CUPRAP II: PR Survival Tactics at Temple
In CUPRAP One, I promised some specifics from the speakers at their recent workshop . Millions are struggling with how to implement social media in business, and I found that– for the most part– these expert communicators for academic institutions have a good handle on the transition. Here are some key points from remarks by Ray Betzner, assistant vice president for university relations, Temple University and vice president of CUPRAP:
- We’ve taken budget and staff cuts while having to do more.
- We used to be in charge of our own brands, our message. Now everyone has a worldwide platform to talk about our brand.
- A blog over which we have no control, www.cherryandwhat.blogspot.com, has about as much influence as the official online newsroom we run. More students get their news here, and we have no control over this, folks!
- How often do you look at your Wikipedia entry? We do every single day. (People change it.)
- Is Wikipedia important? Studies show that students go to Wikipedia first, not books.
- Increasingly, your bosses are looking over your shoulder, focusing on return on investment; therefore you need to align your results with the bottom line of the institution.
- Go back to basics. Evaluate why you’re doing what you’re doing. What does it cost? Is it working? How do you know?
- Reallocate dollars and resources to allow for new ventures.
- Get accustomed to the new normal. I don’t see us getting flush, as in 18 months ago before the bottom dropped out of the economy.
- Talk to your colleagues; attend workshops such as this; get ideas.
- Watch your competition.
Mr. Betzner’s remarks are a wake-up call that, unfortunately, not everyone will heed. At lunch I spoke with several college communicators whose bosses turn a deaf ear to their pleas for more social media openness, like starting academic blogs. It’s tough to do, but I think it’s imperative that anyone in a public relations department maintain pressure on the higher-ups to move into the twenty-first century. In social media circles, it’s getting to be an old saw that people are already talking about you and you have to join the conversation. But I doubt that it’s been said often enough or in the right ways to the right people.
Next time: remarks by Bill Keller, a sharp young guy recently hired as new media specialist at Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa. What does a new media specialist do with his day? Stay tuned for the scintillating report.
[I also promised poll results last time, but I'm still waiting for a statistically significant number of votes. If you're reading this, please see the poll at right.]
