APR Flash Card: Goals vs. Objectives

There is very little that I can say for sure will be on your APR exam. But I'm willing to go out on limb and say there will be questions asking you to identify a statement as a goal or an objective. There will also be questions asking you identify strategies versus tactics, but I'll get to that next week.

It can be difficult at first to write measurable objectives, I think if you understand the difference, it's quite easy to identify goals vs. objectives on the exam

Category: Planning

Front: Goals

Back: In general terms, what you hope to accomplish.

(Chris Brogan has a post here about setting SMART goals. Simple, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely)

Front: Objective

Back: Desired end results stated in terms of audience, outcomes, attainment level and time frame. There may be multiple objectives for each goal.

Example:

Goal

Increase reader interaction on There's Only Ever One Bonnie

Objectives

1. I will post at least three entries per week in 2010.
2. I will utilize at least two outposts for each entry in 2010.
3. I will comment on at least 2 other blog each week in 2010.
4. Readers will visit the to the blog 10% more in 2010.
5. Readers will comment on the blog 25% more in 2010.
6. I will respond to all comments within 24 hours of posting.

Be bold in your goal setting. I think too often we hold back out of fear of failure.

Pet Pics Can Win Prizes

Think you have the cutest pup or kitty? Snap a picture and you could win $100.

FOGAS (Friends of the Guthrie Animals) is hosting a Cool Cats, Dashing Dogs Photo Contest this spring. The contest is open now and the deadline is April 15. (That should be an easy deadline to remember, I think something else is due that day...)

It's $5 per entry; enter as many times as you like. The extra money goes to support FOGAS's low-cost spay and neuter program.

John and I plan to enter a couple times. You should, too. If you think your pet can beat out that cute face above.

APR Flash Card: 4 Steps of the Planning Process

This flash card is really the basis of everything we do in PR. It all comes down to the 4 steps. I've heard many students try to smush these into some awkward acronyms, that really just end up confusing what the steps actually mean. There's only 4 of them. Even though I'm a huge fan of the memory tricks, I'd recommend just remembering these as is.

Category: Planning

Front:

4 Steps in a Planning Process

Back:

1. Research-what's the problem, how do we know, do we need more facts
2. Planning-who is the audience, what do we want to accomplish
3. Execution-the "to do"
4. Evaluation- did it work, why or why not, how well, what would we change

APR Flash Card: "Mutual Adjustment" Era

This is the final flash card on the eras of PR (for now). The "Mutual Adjustment" era is what most people agree to be the era the industry is in currently.

Category: Trends
Front: "Mutual Adjustment" Era

Back: ~1950 on

• Post-war era, 1945-65: We moved from a war-oriented economy to a postindustrial service-orientated economy. PR became an accepted and professional organization.
• Global Information Society, 1965 on: Multiple technology communication channels are developed. We shift from a national economy to a world economy. PR focuses on mediating conflict and building mutual adjustment.

How to Create Facebook Ads That Work

Bet you thought I was going to share some great Facebooking secret with you here. Nope, I'm just going to turn you on to this free Webinar.

How to create a Facebook ad that works!
Kim Hodgson Account Manager/Social Media Consultant
Schipul - The Web Marketing Company
Tuesday 5-Jan-10 1:30 PM to Tuesday 5-Jan-10 2:30 PM

It's from Schipul, so you know it's going to be awesome. Kim is going to talk about

1. Facebook ads vs. Google ads
2. Designing your ad to convert
3. Targeting your ad
4. When keywords are good and when they are bad
5. Testing your ads
6. Tweaking your ad campaign and pricing