SLA Public Relations 101

1
SLA Public Relations 101

• Presented by
• Cara Battaglini, SLA Public Relations Director
• Jill Strand, Chair, SLA PR Advisory Council
• Moderated by
• Libby Trudell, Chapter Cabinet Chair Elect

2
Agenda

• Introduction of Speakers
• What Are We Trying Say and to Whom?
• Public Relations Goals
• Overview of the PR Toolkit
• Key Pieces of the PR Process

3
Introductions

• Cara Schatz, SLA PR Director
• Formerly with the American Institute of
  Architects (AIA) media relations department
• Background in high-tech PR and broadcast
  journalism
• B.S., Mass Media Communications/Journalism
• Jill Strand, Chair, PR Advisory Council
• Former sales, marketing PR professional
• B.S., Journalism MLIS

4
What are we trying to do?

• Leave the audience with a take-away message
  about SLA, who we are, and what our members DO
  for their employers.

5
What are we trying to do?

• It is far more important to send the RIGHT
  message, to the RIGHT audience, than it is to
  send ANY message to ALL audiences!

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Audience

• Prospects (potential members)
• Current members
• Employers/Business Community
• Public
• Media
• Partners
• Governments

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Public Relations Goals

• Does this communication or activity educate
  audience on SLA and what our members do?
• Answer the question What the heck is a special
  librarian anyway?
• Differentiate SLA members from public or school
  librarians

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Public Relations Goals

• Does this communication or activity position SLA
  members as information professionals that are
  vital to success in todays business environment?
• Demonstrate value of/need for trained info pros
  in various organizations
• Show the specialized skills that SLA members
  bring to the table

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Public Relations Goals

• Does this communication or activity position SLA
  as the premier organization for ALL info pros
  including people doing
• Research, Info desk and corporate library
• Knowledge management
• Market/marketing research
• Research development
• Content management and development
• Competitive Intelligence
• Archives and records management
• Business information management
• Information architecture
• Business analysis
• Risk Management
• Teaching and Learning
• Web/IT

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Public Relations Goals

• Does this communication or activity convey that
  SLA members are
• Vital to the bottom line
• Providers of critical information to inform
  decision-making
• Credible and ethical
• Innovative
• Professional and sophisticated
• Strategic and analytical
• Critical thinker
• Valuable and indispensable
• Collaborative

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PR Planning

• Establish PR Chair and/or Committee
• Define your objectives
• Define the message
• Identify the appropriate mediums
• Develop a PR strategy
• Identify your spokespeople
• Coordinate with chapter/division
• Keep Association in the loop

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PR Process The Beginning

• Identify your news or your story and ask
  yourself how telling that story furthers the
  goals of SLA and its members
• Identify your target audience who do you want to
  hear your story and why should they care?
• Identify your three main talking points and then
  back them up with data or experts
• Identify the best medium to tell your story to
  the public

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PR Process Working with SLA HQ to Maximize
Effectiveness

• Customized media lists available to PR chairs on
  request
• Press release review and editing
• Letters to the Editor assistance and editing
• General PR counsel at any stage of planning or
  execution
• Brainstorming Sessions

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PR ProcessSteps to Success

• Identify newsworthy story or announcement
• Draft press release, announcement or letter
• Contact PR Director at HQ via email or call
• Discuss appropriate media targets
• Can it be combined with other SLA news for
  greater impact?
• Review and edits of announcements
• Send news to local and/or trade media outlets
• Follow up
• Get INK!
• Send media coverage clip to SLA HQ
• Check PR COP for tips, dialog, tools, etc.

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Key PR Tools

• Brochures / Flyers / Other Handouts
• Professional Partnerships
• Continuing Education
• Press Releases
• Speaking Engagements
• Events

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Press Releases

• Basics
• Is it newsworthy?
• Who, what, where, why and when
• Contact information
• Short and sweet no sloppiness allowed!
• Meet medium deadlines
• Use active voice and define all acronyms

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Press Release cont.

• Polish
• Pay attention to format - easy to read
• Attachments /Photos beware spam filters and
  offer to send separately
• Quotes and opinions
• SLA Boilerplate

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Following up with Media

• Media Contacts
• Maintain updated list consider all mediums
• Note deadlines for all editorial calendars
• Targeting Follow Up
• Match the news release to right medium
• Target local / industry issue or trend
• Deadlines and best times for follow up
• Calling just before to remind them of event

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Whats Newsworthy?

• Awards, anniversaries, milestones
• Conferences or member contributions
• Employment / salary statistics
• Training workshops and programs
• Fundraising events / scholarships
• Visits by association leadership
• Legislation relevant to information industry

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Ask Yourself

• Is the idea timely and interesting?
• Will it change or effect the future?
• Is anyone involved well-known?
• Does it relate to current hot topic?
• Is it cutting-edge?

21
SLA Info Ethics Initiative

• Grass roots initiative to gather input from
  members for info ethics code / guidelines
• Ethics Ambassador for each chapter / division to
  coordinate effort.
• Town Hall meetings will begin global
  conversations about key issues
• Ethics Summit CE at Annual conference

22
Global Information Ethics Day

• Member survey goes out this summer
• EAs submit feedback report in Fall
• SLA utilizes to craft info ethics guidelines
• Launch Global Information Ethics Event during
  2009 Centennial
• Goal is for SLA to own this issue and showcase
  info pros as key experts

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Helpful Links

• PR Toolkit
• http//www.sla.org/pdfs/FINALPRToolkit.pdf
• Communities of Practice (COP)
• http//www.sla.org/content/community/cop.cfm
• Login to access your COPs

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Contact Information

• Cara Schatz
• Director, SLA Public Relations
• 1.703.647.4917
• cara_at_sla.org
• Jill Strand
• Chair, PR Advisory Council
• jstrand_at_faegre.com