PUBLIC RELATIONS
The Meaning and Development of Public Relations, Definitions of Public Relations. Public Relations' Relationship with other Functions/Professions - Advertising, Marketing, etc. History and Development of Public Relations. Professionalism and Industry Bodies.
Public Relations Strategic Process
Situation Analysis, Research, Objectives, Publics, Implementation, Budgets and Timetables, Evaluation. Planning and Managing a Public Relations Campaign.
Media Writing
News Values, the Inverted Pyramid, Format of a News Story, Writing a Lead, Types of Leads, Personal Leads, Anecdotal Leads, Quote Leads, Rhetorical Question Leads, Narrative Leads, Setting the Scene Leads, Odd, Unusual or Outrageous Statement Leads, Surprising Contrast Leads, You Leads, the End, Grammar, Characteristics of a Good Reporter, the Art of Interviewing, Levels of Journalism, Organising Information, the Writing Process, News Leads, the Remainder of the Story, Improving Your Writing, Writing a Press Release, Press Release Construction.
Media Relations
Attitudes of Journalism, Structures and Roles within Journalism, Typical Components of a Newspaper, Media Relations and the Press Office, the Press Officer, Good Media Relations, Building Media Relations, Knowing the Appropriate Media, What is News?, Types of Publications, Typical Media Material, Media Terminology, Media Relations and Technology, E-Mail, Websites, Blogs.
Press Events
Press Related Events, Press Conferences, Press Reception, Facility Visit, Open Day, Lunches, Exhibition Press Visits, Planning a Press Event, Considerations, Budgetary Considerations, Supply of Press Material, the Press Kit, Content, Graphics.
Political Lobbying
Government Relations, Typical Activities, Lobbying Explained, Types of Lobbying, Why Lobby?, Lobby Targets, Common Denials, Lobbying Activities, The Lobby Process, Determining the Scope, Drawing up a Lobbying Strategy, Building the Case, Gathering Information, Passage of Legislation.
Crisis Management
Factors, Why Crisis Management?, PR & Crisis Management, Crisis Management Team, Crisis Management Plan, Crisis Communications, Action, Coping under Crisis, Twelve Laws of Crisis PR.
Ethics & Legal Issues
Ethical PR, Ethical Responsibilities, Schools of Thought, the Advocate Trilemma, the Truth Continuum, Professional Responsibilities, International Codes of Ethics, Legal Issues in PR, Legal Issues Defined, Copyright Categories, Copyright Law, Copyright Licensing, Digital Copyright, Slander and Libel, Freedom of Information Acts.
The Professional Environment
Organise for Success, Consultancy Structures, Standard Consultancy Team Structure, In-House Departments, Structure, Pros and Cons of In-House Departments, Preparing an In-House Strategy, Relationship Management Explained, Publics, Clients, Technical Management, Managing Staff, General Functions of Management, Managing Client Accounts, Entrepreneurship, Pitching for Business, Launching a New Product or Service.
The Social Media Landscape
Blogs, Microblogs, Chatrooms, Delicious, Email, Flickr, Twitter, Instant messaging, Message Boards, Mobile Internet, New Media Releases, Online Conferencing, Online Surveys, Pay per click, Podcasts, RSS, Search Engines, SEO, Social Networking Service Sites, Video Sharing, Virtual worlds, VoIP, Wiki and Widgets.
The Internet as a Media
Commercial Implications of the Internet, Social Interaction with the Internet, Web 2.0 and its Implications, Internet Convergence, the Network Effect, Internet Information Exchange, Internet Audience Size and Exposure, Internet Culture and Communication, Transparency and the Internet.
Online PR building blocks
Online Communications Platforms, Online Communication Channels, Online Communication Mediums, Interactivity and Application of Communication Channels, Policy, Optimisation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Online Communications Channels, Online Communications Channels Planning and Implementation.
Social Media and PR strategy
Local versus Global Communication, Landscaping Platforms, Channels and context, Online PR Organisational Analysis and Segmentation, Developing Online PR Strategies, Online PR Tactics and SEO considerations, Online PR Planning, Managing Online PR Risk and Opportunities.
Online Influences on present PR practices
Internet influence on News, Internet Journalists, Economics of Online News Production, Internet Critics and other influences, the PR Practitioner as an Online Publisher, Ethical Internet PR, Truthfulness and Duty of Care, Online Ethics, Debate, Guidelines and Best Practice. Monitoring and Evaluation of Social Media Discourse, Trends and Value. Policy Influences, corporate speak. Implications of Social Media for Corporate Social Responsibility.
Writing for the Web
Creative Writing for the Web, Writing for your Client, Relevant Content - Importance of, Simple versus Complex Messages, Keeping a Natural Flow to your Content, Optimising Content, Keyword Management, When to use Key Words, Ratio of Prose to Keywords, Importance of Homepage Content, Images and Art Text, Importance of Spell Checking, Using a Copywriter.
Introduction to Social Media and Social Networking
What is Social Media?; A brief history of Social Media; How Social Media Works; Why should a business use Social Media; The power of Social Media in the Marketing and Advertising Arena; Introduction to Social Media Marketing Techniques; Understanding your audience; Social Network Platforms and Applications; Media Distribution; Establishing new categories of relationships with your customers; Accumulating Social Capital; The future of Social Networking.
Facebook
What is Facebook; Who uses Facebook; How can Facebook benefit a business; Understanding the Facebook environment; Signing up for a Facebook account; Defining your profile; Editing your profile; Searching for and adding friends; Using the Facebook Wall feature; Using pictures on your Facebook profile; Using the News Feed feature; Controlling what people see - using the Hide feature; Facebook Messaging; Facebook Groups; Facebook Links; Facebook Applications; Browsing for Applications; Including Business Applications; Finding Help - the Facebook Community; The Architecture of a Facebook Page; Understanding Facebook Advertising; Developing a Facebook Marketing Plan; Facebook Groups, Hosting Facebook Events; Case Study Sites.
Twitter
Introduction to Twitter; Understanding a Tweet; Decoding the elements of a Tweet; Signing up for a Twitter account; Creating and modifying your profile; Adding a profile icon; Finding people and uploading contacts; Following someone on Twitter; Adding followers to your account; Using Twitter Badges; Creating a Tweet; Working within the constraints of a Tweet - getting your message out in 140 characters or less; Re-tweeting; Sharing Links - Using TinyURL.com; Using Twitter with Mobile Devices; Using Twitter Goodies; Adding Twitter to Blogs; Connecting Twitter to Facebook, Direct Messages; Planning your Twitter Marketing Strategy; Building a Twitter Tribe; Case Study Sites.
YouTube
Introduction to YouTube; Understanding YouTube; Browsing on YouTube; YouTube as a social media site; YouTube as a business tool; YouTube as an educational tool; Creating a YouTube account; Linking to your Gmail account; Creating a video for YouTube; Using Open Source Video Editing Software; Adding voiceovers, soundtracks and special effects to your videos; Formatting Videos for Uploading; Uploading Videos to YouTube; Downloading videos from YouTube; Linking and Embedding videos in your own website; Posting comments on other peoples videos; Comparing YouTube and Facebook; Sharing Videos with Facebook; Sharing Videos with Twitter; Case Study Sites
LinkedIn
Introduction to LinkedIn; The benefits of having a LinkedIn account; Creating a LinkedIn account; Modifying your user profile; Finding colleagues already on LinkedIn; Building your network; Connecting to the people you want - using Referrals; Making Referrals; Using InMail to contact people outside your network; Searching for a Job on LinkedIn; Getting help - exploring the LinkedIn learning centre; Using LinkedIn Applications; Case Study Sites.
Blogs and Blogger
Introduction to Blogs; A brief history of Blogs and Blogging; Creating a Blog - Introduction to Blogger; Registering with Blogger and creating your first Blog; Creating good content for your Blog; Using Templates to format the appearance of your Blog; Publishing your Blog; Uploading pictures and videos to your Blog; Creating links with other Bloggers; Making people aware of your Blog - The use of RSS; Adding an RSS Feed to your Blog; Adding Gadgets to your Blogger account; Comparing Blogger and Wordpress; Using other Blog software; Case Study Sites
Running a Social Media Marketing Campaign
Identifying your target audience; Defining the Goals of your campaign; Defining a Clear Strategy for your Campaign; Knowing your unsanctioned community - what people are saying about you; Defining and Establishing your presence; Engaging your Customers; Deciding on the platforms and tools to use; Deciding on a Media Strategy; Hypersegment your audience; Implementing a Pilot Campaign and analysing the results; Identifying Key Risk Areas; The importance of Landing Pages; Interacting with your customers; Revising your campaign strategy.
Measuring the Success of Social Media Marketing
Understanding Web Metrics and Analytics; Standard Web Metrics; Social Media Metrics; Identifying your current site statistics; Defining what metrics are to be measured - Content, Relevance and Impact; Benchmarking; Identifying your Return On Investment (ROI); Setting Goals; Finding out what sites are actually driving traffic to your website; Deciding on a Web Analytics solution; AWStats and Google Analytics; Introduction to Google Analytics; Setting up a Google Analytics Account; Integrating Google Analytics Tracking Code into your web pages; Setting up Goals in Google Analytics; Other methods of analysing web metrics.
Setting Up & Marketing Your Own Consultancy
The Business Plan, Creating a Business Plan, Executive Summary, the Business Opportunity, Marketing & Sales Strategy, Management Team & Personnel, Operations, Financial Forecasts, Presentation, Legalities, Choosing a Legal Structure, Taxes, Records and Returns, Setting Up, the Workplace, Office Equipment, Stationary Supplies, Insurance, Financing Your Business, Accounting Software, Becoming an Employer, Marketing Strategy, Knowing Your Competitors, Promotional Tools.
Presentation Skills
Preparation, Content, Structure, Delivery, Visual Aids, Management of Locations and Audiences.