Cultivating a Powerful Reputation: Lessons in Branding

As professional development chair for the Capital Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) in 2012, it was my responsibility to plan and host a valuable program for our members and the community that would be above and beyond our normal informative monthly luncheons. The half-day program, Cultivating a Powerful Reputation: Lessons in Branding, featured local and national industry experts. Credit for the program design and program graphics goes to Justin Smith, Art Director for Moore Communications Group, now known as Moore.

Overview

• Planned and hosted a half-day branding program featuring local and national industry experts.

• Partnered with the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, offering its members the FPRA member price in exchange for making our chapter a member of the chamber.

• Provided a valuable professional development opportunity for members and strengthened our chapter’s presence in the community through our partnership with the chamber.

• Worked closely with the executive board and director of communications to secure media coverage leading up to the event.

The program was attended by nearly 70 professionals in Tallahassee and generated more than a dozen new membership leads.

Media Relations

I worked closely with the executive board and director of communications to secure media coverage leading up to the event.

The resulting media coverage included an interview on WTXL's morning show and an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat that resulted in print and online stories.

WTXL ABC 27's Abbey Maurer interviewed Erica Villanueva, chapter president, and Rebecca Mahony,

professional development chair, about the event. View the online coverage here on WTXL.com.

This was the program for the professional development event.

We offered an excellent program that covered finding your brand voice on social media, rebranding an established brand and managing your online reputation.

First, Heidi Otway, APR, VP, director of public relations and social media at Salter>Mitchell, lead us through a process to determine the tone and personality of brands on social media.

Next, Steve Murray, communications director for the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Michelle Ubben, chief operating officer at Ron Sachs Communications lead us through the process and challenges of rebranding this State Agency’s 23-year-old, established brand.

Finally, our keynote lunch presenter, Trevor Elwell, head search engine optimization representative at BrandYourself, spoke about managing your online reputation. BrandYourself is the first DIY platform that makes it simple for anyone to take control of their own search results. In 2011, BrandYourself was named New York’s #1 Business, making his team the youngest company ever to win the $200K prize and was recognized by the White House on the Empact100 List as one of the top 100 companies started by young entrepreneurs.

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