaven. As a lifelong learner with a penchant for experiencing new environments, it’s a match made in heaven. Here are five things I’ve learned to implement on business trips.
Read MoreArticles across the Internet claim to have the best nature remedies or cures for anxiety. If you just do A, then B will happen. If that doesn’t work, try C to achieve D. The cycle spins on its head without a remedy if you’re not careful. While I do not have all of the answers, I will say this: I have had anxiety since my childhood, so I know what works for me and what doesn’t. Here are three natural ways to help me ease anxiety before, during and after it strikes.
Read MoreHere is my own rendition of an Iced Lavender Vanilla Latte. Enjoy this on a busy day at the office or when you’re relaxing in your home garden. No matter the situation, add a lavender boost to your favorite caffeinated beverage. After all, communicators need their caffeine -- am I right?
Read MoreAs spring comes to a close and we prepare for our summer vacations, we create our to-pack lists and check off all of the planning boxes for our trip. We devote time, money and other resources to these trips of a lifetime, and you better bet we want to to chronicle each moment. I ensure that I chronicle each trip through physical mementos, the written word and photographs. That’s all you need to tell your travel story! This month, Hourglass Media will give you travel tips. These three items help me tell my travel stories before, during and after the trip has come to a close:
Read MoreI thoroughly enjoy traveling. I’ve been blessed to travel to beautiful locations around the world, from my favorite city away from home, Paris, to my first tropical trip to Turks and Caicos on my honeymoon. While traveling nurtures my adventurous spirit, it also elevates my anxious tendencies. Over time, I’ve learned to allow the anxiety to happen. After all, panic attacks do not last forever. If I just let one happen when it arises, then it will be over in 30 minutes or so. Of course, those with anxiety know this: sometimes, you don’t have the luxury to have a panic attack. You have to get through the action before you can decompress and allow anxiety (and relief!) take over. When you’re in a safe space, you can cope however you want.
Read MoreAs a kid, I would fast forward the Yoda scenes in “The Empire Strikes Back” (my personal everlasting favorite) on my VCR to get to the Han and Leia scenes. My closet-romantic self at 9 years old wanted the handsome man and the illustrious career, after all. Looking back, I missed out on the beautifully discombobulated wisdom from Master Yoda. It wasn’t until my 20s that I began to fully appreciate the knowledge bestowed by our favorite little green friend. To celebrate the international holiday that is May the Fourth, here are 10 life lessons I learned from Yoda.
Read MoreTechnology is ever-changing, and with it, comes a new learning curve for PR practitioners and other communicators. While some strategies and tactics seem like true no-brainers, others could leave us scratching our heads. Yet, we want to reach our publics, so we vow to communicate where no company or brand has gone before. Below are a few tactics in which small businesses and organizations can implement the “communication of the future” in small but impactful ways.
Read MoreWabi sabi is the Japanese art of embracing imperfection, whether it’s at home, work or inside your own head. The term comes from “the Japanese words wabi (to be alone, not to be bothered by other things, to simplify) and sabi (the beauty of passing time).” Here are five mantras to help me ease the weight of perfectionism.
Read MoreI love my career and know without a shadow of a doubt that I am fulfilling my professional destiny. I tell stories for a living and chronicle them for the next generation and beyond. It’s not always warm and fuzzy, but on the bad days, I still know I’m meant to do this. Despite the blood, sweat and tears, I’m still standing — and still adoring what I do. I have been in a nostalgic frame of mind as the 10th anniversary of my practice of public relations approaches. I graduated in May 2010 with my Bachelor of Arts in public relations, but I began practicing PR a year before that as an undergraduate student. Here are some lessons I’ve learned during the first decade of my career.
Read More
