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PR career ladder—the top traits of a successful PR manager

by | Feb 25, 2019 | Public Relations

Finding the best person for a high-level job isn’t an easy task for companies these days. Execs need to consider a lot of things, especially when they’re looking for a PR professional. So, what do you need to do in order to present the perfect traits they want in a PR manager?

First of all, you’ll need to know what those traits are, as they will help you overcome your business obstacles and become the greatest PR manager you can be. You’ll also want to start cultivating these characteristics as they will make you a better professional, and thus more likely to get hired.

Finally, if you want a managing position in public relations, you’ll need to exhibit these traits as well as be able to train staffers to acquire them.

PR career ladder—the top traits of a successful PR manager

Communication

Everyone who wants to be a good PR pro needs to have great communication skills. As you will present the company you work for on many public occasions, you’ll need to be able to communicate with various types of people. Besides, promotion is basically communication, so, if you want to be good at PR, you’ll need to know how to talk to people.

Good communication skills come a long way in this business.

Good communication skills come a long way in this business.

Connections

If there are more PR companies delivering results, clients will usually choose the ones they feel more comfortable with. In these situations, good communication can mean the difference between landing or missing a business opportunity.

Understanding media

A big part of public relations today revolves around access to the media. Whether it’s news, videos or social media, this is how you’ll get information and reach your target groups. Understanding and using this is definitely one of the best traits companies want in a PR manager. So, if you haven’t already, get familiar with how media promotions work. In case you want to take your PR business to the next level, start using media monitoring services. With a simple tool, you can follow all the important topics for your business across printed and digital sources.

Marketing traits you want in PR managers

There are a lot of ways to build up hype for your next event and most of them rely on getting the word out. You can achieve this online and in person. Even though marketing your agency or your clients is easier using the Internet, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of word-of-mouth marketing. Good PR managers know how to employ the best of both worlds when it comes to promoting.

Social media

Social media should be one of the primary ways to reach your target group. It provides widespread coverage and it supports all sorts of media you can use for marketing. Being familiar with the trends on social media is one of the best traits companies want in PR managers. So, if you want to up your PR game, start surfing and learn why Instagram comments matter for promoting your brand.

Utilizing social media is crucial for any good PR pro

Utilizing social media is crucial for any good PR pro

Influencers

Influencer marketing is also a good way to reach your target group. Instead of designing your campaign to try and reach a lot of different people, you can tailor it for influencers on social media, and they’ll spread the word. This is how you can reach a lot of groups which might not have been interested in your brand in the first place.

Content marketing

A good PR manager should also be able to write a post or announcement. But, a great PR manager should know how to write useful content of various forms, as well. In some cases, you’ll need to promote your client by knowing how to manage search engine optimization. Optimizing your content will get it noticed by more people giving it better marketing effect. Mastering content marketing can help you grow a business in many aspects apart from marketing.

Instead of thinking up complicated solutions, you can start with content marketing and work your way up from there.

Instead of thinking up complicated solutions, you can start with content marketing and work your way up from there.

Using what you can

Using all the tools at your disposal is definitely a good trait to have as a PR manager. This will allow you to maximize the efficiency of everything you do for your company or client. Apart from the tools which can help you with promotion, you can use the tools to help you measure the impact of your PR campaign. Knowing the effectiveness of your moves will enable you to make more calculated decisions in the future which will definitely be more rewarding.

Use all resources at your disposal, including your team.

Use all resources at your disposal, including your team.

Quick response in critical situations

Finally, in addition to marketing and communication skills, which you can learn, some PR skills need to be acquired from experience. Since a public relations professional is usually in the front lines of crisis management, you’ll need to be a quick thinker of you want to make it! It also won’t hurt if you:

  • Are adaptable– this is definitely one of the traits you want in PR managers. Being able to quickly adapt to a new situation can make your PR job a lot easier.
  • Pay attention to detail– even the smallest things can yield huge rewards in marketing or brand placement.
  • Are creative– sometimes, the best solution requires a different approach to the situation. You’ll need to be able to think outside of the box and come up with fresh solutions and ideas.
  • Are controlled– making sure you don’t mix your emotions and your business is crucial when you represent the public image of your clients.

In the end

Hopefully, we’ve helped you realize what you need to do to make your PR skills better. Try to work on obtaining all of the traits you want in PR managers, but don’t forget to be ready to improvise and approach the situation creatively. If you’re looking to additionally improve your marketing and allow it to reach more people, you should find someone who can analyze your digital footprint and help you with marketing. Getting to see things from a different perspective will help you become a better PR professional.

Elizabeth Wilkens

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