Creating & Implementing Your PR Plan

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This “Creating and Implementing your Strategic PR Plan” slide deck, and the “Public Relations Plan Template” were created and presented by Gretchen Roufs, APR, for use during the PRSA San Antonio Chapter’s 2018 and 2019 Gift of Guidance seminars.

Creating and Implementing Your PR Plan – Gift of Guidance (c) Gretchen Roufs

Public Relations Plan Template (c) Gretchen Roufs

No part of these materials may be copied or used in any form in whole or in part without prior written consent of Gretchen Roufs, APR, email Gretchen@GretchenRoufs.com.   

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“Writing a Public Relations Plan” 

APR Study Guide (c) 2017 Universal Accreditation Board

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Here we are, enjoying our kitchen.

La Cocina Blanca

Left to right: Gretchen (with macaroni and cheese), MargieGarcia (the cat … the one holding the curried roasted salmon and cherry tomatoes dish) and Vic (with English peas). The flamingo? well, it’s a long story.

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Pancit! Lumpia! Adobo!

The first exclusively Filipino food restaurant I’ve been to in San Antonio. It’s on the opposite side of the city, but worth the drive for some authentic Filipino food. Next time, I’ll have the halo-halo too. Lovely family owns the place. And the silverware that you get is JUST the way they do it in the Philippines: fork and big spoon. No knife.

Does anybody have a recipe for pancit? I’d love to try it at home (I know it won’t taste the same as Lily’s) but it would be fun to try.

In the picture: the pancit is the noodley stuff in the front, the adobo is the meat in the back, and the lumpia are (is?) the little egg rolls.

Coconut oil and onions

52 Recipes

Technically, this isn’t a new recipe for me, so I’m not counting it as one of my 52. Tonight I sautéed onions in organic virgin coconut oil (from Trader Joe’s of course). Yum. I’ve decided that from here on out, coconut oil will be a staple in the cupboard. Full disclosure: I didn’t have a clue about the specific benefits of coconut oil. I’ve just read a few things written by people who are wild about it.

Pictured here is the coconut oil in the 19th century cast iron frying pan on the Jetsons’ era cooktop.

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Friday nights during Lent: no kitchen required

On Friday nights during Lent we go to the Knights of Columbus Fish Fry at St. Francis parish. So the kitchen project is perfectly timed for the Lenten season because we don’t use the kitchen on Friday nights anyhow. Tonight’s food was especially delicious … And so hot the server almost dropped the plates.

City Meat Market, Winsted Minnesota

This is an ad from my dad’s (Mark Peter Roufs) store in 1962. The newspaper at the time was the Winsted Journal, and Dad always had the lower left-hand corner of the back page, if memory serves me right. I love that my dad always referred to himself as “Prop.” (proprietor).

“Guaranteed Good” beef roast: 55 cents a pound. And the exotic halibut at 79 cents a pound! I think I’ll have to make a halibut recipe one of these days.

This is from the “Growing Up Winsted” page in Facebook.

5 reasons you shouldn’t leave home without your business card

A resolution that everybody should make is, “I will always have my business cards with me.”

 One of my biggest pet peeves is to hear somebody say, “I forgot my cards”, or “Oh, it’s here somewhere” (as they frantically dig in the bottom of their bag) or “I didn’t think I would need any business cards today”.

 Why does this matter? 

1. A nice looking business card, presented with care, is a good way to start a business relationship. It’s your first opportunity to make a good impression.
2. It would be inconvenient to have to write down contact information every time you meet somebody new. Plus, business cards don’t require wi-fi. 
3. A business card is an inexpensive marketing piece for yourself and your organization. I think of mine as a mini-billboard.
4. Some people are touchy-feely types and need a card as a visual reminder of meeting you.
5. It’s good etiquette to give a business card to somebody who gives one to you.

According to LinkedIn editor Chip Cutter, the business card was king at a recent TED conference. He said nearly every conversation ended with, “Let me give you my business card.”    

While business cards might seem old-timey, they’re still important in person-to-person business transactions. Business cards are like comfort food: they’re not new or exotic, but they’re always welcomed and appreciated.

“Elegant” in business

I’ve been noticing lately that the term “elegant” is being used in a business context more. And I like it.

I think I started tuning in to the concept of elegant when my friend and business associate Larry McDonald designed a logo for my business: it immediately struck me as elegant.

In a recent review of a book called, “Business is Beautiful“, Katie McCrory, business innovation director at Virgin, noted, “The authors of Business is Beautiful have identified five hallmarks they believe provide a framework for beautiful businesses – integrity, curiosity, elegance, craft and prosperity… Notably, all words we would typically use to describe people, not entities, but a telling pointer to those ‘immeasurables’ – the things which count but cannot be counted – which time and again are helping businesses of all shapes and sizes thrive and survive.”

Well said, Katie.  I like to hear people talk about the human part of doing business.

Here’s the link to the review:  http://www.virgin.com/unite/business-innovation/the-hard-art-of-standing-apart?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_campaign=hootsuite.

And here’s my new logo:

p.s. Did you know that Obi-Wan Kenobi described a light saber as elegant?  He said, “Your father’s light saber…. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age…”

Please go back to work

I just sent this note to my elected representatives in Washington (Barack Obama, John Cornyn, Ted Cruz, and Lamar Smith):

Please go back to work and solve the problems of this country.

I really believe that the heroes are the elected officials who work on behalf of the people of the United States of America.  And I hope that the heroes are the ones who will get re-elected.

So far, I don’t see any heroes.

If you live in Texas, you can find your elected officials’ contact information by going to the “Who Represents Me?” page at http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx and the contact information for the President can be found here:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/write-or-call.

The Red Cross is there, from alleviating suffering to putting on a wonderful gala

The Red Cross is my #1 favorite organization.  I’ve had oh-so-many-years of Red Cross involvement, dating back to my swimming lessons from Petie Littfin when I was five years old at Allens’ Beach on Lake Mary near Winsted, Minnesota.

Fast forward to today.  I’m a Red Cross “Ambassador”, public affairs volunteer, and swimming teacher.  This past Saturday night I went to the annual Red Cross gala.  There was a happy, caring spirit in the air, and when you walked in the door to the ballroom, you knew you were at a Red Cross event. There was a mocked-up scene from a disaster shelter and disaster response supplies.  There was a nice mix of festivity and organizational mission.  There were women in gorgeous ball gowns, men in tuxedos, volunteers demonstrating proper arm splinting techniques, and college kids selling raffle tickets (and if you bought a raffle ticket, you got a big ol’ flashing light ring, which went well with tuxedos and cocktail dresses.)

Local news anchor — the dashing Randy Beamer — was the funny, energetic, and sometimes joyfully inappropriate MC.   NBC weatherman Al Roker was the guest speaker.  He told the 450+ people in the audience, “No matter what happens, regardless of what it is, the Red Cross is there,” and said that when the weather teams arrive at a weather emergency (a hurricane, for instance), the Red Cross is already on site.  Roker also staged an impromptu auction (with himself as the auctioneer) at the end of the evening, offering a tour for four of the Today Show set and an appearance on the weather segment of the show with Al, garnering a $5,000 donation to the Red Cross.

The Red Cross responds to an average of 1.5 disasters each day in San Antonio.  Over 90% of the Red Cross personnel are volunteers.  Saturday night’s gala will help all of that good work of neighbors helping neighbors continue.