Demystifying public relations consultancy: The strategic approach & dimensions .

1. Demystifying public relations consultancy:The strategic approach & dimensions. AKIN OKUDERO fnipr, amnim MANAGING DIRECTOR PR PRIMUS LIMITED. www.pr-primus -ng.com akinokudero@pr-primus-ng.com www.facebook.com/pr primus pprprimuslimited@yahoo.com 08033185643, 08059369164 2nd May, 2013 Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

2. INTRODUCTION • It is indeed both a privilege and honour to be called upon to stand before Public Relations professionals and talk on the topic –Demystifying PR Consultancy. • The Strategic approach and Dimensions are my submissions on experiences garnered in almost three decades of PR practice in Nigeria. • In one of the sayings of Pa ObafemiAwolowo, past Premier of the old western region-Nigeria. He said, “Its only the deep who can talk to the deep” . Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

3. ISSUES ARISING FROM THE TOPIC • Professionalism • Demystifying PR Consultancy • The Strategic Approach and Dimensions Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

4. PROFESSIONALISM DEFINED • The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines professionalism as "conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person"; and it defines a profession as "a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.“ • These definitions imply that professionalism encompasses a number of different attributes, and, together, these attributes identify and define a professional. Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

5. CONSULTANCY DEFINED • A consultant is usually an expert or a professional in a specific field and has a wide knowledge of the subject matter.[2]  The role of consultant fall under one of two general categories: • Internal Consultant - someone who operates within an organization but is available to be consulted on areas of specialism by other departments or individuals (acting as clients); or • External Consultant - someone who is employed externally (either by a firm or some other agency) whose expertise is provided on a temporary basis, usually for a fee. As such this type of consultant generally engages with multiple and changing clients. • The overall impact of a consultant is that clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them to retain in-house, and may purchase only as much service from the outside consultant as desired Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

6. PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENT They are: Specialized Knowledge • Professionals are known for their specialized knowledge. They've made a deep personal commitment to develop and improve their skills, and, where appropriate, they have the degrees and certifications that serve as the foundation of this knowledge. Competency • Professionals get the job done. They're reliable, and they keep their promises. If circumstances arise that prevent them from delivering on their promises, they manage expectations up front, and they do their best to make the situation right. Honesty and Integrity • Professionals exhibit qualities such as honesty and integrity. They keep their word, and they can be trusted implicitly because of this. They never compromise their values and will do the right thing, even when it means taking a harder road. • True professionals are humble– if a project or job falls outside their scope of expertise, they're not afraid to admit this. They immediately ask for help when they need it, and they're willing to learn from others. Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

7. PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENT… Accountability • Professionals hold themselves accountable for their thoughts, words, and actions, especially when they've made a mistake. This personal accountability is closely tied to honesty and integrity, and it's a vital element in professionalism. Self-Regulation • They also stay professional under pressure. • For instance, imagine a customer service employee who's faced with an irate customer. Instead of getting upset or angry in return, the employee exhibits true professionalism by maintaining a calm, business-like demeanor, and by doing everything that she can to make the situation right. • Genuine professionals show respect for the people around them, no matter what their role or situation. They exhibit a high degree of emotional intelligence (EI) by considering the emotions and needs of others, and they don't let a bad day impact how they interact with colleagues or clients. Image They're polished, and they dress appropriately for the situation. Because if this, they exude an air of confidence, and they gain respect for this. Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

8. STRATEGIES TOWARDS PR CONSULTANCY To become a successful consultant you need to: • Provide selfless service- Be physically involved in PR activities. Build Expertise • Don't let your knowledge and skills get outdated. Make a commitment to build expertise and stay up-to-date with your industry.  Develop Your Emotional Intelligence • Professionals can sense the emotional needs of others. They're able to give clients and coworkers what they need, because they know how to listen actively and observe what's happening. Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

9. Strategies…… Honor Your Commitments • Whenever you make a promise to your boss, colleagues, or clients, keep it. If it looks as if you won't be able to meet a deadline, let your boss, team or client know as soon as sensibly possible. However, do what you can to avoid ending up in this situation! • Don't make excuses – instead, focus on meeting expectations as best you can, and on making the situation right. Be Polite • Be kind and polite and use good manners to everyone you come into contact with, no matter what their role is, and no matter how you're feeling. This might sound unimportant, but it makes a significant impact. Have the Tools You Need • True professionals are always prepared. This requires advance planning, timeliness, and attention. Focus on improving your time management andplanning skills, so that you're always in control. Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

10. STRATEGIES…. • Develop collaborative spirit-Shareknowledge and experiences to grow people and the profession. You will surely gain something. • Network to expand your horizon- There is endless world to innovation. • Prepare for tomorrow’s challenges- Leave a legacy to be cherished. Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

11. Characters to Sustain in PR CONSULTANCY To be a successful consultant, there are certain essential characteristics that one must possess to fight adversity, capitalize on opportunities, maintain a positive image, encourage word of mouth, and build strategy.  Other characteristics.  Thick skin. This is definitely not a profession for the timid or faint of heart. Modern PR pros need to develop the ability to withstand personal and brand criticism, and not be easily offended.Resiliency. You will be criticized quite often, how quickly you can recover from and adjust to misfortune or change often acts as the barometer of your personal and brand image. Since you are most likely the face of your brand or provide counsel to those that are, developing or coaching resiliency is a key characteristic of a PR pro. Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

12. CHARACTERS TO SUSTAIN IN pr consultancy Attention to detail. Digital communication has placed brands on the slide and under the microscope requiring meticulous review and careful planning of all communication to media and the community. An infinitesimal error can be magnified 1,000-times and although few expect perfection, egregious errors, especially on first impressions, can shift the tides of sentiment from positive to negative. Creativity. To say in today’s society that consumers are inundated with content and journalists receive a deluge of pitches daily is a radical understatement. Often, what tends to resonate best is creativity born of ideas outside the norm. Learn to be creative. Relationship builder. In PR, relationships are everything. The core of our profession is the ability to build rapport and bridge communication chasms through quality conversations that build strong relationships Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

13. Pr and social media • As PR professionals, are you social media (facebook, twitter,linkedin, google +) savvy ? • How much of social media technology have you embraced ? • Is writing (articles, features etc ) for journalists only ? • Who manages your website, facebook, blog etc ? Are they functional ? • Your presentations are they in tune with the current trends ? • Are you keeping tab on new coinages, slogans and others such as –content marketing, #tags etc ? Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

14. How much of tour social metrics do you measure Social networks are not about websites. They are about experiences. Mike DiLorenzo • Email serves as one leg of a three-legged marketing tool along with a blog and social media. Within this three-pronged strategy, email is the distribution mechanism, while a blog is the content center and social media is the conversation mechanism. • When new content is posted on a blog, email can be a method of distributing notice of the new article, while social media offers a conversation mechanism for users to talk about the content. On a product/service, measure your • Metric #1: Share of Voice • Metric #2: Referral Traffic • Metric #3: Conversion Rate Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

15. CONSULTING : ETHICS ISSUES • From a business perspective-ethics means “doing the right thing”. It means doing things that are both legal and consistent with moral values and principles of the stakeholders. • Ethical situations in a consulting practice. whether a consultant’s recommendations could be viewed as neutral? • Best ways for a consultant to handle a client who appears to have unethical practices- e.g. a request to perform competitive intelligence, especially when soliciting for primary market information. Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

16. ETHICAL DIMENSIONS IN PR CONSULTANCY Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

17. THE CORE VALUES Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643

18. CONCLUSION • I am of the opinion that you have a better future ahead. • The future begins from now and as the saying goes “ As you lay your bed so you lie on it” • Let us be true Public Relations professionals. THANK YOU. Akin OKUDERO ,fnipr, amnim 08033185643