I’m excited to be a part of tomorrow’s MinnSPRA (Minnesota School Public Relations Association) spring conference! The conference, entitled “Back to the Future: What’s Worked in the Past and What’s Needed Today,” will explore new ideas and tools to approach school marketing and digital communications in new and effective ways. I’m looking forward to speaking alongside some other great innovators including Jeff Rabkin, President and Founder of creative agency Wowza, Scott Croonquist, Executive Director of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts, and speakers from The Nerdery, an interaction production company. Check out the description of my presentation, “Citizen Journalist: How to harness the power of your community” below. I’m looking forward to this great day chatting with and learning from other professionals in this area of public relations! Citizen Journalist: How to harness the power of your community As education PR professionals the fact is you are faced with challenges that no other PR professional can imagine. Representing districts and schools in face of the negative media that often circles public education is incredibly challenging. Social media has only increased this challenge as your students and parents now have the power to act as “citizen journalists” able to broadcast “the good, the bad and the ugly” with a click of a button. In this session we will outline simple methods to help you leverage your “citizen journalists” and potentially avoid rumors and negative PR and also promote the positive. We will also present some tools and tips for integrating social media outreach into your busy schedules.
