IABC/Philadelphia

Lancaster General Health, a not-for-profit healthcare network including Lancaster General Hospital and more than two dozen healthcare providers in south central Pennsylvania, seeks an experienced Public Relations Manager.

The right candidate is a talented and energetic individual with experience in building media exposure with measurable results and an overall zeal for PR innovation. Strong writing skills and the ability to multi-task are essential. Healthcare experience and social media knowledge is a plus.

You must have at least three years of professional agency or corporate experience. Bachelors degree in public relations, journalism, or English required.

LG Health is a not-for-profit health system located in Lancaster County, PA, home to 500,000 people. The keystone of the system is Lancaster General Hospital, a 600-bed acute-care facility recognized among Americas 100 Top Hospital 10 out of the last 12 years. Also included in the system are Lancaster General Health Women & Babies Hospital, an outpatient Suburban Campus, several smaller health centers, the Visiting Nurses Association, and multiple physician practices. The Lancaster General Health system is the countys largest employer.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- Proven media relations successes
- Strong writing skills
- Social media experience
- Excellent interpersonal communications
- Time management, organization and ability to follow through with some supervision
- Mature, professional attitude and appearance

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develops and executes public relations strategies that support the strategic and business goals of LG Health and its various entities.
- Leads LG Healths media relations efforts, from serving as a primary media spokesperson to measuring media value and developing strategic media plans.
- Oversees production of electronic and written communications which promote LG Healths mission and community benefit efforts to external audiences.
- Writes articles and news releases and/or coordinates writing assignments and projects with public relations agencies and freelance writers as necessary. Proofreads and edits written materials.
- Manages LG Healths two PR/Communications Coordinators on a daily basis, conducts their annual performance reviews and coordinates staff career development.

Contact: Send your cover letter, resume and salary requirements and three public relations writing samples (news releases, feature stories, media alerts, etc.) via email to John Lines, Director of Public Relations & Corporate Communications, at jplines@LancasterGeneral.org

IABC Philadelphia board member and communication consultant, Tim Ernst, ABC was featured in the July 2009 issue of Communication World Bulletin with an article regarding Visuals in Online Communication.

Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania seeks a Vice President, Director of Public Affairs to define and promote their message and positive image throughout the region. Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania is a state-chartered bank with approximately 400 branches and more than 660 ATMs throughout Pennsylvania.  It also operates 15 retail branches and 61 ATMs in southern New Jersey and a commercial loan office in Virginia.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Director of Public Affairs for Citizens Financial this role is responsible for overseeing public relations, media relations, special events, charitable contributions, philanthropic activities, risk and compliance adherence, and community and government relations activities in the State of Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Northern Delaware.

The successful individual will have the following:

·   10 + years experience in public affairs, communications, and/or government relations experience in the corporate, non-profit, media, or government sectors
·    A Bachelors degree; Master highly preferred
·   Strong familiarity with the business, media, and government community in Philadelphia. Pittsburgh is high preferred.
·   Proven track record working within the regional print and broadcast media.
·   Articulate and an effective public speaker with proven ability to present and negotiate at the highest levels; s/he should be an accomplished and published writer
·   Superior interpersonal and relationship building skills, along with a capacity to engage, inspire, and persuade a diverse array of executive leadership, members of the community, government officials, representatives of the media, staff, business partners, and many others.  Ability to make the appropriate connections among members of these groups and to nurture strong and long-lasting relationships.
·   Astute and able to develop long-term business partnerships based on mutual benefit, collaboration, and respect.
·   History of recruiting and developing exceptional people

 Expressions of interest should be submitted electronically in confidence to:

 Leslie Pickus Mazza
Diversified Search Odgers Berndtson
VP & Senior Associate
lmazza@divsearch.com 

Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.  Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or status as a special disabled veteran, Vietnam veteran, or other veteran of the United States Armed Forces, or any other protected characteristic.

Simon Public Relations Group, Philadelphia’s premier boutique public relations Agency seeks a dynamic Account Executive for top corporate accounts.

The right candidate is a buttoned up, high-energy individual with a portfolio of media hits, a can-do attitude and a passion for public relations. Stellar writing, account service, multi-tasking and generating results are your strengths. Social media experience and knowledge is a plus.

You should have one to five years of professional Agency or corporate experience. Bachelors degree in Public Relations, Journalism, or English required.

We are Philadelphia’s partner in Worldcom Public Relations Group, a global network of the worlds strongest, most capable independent public relations firms. We offer a creative and fast-paced environment and enjoy long-term client relationships and learning opportunities from our partners around the world.

Salary: $28,000 - $45,000

JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- Strong writing skills
- Proven media relations successes
- Social media experience
- Excellent interpersonal communications
- Ability to build lasting relationships with clients, media, colleagues and vendors
- Time management, organization & ability to follow through with some supervision
- Mature, professional attitude and appearance

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Writing-You love writing and know how to craft news releases, media alerts, pitch letters, press kits and other materials that command attention
- Media relations-An avid news consumer, you generate story ideas and news angles, build relationships with key journalists and editors, pitch local and trade targets, prepare appropriate background & drive impact media results
- Research-Asking the right questions, you get the important details for a story from the client, their sources or through secondary research
- Client relationships-You understand our clients businesses, proactively offer ideas, take full responsibility for delivering on what we promise and demonstrate that we care
- Photography & video-Either hiring a professional or taking the shots yourself, you schedule, get clearances, edit and distribute images
- Project management-Thinking it all through, you can research, plan, and implement a multi-layered project
- Reporting and merchandising-You show progress and success, merchandising media placements, client activity updates and more
- Social media-You come to the job with a social media vocabulary, and you have the interest and drive to apply it to client and Agency opportunities

Contact: Send your cover letter, resume and salary requirements and three public relations writing samples (news releases, feature stories, media alerts, etc.) via email to bvolpe@simonpr.com

In one of her recent email newsletters, Nancy Schwartz focused on a simple and cost-free marketing technique, email signatures. Also called “sig lines,” email signatures are often overlooked as a quick marketing tool.

Schwartz points out: “Consider this: If your organization has 30 employees, each of whom sends 30 emails daily to folks outside the org, then (assuming 250 business days) that’s 225,000 ad views annually, at no cost or much extra effort. If you have 100 employees, that’s 750,000 ad views annually.”

The sig line consists of several lines of text, set up to be added automatically at the end of each outgoing email. Sig lines began as a way for the email sender to include a consistent identifier, and they have become mini-banners to promote a special event, publicize the mission of an organization, join a social media group, or otherwise make a short communications statement.

Schwartz’ own sig line is:
NANCY SCHWARTZ & COMPANY (973) 762-0079
http://www.nancyschwartz.com
Results-Driven Marketing & Communications for Nonprofits & Foundations

Join the Getting Attention LinkedIn Group for Ideas, Answers and Inspiration
http://is.gd/c1mC

Why Customize Your Sig Line?

With people getting spammed, phished, and otherwise inundated with emails, your personal sig line helps identify your emails as legitimate. Schwartz notes that a customized sig line, “is a clear signal to your recipient that the message is from you and provides the context (e.g., job title, organization name, and web site) that reminds that person who you are and enriches their understanding of your message. That’s a lot more than can quickly be deciphered from your email address in the ‘from’ field.”

Think of the sig line as your email business card, she adds. It also functions as a small online billboard to announce an event, company news, or other information.

Sig Line Standards

If your organization decides to use customized signature lines, it is important to develop a format so that all sig lines are consistent throughout the company. This may involve some short training in how to set up and change sig lines.

Name, title, and phone information generally go first. You can then add additional elements such as web site URL, a tagline, event announcement, or invitation. These items must be reviewed periodically to keep them up-to-date. Schwartz believes that a good sig line is between four and six lines in length, with each line limited to 80 characters. Be careful not to overload your sig line, and do not use images or rich text. She also cautions about overwhelming your regular recipients, and notes that she sets up her sig line so that the longer version only appears once in each email conversation.

One-to-One Marketing

Consider using a variety of specific, customized sig lines with different types of recipients.
Internal communications sig lines might include reminders for company events, fund-raising efforts, or other important employee information.
External sig lines can be individually customized to include information that would be of interest to that specific recipient. Think of using your sig line as a mini-ad that is directed to each recipient, and targeted to them.

Signing Off Doesn’t Have to Mean Goodbye
Remember, using sig lines effectively is a great and inexpensive way to add an extra punch to what might otherwise be a routine email.

Nancy Schwartz’ email newsletter is available by free subscription at http://www.nancyschwartz.com/gettingattention.html

Amy Blake has over 25 years of experience as a communicator and creative professional. Her firm, Blake+Barancik Design, provides marketing communications services including strategic planning, writing, graphic design, Web site development, and project management. Her clients include major utilities, healthcare organizations, non-profits, and professional service consultants.

Amy Blake can be reached at amydesigns@earthlink.net, or at 215-588-9190.

In my presentation to the IABC in February, we talked about why search engine optimization is important to press releases. There are many ways for your release to be displayed online and thereby accessible to search engines like Google. A best practice is to always post your press release to your website or online newsroom. Also, there are some press release distribution services, such as Business Wire, that will post your release to hundreds or thousands of websites for a small fee. This article will provide a good jumping off point for you to learn how to get the most out of your release once it is posted online.

The goal of this article is to help you take advantage of a new way to reach your audience, search engines. Only a few years ago, your audience for a press release was only the media. You sent it to the local paper or trade publication, hoping that they would write an article about your company. Then you hoped that your clients, prospects or anyone else you were looking to reach would see it. That’s a lot of hoping.

While the media is still the main target of a press release, search engines help to take the guesswork out of public relations. Google tells us how many people search for certain terms every month in their keyword research tool. This tool will allow you to select the right keyword to put into your press release. Selecting the right keywords is one of the most important things that you can do when creating your release to make sure that it is found.

Check out this blog post for some good things to keep in mind when selecting your keywords. Also, check out this great video to help with keyword selection.

Here’s a link to the Wordtracker Tool for more suggestions.
Embedding hyperlinks in the text of a release is another important tool.

Keywords with embedded links to your website do a lot for SEO. Here’s the three most important benefits:
1. Increases the chance of your release being found on a search for the keyword
2. Drives quality traffic to your website
3. SEO of that webpage increases

For working more SEO into your site: Google’s Official SEO Starter Guide.
This information will hopefully get you on the road to recognizing the benefits of SEO in press releases.
To continue your training:
1. Please check out our on-going Business Wire webinars
2. Check out our EON Resources page for some good info
3. Call or email me to setup a more in-depth meeting and hear about Business Wire’s tools
4. Check out these blogs: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/top-25-seo-blogs/ or http://davefleet.com/2008/10/are-you-reading-the-top-pr-blogs/

This article contributed by Aaron Nye, Account Executive with Business Wire (www.businesswire.com) Philadelphia, a Berkshire Hathaway Company. Aaron can be reached by email at Aaron.Nye@businesswire.com or by phone at 610-617-9560.

Philadelphia, Pa., June 23, 2009 – IABC Philadelphia, the local chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, has announced Tony DeFazio has been appointed chapter president and Chris Lentz chapter vice president/president elect as part of its new leadership team for the 2009-2010 program year. The two were unanimously elected by the association’s board at IABC’s annual planning meeting June 19th. DeFazio and Lentz will oversee strategic direction, membership programming and education initiatives as well as fundraising activities for the 200 plus member trade group.

Tony DeFazio previously served as vice president of publicity for IABC Philadelphia. In his new role, he will be responsible for the overall direction and programming for the trade group. DeFazio is president of DeFazio Communications, LLC a Conshohocken-based public relations agency. He previously served as director of public relations at American Financial Realty Trust, a NYSE-traded Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) based in Jenkintown, PA. Prior to that, he was executive vice president of Gregory FCA in Ardmore, PA. DeFazio is a 1989 graduate of the Ithaca College School of Humanities and Sciences where he received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science. He is a resident of Conshohocken, PA.

Chris Lentz previously served as a vice president of marketing for IABC Philadelphia. As vice president, he will work to coordinate the chapter’s strategic communications efforts across several media. Lentz is internal news editor at Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, NJ. He previously served as senior editor at ING in West Chester, PA. Over his 10-year career, Lentz has managed communications efforts for a range of companies in the customer service, technology, financial services, and education fields. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at La Salle University.

“Both of these communicators have distinguished themselves in service to IABC Philadelphia,” says Lauren Conway, outgoing president of IABC Philadelphia. “We couldn’t be more pleased with Tony and Chris assuming the leadership for the new programming year. Their appointments will help support additional programs and services added last year to sustain the growth of our membership as result of the merger with the Delaware chapter. We look forward to their contributions in the year ahead.”

For more information about networking, continuing education or accreditation opportunities with IABC Philadelphia, please visit our new website at www.iabcphiladelphia.com.

About IABC Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) links communication professionals in the Delaware Valley. IABC Philadelphia provides members and guests a range of services, including professional development meetings and workshops, networking with peers, knowledge and resource sharing, job placement and accreditation. Members have access to over 200 communication professionals including corporate communications, public relations/media relations, editors, public affairs, investor relations, marketing communications, graphic designers, and writers in a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.iabcphiladelphia.com.

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Organization: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Salary Range:  $40,400 - $58,900

Copy edits and proofreads various Bank publications, including Research, Public Affairs, and Community Affairs materials.  Edits, proofreads, and rewrites other materials as assigned.  Edits for grammar and style. Coordinates the printing and production processes for Research and Public Affairs newsletters and brochures.  Creates PDF files for Research Department Working Papers and other documents as appropriate.  Sends files, as appropriate, to Public Affairs web team for posting to external website. Provides quality control of Graphics output by reviewing material to ensure that requested changes have been made.  Proofreads documents for Graphics when requested.

Reads, reviews, and edits assigned publications and other written material for Research, Public Affairs, and Community Affairs, such as working papers, newsletters, surveys, consumer brochures, and community development materials, checking for style, organization, clarity, consistency, and layout; rewrites material as needed.  Reviews bluelines for accuracy and quality. 

Independently handles production process for Research newsletters and surveys, Public Affairs brochures and publications, and Community Affairs publications as assigned. Follows publications through Graphics and printing process, proofreads drafts, and coordinates web postings and mailings, when appropriate.  Assists department management with special projects related to publications. 

Each week, edits and proofreads Friday File (weekly publication) and works with internal communications administrator on other internal communications projects as needed. 

When requested, reads, reviews, and edits written material for departments other than Research, Public Affairs, and Community Affairs, checking for style, clarity, and consistency.  Rewrites material when necessary.  Reviews Graphics work when requested to ensure that changes have been accurately made.  

Performs other duties as assigned. 

Actively involved in the accomplishment of departmental and/or Bankwide quality initiatives. 

Fulfills job duties and responsibilities in conformance with sound safety practices. 

Position Requirements:

Education & Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in English or journalism, as well as a minimum of  5 years of experience as a proofreader/copy editor. 

Demonstrated editorial skills; economic or banking knowledge desirable.

Some writing experience a plus.

Knowledge & Skills:

Excellent oral and written communication skills

Knowledge of Microsoft Office 2007, including Word and PowerPoint

Knowledge of printing production process

Other Requirements:

Knowledge of Excel desirable.

Apply for the position  at:  http://www.philadelphiafed.org/careers/

 Widener University’s Department of University Relations seeks an experienced writer and editor to serve as the university’s chief marketing writer and magazine editor.  The candidate will to create and write compelling marketing pieces and also manage the university’s magazines. 

The marketing writer and magazine editor will conceive, write, edit, and manage the university’s marketing materials as well as edit and manage the university semiannual magazines, the Widener Magazine and the Widener Law Magazine.  The marketing writer and magazine editor will work with magazine advisory boards, the marketing advisory board, marketing communications consultants, designers, photographers, and vendors to achieve integrated marketing communications. This position demands the ability to write well swiftly and accurately.

A Bachelor’s degree is required. The successful candidate will have excellent written and oral communications skills, superior interpersonal and organizational skills, flexibility, and three to five years of related experience, preferably in a university or non-profit setting. The position is available June 1.  Send cover letter, resume, salary requirements, and four writing samples (two marketing samples and two magazine style samples) to:

Dr. Lou Anne Bulik
Assistant Vice President of University Relations
Widener University
One University Place
Chester, PA 19013
labulik@widener.edu

I recently had the experience of judging the final tier Gold Quill Awards in San Francisco along with 35 other communicators from 6 continents.  The experience of being with such a high-caliber judging group was quite a thrill. But the most critical thing I took away from the experience is the realization that everyone could win a Gold Quill if they understood what is required.

You don’t need to have a million dollar budget or a once-in-a-career mega-project to win a Gold Quill. You DO need to have competent work with measurable objectives. Frankly I expected to be wowed by the entries I saw when judging at the final round. But most of the pieces I evaluated missed the mark in two simple areas: having clear objectives and demonstrating results that link to those objectives. Setting goals that link to organizational objectives is the hallmark of an effective communicator.

Writing your award entry – or carrying out your communications plan – shouldn’t be a “ready, fire, aim” proposition. It was obvious in evaluating that most entrants had not thought about measuring success at the time the program was conceived. Rather they had a piece they were proud of and tried to rummage through the files for any sort of feedback or measures that would help make the case for their award. That is aiming after you fired.

When you have a communications challenge, you need to generate specific intentions about the audience and your proposed solution, and you need to determine BEFORE implementation what success will look like so that you can shape your work around it and measure it afterward. Measurement doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive or time consuming. It just needs to ask the right questions or show the right data to demonstrate the success of your effort. Each objective should have a measure. If your goal is increased participation in a program, the measurement should not focus on brochure readership. You might, however, try to uncover in a simple survey card if the brochure led to a change in behavior that led to participation in your program. If your goal was to increase revenues by 10%, the fact that 127 people asked for an extra copy of your beautiful calendar is irrelevant. You can measure that the calendar triggered potential customers to call, which led to closed sales and increased revenues. Thinking through the measures of your success before you execute your piece often gives sharper focus to your communication tools and tactics.

I seldom have clients who take the time to consider measurement of the success of the tools that I create for them…and I suspect that this is more the norm in our profession. I challenge you to consider what the measure of success would be for each article, for each brochure, for each direct mail piece that you create. Taking the time to aim before you fire will result in more targeted and therefore more effective communications…and perhaps net you a Gold Quill award!

Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
Communication Results

Writing|Graphic Design|Photography|Project Management