Amy Schwinge « In The Profession

Posts Tagged ‘Amy Schwinge’

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Monday, December 12th, 2011

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM
With the holidays upon us, a lot of attention is focused on helping less fortunate families and individuals. I think this truly is a worthy cause and should be a priority all year long.

This time of year reminds me of community outreach projects in which I was involved early in my career from adopt-a-family programs, angel trees, filling stockings for a local orphanage to taking gifts to senior homes. I have participated in and helped coordinate a variety of these activities for past employers. But, one incident stands out from the rest.

Honestly, I didn’t fully comprehend the true meaning of these activities until I helped deliver some of these items.

As part of my job responsibilities, I created and distributed a news release outlining some of the community outreach activities that a past employer was doing, including providing enough food for a month (with a traditional holiday meal) along with holiday gifts for more than 1,000 less fortunate families in the area, which was a massive undertaking.

A local TV station in Atlanta was interested in covering this story, but they wanted to go with an employee to deliver these items to humanize the segment. I coordinated this activity, and I also went along for the delivery.

On the way, another employee and I stopped to purchase some candy canes and other goodies to take along as well. Little did we know how important these candy canes would become.

I was shocked at the living conditions and just how little a single mom and her young son (I am guessing he was about five or six years old) had in their small apartment in a housing project in inner-city Atlanta. Someone had given the mom and son a tree for the holidays, but it was not decorated with any lights or ornaments. The little boy tore open the candy canes we brought and joyfully decorated the tree with the candy canes without any prompting.

After all the food and gifts were handed out and placed under the tree, the little boy brought a single flower to the employee who had nominated the family for this community outreach program.

She didn’t personally know this family; she received their name from her church as a family who could use some help. When this little boy gave the flower to my colleague, hugged her and thanked her for all the food and presents (again, without any prompting), there was not a dry eye in the home, including the reporter who was covering the story. All of this was captured in the TV story as well.

This experience humbled me and forever changed me. I now truly understand what it means when people say it is better to give than receive.

The holidays always remind me of this sweet little boy and his mom, and I wonder how they are now—years later. I hope both are doing okay.

I always try to participate in some type of community outreach activity each year, whether it is a food drive at my child’s school, a local toy drive or purchasing items for an angel tree. I try to give something back and make sure my older child is involved as well. I want my children to learn why it is better to give than receive.

Remember, when you have the opportunity to participate in a community outreach activity, there are people on the other end who really need your help!

Tags: adopt-a-family, Amy Schwinge, angel tree, community outreach, holidays
Posted in Public Relations, social media, Uncategorized | No Comments »

We All May Be Created Equally, But We Are Not the Same

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM

From my experience, many people have preconceived notions about public relations (PR) and PR professionals; some may be correct, but some may be way off…

According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” This definition describes PR in a nutshell, but there are many, many elements that go into supporting a true understanding of PR.

Some people base their opinion of PR and PR professionals on past encounters or relationships with other PR people. So, depending on what type of experience you had will dictate what you think about PR.

According to marketing.about.com, one PR myth states “Public Relations is Spin, Slogans and Propaganda.”

In a past life at a former employer, I actually would have employees ask me, “What propaganda are you communicating today?” While I’m sure this cynicism was driven by other factors, the idea of being a propaganda-pusher really offended me as I was communicating pertinent information about the company, which was important for employees to know. More importantly, I was communicating feedback from employees back to management, helping make two-way employee communications a crucial part of the company’s success.

Whether you are communicating with employees or the media, I think ethical behavior plays a key role in how you are viewed. Unfortunately, I know there are some “bad apples” out there practicing PR, and their behaviors tend to hurt the reputation of the larger profession to a very disproportionate degree.

Some journalists have had a bad experience with a PR person, then refuse to work with other PR people. I would venture to say that every PR person knows at least one or two members of the media like this. I really think that this is too bad since the PR and media relationship can be a win-win for all involved.

While unprofessional practices may earn some public relations practitioners their own well-deserved reputations, it’s important to remember that we are all individuals and should be judged on our own merits.

Tags: Amy Schwinge, PR, PR myths, PRSA, Public Relations, Public Relations Society of America
Posted in Public Relations, westwire | No Comments »

You Know The Person I am Talking About…

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM

We all have dealt with someone who is extremely difficult to get along with, whether in a work setting or on a personal basis. It can be a nightmare dealing with some people, but how do you manage someone with a difficult personality?

I would venture to say most organizations have experienced some type of difficult personality in some way in the past, but how you choose to mitigate the issues associated with difficult people is the key in the resolution. Public Relations is not immune to these issues, either.

According to Psychology for Business, “Most organizations experience problems concerning employee relationships, whether peer-to-peer or manager-to-subordinate. These types of difficulties are often cross-generational…or simply based on divergent and difficult personality conflicts. Organizations that downplay or ignore these ‘undercurrents’ often find themselves with significant productivity, morale and even safety and security issues.”

All the research that I have ever read on employee morale shows that a happy employee is indeed a much more productive employee. So, it is imperative that an organization keep its best assets content, and it will improve the bottom line as well.

Working with and managing a difficult personality starts with the basics: communication, communication, and did I say communication? The issues associated with a difficult personality must be addressed in a professional setting with all involved. Face-to-face meetings seem to work better, from my experience.

It is critical that you learn how to deal with conflict since it is a part of everyday life. Just think how boring life would be without conflict. Learning how to manage conflict instead of avoiding it is the key in diffusing a difficult personality and situation in the workplace.

According to HelpGuide.org, “Conflict is a normal and necessary part of healthy relationships…When conflict is mismanaged, it can harm the relationship. But when handled in a respectful and positive way, conflict provides an opportunity for growth, ultimately strengthening the bond between two people. By learning the skills you need for successful conflict resolution, you can face disagreements with confidence and keep your personal and professional relationships strong and growing.”

Visit HelpGuide.org for several conflict resolution tips and an outline of Conflict 101.

Tags: Amy Schwinge, employee communications
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Is Lifelong Learning Really Important?

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

by Amy Schwinge, MAOM

You hear about lifelong learning, but what does it really mean, and is it just another overused buzzword? According to Quality Research International, “Lifelong learning is all learning activity undertaken throughout life, whether formal or informal.”

I truly believe in lifelong learning. If we did not learn new activities or technology, for example, we would get left behind. This is true for both our personal and professional lives, and the public relations profession is no exception.

Just think, not too long ago, a letter delivered by the U.S. Postal Service was a common way to communicate, including sending news releases to media. Then, it progressed to faxes, and now we have access to immediate communications with electronic media at our fingertips. How did we ever communicate without e-mail and even Facebook with our friends?

Change is the only constant in today’s world, so why not embrace it with lifelong learning? Author Brian Tracy said, “Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.”

Research has shown that people with a college degree earn more than those without one. According to collegetocareers.com, “The salary – on average, for entry level jobs for employees with a college diploma pay up to 100 percent more than ones for high school graduates.” Whether it is completing a degree, earning another one or going for an advanced degree, it is never too late.

I guess it is a pet peeve of mine to hear someone say that “I am too old to learn that or go back to school.” I teach some online classes for the University of Phoenix from time to time, and I have had students in my classes from age 18 to 69. It is amazing how focused some of the more senior students are in class too.

It really is never too late to go back to school or learn that special something that you always wanted to learn how to do—it doesn’t have to be anything formal either. You just have to do it.

As B.B. King said, “The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.”

Tags: Amy Schwinge, lifelong learning
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments »

How to Get in the White House—It Is Not Easy, But It Can Be Done!

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM

With several people officially either throwing their name in the hat or taking their name out of the hat for the next presidential campaign recently, the White House and who will be the next president have been on my mind lately. The team at Mary Beth West Consulting (MBWC) had the pleasure of working on a very unique project last year – helping one of MBWC’s clients get in the White House, but politics had nothing to do with it.

In January 2010, Todd Richesin came to MBWC with a dream of being able to decorate the White House for the 2010 winter holidays. Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC, is a full-service interior design studio that utilizes custom furniture, antiques and luxury fabrics in serving mostly residential clients with upscale home décor projects.

Following much discussion between MBWC and Richesin, MBWC began researching the volunteer selection process in order to determine how to submit Richesin for consideration as a volunteer.

After numerous hours of research, MBWC was able to determine that there actually was not a formal holiday volunteer decorator submission process in place. The lack of a formal process made it even more difficult to determine who MBWC should contact about submitting Richesin to be considered. After further phone calls and e-mail exchanges, it was determined that the decision maker and appropriate contact was the White House chief floral designer.

In May 2010, MBWC sent this contact a portfolio of Richesin’s work, which included a letter of introduction, copies of media clips that included his national accolades and honors, and photos of Richesin’s own home, Casa Real, decorated during the holidays.

Richesin’s work spoke for itself. In October 2010, Richesin received notification from the White House Social Secretary Julianna Smoot that he had been selected to volunteer as a 2010 White House Holiday Decorator. On the day after Thanksgiving in November 2010, Richesin began his first day of work. So, he made it to the White House!

For security reasons, Richesin could not discuss the details of his trip with anyone, including the media, until Dec. 3, 2010. Once that date rolled around, MBWC launched an aggressive local media campaign that included a number of local interviews, such as WBIR-TV, WATE-TV, WIVK FM, NewsTalk Radio, The Knoxville News Sentinel, Farragut Press, West Side Shopper and The Advocate and Democrat.

According to published circulation rates, more than 11.4 million impressions were generated by the news coverage that was secured from Richesin’s selection. The exposure augmented Richesin’s local profile and credibility as one of the area’s most talented and sought-after decorating professionals.

Incidentally, MBWC received the Public Relations Society of America Volunteer Chapter 2011 Award of Excellence for Marketing Consumer Services for “Todd Richesin Interiors 2010 White House Holiday Decorating Campaign.”

Saying that Todd Richesin thoroughly enjoyed his decorating trip to the White House would be an understatement as he said it was simply awesome and a dream come true. More information about Todd’s decorating trip to the White House can be found on his website: http://toddrichesininteriors.com/

Tags: Amy Schwinge, Award of Excellence, Mary Beth West Consulting, Public Relations Society of America Volunteer Chapter, Todd Richesin, White House
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Mary Beth West Consulting Wins “Best in Show” and Sweeps Evening with 11 Awards at PRSA Ceremony May 12

Friday, May 13th, 2011

PRSA Honors Kevin Painter of LeConte Wealth Management with Community Service Award

Maryville, Tenn. — Mary Beth West Consulting, LLC, a public relations and reputation management firm in Maryville, Tenn., won “Best in Show” and multiple top honors at the annual awards dinner of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Volunteer Chapter on May 12 at Hunter Valley Farm.

The event also honored Kevin Painter of LeConte Wealth Management with the Community Service Award, which recognizes an individual or organization who has used public relations practices to improve the quality of life within East Tennessee communities.

The agency won “Best in Show” for the 2010 holiday media relations campaign for Dandy Lions as well as 10 “Award of Excellence” honors in the following categories:

Public Service: Blount Education Initiative
Media Relations: Dandy Lions 2010 Holiday Campaign
Public Affairs/Government: Expanding Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Scientific User Community
Marketing Consumer Products: Rainscapes
Marketing Consumer Services (Financial): LeConte Wealth Management
Marketing Business-to-Business: Interactive Springboard 2010 Launch Campaign
Writing (Column): LeConte Wealth Management “Purpose-Built Portfolio”
Collaterals (Direct Mail): Rainscapes 2010 Direct Mail Campaign
Website (Professional Service): Rainscapes website
Blogs: Mary Beth West Consulting “In the Profession” Blog

Joe Bogardus, Mary Beth West, Amy Schwinge, Mallorie Mendence and Tyra Haag following the V Awards ceremony.

Interactive Springboard – a collaboration between Mary Beth West Consulting and Knoxville-based Blue Media Boutique – shared top honors for the newly redesigned Avistelé website; Avistelé Lifestyle Communities is managed by Knoxville-based RenaissancePG.

“I’m so appreciative of the clients we’ve been privileged to serve,” said agency principal Mary Beth West. “Throughout my career, I’ve held tremendous respect for the public relations profession; my team is honored with the overwhelming response by our colleagues to recognize the work we so highly value.”

Painter – a graduate of Maryville High School and co-founder of LeConte Wealth Management– was honored with the Community Service Award.

“Kevin has been a client for three years and a dear friend for many years longer,” said West. “Of all the colleagues I have in my age cohort in the local community, I can think of no one who takes on more community service efforts to support the non-profit, social service and arts sectors than Kevin.”

Established in 2003 and located in the Law Building in downtown Maryville, Mary Beth West Consulting works with clients to advance their communications, relationships and reputations to meet business objectives.

The firm’s services include integrated brand marketing communications strategies and campaigns; media, community and employee relations programs; social and interactive media strategies and program management; crisis preparedness; and special events.

Tags: Amy Schwinge, Best in Show, Blue Media Boutique, Dandy Lions, Interactive Springboard, Joe Bogardus, Kevin Painter, LeConte Wealth Management, Mallorie Mendence, Mary Beth West, Mary Beth West Consulting, Maryville, Public Relations, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Volunteer Chapter, RenaissancePG, Tyra Haag, Volunteer Chapter
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Why is Building Your Brand with Public / Media Advocacy Important?

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM

Recently, someone gave me a newspaper clipping that highlighted the dangers of letting an infant child sleep in the same bed with his or her parents and how this always should be avoided. It was no coincidence that I had just given birth to my son, our second child. It is amazing how much “advice” you get when you have a baby, especially the unwanted advice in my situation. If you haven’t been through the process, you are in for a treat. By the way, I agree that the safest place for an infant child to sleep is in his or her own crib.

Anyway, getting back to the newspaper clipping, I noticed that the clipping was taken from an opinion/editorial column that a concerned citizen had written; it wasn’t even written by an expert, per se. This hit home to me just how much influence the general public and the media have on some people. The person who gave me the clipping implied that it must be true since it was in the newspaper. I think that a person’s perception is his or her own reality, as the saying goes.

The more that a company or organization can build its brand within the media, the better its public perception will be, which ultimately will improve the bottom line.

The landscape has changed in today’s world as anyone in the public can make online comments on just about anything, including online newspaper articles, product reviews on retail websites and popular social networking sites. With this immediate access, it is even more important for organizations to make a concerted effort to build their brand by tapping the voices of their supporters via public and media advocacy. Research has shown that consumers trust each other much more than they will trust what a company says.

Jeremiah Owyang of Forbes shared the following five steps for an organization to develop an advocacy program:

1.) First, get ready internally.

2.) Find the right advocates who will represent your brand.

3.) Build a relationship for the long term.

4.) Give them a platform–but do not pay them.

5.) Integrate them into your business and recognize them.

These steps seem simple in concept, but they will go a long way in terms of building an advocacy program.

Tags: advocacy program, Amy Schwinge, brand, Jeremiah Owyang, media
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Building Strong Media Relationships

Friday, February 11th, 2011

by Tyra E. Haag
@tyratuckerhaag

Building solid relationships with the media can seem like you’re walking a tightrope – one shaky move and you’re done.

It’s easy to say, “I want to have a good relationship with the media,” but it’s another thing to actually have one.

There are a few ways to describe the daily encounters I face as a media relations coordinator — give and get, push and pull or yin and yang.

Building strong media skills takes practice, but it’s important to remember not to go at it alone because working with the media is not for everyone. That’s why professionals like us exist. We’re here to help take the burden off our clients of what to say and do with the media so that they can focus on what they do best – run their company.

Here’s my personal media relationship-building philosophy:

Be sincere: No one likes a fake. I can’t do my job without solid media skills, so it’s always best to practice the golden rule when it comes to pitching story ideas, following-up via the phone or exchanging information through e-mail. A simple thank-you can go a long way, not to mention a nice hand-written note of appreciation.
Stay informed: Keep up-to-date with topics going on in mainstream media – locally and nationally. Utilize editorial calendars to see what is top-of-mind for these news organizations and fit them to your clients’ needs where appropriate.
Do your homework: Don’t waste their time or yours. Be sure to research who you need to contact before picking up the phone or hitting the “send” button. Make sure what you’re pitching on behalf of your client is actually interesting and newsworthy.
Get creative: Meet for lunch, go out for coffee or ask for a 15-minute chat with whomever you want to get to know better. A face-to-face encounter can take you from an unknown individual to a trusted and respected news source.

Bottom line: I can’t do my job without having a strong relationship with the media.

For more information and tips about building strong media relationships, please visit the following media-related topics previously posted on the MBWC blog:

Media Relations: What Works (Part 1) and Media Relations: What Works (Part 2) by Tyra E. Haag

Tags: Amy Schwinge, Mary Beth West, media, media relations, relationships, Tyra Haag
Posted in Public Relations | 1 Comment »

It’s All about Doing the Right Thing

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

By Amy Schwinge

What is ethics anyway? According to http://www.merriam-webster.com/, ethics is “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. a : a set of moral principles : a theory or system of moral values <the present-day materialistic ethic> <an old-fashioned work ethic> <an elaborate ethics> <Christian ethics> b the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group <professional ethics> c : a guiding philosophy d : a consciousness of moral importance <forge a conservation ethic>.”

As part of promoting the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA’s) September Ethics Month, several of my colleagues have blogged about the details of the PRSA Code of Ethics and Member Statement of Professional Values, which does an outstanding job of outlining professional ethics.

Very early in my career, I worked with a manager who always focused on “doing the right thing” in running the business and in the way he treated people. During strategic planning meetings and when talking with him, he always said, “We need to do the right thing.” He seemed to do the right thing as the company flourished while he was the executive in charge.

Honestly, I didn’t realize the impact that this manager had on me until I started writing this blog entry.

When I find myself in a position of questioning what I should do either in a professional or personal setting, I always ask myself, “What is the right thing to do?” Then, I try to make the right choice (and generally, I get it right most of the time). My hubby may not agree with that statement, but I won’t get into that.

Getting back to the subject of ethics, I think what most people learned in Kindergarten could be applied to ethical behavior in adulthood as well. Not to oversimplify ethics, because “doing the right thing” can be complicated, but whenever you have a question about what is wrong or right, think back to the basics that you learned as a child.

I believe that my five-year-old daughter in Kindergarten gets the concept of ethical behavior. Even though she may not always do what she is supposed to do, I believe she knows right from wrong. She actually keeps me grounded sometimes, especially with her honest, blunt questions that children can ask. My daughter said “that wasn’t right; he shouldn’t have done that” when she was telling me about an incident when one of her fellow classmates “got in trouble.”

Here is the bottom line: whether it’s treating people the same way you would want to be treated or conducting business, just try to do the right thing—you usually won’t go wrong.

Tags: Amy Schwinge, ethics, PRSA, Public Relations Society of America
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