Michigan Association of County Treasurers August 2019 A PR Primer Michigan Association of County Treasurers August 2019

So….what do you think it is? Open Discussion

In a nutshell… PR & Communications = two-way; relationship-building Marketing = sales support Advertising = paid promotions Marketing (or integrated) communications = hybrid

Why is it important? Tell your story Generate and maintain trust Leverage small (or no) budget

PR as a Strategic Function Contributes to goals and mission Credibility & trust Increased need & push for PR But it’s different now Research and evaluation key It’s not spin

What does it look like? Media Relations Social Media Events Community Relations Digital Media Crisis Communications

When do you use PR? Image building Crisis management Internal or external communication Politics/lobbying support (issue mgt.)

When don’t you use PR? When advertising is the obvious choice For unethical purposes Mistruths Justifying unlawful activities Shameless self-promotion Without strategic intent When you can’t walk the talk

So who’s doing it? Open Discussion

PR: How do you do it? Research and plan Allocate budget Be realistic Staffing? Budget? Audit current mix Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate

Remember the Rule of Seven! 7

Social Media: The Change Agent “Social media is information content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies.” (Wikipedia) Shift in how people discover, read and share news, information and content Fusion of sociology and technology

Social Media cont’d. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Understand how you will use it

Social Anthropology

Why Use It? Inexpensive tool Wider reach but also targetable More diverse demographics Viral User-generated content It’s here to stay

Perception = Reality The court of public opinion First Amendment vs. good taste Influencers: Written word Spoken word Actions

Local credibility Can relate story to local community You live and work there; more accountability

Review: When do you use PR? Build relationships Image building Crisis management Internal or external communication Politics/lobbying support (issue mgt.)

Open Q&A