So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye!

Wish I could stay longer but it is time for me to say my goodbyes! After a four-month internship, I am pleased to say that it’s time to flap my wings and fly out into the real world.

Graduating from then University of Oregon and gaining professional experience have been my two greatest accomplishments over the past months. I have had the opportunity to land broadcast and print media coverage for clients, facilitate a strategic planning session, write for the Frause blog, offer my recommendations, refine my writing skills, and make amazing professional connections.

Never did I believe I would have so much room to grow during my internship. Frause has prepared me for my career in communications and given me the skills to set myself apart from others in the job market.

As for the future, I am currently seeking a full-time career that utilizes my skills in communications and social media. I plan to stay in the Seattle area with my puggle, Happy, by my side and continue to grow as a professional.

Thank you to everyone at Frause who shared their sage advice, guided me through PR projects and believed in my ability. I also want to thank everyone who has followed this blog. I hope you will continue to enjoy reading about the interns’ experiences at Frause. And remember, I will still be writing about fashion and consumer public relations at Consuming PR!

Get ready to meet the next intern - coming soon to the Frause blog!

Frause Gives Back

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of tutoring a few kids at Treehouse, a public-private partnership dedicated to helping children in foster care. Every week Frause sends two employees from their Seattle office to Treehouse for their after-school tutoring program. I was lucky enough to be accompanied by my co-worker Nathan Hambley when we found ourselves helping kids with their math skills.

Thank goodness I was able to file through my dusty cabinets and remember high school algebra! When I first stepped into Treehouse the supervisors asked me how capable I was with junior high and high school math. I mustered up enough confidence to give the answer, “Of course I know algebra!”

Although I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, my 1-2-3’s all came rushing back. Soon I was remembering the FOIL rule and how to find the common denominator. It was such a delight to laugh and giggle with the kids as we worked through math homework. Remembering back to my struggles in high school and the awkward years of junior high, I felt rewarded to give back what I had learned as a child.

I believe my education is a powerful tool and it is necessary to encourage students in the community to achieve the same success. It is also an honor to be a part of a firm such as Frause that gives me the opportunity to give back to the community.

- Sarah Essary

Bon Voyage!

It’s hard to believe that three months have passed by so quickly, but next week will be my last at Frause. When I started my internship back in September, it seemed as though I had all the time in the world to experience life at an agency, but in the blink of an eye, I find myself at the end of my journey with Frause.

My internships prior to Frause prepared me with event planning skills, computer skills and a glimpse of life in healthcare. My experience with Frause was the first time I was able to see life at a PR agency. During my internship, I got to see how we take care of our clients behind the scenes. I was not out roping in new clients or landing stories on the front page, but I was able to participate in the administrative work that all our clients’ need.

One of the most valuable skills I will leave with is the understanding of how to effectively pitch a story to various media outlets and the best way to follow up with individuals after the pitch. That is one skill I had not learned with my previous internships. I also feel like I have learned to manage my time more effectively. Agency life requires you to be dedicated to multiple clients and meet multiple deadlines at a time.

When I look forward to the future, I am not sure where I see myself. I know I want to continue my career in PR and communications, but I am also drawn to the marketing aspects of a company. Regardless of where I end up, I am grateful for my experiences with Frause. Not only am I leaving with new skills, but I now understand how life at an agency works. Frause has played a key role in my journey towards finding the right career for me.

It is now time to continue on my career path. While I do not know where it leads, I am excited for the ride! I would like to thank everyone at Frause for helping me along this journey, and I hope we meet again. Bon Voyage!

-Heidi Gill

Lights, Camera, Frause Visual!

Currently I am sitting at the intern desk located near the new Frause Visual wing of our office. To my right I can see the words “Frause Visual” against a lime green wall, introducing the new addition to Frause – but it didn’t used to be this way.

For the first few months of my internship I was smack dab in the middle of our expansion. Only a few weeks ago there was a giant tarp, “the blob” as we called it, hanging next to me with the intention of devouring my desk every time the wind blew!

The soundtrack of my internship included the harmonious sounds of drilling, hammering and the banter of construction workers. Thank you, Pandora, for supplying me with The New Kids on the Block station, which I listened to every day during the construction.

Now, I am thrilled to announce that Frause Visual has finally opened its doors for business! With the addition of Frause Visual brings in more service offerings: video and audio production, broadcast (TV and radio commercials) and duplication. The existing Frause design services have also been expanded under Frause Visual to include branding, graphic design and Web development.

Jeri Vaughn, czar of Frause Visual, put her heart and soul into the expansion. Every day she would race past my desk trying to make sure Frause Visual would be up and running on time. Vaughn, managing partner and executive producer for Frause Visual, brings more than 20 years of experience to the new venture.

“It’s a pleasure to work with such passionate people,” Vaughn explains. “I am honored to be a part of the Frause family and to be able to expand the definition of full spectrum communications for our clients.”

It has been incredible to see the transformation take place while interning at Frause! From drywall to design, being in the midst of the addition has been a great experience. I’m also proud to have had the recent pleasure of working with Matteo Bava, Erika Sunmark and Susan Lamb, the new Frause Visual team.

Can’t wait to see what’s next. I see big things ahead for Frause!

- Sarah Essary

The Path to Becoming a Well-Rounded PR Professional

As mentioned in my previous posts, I have been focused and enthralled in the world of social media. That said, as I am entering into the working world, I’ve learned that it is extremely important for me to not only understand but be able to participate in the more traditional practices of PR and communication. Living in a time of tweets, texts and technology, it becomes easy to lose that personal connection that is made when dealing with an individual outside of cyber world.

These past few weeks I have had the opportunity to participate in pitching a story for one of our clients. I have sent out press releases before, but this was my first real experience of having to follow-up with a large number of individuals and actively engage people in a conversation on a specific topic.

Having never done this type of thing before, I met with my coworker to get some tips on how to best approach these types of calls to the media and what to say if I left messages. After a little coaching, I began my follow-up process. The first few phone calls were a bit stressful, but luckily, I had written out a script that I could read if I froze up. After several phone calls and messages, I found myself comfortable with initiating dialogue with complete strangers. Not only was I able to present our pitch and sell the story idea in a casual, informative way, but I felt confident in doing so.

I found this project to be very educational and important in helping me on my journey to becoming a more well-rounded practitioner. It forced me to leave the online world, one of which I have grown extremely comfortable and confident in, and result to a more traditional way of communicating and pitching stories. I not only understand how to effectively pitch and sell stories to media outlets, but I also am confident in my ability to do so. Regardless of our societies infatuation with social media, there still in no replacement for the personal relationships one can develop when personally engaging with other individuals.

-Heidi Gill

The Dawning of Social Media

The Financial Times article, “Extreme Teenagers” by Susie Boyt, got me thinking about the origin of social media and how it has evolved.

I started recognizing the wave of social media when I was entering my freshmen year at the University of Oregon. My friend mentioned that she was using an application called “Facebook” to meet people before she moved into the dorms. This socializing-made-easy helped her build relationships with people she wouldn’t have known by simply meeting other coeds face-to-face.

Fast forward only three years and you’ll find many colleges and universities incorporating social media tools into the curriculum. As a public relations major and part of Generation Y, I learned about the importance of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs in my advanced public relations writing course. I never would have thought that social media tools would be so crucial to my education and career!

Social media tools are currently used by public relations practitioners but have always been used by young people. As a result, members of Generation Y are becoming PR machines who will have a major impact in the business world. Executives will now look to younger team members for advice and an understanding of social media. Watch out, there’s a new sheriff (generation) in town!

- Sarah Essary

White House prepares for Chief of Technology

Barack Obama’s historic entrance into the Oval Office marks a first in many ways for our nation including the addition of a Chief of Technology position in the White House. Obama and Biden pledged a new technology plan for our nation during their campaign and now that promise will become a reality.

The Chief of Technology position was created to further propel the government into the 21st century. The Chief of Technology will help the government utilize technology to establish more effective communication with Americans, while helping the government become more transparent to its citizens.

For the first time in history, a vast network of electronic communication tools were used to campaign to the American people in a presidential race. Tools such as text messaging, blogs, Twitter, MySpace and Facebook allowed candidates to connect with people on a new level. Understanding and participating in the electronic age of grassroots marketing has become an invaluable asset to not only companies and individuals, but government, too. This new era of communication is changing the way people interact and share information on a global level.

It is interesting to see how the government, along with business, is beginning to utilize new communication tools to connect with people. I think the addition of the Chief of Technology position will prove to be a valuable asset for the government by helping to create a new connection and understanding with the American people.

-Heidi Gill

Cash is King

A few weeks ago, Bob Frause, founder of Frause, shared his entrepreneurial experience and explained the elements of launching a business at “Marketing Monday,” held by the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. Much to his surprise, many of us Frausers attended.

With over 30 years of experience, Bob Frause stressed the importance of networking. “Contacts are more important than money,” explained Bob. Starting Frause in a one-room office with a donated computer, Bob used his networking skills to grow the agency into a full-spectrum communications firm with over 70 clients and 23 employees in two states.

Bob attributes his success to having a “cash is king” attitude. He believes that utilizing cash rather than credit will benefit the growth of a small business in the long-run. Bob explains that he has never had to use credit against his business and that Frause has never experienced a decline in annual revenue.

It was so exciting to learn the history of Frause and how to start a business! I hope to start my own business one day and will always remember Bob Frause’s wise words.

- Sarah Essary

Frause makes top 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies

This past week, Frause received word that it had made the top 100 Fastest- Growing Private Companies list in the Puget Sound Business Journal. This is the first time Frause has made the list. The Puget Sound Business Journal is a weekly publication that provides articles and information for the business world in the greater Seattle area.

In order to qualify for the award, each company must achieve year-over-year growth for three years running and have recorded revenue of at least $500,000 in 2005. If a company meets the criteria and is interested in participating, a representative from the company is required to submit revenues for the past three years. Then an independent accounting firm reviews and verifies the figures.

As an intern, I am excited and proud to be working at a firm that is still managing to be successful and grow in a struggling economy. After being at Frause for about a month and a half, I am able to see how an immense amount of hard work can pay off. Several of my coworkers spend long hours in the office and devote a great deal of energy to every detail for their clients. It is encouraging to see their hard work and dedication pay off and that they are recognized for it.

As my college graduation approaches, and with the tumultuous economy in the forefront of my mind, I find it is easy to become discouraged about future employment. Many of the conversations with my peers and professors center around the difficulties college grads have trying to obtain entry-level positions at jobs across the board. With these hard times, some companies lack the funds for entry-level positions.

While these are challenging times, economically, I am hopeful and excited about my future employment. After working at Frause, I have strong faith that hard work and dedication will pay off – even during this historic moment in our economy.

-Heidi Gill

Social Media: Part Deux

To continue our conversation on social media, it is important to understand the options. Most social media tools can be helpful to organizations if used correctly.

“Marketing via Facebook or any another social network needs to be done strategically, using a proper marketing plan. So many people have destroyed their businesses because they abused these networks,” explains Hillel Porath, founder and developer of Iyazam.com.

The most popular social media tools for organizations include:

Blogs
Blogs enable an organization to easily communicate and engage in conversation with their publics at any time. Currently, blogs are one of the most popular social media tools. Sites like Wordpress and Blogger offer organizations the tools to create their own blog quickly and easily.

Twitter
This is one of my favorite social media tools! Twitter is a great way to create a community and to quickly spread information by word of mouth. The site is designed for users to follow companies and individuals as they post short announcements throughout the day about news and discussion topics.

Once a Twitter profile is established and connections are built, the next step is to send out “tweets.” Tweets are 140-character postings that are read by whoever is following your Twitter profile. It is best to mix tweets with organic conversation and organization information. Make sure not to spam or over-tweet because this will turn people away.

Check out my Twitter page: www.twitter.com/ConsumingPR

Facebook and MySpace
Both Facebook and MySpace are social networking sites that allow people and groups to create personalized profiles, which allow for an online community. Organizations can use these tools to post announcements and communicate to their key audiences by responding to comments and questions.

Podcasts
A podcast is audio content, similar to a short radio segment, used to raise awareness about an organization or issue. This social media tool can be posted on a Web site and accessed with an mp3 player for people to easily access the information wherever they may be.

Once you establish a place for conversation between the organization and the audience, it is necessary to frequently update the site. Users will have an expectation for new content once a rhythm is established.

- Sarah Essary