Core skills required in a public relations career

Publicist, public relations officer or PR manager; there are many names associated with a Public relations. PR careers are on a rise and are growing at a fast place in both offline and online medium. There is an ever growing demand for public relations all around the world, especially in India with the whole burgeoning factor. In public relations, one has to maintain the image and reputation of the concerned brand or particular entity across different mediums. 

If you are someone who has an impressive way with people and are outgoing, then you can definitely make public relations as your career. Traditional or digital, choice varies from individual to individual. One usually has to pursue a public relations course first to get familiar with nuances of the field. Post that, there are some core skills that every public relations officer must possess. If you are keen to know, then take a look- 

• Good communication skills: In a career like PR, communications is the base for everything. The way you communicate and opine your views to the brand and people around is what makes the difference. You will come across people with who you will have to interact in person and on phone. Hence, impeccable communication skills are an essential skill that is required. If you are confident and can articulate well, you are good to go! Polish on your communication skills to leave a positive impression on all! 

• Effective writing skills: Top notch writing skills are required in public relations. As for the brand/individual you are dealing with, you would be required to create stimulating content for them. Their press release, articles in magazines and interviews; all will require strong writing skills. So build on grammar, editing and proof reading skills as well at the same time to stay atop of the game. 

• Strong research skills: A keen eye to detail is a pre requisite every PR manager should strive for. Build on your research skills and do effective work in the same. Research will give you an edge over others and may prove to be advantageous as well. 

• Good technical computer skills: For the digital times that we subsist in, it is essential to get nuanced with Microsoft tools- excel sheets, word, power point etc. and even Photoshop (if need be).  Having knowledge about this bit will help you in the long run. 

In the advertising and public relations industry, these are some core skills that are admired by all and recommended tremendously by successful people. 

Making a Career In Marketing

When we hear marketing, the very first word that pops in our head is ‘competition’. Most people think that it is a multidimensional and exciting career path, which is true to some extend but it is extremely demanding at the same time. A marketing career provides one high incomes, travel opportunities, wide-ranging hours but it might also includes weekend and evening work as well.

Normally, a degree in advertising and public relation is necessary for this kind of work, but lots of people step into it from related areas, or work their way upward from lower places. A marketing career is focused on marketing products and services to make sure business profitability. Smaller firms are likely to have one person managing the daily duties of promotions, sales, public relations and marketing, but in bigger ones, a whole team can be employed to perform varied jobs, including some supervisors to supervise the staff and keep quotas.

Marketing people have to handle varied tasks on the daily basis which includes account creation, diverse creative jobs, and cold calling sales. A person who has done some public relation course in past is also well-fitted for the job as it involves telemarketing, media ad creations, exhibits, catalogues, store features, sales events and on-line ads.  

Advertising managers are largely responsible for developing marketing strategies, setting goals for the company and preparing their team for that. They may also deal directly through meetings with clients, wholesalers, government agencies, distributors, other companies and the general public at times.

There are various opportunities for development within a marketing career, including starting your very own company. A vocation in marketing may begin in a call center as a telemarketer or in a retail garments store as a salesperson. The formidable ones may advance themselves through hard work; volunteering for help their employers to improve productivity. The possibilities within a marketing career are seemingly endless so long as new services and products become available.

Know The Basics Of Advertising Industry

Advertising is that means of communication in which consumers are informed about products or services which they use or may use in the future. It is a message for which the payment is done by the creators of the commodity to influence the people who are at the receiving end of the channel or medium.

Advertising has always been around in the world while people may or may not have noticed them. Earlier the means of communication were limited and the range was very minimum. In the modern day advertising uses every means of communication available like television, print media which includes newspapers, magazines and journals. It also uses radio, hoardings, emails, social media through internet. Events are organised as a part of advertising campaigns which include contests and competitions, posters and many audio visual mediums of communication. Advertising and public relations popularly known as PR go hand in hand.

The advertising industry is one of the largest branched as a part of media and telecommunications. The industry constitutes of the companies which form advertisements, the medium to executes the ad and a group of people who carry out some of the major functions of the campaign such as researchers, creative heads, copy editors, visualizers, brand managers and designers who bring this to the consumers.

 A brand or product in need for popularity or to spread awareness consults an agency for advertisements. The company needs to brief the agencies about all the details of the brand, the type of campaign they require, their product and most importantly the message they want to convey. These ideas are then conceptualised into various forms of required advertisements.    

With the rising demands of these ad agencies, one can easily opt for an advertising and public relation career. There are many universities in India which support and carry out the full time courses for these streams.

How Is Advertising Different From Public Relations?

There are people who often confuse the term advertising with public relations. The two are actually different in many ways. An old saying that ‘advertising is what you pay for, publicity is what you pray for’ perfectly explains the difference between the two terms. There are business organizations that think that advertising and PR are same, and if they are doing one, they do need to invest in other. This is not true however. Both have very different roles to play in achieving business targets. If you are also a one who thinks that the two are same, points listed below will help you understand the difference between the two. 

Advertising is a method of generating paid announcements which are promoted on mediums like TV, radio, newspapers and online portals. On the other hand, public relations is a strategic process to build positive relationship between the business organization and the general public. Another difference between advertising and public relations is that the first one is paid while the latter offers free coverage.  While business organizations have to pay for ad spaces in newspapers and other media, the main idea of public relations is to get free publicity for the company which is done by hosting press meets and distributing press releases.  Another difference is that PR has a shelf life but advertising does not. You can run ad again and again on the television, but a PR about a particular event can only be sent once.

Being different, both play a very important role in reaching the target audience. Career and growth options are many in both fields. For those who a have a public relations degree from AAFT can work in any leading PR firm and earn good money. On the other hand, a degree course in advertising also opens an array of job opportunities.

Benefits of Doing a Post Graduate Diploma in Advertising

Advertising is the art of conveying messages among the general public. It is a huge industry today and offers a range of exciting job opportunity for talented people. For a long and successful career in this field it is advised that one take professional guidance and learn about all aspects of advertising. A professional degree can be of great help and open a number of job opportunities in areas like advertising agencies, advertising sections of public and private companies, market research organizations, radio and television etc. 

Seeing the great demand of professionals in this area, a number of colleges have come up with degree and diploma courses in advertising.  A one year post graduate diploma in advertising is very helpful for all those who are looking for a lucrative career in this field. The course has a planned and comprehensive curriculum which help students sharpen their logical thinking and public speaking skills which are very important in this field. It also gives them a chance to learn about various laws, communication policies and topics like dispute management. Not just that, they also get to know about public affairs, event management, sponsorship, media liaison etc.  

During the course, students are taught useful skills of how to influence people, build a strong media profile and do conflict resolution. They also learn the basic principle and concepts of public relations. This helps them to make better decisions in their work life later. If you choose a reputed institute for the course you also get a chance to meet professionals of the industry. This is because top institutes send their students for internships in leading advertising companies. It gives them an excellent opportunity to gain industrial exposure and build a professional network. Students may also get a good job offer during their internship period.

Advertising and Public Relations: The New Hot Profession

People nowadays don’t want a stable 9 to 5 job. They want fun and they want excitement. They want to be on their toes and for that they need a job that challenges them to do this. Jobs where they are on call 24/7 and literally never stop working. A job where each day, employees get to interact, with a new client or to do something different
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The new hot professions in India especially are advertising and public relations. There are a hundred openings in these areas and literally every month a new business starts where they need employees for these very sections.

Another new arena for the extroverts and people willing to get their hands dirty is the job of event management. So I will be counting down the 5 reasons event management is better than advertising and public relations.

1. Actually event management is a compilation of not only advertising and public relations but also many other aspects like analysing the needs of the client and organisational skills and ability to multi-task. So you can try your hand at a number of different sections that make an event complete.

2. Also a wide variety of institutes are offering event management courses as a full professional course. These courses will help you not only work on your skills but they will also provide on ground practical work and allow you to make connections, and it will be these connections that will help you when just starting out with a new business.

3. A lot of people actually prefer event management over other marketing arenas. Since event management will anyway include many aspects of both advertising and public relations and at the same time allow more control over the actual event and ability to experiment more.

4. The profession of event management is quickly booming in Delhi since Delhi sees a lot of weddings, functions and other events that need to be managed properly. Also the wealthy are willing to spend a lot of money on perfect execution of these events.

5. Event management is although very exhausting yet lucrative business. People are always organising functions and weddings and if you make a name for yourself, then people will anyway reach out to you.  

Things to keep in mind before going for a Public Relations degree

My cousin, a new graduate, turned up the other day asking about Public Relations degrees for higher studies. Utterly confused as all fresh graduates are, she didn’t seem to know much about it. Pieces of information from friends couldn’t clear her doubts as to what exactly the term Public Relations or PR meant, and what it does. So, I thought of listing down the few things that I told her, and hope it will help other Advertising and Public Relation aspirants.

Public Relations or PR is the new buzz word in the diverse world of Marketing, nowadays. PR is, in reality much more than only glamour and blitz as commonly perceived. It has become an integral part of any company these days as it reaches out to a large audience without incurring the expenses of traditional advertising.

To put it in simpler words, it is nothing but maintaining a positive image of an organization in the eyes of the ‘Public’, which might be the company’s customers, stakeholders, or even the Government! An increasing trend has been noticed wherein celebrities and political parties are employing PR agencies to maintain and improve their image and perception.  

Needless to say, a Public Relations degree has been one of the most sought after degrees during the past few years. Students pursuing Public Relations would gain an in depth knowledge of employing communication and multimedia techniques to maintain and manipulate public opinion. PR courses are offered to both under and post graduate students, but I would suggest going for a specified post-graduation degree as it would help widen your horizon of knowledge.

Lots of reputed institutions are offering PR and advertising degrees. To all those who are looking for a career in PR can check them out and gather information, thanks to internet! Lastly, for all the baffled graduates seeking a degree in PR, I would say: Be clear of WHAT you would be doing as a PR professional by knowing what exactly PR stands for, and then head towards your destination! 

Start-Ups: What to Expect from PR Agencies

Living in a time where advertising and public relations can make or break your brand, service or company, hiring just the right advertising and PR agency is of utmost importance.

And especially if you’re a start-up venture, then boy is it going to be hard for you to get word about town! And that’s where a public relations agency steps in, and does the job for you. But to ensure a job well done, you need to be on top of them, and expect a certain standard of services provided.

 So an advertising and PR agency you’re hiring needs to be crisp and effective about planning. For a start-up, there is absolutely no precedent to go by, so the advertising and public relations need to be built ground up. And the crux of any construction plan is a strong foundation. A PR agency is expected to plan strategically and counsel you about how to go about advertising and publicising your start-up.

But before the PR firm gets on with the planning, you need to be articulate about what you want, so that they can chart it out professionally. Whilst goals may change with time, an overarching set of goals and objectives should be in place to ensure smooth operation and success.

In order to understand your start-up, a PR agency needs to listen and empathise with what you are and what your needs are; this is key to any successful way forward. The analytical and open minds of PR agencies are just as intent listeners as they are talkers. But of course, you need an agency that doesn’t just give you the reigns the whole time, but also pushes back and takes charge. The expertise of such an agency is what you’re hiring them for, right? So you need to sit back and let them take control because they know what they’re doing.

You need an agency that will propose plan after plan, assess and reassess constantly, and own up to the game and makes it happen, while still admitting to errors and displaying humility and confidence at the same time.

Most of all, you need a public relations agency that always stays on top of the game, with novel and creative ideas up their sleeve at all times!