Living the Dream

Once in awhile, my public relations tactics II class has the privilege of listening to a PR professional that has graduated from UW-Whitewater. On Tuesday, we were graced with the presence of Melissa Bohl, Customer Experience Marketing Leader at GE Healthcare. Melissa graduated from UW-Whitewater in 2006 and knew from the get-go that she wanted to work in the health care industry. Melissa took us through her role and responsibilities that she has with GE Healthcare including producing the AssurePoint monthly newsletter. The newsletter goes out to all service sales employees at GE Healthcare and includes a re-cap of all new items on AssurePoint, a spotlight and key news/new offerings that AssurePoint may have. Melissa shared with us a new program that she is helping to develop called Marketing Blueprint. This program is for the sales team at GE Healthcare and is to aid them in developing a proposal to fit the needs and goals of the customer. 

Melissa shared with us the core principals that GE Healthcare has on communications and social media internally and externally.  

Internally: 
 
Social Media That GE Healthcare Utilizes:

• GE Connect (all work related)
                  - Similar to blogs
• Yammer (all work related)
                 - resembles Facebook
                 - all employers are required to log-in everyday and post a new status 
• Support Central
                - internal/departmental website (Intranet: internal way to communicate with employees; secure website with documents that employees need) 

Internal Communications Vehicles:  

• @services magazine
• blog postings - GE Connect
• Homepage article
• Americas Services newsletter
• Healthcare Systems newsletter 

Externally:

Social Media: 

• Next Level website - blogging, videos, and online tools  
• Youtube 
• LinkedIn - Individual sales reps are on LinkedIn including GE recruits! (:  

 Today, tactics II had the privilege of meeting and listening to Cory Zimmermann of Z2 Marketing. However, unlike Melissa, Cory wasn't all too sure what he wanted to do when he graduated high school in 1991. Cory set off to be a professional marathon runner before he thought about attending college. He turned down being an accountant with a full ride to UW-Whitewater and instead went to a design school. When Cory graduated he made a few attempts at starting his own free lance agency, but ultimately was hired out and worked on a design team for a bigger agency. In 2003, Cory and his business partner Deb created Z2 Marketing and has recently celebrated their eight year anniversary. 
Z2 Marketing is the only branding company in the Midwest that is FULL service. Z2 Marketing works for relationships and to become partners with their clients. Cory gave us a piece of advice when stepping foot out into the real world - sell yourself; you are your first client. Cory showed us a lot of his work and how he tells a stories; stories are told in moments and Cory captures those moments through his work. One way that Cory is such a success as what he does is that he sees things in a different way or light. He also encourages his co-workers to do the same thing.

Both Melissa and Cory love what they are doing, but they both went through some tough love before they got to where they are now. Sometimes the road ahead may seem crazy and totally out there, but not a lot of people get places being "safe". 


Thank you to both Cory Zimmermann and Melissa Bohl for coming to speak to us about the fabulous world of PR! (:

Never Underestimate the Power of Social Media

Today, in my PR tactics class, Katie Felten (@katiefelten) with MKELive came to speak to us about the power of LinkedIn. Because of a class assignment, I've had a LinkedIn account for about a year now, but never knew to the extent of how to fully use it. I'm not really sure how to include all of my notes into paragraph form so instead, I am going to bullet the notes I took. Hope you enjoy and gain as much insight about LinkedIn as I did. (:

• Top 3 things that is crucial on LinkedIn

1. Make sure the picture you are displaying is a head shot and is professional looking
2. Make your title bar is interesting and tells about who you are, not just have it list your current position
3. Make your summary about yourself POP 

• Keep the same display picture in all business related social media sites - that way professionals can associate you and find you easily (Facebook is not included)
• Post updates! Keep updates (or statuses) on LinkedIn professional and business related - example: Looking for an internship with a nonprofit org. for spring semester! 
• On your profile, there is a section where you can display other websites that you are related to or connected with - put links on them to blog, volunteer pages, etc. HOWEVER, change the link name to something other than mywebsitepage, myblog, etc.
• Get recommendations from previous employers when you can - great way to establish yourself and give credibility 
• Join groups that are related to the industry you want to get into. Joining groups not only ups your connections, but also a great way to reach out and get yourself recognized
• Build up connections that you are passionate about - find people that have similar interests in you (yoga, Starbucks, social media, etc.)
•  Join local groups like Big Shoes Network 
• You don't need to be connected with someone to contact them - use the Introductions page (you get 5 free ones) 
• Use LinkedIn's search bar - it is a great tool to use - USE IT!  
• Have personality in whatever you do - make yourself stick out!(My favorite part of her advice)
• FINALLY, Schedule in at least 1 hour per week to work on LinkedIn. 

Katie has been a key speaker to many businesses, classes and other professionals about the power of social media. She is a great asset to the PR world and has aided in the success of many organizations and companies due to her knowledge in social media. In an essence, Katie Felten is the social media queen!
I want to really thank Katie Felten again for this great advice and for coming to our campus (UW-Whitewater) and for speaking to my class! 

Find Me (Amanda) on LinkedIn!: AmandaGabel 

One Step at a Time

I've gotten to that point in life. The point where you start feeling grown-up and might actually have a shot at making it in the real world. Yesterday evening I attended a BMA (Business Marketing Association) event with speed interviewing as their main workshop. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a really great experience for me. To prepare for the event, I ordered business cards (which made me feel really professional), purchased a portfolio and put my life's experiences on a sheet of paper. The speed interviewing was my favorite part of the evening, but talk about nerve racking at first. Picture speed dating, but instead of worrying if you were going to "score" that night, you were worrying about your appearance, how you carried yourself, how you answered questions and if you were what their company was looking for. It was intense and I gained a lot of insight about myself that I never knew.
Almost everyone who interviewed me asked what I wanted to do with my degree when I graduated or where I saw myself in five years and until that evening, I had no idea what I wanted. I wanna work for a nonprofit organization that helps kids. Operation Smile, Big Brother Big Sister, Locks of Love, etc. I was presented with a question, "What are you most passionate about?" No one asked me this before. Surprisingly, I answered the question with as much passion and certainty as when my boyfriend asked me to marry him. Thanks to BMA, I am one step closer to achieving my dreams. I feel like I owe them BIG time.
Not only did I find a path I wanted to go down, but I also learned more about social media and the impact that it can have on your life. @haleylandsman @Apiwarun and @stratocasting  gave a presentation on social media and how it is all about personal connections, online and offline. Take the plunge, put yourself out there and see where it takes you. You have nothing to loose!
 http://twitter.com/#!/BMA_Milwaukee
http://www.bma-milwaukee.org/ 

Everything is Black and White

Hello everyone! This post is just to tell you all a little bit of who I am and where I am in my life as of now. I am currently a junior at UW-Whitewater and I am expected to graduate in May of 2012 with a BA in Public Relations and a minor in Advertising. I currently hold a public relations/marketing internship with The Escape Teen Center in Fort Atkinson, WI. The center is a place where middle school and high school students can come after school to get help on their homework and participate in the many programs the center has to offer.
I am highly proficient in a number of computer programs including Microsoft Publisher, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Microsoft Powerpoint. I am also skilled in social media such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogs. I have dipped my foot in TV production, radio and photography. My interests include social media, event planning, networking and advertising.
As of right now, I don't know what I exactly want to do with my degree when I graduate from UW-Whitewater, so I am doing some of my own soul searching. I can't wait to see what the world has to offer me and what doors are going to open next. 
This is only my first post, but stay tuned for more to come!

- Amanda