Twitter the Next Political Tool?

Twitter is taking the white house by storm. This week President, Barack Obama posted his first tweet from the official @POTUS Twitter account.  Although the president is not new to Twitter, having prior tweets sent through the official White House account, this is the first time he is tweeting solo.

He was welcomed to Twitter by not only a record breaking 1 million followers in five hours, but also playful jabs from Bill Clinton and FLOTUS, Michelle Obama.

Twitter is becoming a very popular platform in the political world where different politicians and prominent public figures use it to promote their campaigns as well as interact with voters. Michelle Obama uses the @FLOTUS account to promote her healthy lifestyle, #GimmeFive campaign. She also uses it to start conversations with the public about living healthy and family activities.

The 2016 presidential candidates have also taken to social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to announce their decisions to run and help promote themselves to voters. Such as Hillary Clinton, who announced her candidacy through Twitter. She is using this social media platform to interact with voters and show the public what her campaign is all about.

Politicians on social media have opened up questions regarding the role social media plays in politics and its influence on voters. Is it a good and effective tool to use?

The overall consensus is yes! Social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube allows for direct contact with voters. Politicians can speak directly with voters in what seems a more personal manner and the voters can respond directly. Social media is also free advertising. This can be especially important for local elections. Many politicians have taken to posting their commercials on YouTube, which is free and can be viewed by anyone with internet access.

Social media has allowed for like-minded voters to come together and have their voices heard. This can help political campaigns by tailoring messages to different demographics and groups. Also, this allows for easy access to the publics opinion, which is crucial to know during a political campaign.

Perhaps the most important reason why social media is used in politics is because it is hip and allows access to younger voters. Gaining the votes of the younger generations is very important to politicians and can change the tide of the election.

By reaching out to young voters by using the platforms they use most, politicians can find out the wants and the needs of the young voters. It will be interesting to see the role social media plays in the 2016 elections!

Written by Olivia Marrali from Rebecca Adele PR & Events

4 Tips For Building Your Own Personal Brand

If someone asked you to name a brand, your initial instinct would be to think of J. Crew or Pottery Barn.  However, this is a trick question.  One of the most important brands is your own.  Brands do not have to be limited to being commercial, but can be personal; they define who you are.

What is a personal brand?  Jeff Bezos from Amazon.com explains that it is “what people say about you when you leave the room.”  It’s how people recognize you as (kind, diligent, hardworking, etc.), and whether you know it or not, you’ve been building your personal brand for years now. 

From a PR standpoint, our job is to achieve or maintain a certain image for a client.  Developing your own brand is no different.  Today, a personal brand is essential to launching and furthering your career. 

Here are some basic tips to keep in mind when creating your brand: 

1.    Find your niche. What’s your specialty?  What do you have to offer?  By discovering what you’re interested in, it will add to your identity and allow people to see what you’re passionate about.  Think of terms that could describe you (are you organized, out-going, preppy?), they will help you define your brand.

2.    Determine your goals.  What do you want to gain from personal branding?  Be specific with ideas:  Obtain a job in the fashion industry?  Attract more clients?  Find your focus and stick with it.  Narrowing down what you want will create set priorities to focus on when figuring out and launching your brand. 

3.    Be online.  Let’s face it, if you’re not on either Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, do you actually exist?  With billions of users using these accounts, it’s important to be on social media.  Having an online presence is essential to establishing your personal brand.  It’s how to market not only yourself but your business.     

4.    Be yourself.  It’s hard to fake a brand, especially if it’s your own.  Show your true colors and the right people will come to you.  Pretending to be something you’re not does not get you anywhere.    

Building a brand is a constantly evolving yet rewarding process. Whatever changes or challenges you may face, remember to stay true to who you are.  In the end, it will all be worth it and success will follow.

How would you describe your personal brand?  Tell us by commenting below! 

Written by Chloe Slavin of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

What Feels Like the End Is Often the Beginning: A Reflection Post

This week I will be packing up my belongings and moving away from the city I have called home for the last 22 years of my life. This thought alone terrifies and amazes me all at the same time.  

Ever since I was a little girl, I had a game plan: elementary school, junior high, high school, college and then a job. I stuck to the comfort of this game plan thinking that every thing was going to go as planned, and I was going to have this picture-perfect life. I attended Bowling Green State University in the Fall of 2010 ready to put in my four years, graduate and then have a steady job. Those four years flew by fast, and I strutted across the commencement stage and became a proud alumna. I was excited and eager to find a job, and live out that cookie-cutter life I sought after as a little girl.

Well, I hate to break it to you all, but life didn’t work out as I had planned for.

While I was proud to have earned my degree, I had no job, and no idea what came next. What happened to my picture-perfect plan?

After moving back in with my parents and three months of ruthlessly applying to jobs had passed, I started to panic. What does someone with five internship experiences and a degree do when the job offers aren’t rolling in?

On a whim, I decided to apply for an internship with Rebecca Adele PR & Events. A few weeks later, I had an interview set up and accepted an intern position.

I accepted the position ready to immerse myself into the world of public relations and event planning, which for me was familiar territory. What I didn’t expect was how much more I would learn about my skills and myself. 

Through this internship I learned how social media management software is a PR girl’s best friend, how to craft a near perfect press release, how to develop a love-hate relationship with Pinterest and how to efficiently plan for an event. What I didn’t expect was how much I loved supporting my community through the Avant-Garde shows, how much I loved event planning and how much I love crafting press releases, blog posts and social media plans.

You could say that life through me a little curve ball with this internship, for I don’t think I would be where I am today without it.

I have accepted a position with the American Cancer Society as an event coordinator in hopes to continue my passions for event planning and PR work. While my time is coming to an end with Rebecca Adele PR & Events, I will never forget this experience.  This internship has lain down the foundations to what I hope will be a successful career path, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience.

And as for that picture perfect plan that I developed in my head? I think it’s safe to say I’ve thrown that idea out the window.  From here on out, I’m going to take life one day at a time, and just hope for the best.

Written by Tori Simmons from Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Say What?! Facebook Newsfeed Algorithm Decreases to 2%

Is Facebook on it's way to become a thing of the past when it comes to promotion for small businesses and nonprofit organizations? 

Recently announced, Facebook has once again changed their algorithm to a mere 2%, which means that only 2% of the people liking a page will receive news and updates from that page. Just 2 years ago it was at 16%. I don’t know about you but when I “like” a page, I expect it to show up on my timeline! 

Facebook has been active for over a decade as a means of sharing and promoting and connecting and now this $212 Billion company is asking for business (both big and small), and non profit organizations to pay to boost their posts!

Facebook has completely taken this out of the hands of the consumer and made it virtually impossible for small businesses and nonprofits to reach all their clientele that they spend a lot of time building up, for what? So that 2% of the people can see it? That is unless of course you “boost” your post and pay to have a higher percentage of people see what you're sharing as a company.

So the question remains.. How does Facebook expect small businesses or start up companies or nonprofits to reach their fan base if they are preventing it? Facebook doesn’t even give the user an option to allow us to see all the pages that we like regardless of the algorithm! Sure there is the page interest list on the sidebar on the newsfeed page, but it sure doesn't look like any of those pages have been showing up, at least in my feed!

All-in-all this new 2% algorithm, defeats the whole purpose of having a Facebook page... that is, in my opinion. It just doesn't seem fair to alienate and aggravate active businesses on Facebook that have already worked so hard to get fans, and then tell them fans won't be seeing their content. Exceptions should be made to the algorithm because not every Facebook page is alike. If this 2% algorithm stays, “Find us on Facebook” will become obsolete.

The last time I checked, I clicked “like” on a company's page for a reason. This just doesn't seem like an ethical business tactic on Facebook's end. What are your thoughts? Sound off in the comments section below!

Written by Victoria Ripepi from Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Change. My Internship Reflection.

Change. The dictionary term for making the form different from what it is or what it would be if left alone. My version is a little bit different: inevitable, scary, and nerve-wracking are descriptions that I prefer to use. Graduating from John Carroll University was a change that I was not ready for. The real world, moving back home, and leaving my home for the past four years were all less than appealing.  

Summer came and went and this “big girl" job that was promised if I graduated college was still out of sight. In September, I finally landed a position as an intern at Rebecca Adele PR & Events and my hopes began to turn around. I was more than excited for this experience and to begin my journey towards the real world. 

I accepted this position eager to learn and gain knowledge and experience in the PR and Event Planning world. This internship has allowed me to do just that. I have written my first blog posts, my first press release and more social media plans than I ever would have imagined. In addition, working the Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows were a learning experience into the long hours, excitement, critical planning and problem solving of event planning. 

I have accepted my first “big girl” job at Invent Now and my time at Rebecca Adele PR & Events is coming to an end. I am more than thankful for this opportunity and believe it has been a huge stepping-stone into my career. I am faced with another change but I guess that’s what life is all about. I am excited to begin this next journey and see where life takes me next! 

Written by Morgan Hartz of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Funny Bone No More, Lessons in Advertising to the Heart

If you were among the 4.5 million viewers of Super Bowl XLIX then you might have been reaching for the tissues this year during commercial breaks (even more so if you are a Seahawks fan). This year major companies decided to appeal to viewers’ hearts rather than their funny bone.  Companies such as Budweiser, Always, Nissan, Coca-Cola and Nissan ditched the giggles and made us all cry with their advertising messages (it wouldn’t be a Super Bowl without at least one memorable ad!).  

Brands are starting to think a little more seriously about the role they play in their audiences’ lives. These ads are becoming helpful for the rest of us looking to change up our marketing game. Here are three lessons we learned while watching this year’s Super Bowl ads:

Get Emotional: Ever since the beginning of consumer marketing, we know that humans buy emotionally. We buy something because we feel a certain way or want to feel a certain way. Later, we find ourselves looking back on that purchase and then justify it with logic.  If you want your marketing strategy to be a success, hone in on how your brand can provide your audience with a positive emotion about life. Coca-Cola beautifully embodied this with their ad, which transformed online hate messages into happiness on the Internet.

  - Don’t Be Morbid:  Who DIDN'T hate that ad from Nationwide where the kid dies? While Nationwide probably had the best intentions for that ad, they overkilled the emotions and made the message outright depressing. Fear-based advertisements only go so far with your audience.

  - Use the Power of Social Media: After watching Always #LikeAGirl commercial, who else hopped on Twitter to be a part of the movement? Today, social media is an integral part of all advertisement. Many viewers turn to social media outlets to comment or share their opinions about advertisement on social media outlets.  So, why not give them a hashtag to start the buzz with?

What do you think about this year’s Super Bowl Ads? Let us know!

Written by Tori Simmons of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Super Bowl XLIX – Touchdown for PR Beginners

The countdown is on. When you hear the words ‘Super Bowl’ typically two things come to mind - football, of course, being the first and running in close second, advertising.  It’s hard to forget the 2013 Blackout with Oreo’s famous “Dunk in the Dark” Campaign or last year’s Budweiser “Puppy Love” Commercial. The impact is priceless for these companies, but what about the PR underdogs? Rightfully so, a $4.5 million price tag on a 30 second spot is a wee bit out of budget for a lot of companies. Instead, Here are 3 Ways to Score Without Fumbling Your Wallet!

Super Bowl Parties

Make your restaurant the spot to be! Instead of viewers going to a family/friend party bring the party to your business. Create “invites” that excite the crowd with contests, food and drinks specials that they won’t want to miss.

Contests

Every sports team has super fans– over the top, face-painting, head-to-toe dressed, die-hard fans. Encourage your customers to do the same! The contest can be in person or a social media campaign. Have contestants come decked out or submit their pictures on social media. The best-dressed super fan receives a prize and who doesn’t love prizes…and maybe bragging rights, too?!

Nonprofit Support

Combine excitement with a helping hand. Offer pay-to-play for your contest or bets! Bets can be related to the game, commercials or score. Winner still receives a prize. Here’s the catch.. the money received goes to support any nonprofit of your choice. Encourage through flyers and social media and gain media attention for anyone that misses out on your event! 

What will this year’s unforgettable PR memory be?!

Written by Morgan Hartz of Rebecca Adele PR & Events