Millions, perhaps billions, of people around the world commit to New Year’s resolutions
every year, promising themselves that they will eat better, save more money, travel to a foreign country or learn a new skill. Communications professionals are no different! Here at Rountree Group, we have drawn up our own list of PR New Year’s resolutions for 2017. Check them out!
- Become a better writer. No matter your wordsmithing ability, your writing can always improve. Schedule a time each week to practice your writing, even if it is only 20 minutes! Here are a few exercises we love for leveling up your writing:
- Try and rewrite that press release from a couple months ago that has wording that still bugs you.
- Take a long paragraph and try to collapse it into half the size. Delete unnecessary words and phrases.
- Do you consistently write with a passive voice? Break down your work sentence by sentence and utilize strong action verbs.
- See problems from your client’s POV. When you work at an agency, it can sometimes be difficult to understand your client’s mindset. Why has Mary at XYZ Company requested we put together this document? What is the underlying meaning to this social post? Do your best to ask for context with client requests. When you can, get the full who, what, when, where and why. Make sure to explain to your client that knowing the full context of an assignment could save time (and ultimately money), improve quality of work and spur ideas on the agency’s sides for future projects.
- Become a social media guru. Just like anything else, becoming a stellar social media manager takes time and practice. We have a few tips for improving your social media skills:
- Take a close look at your favorite brands or people on social media. What about their posts inspires people to share or like their content? Write down your observations and refer to them when you are drafting your own posts.
- Use graphics with your text. Always! The combination of a video, gif or photo with text, rather just plain text, will catch your follower’s eye make them stop scrolling.
- Include a call to action. Use words in your post will encourage people to like, share or comment. Pose a question, challenge users, point people towards your blog or website, etc.
- Organize, Organize, Organize.
Anybody who has been in the communications industry for any length of time knows that we are trained to work fast, and we can go from zero to 100 in seconds. And with our to-do lists usually spanning at least a couple pages, we can switch gears at a moment’s notice when a new project demands our undivided attention. However, if we are not organized, the quality of our fast-paced work can and will suffer. The following organization rules may seem like no-brainers, but if, even for a short time, we fail to follow them, we can lose time, credibility and money:
- Clearly label and organize your computer folders and files
- Keep your desk free of clutter. A clean space to work often helps clear your head as well.
- Get rid of paper. Scan anything you need to keep and save it digitally. Then recycle the original.
- Delete those spam emails that are clogging up your email. It is easier to look through them at 5 p.m. to make sure you did not miss anything important.
