A message from the PIC chair, Sharon Aschaiek

IABC/Toronto blog
PIC email: info@pictoronto.com

Past Chair: Donna Papacosta

Today's career paths are not as linear as in the past, and communicators often find themselves looking for new opportunities by choice or circumstance. When the time comes to make a career change, managing the transition seamlessly can be challenging. How do you start a freelance business when you've been an employee for several years? How do you put together a job search strategy when you haven't been in the job market for a while? 

If you're ready for a change now or might be in the future, our next event from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26 is for you. Location will be the Ivey ING Direct Leadership Centre, 130 King St. W. (at York St.), Toronto.

A panel of professionals will share their expertise in career transitions and what skills and experiences are most in demand in today's ever-changing environment. They'll offer practical, timely advice on how to plan for your next career move and how best to market yourself.

This special professional development session replaces PIC's usual first-Wednesday-of-the-month meeting and is a joint effort by IABC/Toronto and PIC. Watch for registration details soon. 

by Sharon Aschaiek (with additions by Sue Horner)

How does digital technology affect your writing or communications business? What digital tools do you use to manage your workflow and collaborate with others? What are the best ways to leverage social media for your business and your client projects?

The day kicked off with a session on social media basics, with Amy Sept of Nimbyist Communications tackling Facebook and Twitter, and me discussing LinkedIn.

Amy's Twitter talk covered the do's and don'ts of posting, including sharing only one idea per tweet, promoting others more than you promote yourself, and not always sharing links -- it's also about conversing, not just sharing information. Regarding Facebook, Amy talked about how to conduct searches, participate in or form a group, adjust privacy settings and more.

My LinkedIn talk focused on creating a killer headline, playing up your communications experiences, asking for and leveraging recommendations and setting measurable goals for using the site.

Next, speakers Adina Zaointz of Napkin Marketing, Helen Androlia of Draftfcb and Jennifer Shah of FleishmanHillard shared their insider insights on conceiving and developing relevant and impactful social media campaigns for their clients. Their tactics include:

• understanding their clients' goals, customers, products and influencers;
• engaging in social listening to determine how a client is perceived in online communities;
• considering the unique brand stories their clients have to tell; and
• dividing social media content into relevant buckets, e.g. events, news and issues.

When it comes to working with freelancers, the speakers said they often seek writers with specific skills and industry knowledge to contribute to new campaigns or handle overflow work.

In the first afternoon session, we heard from Jennifer Johannesen of Low to the Ground about her ideas and tips for writer websites. Donna Papacosta of Trafalgar Communications discussed why and how a blog should serve as the hub of your content marketing strategy. She emphasized that it should be mobile friendly, and that posts should include photos, videos, audio and infographics. Dev Basu of Powered by Search focused on search engine optimization tricks to make your blog stand out and generate business. He stressed integrating keywords into posts, tagging photos and sharing content through the right social media channels.  

In the afternoon, master web researcher Tim Groves delved into the many different search tools for using Google to get better results, including hard-to-find information and vintage web pages that have been preserved. Tips for narrowing a search included using a "wild card" like * to stand in for an unknown (search "Facebook has * employees") and site: to search within a specific site (site:gc.ca to search within the Canadian government site). 

After each session, participants discussed what they learned, shared new ideas, asked questions and networked. The day's final small-group discussions focused on the digital software, hardware and web applications participants use most in their day-to-day work. These revealed that many of us use digital support like Dropbox, Carbonite, Skype and Google+ Hangouts, but often turn to pen and paper for making lists, tracking time and sketching out ideas. 

While the ways in which we as writers and communicators interact with the digital world continue to evolve, many of us might feel better prepared to handle these challenges and take advantage of opportunities with what we learned at Digital Day.

Many thanks again to our event partner, PWAC Toronto, and our event sponsor:
The Centre for Arts and Technology:

Can we talk money? Whether new to freelancing or established independents, we all sometimes struggle with what to charge, or question whether we are charging enough/too much.

In March, we're launching a short anonymous online survey that will collect information from PIC members. We're asking what you charge for various services, if you offer discounts for non-profits, when you last changed your rates and more. By sharing the results, we hope to give PIC members greater confidence in asking for and earning what we're worth.

Watch for the link soon.

You're in a new city, perhaps for a conference or other business. Most of your time is mapped out, but you want to pick up a souvenir or gifts for family back home. Or maybe you didn't pack the right clothes, or you spilled coffee on your lap. Where do you shop?

With the 2014 IABC World Conference coming our way June 8 to 11, we're putting ourselves in our visitors' shoes. We'd like to offer our guests a list of hand-picked suggestions from IABC/Toronto members on where to shop downtown, with a bonus section on pampering services.

Please share your own recommended "go-to" (and DON'T-go-to) spots by March 3 by email to Sue Horner, or comment on this blog post, where you can download a Word document that shows the suggestions collected so far. Thanks!

If you need to prospect for new clients, but you dread cold calling and networking events, this PWAC panel discussion will help you confidently connect with potential new clients through a variety of prospecting tactics.

Are you tired of trying to figure out social media on your own? Come to a hands-on workshop and learn the WHY and HOW of social media from PIC member Donna Papacosta. Group size is strictly limited so you can get individual help. By the end of the day, you'll have skills you can apply immediately. Unlock the mysteries of LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Facebook and more! Use the promo code iabc2014 to save 15% on your fee.

Meet Karen Luttrell

Karen Luttrell helps charities raise more money, find more volunteers and fill their programs using effective communications. She led marketing and communications for a number of non-profit organizations before launching her own communications business in June 2010. Visit Karen's website, or reach her directly by email or phone at 647-287-4344.

What's your background?

I've worked with local, national and international non-profit organizations representing a variety of causes, including poverty and social injustice. Many were smaller organizations where I was responsible for everything from strategy and execution to writing, layout and working with designers.

Why did you decide to launch your own business?

I found that in my other jobs, I was doing less of the things I love and more of my time was spent managing people. I like learning about new organizations and talking to new people. I wanted to learn more and have exposure to a variety of organizations. I also needed the flexibility to choose my hours of work and the freedom to pick the assignments I wanted to work on. I love strategy and writing so I can choose to do what I love most.

What do you enjoy most about being an independent?

I love the freedom and flexibility. I like managing my own time and choosing the work I want to do. There's a great sense of accomplishment in running your own business and measuring the impact you've had with a client. It's entirely different than working for someone else.

Do you have any advice for others new to independent life?

I think it's important to network, not just to find new clients but also for advice and peer support. It's a big learning curve and it helps to meet other people who are doing well. I have found freelance writers to be a very generous group. I am connected through PIC as well as the Professional Writers Association of Canada and the Yahoo group Toronto Freelance Editors and Writers. People are exceptional about sharing information. They're not competitive.

I would advise newcomers to connect with their professional associations -- talk with peers online, attend meetings, volunteer, get involved!

What value have you experienced from your PIC membership so far?

I've had some opportunities come to me through the PIC membership directory and I've partnered with other members. I like knowing they adhere to the same IABC professional standards that I do.

I also attend events when they don't conflict with PWAC events. They are really helpful. I work with a lot of smaller charities that are very budget conscious. I attended a session with Ilise Benun [see the Nov/Dec 2012 issue of The Buzz], who shared tips for proposal writing and ideas for removing fear in budget conversations. She shared some small phrases that have made a big difference in my negotiations with clients. For example, I now follow up on the dreaded "We don't have a defined budget" response with a question like, "Were you thinking closer to, say, $2,000 or $20,000?" People then instinctively react to where their organization is on that scale, so you can better understand what is realistic for them. 

What are some of the things you're working on?

I'm currently working with clients on fundraising, marketing and communications strategies, managing and writing email newsletters and social media management.

We count more than 160 members in PIC, offering a range of talent from coaching and media relations to video production and writing. Do you know everyone? PIC Personalities introduces new members and randomly profiles existing members. Let Sue Horner know if you'd like to be profiled and she'll be in touch to set it up! You can find previous PIC Personalities posted online.

by Stephanie Engel, VP Member Communications

Want to share your ideas and opinions on communications? There are a couple of ways you can contribute to IABC/Toronto:

1. Communicator is the magazine [login required] IABC/Toronto publishes six times a year for its members, and we need your help to ensure we provide readers with interesting, well-written, topical articles on communications and public relations. You can volunteer to support Communicator in a variety of ways, whether as writer, editor, great proofreader, or even just an idea generator. We will take as much, or as little, time as you can offer.  If you have a story recommendation, would like to write an article (or two!), or are great at proofreading other people's work, then Communicator is looking for you!

2. Commversations is the IABC/Toronto blog. Got an opinion or idea on PR, current events or the latest marketing sensation?  Don't keep it to yourself; submit your thoughts in a written post on Commversations! We want to hear from you, so please visit often and share your insights with fellow communicators. We look forward to getting the conversation started!

The Buzz is PIC's e-newsletter, intended to inform independent communicators about our activities, share professional development tips from past meetings and keep us aware of what's going on. Connect with us on the web at pictoronto.com.

Director, Communications - PIC                              Copy editor