The purpose of public relations is to "create a buzz" for a company or product
This week I interviewed Jon Bastian, a public relations professional who owns his own business. He started Las vegas Public Relations Company in 2001 as a sole proprietor to handle individual projects for individuals, small companies and non-profit organizations.
Below is the questions I asked Bastian along with his answers. Bastian brings incite and good advice for students and professionals going into public relations and advertising.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the variety of different projects I get to write about, learn about, and experience. I get the opportunity to “be in their shoes” for awhile. I also get the opportunity to tell their story, communicate their purpose or tell about their product or event so that it appeals to the public in a manner that makes the pubic want to participate, purchase, own or experience.
How do you use social media in your area of work?
I haven’t tackled the electronic networks like twitter, facebook, myspace, linked in, tagged, YouTube, —-the jury is still out. I am learning about a developing program that allows me to post news releases on the network with exceptionally strong spider web and SEO technology that will get widespread exposure for virtually no cost. I am also learning to use mass e-mail programs that respect spam issues and allows recipients to opt-in to receive my messages. I am in training for a newly evolved e-mail internet program, an integrated internet marketing solutions program, that combines video, voice, message/graphics, list scrubbing, opt-in, opt-out, auto responder. text messaging technologies powered by a constant contact-type mail program.
Do you use social networking sites to drive business to yourself? If not, how do businesses find you and how do you market your services to them?
I SHOULD use my website for driving business, BUT it’s not up to date. I was sharing it with my wife, we work some things together. I have not been using social networking sites; I should. I get work from word of mouth, networking handing out cards, referrals. I have not fully worked on getting new business; I have other sources of income, so I don’t have to totally rely on the PR side.
Which software and sites, including social networking sites, do you use in promoting your clients?
I provide them information to post on their own web sites. These social networking sites are not proven to be necessarily the proven channel to promote retail products–these sites are like pop psychology word-of-mouth underground “cool sites” for the hip and cool, so the risk is monumental regarding an announcement or product promotion with these avenues. Clothes, music, “cool stuff”? when mainstream starts to utilize these avenues, they become saturated with “uncool” products. MacDonalds on twitter, facebook, myspace, tagged? How cool is that? As for facebook, twitter, myspace, YouTube–actually, the jury is still out–and there are other internet technologies, with powerful SEO technologies–that can be used. For my purposes, I can use PR Newswire, MarketWire, which are the preferred tools of the PR and marketing profession that connect with professional publications and communications.
What are a few of the clients you represent?
Clients and types of clients I have worked with include Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross, Annual Spring and Fall Home Show, Annual Sportsmans Show, Desert Toyota, Desert Audi, Desert VW, Total Automotive and Marketing Solutions, Kettle Korn, Hair Stylist, Charles Gruwell Design, CLEO Design, The LandCrafter Landscape Design, window treatments company, rebath company, Outdoor BBQ Company, Medical Society, Medical Care Foundation, WorldMediTours medical treatment overseas, non-profit associations like Women in Communications, Las Vegas Advertising Federation, Lili Claire Foundation, UNLV Catholic Newman Center, Nevada Broadcasters Association, Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas, Red Cross Annual Golf Benedfit Tournament, Nevada Woman Magazine.
Pick one of the clients you represent as an example to share with us what message and strategies you provide for them.
Home Show–develop annual “hot spot” topic relevant to current home owner desires and fantasies–then explain how consumer can get it. Appeal to TV news shows to have them come to morning opening of show and feature on TV for the morning segment of TV coverage. Other special events, dinners, award shows are basic routine explain, feature, promote and excite. Coordinate with newsprint for articles, news briefs.
What would you suggest for college students going into your field?
Learn how to write 5 Ws and H; learn the difference between a news press release and a feature press release. Learn story forms llikke innterview, vignette, product pitch, “tell a story” approach. Learn to ask the critical questions, “what’s the big idea–why is it important? and in advertising writing, explain the benefit as you discuss the product or event. Ask yourself the “What’s So” and ask if the response is a “So What.” If the respondent says “So What,” you have lost them. Learn to relate to your reader, always know your reader, define your reader–you must write TO and FOR them, not for yourself. Relate to your reader–relate one person at a time and you will communicate better. Learn to be a patient listener, learn to be an inquisitive listener, learn to be quiet after you ask a question or probe them–ask open ended questions, not dead-end yes or no response questions–first job is to get information, so you must inquire, probe, think, ask how is that important? Also, do your research on subject so you are knowledgeable and can ask “what’s next” questions. What’s the impact, what are the consequences? Show interest in your subjects. Intern and work with the pros and get real life experience.
Is there anything else you would like to tell me that I did not ask?
Read, read newspapers, books, magazines. find a leader/mentor/professional guide. Not just on the internet, get real paper and real magazines. As a communications major, intern/learn something about broadcast–getting something onto the air, and then go the studio and get a studio experience. Learn about studio production for film/digital and audio. Be sure you find someone to admire and learn how they got where they got; study other people and get heroes and learn to be a hero and a become person someone else may want to mentor with. History and psychology are good companion subjects to study along with communications. Learn music. take a business course, learn economics. Learn a foreign language. Tools of the trade for communications majors–social science, language, business, literature–learn the world.