INK PUBLIC RELATIONS

Volunteer.

To some, it’s a scary word. To others, it is what life’s all about. To me, it’s a way to dive into in my community, to befriend new personalities, to learn and to donate my resources.

A few months ago I decided it was time to start volunteering here in Austin. After poking around and weighing my options, I decided to get involved with the HOPE Farmers Market, an ideal combination of Sunday Fun-day, food, music, art and creative people.

My first time helping at HOPE I hung around the merchandise station to sell posters, t-shirts and water bottles. I had a great time chatting up strangers about HOPE’s parent organization, mission and artwork. I even ended up buying a few posters for myself (which look fantastic in my apartment, I might add).

A week later the volunteer coordinator approached me with the question, “Do you have a smartphone?” “Yes.” “Okay, great. I’ll make you a Facebook admin for our page.”

It was brilliant! The PR and media flack in me was thrilled that I could bring my professional skills and resources to the table. After all, I spend much of my day discussing social media strategies for clients anyway, and I enjoy breaking out my DSLR for freelance photography projects—why not incorporate these skills into my volunteer work?

Since then I’ve been using my phone to update HOPE’s Facebook directly from the market, posting photos and videos of vendors, market-goers and live music. I’ve been taking photos with my DSLR camera for use on Facebook, the HOPE blog and even local ads for the market. And just last weekend we put together HOPE’s first ever market photo booth, complete with veggie props and burlap. Next on my list are website and blog recommendations.

Applying professional skills to personal interests. Is this volunteering of the modern world? As it turns out, I’m not the only HOPE volunteer with the idea. Young bike connoisseurs have established a pop-up fix up shop at the market, a part-time caterer runs the tasting booth and cooking demos (pictured below bottom), and the owner of an Austin landscaping company facilitates the community compost (pictured below top).

Maybe we’ll soon see award-winning chefs behind soup kitchen counters and urban architects building playgrounds. What skills can you offer your community?

Join me at the HOPE Farmers Market – Sundays 11 AM – 3 PM, Pine Street Station at E. 5th and Waller St., Austin, TX.

INK Public Relations is now interviewing for the position of account executive or senior account executive. This team member will join a small group of energetic public relations specialists at the Austin-based boutique communications agency and immediately dive into PR in the technology industry.

Role Responsibilities: This new team member will provide day-to-day tactical implementation of all account activities, working closely with senior team members to execute on clients’ strategic PR plans and initiatives.

Required Skills and Experience: The ideal candidate will have three to five years of PR or related communications experience in the technology industry and demonstrate strong project management abilities, writing skills, and a knack for client service. Candidates should also be self-starters who thrive on working in a team environment.

Interested applicants should send resume and cover letter to Adrienne Huebner at work@ink-pr.com.

Big things are happening at INK and we’re looking for another talented PR pro to join our team in Austin, Texas. (By the way, the most recent talented PR pro to join our ranks is the one and only Micaela Whalen.  Her arrival deserves a post all its own, but things have been so busy since she started last month, that we haven’t had time to give her a proper welcome here on the Fresh INK blog.)

Do you have what it takes to be a part of our team?  Read on and send me an email if you think you’d be a good fit.  (Specific instructions on how to apply are in the description below.)

INK PR Job Opening: PR Account Manager/Supervisor
Years of Experience: 5-7

We are looking for a PR account manager or supervisor with five to seven years of experience in marketing and/or PR in the high tech industry. This person lives and breathes their clients’ industries, thrives on providing sound counsel and creative solutions, understands the dynamic media markets in which our clients play and how to tell a fresh, newsworthy story, demands excellence from a team and, at the same time, can have a beer with them at the end of the day. If you are our candidate, you love what you do and you could never see yourself doing anything else. You play well with others.  You possibly have a war story that involves CES or Walt Mossberg; bonus points for both. Your friends know as much about your clients’ technology as you do, and they are still your friends. You are bored of social media talk and interested in social media results. You are respected by your team, your clients and the media, all at the same time.  Are we asking too much? We don’t think so.

There is a lot of love at INK PR – for what we do, for the clients we work with and for each other. We’re still a relatively young (7 years) and small (you make 11) company with a growing reputation for personalized client service, top-notch media relations (800 journalists voted INK best small tech agency for PRSourceCode Top Communicators 2010 award) and PR programs that exhibit the perfect blend of strategic counsel, creativity and common sense(finalist for PR News’ 2011 Small Agency of the Year). We work hard – very hard – but we also value work/life balance and enjoy ourselves along the way. We’re looking for someone who can bring new insights, experience and relationships to the table. You will make an impact on INK and we will make an impact on you.

Job responsibilities would include:

*Management of multiple accounts and teams consisting of 2 – 5 people
*Day-to-day client relations as the main point of contact to provide strategic counsel, convey status, set expectations, manage budget, anticipate needs and adjust plans accordingly, and find solutions to problems
*Team management, utilizing team strengths and available time in a way that motivates and ensures excellence and results
*Media relations including setting media strategy, leveraging key media relationships and continuing to build new and top-tier ones
*Educates clients on social media tools and strategy; utilizes social media channels for effective campaigns
*Writing and editing of plans, messaging documents, pitches, press releases, blogs and bylines
*Maintains and demonstrates a deep understanding of clients and their industries; teaches others
*Manages account budgets and makes staffing recommendations

Qualifications:  Bachelor’s degree or higher with 5-7 years of experience in marketing and/or PR in the high-tech field.

How to Apply:  Please send cover letter, resume, references and salary requirements to Adrienne Huebner at work@ink-pr.com.

**UPDATE** We are no longer actively recruiting for this position, but will continue to accept and review resumes on a rolling basis.

As I see it, the information my clients have is groundbreaking, so the way that it is presented to the world should be too, and a large part of my job entails finding a unique way to get the media and their audiences to pay attention to that information. We recently had @SamWhitmore (the genius behind SWMS) visit the INK office, and if there was one thing I could take away from his visit, it’s this: Decision making today is being driven by a story’s entertainment value and its ability to translate into content for social channels.

Translation: Reporters want to write about things that will educate, but more importantly, entertain their readers and topics that are likely to be popular on social media channels.

No more are the days of just pitching a story to a reporter and seeing results in the next issue.  With the endless amount of pitches reporters receive on a daily basis, it is imperative that yours delivers information in a way that resonates with the journalist.  Take the infographic as an example.  When it first appeared, reporters were so excited to finally be given a visual way to supplement their stories that they flocked to any source that provided an infographic.  In turn, consumers were thrilled to have a new way to understand information and tended to prefer articles with infographics included. Consequently, the infographic took over.  Now there is such a proliferation of infographics on the web that it has become difficult to pull any true value from them.

Rather than simply follow the trend, as PR professionals, it is our responsibility to introduce new ways that a reporter can intrigue their audience. Below are two sources of information ever-present but seldom used:

Raw Data: If you asked me three years ago while I was forced to sit through my college statistics class, I would swear up and down that raw data is BORING.  If you ask me now, you’ll hear a very different answer.  On its own, data is not that much to look at – it doesn’t have the visually pleasing or mentally stimulating qualities that draw people in.  But raw data has potential (even the weirdest infographics had to get their numbers somewhere).  When used correctly, numbers and percentages are fascinating and can intrigue even the biggest skeptic into reading further into an article.

Consumer Driven Content: Isn’t it obvious that today, people love to see what their peers have to say?  Otherwise, Facebook and YouTube would never have taken off like they did.  What better way to draw a reader into a story than to include content created by a like-minded peer?  Whether this is in the form of a how-to video or an interesting blog post, it doesn’t matter – consumers want their opinions heard just as much as reporters want their articles read.  Pay attention to what your audience is saying and it will pay off down the line.

With some luck (and some kick-butt ways to present information), we’ll be able to integrate new appealing aspects in our conversations with our audiences and draw intrigue to even the most non-newsworthy news.

We’re hiring! Do you have what it takes?

INK PR Job Opening: PR Account Supervisor/Director

Years of Experience: 7 – 10

We are looking for a PR account supervisor or director with seven to ten years of experience in PR and/or marketing in the high tech and clean energy industries. This person lives and breathes their clients’ industries, thrives on providing sound counsel and creative solutions, understands the dynamic media markets in which our clients play and how to tell a fresh, newsworthy story, demands excellence from a team and, at the same time, can have a beer with them at the end of the day.  If you are our candidate, you love what you do and you could never see yourself doing anything else. You play well with others.  You possibly have a war story that involves CES or Walt Mossberg; bonus points for both. You know what CSP stands for and have a hankering to visit a wind farm; added bonus points if you own steel-toed boots. Your friends know as much about your clients’ technology as you do, and they are still your friends. You are bored of social media talk and interested in social media results. You are respected by your team, your clients and the media, all at the same time.  Are we asking too much? We don’t think so.

There is a lot of love at INK PR – for what we do, for the clients we work with and for each other. We’re still a relatively young (in our 8th year) and small (you make 10) company with a growing reputation for personalized client service, top-notch media relations (800 journalists voted INK best small tech agency for PRSourceCode Top Communicators 2010 award) and PR programs that exhibit the perfect blend of strategic counsel, creativity and common sense (finalist for PR News’ 2011 Small Agency of the Year). We work hard – very hard – but we also value work/life balance and enjoy ourselves along the way. We’re looking for someone who can bring new insights, experience and relationships to the table. You will make an impact on INK and we will make an impact on you.

Job responsibilities include:

Management of multiple accounts and teams consisting of 2 – 5 people

Day-to-day client relations as the main point of contact to provide strategic counsel, convey status, set expectations, manage budget, anticipate needs and adjust plans accordingly, and find solutions to problems

Team management, utilizing team strengths and available time in a way that motivates and ensures excellence and results

Media relations including setting media strategy, leveraging key media relationships and continuing to build new and top-tier ones

Educates clients on social media tools and strategy; utilizes social media channels for effective campaigns

Writing and editing of plans, messaging documents, pitches, press releases, blogs and bylines

Maintains and demonstrates a deep understanding of clients and their industries; teaches others

Manages account budgets and makes staffing recommendations

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree or higher with 7 – 10 years of experience in PR and/or marketing in the high-tech and/or clean energy fields. Please send cover letter, resume, references and salary requirements to Adrienne Huebner at work@ink-pr.com.

This post comes to you from Jessica  Warren, the newest addition to INK.  We’ll get her pretty little headshot on the blog as soon as possible!

I’m two months in. Two thrilling months in Austin, after spending my years in New York (Long Island) and Washington, D.C. While I’m still new to the city, I think I’ve gotten a pretty good grasp of my new hometown. Now I’m trying to crack the Austinite code and really become a local.

In my quest to decipher Austin, I’ve developed a vault of newfound newcomer wisdom. I thought I’d share this wisdom with the world and any future newcomers, as I’m sure the mass migration of youthful-tech-and-music-centric-artsy-folk to Austin will only continue.

Austinites are foodies.
With an inconceivable amount of bars and restaurants per capita, it’s no wonder that Austinites love food. Upon stepping foot in Austin, you’ll learn the difference between Inner Mexican and Tex Mex. You’ll try margaritas made with unexpected ingredients. You’ll attempt a mental list of restaurants to try, but you’ll soon be overloaded and forget all the names—yet somehow Austinites know the ins and outs of restaurants around the world. Furthermore, many Austinites can rank their favorite destinations for specific food items; just ask INK’s Allison Glass for a complete list and analysis of Austin’s best eggs benedict dishes.

Austinites are fit.
Not only are they fit, but they are in peak physical condition and have probably run a marathon or two. Need proof? Join the running rush hour around Lady Bird Lake each evening, start counting fitness shops, or read more of FRESH INK: Rachael is training for a triathlon, and nearly every INKer has participated in the Austin Marathon.

You will struggle to fit into number 1 and 2.
Happy hour or a work out? The Austin conundrum.

Austin has a traffic problem, and you will hear about it frequently.
Long-time residents of Austin will blame the traffic on newcomers such as me. This is a valid point, considering that Austin ranks 5^th most moved-to city in the country this year. You, too, will complain about the traffic, but you’ll need to avoid pointing fingers in order to avoid getting blamed again. I think Austin residents just need a few hours in New York City traffic to soothe the complaints.

Approximately one-third of all car decorations, shirts, shorts, hats and key chains you see each day will feature the Longhorns logo.
Fact.

Another third will feature the slogan, “Keep Austin Weird.”
Apparently it’s not just for tourists. Either that, or the tourists get sucked in and stay. Both are valid.

Zip codes are important.
Austinites know the various Austin zip code boundaries, each of which has a unique personality, and they talk about their personal zip code with a nationalistic pride.

Lady Bird Lake is not a river.
It looks like one, but it is not one. I called it a river for at least a week. Don’t be fooled.

But there are pianos on the bridges and paths surrounding the lake.
Yes, it’s true. I thought it was a rumor until I heard music coming from nowhere on the South 1^st bridge. They are parts of a temporary art installation and will sadly be removed in May.

You cannot sound out Austin street names.
Many of the street names throughout the city are not pronounced like you think they would be. Mispronounce these and you will be pinpointed the naïve newcomer. Learn them and you’ll be on the right track:

Guadalupe = Guah-da-LOOP-eh Guah-da-LOOP.

Manor = MA-nor MAY-nor.

Manchaca = Man-CHAH-cah MAN-chack.

Burnet = Bur-NEHT BUR-nit.

It is hot.
I now consider 80 degrees a cool day.

It’s not called “seltzer” or “nacho cheese dip.”
Calling soda water “seltzer” gets me stares and glares like I stepped out of the 19^th century, and while I find it funny that everyone called it “queso,” I don’t dare to question.

There you have it, some newfound wisdom on Austin and Austinites. Stay tuned as I continue my quest to becoming a true local.

Piano on the 1st Street Pedestrian Bridge

Last night, sitting in the DFW airport on the last leg of an eight hour travel ordeal, I received the link to a blog post about offense taken to the tip cards we created for and distributed at SXSWi. To say I was surprised by the response of those who were offended by the cards is an understatement. Being offensive is not in our company culture, nor in my personal nature. But, no one goes through life pleasing everyone and if you’re willing to put yourself out there, as we are, there’s a high probability that at some point in time someone is not going to agree with your approach. Such is life.

Throughout this experience, a few things we counsel our clients to do have been reinforced (nothing like personal experience to solidify client counsel!), and I personally have learned a few lessons as well:

Know your audience. At the office prior to printing the cards, we talked about what we wanted on them and we went for pithy, visual language that had a sense of humor to it. None of us were offended by the tip, nor did we imagine others would be, but we are not the target audience of SXSWi. This happens to our clients all the time too – messaging can’t be created in a vacuum. Get out, figure out your audience, come up with messages that will resonate with them, not just with you.
Humor is hard – very hard – to pull off. We usually counsel our clients to not even try it, unless they are comfortable with their audience. We fell flat here to the extent that not only were we not funny to some, but were offensive. Ouch. Not our intention.
Respond quickly. When Violet Blue reached out to me on Saturday, I thought a response on Monday was appropriate (I have two babies and busy weekends – I am “always on” but felt certain that a response on Monday would be fine). Apparently I was wrong, as the two days I took to respond created even more fervor over the situation. I find this unfortunate. I can say I will try to be quicker in the future, but there is value to being offline as well. I try to find that balance.
Respond via multiple channels. I’m still working on this one, but there is a lesson here somewhere: When Violet reached out to me via email (to the info@ink-pr.com email), I wrote a blog post (with the intention that this would be helpful to her as she could have my complete line of thinking and share as she felt necessary) and sent her the link via email in response. She took offense to this. I’m still putting my finger on why – perhaps it felt like I was brushing her off or not being direct? But I also believe I did a disservice to myself by not opening a two-way dialogue. In the future, I will do both.
Get a social media monitoring tool. There were conversations being had on Twitter and Flickr and blogs that we missed, plain and simple. I believe in responding, believe in opening the lines of communication, but if you don’t see it you can’t address it. I’m going back now and responding to folks, but it’s been several days and that’s just added fuel to the fire. We’ll do a better job on this for INK from here on out.

Those are the lessons learned for now. Perhaps more will pop up in the coming days. If you have one, feel free to share. Now back to regularly scheduled programming (aka work).

SXSWi has now left town – whew, what a ride. We were excited about our participation in the show, through our conference attendance and sponsorship of the speaker room. Using the theme “thINK” we commissioned an interactive art exhibit that represented the creative and original thought of the speakers and attendees of SXSWi. We hoped to create a space where speakers could relax, take a moment to prepare and thINK about what they wanted to say to the masses that flocked to each and every panel discussion and keynote. As part of that preparation, we provided speaker tip cards – just a brief list of tips to get speakers in the groove and remind them of some elemental ways to make their points come across loud and clear.

The last tip on the card was a quote, attributed to everyone (including Winston Churchill) and no one over many years, and considered a sound piece of advice to toastmasters and speech makers alike. A quick Google search brings up Lord Balfour as having uttered these words in the opening of a speech at the turn of the 19th century: “A good speech, like a woman’s skirt, should be long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.”

We thought Lord Balfour made a good point, via analogy which we often counsel our clients is an effective means of getting an idea to stick. And, while including an essential piece of guidance (e.g. brevity is key), it also exudes a bit of humor. Concise communication with a dash of personality – those are two things we get behind at INK.

I’ve heard some of the speakers took offense at our “sexist” tip cards. To those speakers, this all-female high tech/clean tech PR firm says no offense intended and offers up this one additional piece of advice – not taking ourselves so seriously can be a good thing in life. Try it.

(P.S. Full Disclosure: I have edited the title of this post from Here’s a Tip: Lighten Up, as that was an unfortunate turn of words on my part that has continued to fan the flame. Again, I was attempting humor – because I continue to believe there is way too much being read into this entire topic – but apparently I am not as funny as I once believed.)

Well, close, but not exactly – this is a play-by-play of a day in the life of this President (of INK PR) and about 15 minutes in the life of THE President (of the United States). Still, it’s amazing how much the latter can impact the former (in the form of work, tension, excitement). For prosperity’s sake:

Wednesday, January 26, Broadwind Towers facility, Manitowoc, WI

6:00 a.m. I’m in Wisconsin. At the Manitowoc Best Western. And I’m getting up at the crack of dawn not because my babies have woken me, but because today is the day my client has the honor of hosting the President of the United States. And while that is an amazing thing in and of itself, there is also the SLIGHTEST chance that I might get a glimpse, a nod or a (gasp) handshake. So what’s a girl to do? Get up as early as possible of course to try out a new eyeshadow strategy, get dressed up more than I ever do at home (still, my mother is mortified I’m not wearing a dress), and check last minute email.

Manitowoc, WI, from the plane. We don't get snow like this where I'm from.

7:15 a.m. Must be downstairs to defrost the ice off the black Expedition (Kari and I traveled Secret Service style) in 15 minutes. I’m thinking pony tail is the only way to go…my mother sits on my shoulder and screams “No way Jose!” in my ear. Flat iron it is.

7:45 a.m. In the car, ready to go. Pleased with my ability to deal with 17 degree weather and remain on time. Where’s Kari? Oh that’s her, coming around the corner from the back of the building now. Apparently, she got stuck inside a maze of hallways and elevators and had to exit the service entrance (mind you, this is a three-story Best Western in Manitowoc, WI). [NOTE: I'll be reminded later that I just sat there in the (running) car and watched her walk all the way across the parking lot. Apparently, I could have moved the car to pick her up - blame it on the day.]

8:00 a.m. Starbucks, sweet sweet Starbucks. Our black SUV is getting some looks – feels like the whole town is on edge. Light snow is coming down – pretty, but if we get stuck here tonight there will be hell to pay.

We traveled Secret Service style (special deal - same price as full-size).

8:15 a.m. Picking up printing at the local Office Depot. That was the SMOOTHEST print job I have ever been involved with. Again, the SUV at work for us or just a town with good customer service? You tell me.

8:30 a.m. It’s time – must get to the facility before “lock down.” Nervously walking on ice and snow – not my cup of tea, but I manage not to fall.

10:45 a.m. Can’t believe it’s already been two hours of running around, calling the media to get set up for post-visit, emailing, getting the press release finished, etc. You can feel the tension in the air and every minute it seems to get a little thicker.

11:15 a.m. Plans have changed, he’ll be here soon to beat weather headed to DC. It’s like there’s a buzz in the air. They want us to eat now (lunch was brought in), but who has the stomach for that? Media all lined up for later so we’re feeling good about our work, able to enjoy the moment. Picture time!

11:30 a.m. Pat down (again). Secret Service (men and 1 woman – I think she’s wearing the same “pant suit” as me ) everywhere. I must say, I think NFL quarterbacks and Secret Service men have that symmetrical face thing in common.

Secret Service (yes, I took a picture) keeping the crowd in line.

12:00 p.m. This side or that side? We’re three deep behind Broadwind Towers employees (rightly so!), but Kari is scouting for a better position. We’re going to the other end, fingers crossed!

Prepping for POTUS.

12:10 p.m. POTUS IS IN THE BUILDING!!!

12:15 p.m. SO QUIET. Weird. He’s coming, he’s coming. Okay, now there is clapping and cheering. Guy in front of me hands me his phone to get a picture of him and the President. Unfortunately for him, when the President comes by I lose all ability to multi-task and can only reach out my hand. Lucky for me, a handshake and a smile! Crazy. Oh, here’s your phone – sorry!

President Obama reaching for my hand (photo taken by woman behind me).

12:20 p.m. That was FAST. And weirdly emotional. I’m giddy and laughing over a handshake. Granted, it was a handshake with the leader of the free world, but still. And now it’s over and we’re headed to the phones to talk to the media – a few have arrived already.

3:00 p.m. Interviews done, execs feeling good, everyone is ready to put their feet up (an AMAZING amount of work was completed in just five days – including a brochure piece we wrote last night in 30 minutes, with design assist from the marketing director). We are OUTTA HERE! (Good thing since we have an all-day media training tomorrow – no rest for the weary. )

GOODNIGHT WISCONSIN! You were lovely, hope to see you again soon. Oh and you Mr. President – would be happy to see you again soon as well.

We all know someone who has one. A wallet so full of receipts, credit cards, loyalty programs, coupons, pennies, business cards from your dentist five years ago, and let’s not forget the obligatory old photo ID that we carry around (maybe from school or a previous job), which we are embarrassed of, yet still keep in our wallet. The time has come – to downsize. That was the theme at Smart Card Alliance’s fourth annual Mobile and Transit Payments Summit, held this year in Salt Lake City, UT, and a theme that the United States will soon embrace with the deployment of NFC enabled handsets, set to hit the market at the end of 2011 (40 million chips expected to enter the North American market this year alone). The “mobile wallet” is among us, and mobile payments are starting to pave the way.

I know what many of you are thinking – “what’s the big deal with mobile payments?” And the answer is: convenience and security to the next generation of consumer. Imagine this: You are sitting at home debating on whether to buy that $150 leather jacket online. Determined to first try it on, you drive to the store, scan the item’s barcode into your smartphone and Amazon Mobile Payments application pulls up the exact jacket for $30 cheaper. And what’s that…they are offering you 10% off if you buy it now and have it shipped to your door tomorrow? One click later (with my financial information preloaded), I am done. The ecommerce landscape is an industry that is driving the mechanisms behind mobile payments because consumers are driven by incentives, and ease of use.

It’s not just the retail industry that is jumping on board with mobile payments – financial institutions, social media/online advertising giants, and wireless carriers are all chomping at the bit to get behind a mobile payments platform that will not only provide secure and fast transactions to their users, but also develop a new kind of relationship with their customers. The technology is ready; it’s implementation, adaptation and industry standards that are slowing this race. Fear not, compliance will come soon enough. In the meantime – start throwing out those old receipts.

Click here for more information on Amazon’s Price Check application. And stay tuned for net week’s post: The Amazing World of ISIS….