A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with a woman in the PR industry to try and get some advice from her and to learn more about her job. Brenda is the Director of Public Relations for the Tuomey Healthcare System. Tuomey is a very well-known hospital in my hometown. I did not disclose Brenda’s last name just in case she does not like her personal information on the web. Brenda made me realize how important it is to have plenty of writing experience. She said that there is not enough emphasis on writing in today’s PR industry. If you can write well, you are already one step ahead of the game. Because of my interview with Brenda, I am challenging myself to write more using any outlet that I can. Here are some of the questions I asked Brenda along with her responses.
1. What exactly do you do at Tuomey?
I am the spokesperson for the
organization. I am in charge of all marketing and advertising. We
handle all of the press materials for the hospital. We design
billboards, TV spots, newspaper ads, brochures, etc., and we handle the
website as well.
2. How did you get started at Tuomey, as well as in PR? I actually
started in newspapers as a reporter. Did that for a few years, then
became a city editor, then when I started working at The Item, I
switched over to the marketing department and also did some sales.
Prior to working at Tuomey, I was the spokesperson and PR person for
Sumter School District Two. Marketing for the hospital sounded like a
great idea, so I sent in a resume, called our president & CEO
and the rest is history.
3. What is a typical day like for you? I don’t think there is such a
thing – which is what I like about the job. I could be writing articles
for our magazine, shooting video for TV, overseeing a photography shoot,
dealing with the media on a crisis, working with our creative folks on
updating the web or working with a variety of departments on special
projects.
4. What stakeholders do you work with? The medical staff, the employees,
the community, senior management – just about everyone!
5. What are the pros and cons of your job? You know, I really cannot
think of any cons. I do have a great job. I guess that’s why I’ve been
here since December of 1997. The hours can be flexible if I need them
to be.
Ihave great folks to work with. We get to be creative and have fun and do
some really neat things! It’s a great job!
6. What advice do you have for someone that is interested in PR, but
does not really know where to begin? I would say get some writing
experience – anyway that you can!!! A good writer is so hard to find.
Go work at a newspaper for a while. I promise, it will pay off. That
daily grind will make you better. I promise!!
7. What is your actual job title at Tuomey? Director of Public Relations
8. What is one of your latest projects or tasks that you have had to do?
We’ve started a blog with our President & CEO, and that has been a great
experience for him and us. Getting him involved in Facebook, as well as
the whole hospital, has been very interesting. It’s the new way to
market, so we’re now out there on You Tube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
It’s amazing now what you can do with your website, and that’s such a
great way to meet a whole new set of customers.
