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March 2018 IABC Harrisburg Newsletter

Next Professional Development Event

Professional Headshot Special Event
Photography by Alyssa Riegel

Wednesday, April 25 • 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel
4650 Lindle Road
Harrisburg, PA 17111

Is your LinkedIn profile photo looking a bit dated? Investing in a high-quality, professionally-taken headshot is an investment in your personal brand. After much success in 2015, IABC Harrisburg will host another Professional Headshot Special Event on Wednesday, April 25. Not sure if you need a headshot? Consider this:

A headshot presents a professional appearance and helps you create a solid first impression.
Business professionals and followers want to know who you are. Use it on LinkedIn (especially), Facebook, Twitter and any/everywhere you have a public profile.
It lends credibility to who you are and what you do.

$15 IABC Members
$20 Non-Members
$10 Students

Photographer Alyssa Riegel will take several photos during each time-slot. In 1-2 weeks, we will email the retouched, rights-released photographs.

Click here to reserve your headshot time-slot, beginning at 4:15 p.m. Please arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled time.

Once you select your time, register to lock it in!

Photography on the Fly:
How to Successfully Use In-House Photography at your Business
Presented by Dr. Michael Drager

Wednesday, April 25 • 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Join us immediately following the Professional Headshot Special Event for dinner and a presentation from Shippensburg University communication/journalism professor, Dr. Michael Drager on Photography on the Fly: Using In-House Photography for Business. Whether to capture events, professional headshots or images for social media, this presentation will address how your business or organization can effectively shoot your own photographs in-house instead of outsourcing to a professional.

During the presentation Dr. Drager will discuss:

Photography 101 and best practices

Recommendations for an affordable camera and other helpful equipment

Valuable photo editing software/programs

How to use your smartphone to take respectable photos when you don’t have a camera

Photo editing apps for your smart phone

Examples of good and bad photos

5:30 p.m. registration & networking
6:00 p.m. dinner
6:45 p.m. presentation

*Please note, to have your headshot taken and attend the in-house photography professional development, you must register for both and pay for both. *

Member Month

Find Your Tribe in IABC

If you’re looking for the next step in your careerjoin or renew your membership in IABC Harrisburg during March Member Month. You’ll be part of a global community that will help you produce results like you never have before.

Watch this video to learn more.

All members who join or renew IABC Harrisburg membership in March will receive:

10% discount on international dues
$10 coupon for an IABC Harrisburg professional development program in 2018
Entry into a grand prize drawing for a VIP IABC 2018 World Conference package June 3-6 in Montreal

Current IABC members who refer new or lapsed members to join in March will receive:

Entry in a drawing for a $250 Visa gift card for every new or lapsed member who lists you as a referral source
One free year of membership in exchange for referring 5 or more new or reinstating members in the month of March
Recognition on the IABC International website and at the IABC World Conference as an IABC Champion

IABC opens the door to recognition, learning opportunities, a one-of-a-kind professional network and the hidden job market through the IABC Jobs Centre.

Find your tribe in IABC. Don't hesitate to contact Sandy Kern, IABC Harrisburg Vice President of Membership, at skern1@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or 717-531-0003 ext.320040

Welcome New Members

We're pleased to welcome our new IABC Harrisburg members!

New Members:

Lisa N. Maresca
Editor and Content Specialist, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Chris Savarese
Vice President of Client Services, Gavin

Renewed Members:

Renae Garofolo
Communications Officer I, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency

Crystal Hull, MPA, ABC
Corporate Director of Communications & Public Relations, SpiriTrust Lutheran^®

Brenda Wilt
Assistant Editor, Pennsylvania Township News/Member Recognition Manager, Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors

Sheri Thompson
Director of Communications/Public Relations, Pennsylvania Principals Association

Marianne Clay
Marianne Clay & Associates

Jill Scharff
Communication Specialist, Maintenance, PENSKE

Save the Date

Developing an Effective Strategy in Today’s Social Media Climate
Presented by Rachel Strella, Owner of Strella Social Media

The online world has changed dramatically in the past 10 years. Has your business kept pace? How about your marketing tactics? In this presentation, Rachel will show you how to develop a strategy to meet the demands of today’s social media climate.

Topics Covered:

The sales funnel: before and after social media.
Key principals for social media success
How to determine the best social media channels for your business or organization
Developing a content strategy in a world of content shock
The #1 thing you need to be successful long-term
Q & A

About Rachel Strella

Rachel Strella is the founder and owner of Strella Social Media, a social media management company. Since the inception of the business in 2010, she’s turned a part-time venture into a successful company that serves dozens of clients worldwide.

Rachel knows first-hand the impact of social media on the bottom line. She’s an avid blogger, writing about topics important to her readers and finding ways to transmit her message through social media and syndication. To-date, her blog has won five awards. Over 75 posts have been syndicated internationally.

In 2015, she was featured exclusively in Small Business Trends on ‘how to start your own social media business.’

She’s also developed three products and delivered over 50 presentations to organizations, educational institutions and business groups.

Stay tuned for more information!

IABC Member Spotlight

Kate Sherman

Taking on a new role as vice president of professional development for IABC Harrisburg this year, Kate Sherman is a familiar friend to IABC and a past board member of the chapter. In her current position, she is responsible for identifying topics, speakers and venues for monthly professional development meetings and managing the events. In previous years, she served on the board as vice president of membership, communications and finance. She has been an IABC Harrisburg member since 2001.

“I’m excited to join the IABC Harrisburg board once again and collaborate with my fellow board members to help grow the chapter,” Kate said. “As communicators, we are challenged to stay alert to industry trends. As board members, we are charged with incorporating fresh, relevant topics for our members to keep them engaged. Receiving positive feedback about a chapter event and learning how members used IABC material in their work makes volunteering for the board very rewarding.”

Professionally, Kate works as a senior marketing communications specialist for Crump Life Insurance Services in Harrisburg. As the marketing partner for accounts based in Salt Lake City, she develops marketing plans, quarterly reports and marketing deliverables, including broadcast emails, audio-visual presentations and internal and external communications.

Previously, Kate worked in healthcare-related organizations and nonprofit associations. Some of her roles included community relations director for Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania, communications coordinator for The Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and director of communications and member services for Pennsylvania Design Association Center.

Kate earned her Master of Science in organizational development and leadership from Shippensburg University and her Bachelor of Humanities in communications from Penn State University. In addition, she holds a certificate in association management from the American Society of Association Executives.

Some of Kate’s volunteer efforts include serving on the marketing and membership committees of the Central Pennsylvania Association of Female Executives, acting as the Pennsylvania team lead for the Magellan Cares Foundation and assisting with the Lupus Loop 5K and Fun Walk for the Lupus Foundation of Pennsylvania.

An avid Philadelphia sports fan, she is always ready to take a train to Philadelphia to cheer on her favorite teams, especially during football season. Her other hobbies include catching indie films, exploring creative cuisine and traveling anywhere any time. Kate is a northern Pennsylvania native and has been proud to call South Central Pennsylvania home for many years.

Thank you Kate for your continued support and participation in IABC Harrisburg!

Last Month's Recap

Connect and Engage with Livestreaming and Podcasts

IABC Harrisburg Febraury 2018 Meeting Recap

Livestreaming and podcasting offer new ways for organizations to engage their audiences and position themselves as innovative. Scott Gilbert, public relations and multimedia team lead, and Michael Deiner, multimedia producer, both of Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine, shared tips on how to get started with these interactive media techniques at the IABC Harrisburg professional development program on February 21.

Penn State Health invites its followers to “Ask Us Anything About…” health issues in a monthly Facebook Live series launched in September 2016. Scott hosts and Mike produces live interviews with Penn State Health physicians who answer questions on topics ranging from child abuse prevention to brain tumors.

People are reading less now and prefer to watch a video than read a blog, Mike explained. In fact, 82 percent of people prefer watching live video from a brand to social posts. That prompted him to look at Facebook Live videos to put Penn State Health’s audience in direct touch with its physicians.

Before Mike and Scott launched the new series, they took time to develop its strategy:

Objective – How can we humanize our staff and organization, while building trust with our audience?
Brand − What is our tone? How do we want to be portrayed?
Audience − Who are we talking to beyond the demographics? What keeps our core audience up at night?
Frequency − What level of commitment can we make? What resources do we have?
Measurement − How will we know if we are meeting our goals and achieving our objective?
Archive − How can we repurpose our assets?

“Ask Us Anything About...” has been a success with more than 40 Facebook Live broadcasts and nearly 54,000 people reached during each broadcast.

Podcasting is another innovative way that organizations can use to build an audience, build trust and position their brand by providing relevant and timely content. Scott explained that it’s important to answer the following questions before starting a series:

Is a podcast is right for your organization?
Who is your audience?
What content do they like?
What is the theme, format, frequency, length and who is the host?

Scott also suggested developing at least 20 workable show topics, creating a promotional strategy and working out the podcast’s audio hosting and web presence.

If you have a specific topic you'd like us to cover for a future professional development event or have a speaker in mind, we'd love to hear your suggestions! Contact us at info@iabcharrisburg.com.

Register for the IABC World Conference 2018

In just three short months, communicators from around the world will gather in Montréal for the 2018 IABC World Conference, which is shaping up to be an amazing four days of networking and education.

Seth Godin will give the opening keynote address and you can now view the breakout sessions and get insights from the IABC World Conference speakers. You’ll have many opportunities to connect with peers from around the world, learn the latest best practices, earn a professional certification and more.

Register today!