Brand Your Blog, Blog Your Brand

Hearing about the journey of Trish Skram, UW-Whitewater Alum, social media specialist, and public relations manager, was very intriguing as she spoke about something that is taking over the way people are branding themselves and their companies and that is ... blogging!

Skram is currently a PR manager at Mercy Health Systems in Janesville, Wis.  She has been with the company for about 6 years and it stemmed from an internship she had with them when she was only a junior in college.  She is also the owner of "PR Gal" and a professional blogger for the Janesville Gazette and a freelance writer for the Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society, which is a nonprofit organization. 

Throughout her PowerPoint presentation she gave awesome tips on why people should blog, how blogs boost a brand, and common fears that individuals may have about entering the blogging universe.  She related to all these situations and gave us personal experiences she has had, as well as how she overcame her fears to blogging.  Twitter and blogging also go hand-in-hand because you can tweet about your blog and blog about your Twitter. They work with each other to expand information to different social media sites and of course get your brand out there.

The portion of the presentation that inspired me most was her blogging tips: 8 ways to build a brand with a blog. And they are ...

1) What do you want to get out of your blog? Defining your purpose for blogging and introducing yourself with get you the specific results you want.

2) Know your competency. Research what you're talking about and know your stuff.

3) Listen and learn about your audience. How do people relate to your blog and who are they?

4) Add a personal touch.  Implement your opinions, show people who you are.

5) Be positive. People will know if you are in a negative mood and decided to blog that day. People don't want to associate with a Debbie Downer.

6) Encourage engagement.  Ask questions, tell stories, build trust, and have a comments section.

7) Research keywords. Use Google to see what people are trying to look up; then use those phrases within your blog so people will visit more frequently because it will be in the searches.

8) Be consistent. Pick a day when you're going to blog to people know what to expect from you. Stick with main topics.

For more information about Trish Skram and her fabulous blogging lifestyle, follow her on Twitter @TrishSkram or click any of the links above!

Life After Graduating-Camisha Klumb Miller

Camisha Klumb Miller is the perfect epitome of a successful, self-motivated, and driven individual.  She is someone that I think any PR major would love to be like and is an amazing role model for students like myself.
Her Story
Camisha was a 2002 UW-Whitewater graduate. She was involved in PRSSA, cheerleading, and made her appearance on the Dean’s list.  Here is the catch, she took 26 credits a semester! When asked how she did it, her response was, “I don’t sleep.” When she first came to school she wanted to major in business but soon realized that wasn’t the road she wanted to take; that is when public relations came into mind. I relate to her in that way because I also chose PR over the path that I was originally on.
Throughout listening to her speak she gave very important pieces of advice and one was to always take internships. She took an internship that ultimately landed her first big position in PR management at Professional Bullriders Association (www.pbrnow.com). She was in charge of all the print media that was sent out and planned events for the company.  After leaving PBR, she became employed as the Fun-Development Director at Girl Scouts of America-Kenosha County.  She was never used to working in a non-profit so it was an experience for her, but a rewarding one at that.  When Girl Scouts of America-Kenosha County decided to merge with other counties she decided to leave the company, as well as her CEO who retired around the same time.  Camisha then became the Director of Tourism for Kenosha County and oversaw all sports marketing and events.  Around that time she met her husband who is a truck driver and has a secure job so she made the decision to move to Plymouth, Wis. with him. Camisha then went back to working in non-profit with Girl Scouts of America again, but this time the organization wasn’t merging with any other counties so she knew it was right up her alley.  Recently she was offered a position for Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity in the Sheboygan, Wis. area … of course she took it and that is one more thing to add to her already amazing resume (http://www.habitatlakeside.org/).
In the midst of all this, she owns her own PR agency called High Flyers PR (www.highflyerspr.com) which she started up in 2006. Camisha has so much going on in her life with work, but she also balances it out with a race team she and her husband bought, she coaches a dance team at Howards Grove High School, she is actively involved at her church, and of course being a committed mother and wife.
Camisha’s advice to college students
Listening to Camisha speak was an opportunity to see that it is possible to follow your dreams and be successful while still doing what you love and having a family. Some important things she said that I will take from this is to sustain efficient time-management skills, multitask, make sacrifices, DON’T SLACK, and  no doesn’t mean no, it means not right now.  Oh and NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!!!