How to Be a Better
Marketing & Pr Professional
Professional Development Guides
from
We know you want to
BE AWESOMEat your job!
So, we picked the brains of some marketing & PR experts to find out how they've gotten so good.
elliott BellDirector of Marketingat The Muse
ashley CobertPR Account Executive for Primum Marketing
Communications
naomi garniceCreative Services Manager
at TP Orthodontics, Inc.
Paolina MilanaContent Marketing & Audience Engagement Strategist for YP
And compiled it all into the
UltiMate gUiDe to Professional DeVeloPMent FOR MARKETING & PR.
Are you ready for it?
it'll be a HUge help to your career.(And only take a little time to flip through.)
Whether you’re just getting started or you’re ready to move to the top,
First, we’ll talk about the skills you need.
And then we’ll give you the resources to make it happen.
let's get starteD.
So what skills does one need to develop to be a superstar marketer
or PR mogul?
Well, there are
tHe oBVioUs ones.
Having a good set of CoMMUniCation
s k i l l sis necessary.
While the latest tools and tech gadgets are useful, what matters most is the message. To that end, I've further developed my content
strategies to speak to target audiences in ways that resonate with them, and I've taken the time to write professionally and personally for other
social and online platforms.
I remember studying self-monitoring in a communications class in college. I never expected how important that would be, especially when you're working with clients. You have to be willing to adjust to your audience. How you speak to media contacts, client contacts, and your boss are all very
different. The more you're able to adjust and present yourself most appropriately in any given situation,
the more successful you'll be in PR.
KnoWinG eveRytHinG
you cAn About
B r a n D i n g iS AlSo Key.
Branding is a very simple concept, but can be one of the hardest skills to master. It essentially boils down to how you make people think and feel about your company. It goes beyond a name, logo, tagline—even beyond the
products you're promoting. I think about brand in terms of every touch point with our customers. How do people feel when they read about us online or talk to our customer service? It should be consistent, postive, and always
representative of who we are as a company.
but there are other skills that people tend to
oVerlook.
Knowing some key
s a l e s s t r at e g i e scan do you wonders.
You have to:
Understand what makes people tick
Be able to sell your message like you
would sell a product
Be comfortable cold-
calling (or emailing)
potential partners
I actually started in sales and believe that was the best thing I could have done for my career as a marketer. Marketers "communicate" in an ideal world where everyone loves what they have to say. In reality, most people are too
busy or don't care about what you have to say. Sales gave me the ability to understand what
clients really care about and how to reach them.
Having some
teCH skillsis becoming increasingly
valuable.
Knowing the newest in social media
Understanding SEO and other online
marketing strategies
Learning how to market in a mobile
world
Staying on top of today's ever-evolving tools and technologies—while challenging—is a must. Working with the guys at AppNRG helped me learn and develop useful skills
related to mobile technologies and market-ing. Deciding to create my own website from
scratch—rekindled my inner techie.
you should also know the ins and outs of
analytiCs.
Knowing how to measure the impact of different campaigns
is vital in figuring out what works—and what doesn’t.
It's really important to be comfortable with data because it should play a role in everything you do. Every time you spend money or time doing something in marketing, you should be able to
track it and show a positive ROI. If you can't, then you probably shouldn't have been doing it.
but in the marketing & PR world, the ability to
Make ConneCtions might be the most
important skill of all.
The larger (and stronger) your network is, the easier it will be to form partnerships and get people to spread the word.
I'm continually expanding my professional network online by bulking up on quality contacts
on LinkedIn and sharing my own approach to content marketing with weekly posts to my blog,
More than Words.
I meet with as many people in my field as I can. I don't care what company they work for or what industry
they focus on. I love finding out what their challenges are, how they are solving them, and most
importantly, just what we are both working on. Great ideas and chances to learn come from some of the most interesting places if you go and look for them.
now that we're on the same page about what skills you need, let's talk about
HoW to get tHere.
We asked our experts what resources have been helpful along the way,
and pulled together an
offiCial resoUrCe gUiDe for your marketing & PR development.
Books to reaD
Earlier this year, I read a book by Peter Shankman, Can We Do that?!. It's not a new book, but it explores some crazy PR ideas and stunts that are still very relevant. After a couple years of
working at an agency, it's easy to revert to execution and forget about brainstorming. It's very important for
your clients, and for your own sanity, to constantly be searching for that new
idea. This book served as inspiration for me and reinvigorated my creativity
after hitting a lull.
Blogs & MagaZines to reaD
In an effort to continue honing my brand strategy and content marketing skills, I've become seriously addicted to a couple
of magazines and blogs. inc. is basically the rolling stone of marketing strategy
pubs. Articles feature leaders throughout the marketing and social media industry.graphic Design Usa helps me sharpen my creative edge by showing the latest trending design and production effects.
eVents to attenD
Any event that allows you to meet and greet with media is ideal. Meeting media contacts in person in a
casual setting allows you to mingle without the pressure of getting a story. Establish the relationship over drinks
before pitching them a story.
Classes to take
Write emails that People Will Actually Read
A Data Driven Approach to PR
introduction to Seo
email Strategy Development
Web Analytics: Measuring the Full
customer Journey to understand Roi
Foundations for a visual PR Strategy
Classes to take
10 essentials for Getting Started in content
Marketing
no news? no Problem! Maintaining Great Media
coverage year-Round
How to create a brand Strategy that Works
linkedin for brands and businesses
true influence
More Followers, More engagement, less time!
eXPerts to folloW
eXPerts to folloW
Follow any media contacts you are
pitching.
now—it's time to go out into the world and get better at roCking yoUr Career!
(We know you can do it.)
And, if you want a little more help along the way?
Keep up with for the advice you need to build the career you've
always dreamed of.
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