I know what you’re thinking. But really, managing operations for a public relations firm is no small task and requires keeping track of many moving parts. It’s definitely challenging and indeed, it can be thrilling.
Public Relations
This is our public relations blog.
Flying the Coop
My name is Blair Kahora Cardinal, and I’m about to fly the coop.
In late December, my husband and I are due with our first Baby Bird Cardinal. Not only are we scrambling to assemble the nursery and read every parenting book on the planet, but I’m also hustling in the office to create smooth account transitions for my clients and colleagues. What I’ve found is that there’s no shortage of things to consider when you’re going to be out for three months.
Teaching a Semi-Old Dog New Tricks
I can’t officially categorize myself as an old dog, but after nearly 14 years in PR, I think I qualify as a semi-old dog.
Upon college graduation, I entered the workforce as an assistant at a boutique, Philadelphia-based PR agency whose client base consisted of large, national consumer accounts. I worked my way up the ranks there for almost 12 years. I had a minor stint in corporate communications at a restaurant franchise, but eventually returned to the boutique agency and stayed until it closed its doors.
Four PR Lessons I’ve Learned Playing Softball
Just last week, I submitted a video and resume, hoping to become one of the next Phillies Ballgirls (shout-out to everyone at Buchanan PR here for taking part in my vid!).
Sure, having a background in softball helps a great deal with my application, but knowledge of public relations is just as important. Being a Phillies Ballgirl is more than simply fielding foul balls; it’s attending charitable events, pursuing public speaking opportunities and always putting your best foot forward to represent the Philadelphia community. This got me thinking. There are many other ways in which softball, baseball and public relations are related. Here are four lessons I’ve learned since starting my internship at Buchanan PR exactly one month ago:
PR Shutdown
With the federal government shutdown and its never-ending ripple effect on everything from the global economy to the corner store, I began to wonder what would happen if the PR field were to experience a similar “shutdown.” What ripple effects would result? Who would be to blame? When would it end?
The Oldest in the Office
I realized the other day that each of our three interns this fall is younger than my oldest child. I’ve long been the elder stateswoman at Buchanan PR, but now I feel officially old. So I’ve been thinking about all that has changed in the PR/media world since I was in my early 20s, and all that has not.
5 Things We Learned from a Dog Trainer
By Anne Buchanan and Emily DiTomo
We are big believers in training and development for our staff. That commitment also extends to our canine workers. When Anne adopted a timid shelter dog named Lacey, her early visits to the office often resulted in chaos. Emily’s dog Romeo became very protective of his turf; Lacey disintegrated into a puddle of nerves – sometimes literally. The combination of a very confident, outgoing poodle and a fearful Rottweiler / cattle dog blend created tension for dogs and humans alike.
And so we called upon Wendy Young of Progressive Dog Training to pay us a house…errr, office…call. 
She spent nearly three hours with us. We can happily report that there is a new doggie equilibrium in the office. We also were struck by how many canine lessons can also be applied to PR.
My First Year in the PR World
This week marks my one year anniversary of working at Buchanan Public Relations. I still remember pulling up to BPR for my interview, seeing Anne outside with beloved canine co-worker Buddy and walking in together. Little did I know that six months later, after the most integrated and in-depth internship I had ever experienced, I would become a full-time employee.
When I graduated from college last May, I had the basic skills to enter the world of PR, but my first year at Buchanan has taught me so much more. Below are three skills I learned during my first year in the business that I could never have learned in college.
7 SEO Basics Every PR Pro Should Know
Content marketing is now a $44 billion industry. And with businesses planning to increase their budgets toward search engine optimization (SEO) by up to 44 percent this year, PR professionals must be savvy in digital communications tactics in order to remain in the game.
At a minimum, every PR pro should know the following seven SEO basics:
Board Placements Can Be a Winning Strategy
Our clients often ask us for advice on developing a program to place their employees (frequently the “up-and-comers”) on nonprofit boards. There are lots of good reasons to do this, and we’re happy to encourage the practice. Here are some of the steps we suggest they take.