This week I had the opportunity to hear from Trish Skram when she visited my PR Tactics II class at UW-Whitewater. Skram works for Mercy Health System in Janesville, Wisconsin as a media specialist and PR manager. Skram graduated from UW-Whitewater in 2006 with a double major in Marketing and PR. In 2008 she launched her own website, trishskram.com. Skram specializes in blogging, as she blogs for the Janesville Gazette, Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society and her own personal use.
Skram also offered advice on how to blog successfully. She explained that there is a strategy to blogging: to grow your networks, help to better the PR/communications industry, and to talk about what you know and love. Skram also said that blogging is a way to generate original content, establish experience, and offer people a place to engage. Additionally, Skram offered advice to those who have trouble with blogging. She reminded me that it is important to understand that no one has all the answers, social media is where you can start a conversation and that mistakes are okay.
Furthermore, Skram gave us eight ways to build a brand through blogging. The first is to determine what you are going to get out of it. In short, who are you? Second, know your competency by relating and connecting to your reader. The third way is to add a personal touch by posting a picture of yourself, offering opinions, jokes and using favorable jargon. Fourth, and most important, be positive! Fifth, be sure to encourage engagement by being passionate, telling stories, and asking questions. Sixth, research key words using google. The seventh step is to make sure that people can actually find you. Lastly, is to be consistent!
If you want to connect with Skram, follow her @TrishSkram
