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Account Executive or Account Manager – Public Relations 

About Us: Crossroads Public Relations leverages the right mix of public relations, social media and business experience to help clients expand their regional, national and global footprints and reach their target audiences. Crossroads is structured specifically to complement clients with proactive planning, collaborative execution and accountable results. Crossroads Public Relations specializes in building successful public relations programs for B2B technology clients.

 
Crossroads Public Relations is looking for a professional with 4-6 years experience in public 
relations. Agency experience is preferable. Candidates should be eager to join a growing firm with a dynamic learning atmosphere, a fast paced, ever-changing environment and work with clients that are bringing disruptive and new technologies to market. This is a rare opportunity to grow and expand your PR skills at agency that rewards hard work and dedication.
 
About the Position: College degree and 4-6 years of relevant experience are required. Agency experience preferred alongside a strong track record of working with a mix of B2B and B2C clients.  Areas of responsibility will include the development of public relations and social media strategies for our clients.
 
Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Direct client interaction/support/counsel
• Research, identification of and submission for editorial and thought leadership opportunities
• Support for product review programs
• Writing of public relations content
• Direct media and analyst outreach/support
• Strategic direction and execution across accounts/ability to tie PR objectives into business goals.
• Ability to understand target audiences, their pain points, how they prefer receiving information (social media versus traditional), ability to create messages that will resonate with each audience
• Front line engagement on applicable industry news and ability to provide bigger picture concepts for garnering media coverage
• Fully understand nuances of various social media platforms and be able to use them as part of an integrated PR strategy (or not use them….)
• Have a firm understanding of PR metrics, ways to showcase ROI and how to track metrics
• Identify new business opportunities for the agency
• Develop a specialized skill that agency can leverage and highlight as a differentiator – ability to create infographics, SEO, video editing, etc.
• Be advocate for agency internally and externally

Functional/Technical Skills:

• College degree with 4-6 years of experience is a must
• Relevant experience is required. Agency experience is preferred.
• Strong content development skills are a must (writing and editing a variety of content including press releases, media pitches, blog posts, tweets and more)
• Strong, proven social media expertise is required (must share examples of social media campaigns/results)
• Self-motivated with the ability to work well both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability and desire to thrive in a fast-paced environment with a “roll-up the sleeves”
 work ethic.
• Strong organizational skills  

Experience: 4-6 years of public relations or related experience. Agency experience is preferred but not required. Technology and/or healthcare experience is preferred but not required. Social media experience required.

Kudos to Jason Caplain and David Jones at Southern Capital Ventures for bringing together such an amazing Entrepreneur Series last week. 

Don Rainey, General Partner at Grotech Ventures kicked it off talking about the success of portfolio company LivingSocial. Rainey went on to join a panel of of other investors from River Cities Capital Funds, TomorrowVentures and Volition Capital. This panel provided valuable insight and advice from investors outside the RTP area, giving entrepreneurs an edge on raising their next round of funding. Some of the best advice included don’t waste time writing a business plan;  leverage referrals/contacts to get your foot in the door; do your homework/know the VC and their focus before you reach out to them; and keep your outreach short and sweet/no 3 page emails please. Not surprisingly, these rules also apply to media outreach. 

Entrepreneurs from BlueStripe Software, Maxpoint, Netsertive and Windsor Circle went on to share their experiences including both trials and tribulations. 

Definitely the most entertaining portion of the event was the “founder story” shared by Canvas On Demand founders Tom Lotrecchiano and Joe Schmidt. They shared their “10 Commandments of Entremanureship.” No, that is not a typo. I said “manure.” The motto behind these commandments is “if you spread enough, something will grow.” Their hilarious insights and nuggets like “Don’t buy chairs” (cash is king, be frugal) and “You make your own sandwich” (as entrepreneurs, you get to pick who you work with, so make the company you want it to be) really struck a chord with me and my business partner as we face many of the same challenges they overcame (and sometimes failed at) along the way. I hope the other entrepreneurs in the room took it to heart as well. 

The room was packed, and this event will certainly be a tough act to follow, but I hope even more entrepreneurs attend the next one. If they don’t take advantage of great opportunities like this one to learn and network, it is their loss. 

Here we are, nearly a year later from my original post on pharma’s struggle to stay committed to social media, and it appears trust issues are still at the forefront of relationship resolution. Apparently my advice for couples therapy was lost in translation.

A recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found drugmakers have failed to gain the trust of most consumers on social networking sites. While the survey found only 37% of consumers trust information from drug companies on social media venues like Facebook, a third of those consumers did say that information from social networking sites influence their decisions about medicines - proving that pharma just can’t ignore its transparent, outgoing partner completely.

So, what’s a girl to do?

Tightly-wound, regulated, top-down, Type A, one-way, controlled, structured lady, Miss Pharma thought she was finally really letting loose and embracing Mr. Social Media. She employed his free-wheeling, bottom-up, conversational, unpredictably evolving, current, wide open misfit spirit and setup that Facebook page, joined LinkedIn groups, tweeted what she had for breakfast, alerted the masses that she checked-in to CVS, and even pinned some corporate history.

But, no, it’s never enough, is it?

“Health organizations have an opportunity to use social media as a way to better listen, participate in discussions and engage with consumers in ways that extend their interaction beyond a clinical encounter,” PwC’s Kelly Barnes, of the company’s U.S. health unit, said, as quoted by InPharm. “Savvy adopters are viewing social media as a business strategy, not just a marketing tool.”

It looks like Miss Pharma (and her Life Sciences Sisters and Biotech Babes) need to take it another step further and really dig into the wealth of consumer data from social networking sites.

She needs to communicate better with Mr. Social Media and find out what really makes him tick. Maybe treat him to a candlelight dinner downtown. Order the surf and turf and a nice bottle of Rosé. Learn about the hot topics among target patient groups and what is influencing decisions.

Maybe then, the divorce papers will be traded in for hashtags; the ballpoint pen for a pin, and the dotted line for a broadcasting hangout.

A girl can dream, right?

Account Executive or Account Manager – Public Relations (part time or full-time but a minimum of 25 hours/week)
 
About Us: Crossroads Public Relations leverages the right mix of public relations, social media and business experience to help clients expand their regional, national and global footprints and reach their target audiences. Crossroads is structured specifically to complement clients with proactive planning, collaborative execution and accountable results. Crossroads Public Relations specializes in building successful public relations programs for B2B technology clients.
 
Crossroads Public Relations is looking for a professional with 4-6 years experience inpublic
relations. Agency experience is preferable. Candidates should be eager to join a growing firm with a dynamic learning atmosphere, a fast paced, ever-changing environment and an opportunity to work with senior PR professionals. Candidates must be willing to take part in strategy and execution for clients bringing disruptive and new technologies to market. This is a rare opportunity to grow and expand your PR skills at agency that rewards hard work and dedication.
 
About the Position: College degree and 4-6 years of relevant experience are required. Agency experience is preferred.  Areas of responsibility will include the development of public relations and social media strategies for our clients.
 
Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Direct client interaction/support/counsel
• Research, identification of and submission for editorial and thought leadership opportunities
• Support for product review programs
• Writing of public relations content
• Direct media and analyst outreach/support
• Strategic direction and execution across accounts/ability to tie PR objectives into business goals.
• Ability to understand target audiences, their pain points, howthey prefer receiving information (social media versus traditional), ability to create messages that will resonate with each audience
• Front line engagement on applicable industry news and ability to provide bigger picture concepts for garnering media coverage
• Fully understand nuances of various social media platforms and be able to use them as part of an integrated PR strategy (or not use them….)
• Have a firm understanding of PR metrics, ways to showcase ROI and how to track metrics
• Identify new business opportunities for the agency
• Develop a specialized skill that agency can leverage and highlight as a differentiator – SEO, analytics, etc.
• Be advocate for agency internally and externally

Functional/Technical Skills:

• College degree with 4-6 years of experience is a must
• Relevant experience is required. Agency experience is preferred.
• Strong content development skills are a must (writing and editing a variety of content including press releases, media pitches, blog posts, tweets and more)
• Strong, proven social media expertise is required (must share examples of social media campaigns/results)
• Self-motivated with the ability to work well both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability and desire to thrive in a fast-paced environment with a “roll-up the sleeves”
work ethic.
• Strong organizational skills  

Experience: 4-6 years of public relations or related experience. Agency experience is preferred but not required. Technology and/or healthcare experience is preferred but not required. A mix of B2B and B2C experience is ideal. Social media experience required.
 
Education: Bachelor’s degree required.
 
Salary: based on experience

How to apply: Please send cover letter and resume to info@crossroadspr.com. No phone calls, please.

I recently read Steve Farnsworth’s (or @steveology for all you Twitter fans out there) article, Is Social Media Beyond a Public Relations Professional’s Skill Set? Steve was responding to an article by Howard Sewell, Is Social Media Wasted on PR Agencies?

My first reaction to just the titles of these articles was an emphatic, near defensive, NO. I think of social media as just another artillery in the PR Pro’s arsenal of communications weaponry. But then Steve-O and Howard got me thinking.

Perhaps the question should be, Is Lead Generation Beyond a PR Professional’s Skill Set? Or is Media Relations Wasted on PR Agencies? Let me explain…

Both admit PR’s traditional foundation and dynamic has put blinders on some very smart PR pros, segmenting out variables of PR plan (specifically, social media) rather than integrating, and often leaving lead generation to fend for itself by the wayside.

For example, a social media plan authored by a client’s PR agency was recently shared with Howard. The stated objectives of said plan were:

• increase awareness amongst bloggers, influencers and prospects
• enhance company’s image by delivering insight to key online communities
• promote company’s approach to [company’s technology & product category]

Not horrible, but, as Howard points out awareness and thought leadership represent only a fraction of the potential return from social media, and there’s no reference to lead generation and lead nurturing. He goes on to say that his plan would have also included:

• drive search-generated traffic and net new sales leads
• use targeted, insightful content to attract and engage with qualified prospects
• expand company’s leads database and community of followers
• educate, cultivate, and nurture existing customers and prospects

While I think both Steve and Howard make some excellent points in their discussions, what struck me the most was not the social media conundrum, but that these PR “plans” are just that. Plans.

I think the most important part of PR is understanding your client, the space they are in, their audience, and most importantly; their goals. Not necessarily how you get there.

Maybe lead generation isn’t important to your client in the beginning stages of your PR relationship. And that’s okay. Your plan should reflect that, and work towards meeting their other goals, such as brand awareness or market disruption. A good PR team should be able to guide the client through ways to meet those goals, and how to measure if activities are working. Sure, social media may be a part of those PR action items, but only if it makes sense towards meeting goals and getting the kind of ROI your client is after.

Yes, you can have your social media cake and eat it too.

Bottom line is, a PR professional wears many hats, and nothing should be beyond your job description if it makes sense for not only the client’s, but also agency’s success (within reason, of course, i would think ‘panhandling’ for example would be outside of an expected job responsibility for a public relations team, but hey, maybe that’s just me…).

I’d love to hear your thoughts as well. Share a comment below!

That may be the question on the minds of many entrepreneurs, but the right answer probably depends on the one asking.  When it comes to funding a company, one size definitely does not fit all. As an entrepreneur/founder, you need to think long and hard about what it is you really want and need. Are you simply looking for money? If so, how much money? What is your growth plan for the company? Are you looking to build a lifestyle business, or are you looking for a high return (hopefully) exit in the not too distant future? How much revenue can your company actually generate? And, how much of the company are you willing to give up? These are just a few of the MANY questions you need to ask yourself.

Over the past 20 years, I have worked with hundreds of entrepreneurial companies, in-house, on the agency side and even with an early stage investment firm. I have seen venture capital money help some of these companies grow to become great successes. I have also seen venture capital money take away the entrepreneurial essence of some companies, crush the spirit of some founders, and kill the company in the end. On the flip side, I have seen non-venture backed companies grow to become great successes, and others fail because of lack of funding, lack of experience, an over abundance of ego/arrogance, and/or any number of reasons.  

For an inexperienced entrepreneur, VC funding can bring more than just money. It can bring a team of experienced business resources with a network of industry contacts that can lead to more funding, customer sales, partnership opportunities, and M&A activity. These powerful value-adds obviously come at a price, but for many entrepreneurs that price is well worth the potential return on investment.

As you think about building your company, be sure to consider all possible sources of funding including alternative financing routes. If you have an opportunity to build a solid foundation on your own, your company may be even more attractive to investors looking to help you get to the next level. As an alternative, friends and family may welcome the opportunity to invest in your new company. Angel investors, early stage investors and even incubators and accelerators should also be considered. And, don’t forget about grants. They can help you get your company/technology off to a great start. Check out NC IDEA or NIH for some examples. 

As you think about where to turn for funding, you might want to check out these articles I found on the same topic. And, as always I would love to hear your thoughts on this post, ideas about alternative sources of funding, or anything else you think our entrepreneurial readers might benefit from. 

Relevant articles: 

http://www.inc.com/erik-sherman/first-step-to-success-avoid-vcs.html

http://www.inc.com/steve-blank/vcs-are-not-your-friends.html

http://miter.mit.edu/article/vc-or-not-vc-question

Are you a LION? And, no, I don’t mean in the “rawr” giant-cat sense of the word, I’m talking about a LinkedIn Open Networker.

The basic idea behind LIONs is that open-networkers are LinkedIn users who are willing to establish connections with people with whom they’ve had no previous relationship.

LIONs to me are kind of like the Patti Stanger of the online networking world. “I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, but I think we’d be a great match. Maybe we could talk about it over wi-fi and a bowl of mashuga nuts.

For some, this may sound like a plan. I can see many of our clients in sales salivating right about now. [I’ll just advertise myself as a LION and pretty soon, I’ll have so many connections, there won’t be enough time in the day for wi-fi mashuga nut business dates!]

Not so fast, fast-cats.

First of all, this breaks all the LinkedIn “rules” about users limiting connections to those they’ve known and worked with in real life. In addition to this caution-to-the-wind attitude, LIONs also experience excessive connection requests, many of which end up being spam from internet marketers creating fake LinkedIn profiles.

It really poses the quality vs. quantity dilemma. The connections made as a LION are typically more about quantity than anything else, and while sure, being in the right networking circle at the right time could mean success, most of the time you’re just another profile in a sea of PhDs and MBAs.

A better way to approach this might be simply adding a few strategic LIONs to your network, rather than becoming one yourself, and see if you can facilitate additional connections that way.

Or, you could get out there and actually physically meet people (say wha?). Get retro and ask someone for coffee or lunch. How else are they supposed to see your winning fashion sense and green sensibility when you drive up in an electric car? You can’t do that on LinkedIn.

Change doesn’t have to be scary.  This week, Facebook fan pages will be debuting their shiny new Timelines. We originally blogged about the big switch back in October, but now it’s finally time to make the transition if you haven’t already done so.

It may be easy to think, “Wait, Facebook is forcing me to switch to Facebook Timeline?” Rather than being a Negative Nancy, use this as an opportunity to find new, exciting ways to reach out to your followers. Start by reading several good resources to get started.

Still lost? Here are a few tips:

Make a good first impression - Upload a cover photo

Uploading your first cover photo is a good starting point. This image needs to be 850x315 (I’m sure you’ve seen a variety of dimensions on the web, but this one worked for us).  Since this is the first thing visitors will see, take an advantage of this prime space by using creative imagery to depict your brand’s story, share current promotions and more. However, you cannot not use any call to actions (i.e. Like this page!)

Have a story to tell? Add a few Milestones

Facebook Timeline allows you to mark important moments in your brand’s development and growth. I like to think of this as putting together a scrapbook. Include important details, photos and videos about significant events. If you don’t know the exact date, you can include just the month or year. 

Highlighting (Starring) versus Pinning posts

Facebook Timeline gives you two opportunities to put your posts in the spotlight.

Highlight/Starring- If there’s an important post you want your followers to see as important forever, highlight it by selecting the star. This will stretch your post across both columns.

Pinning- If you’re running a promotion, giveaway or just want your followers to see an important post, pin it. This will keep the post at the top of your Timeline for 7 days. 

Proceed with some caution

To avoid any potential social media disasters, take a good look at your page before clicking publish. Seriously. Since you’re already in the process of adding milestones and highlighting posts, take this as a moment to do some quick spring-cleaning. Go through your tagged posts and photos to make sure there’s nothing scandalous. 

Alright, maybe a lot has changed, but several features have stayed the same. While your feeds will look different, the stories and content you’ve posted won’t change.  Fan Pages  will still have an About Section, but now you’ll have an area under your cover photo to give a quick snapshot about your brand. For the most part, switching over to Facebook Timeline requires a one-time set up. As soon as you get the basics, you can make additions and changes as you go.