Your Guide to the Office of Marketing and Public Relations

Your Guide to the Office of Marketing and Public Relations 301 Largo Road, Kent Hall 236 Largo, MD 20774 301-322-0916 www.pgcc.edu Table of Con T e nT s Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Getting Involved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Major publications produced by the Marketing and Public Relations Office Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Graphic Design and Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Media Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Publicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Internal Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Business Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Media Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover C on TaCTI nG oU R o f fI Ce We are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a .m . to 4:30 p .m . Please feel free to call and schedule an appointment with any of our staff members . Office of Marketing and Public Relations Prince George’s Community College Kent Hall, Room 236 301 Largo Road, Largo, MD 20774-2199 301-322-0916; Fax: 301-386-7506 www .pgcc .edu The Office of Marketing and Public Relations—Our Mission The Office of Marketing and Public Relations shapes and promotes a positive image of Prince George's Community College by conveying the college's vision and mission, and promoting programs and services to diverse audiences . We reach these audiences through the delivery of high quality marketing, public relations and publication services in a technologically advanced and learning-centered environment . Getting Involved You are crucial to our marketing and public relations efforts . You can help by informing the Office of Marketing and Public Relations of student success stories, recent faculty achievements, current research and awards, donations and grants, innovative classroom projects and trends in higher education as they relate to the college . We are particularly interested in success stories—how college programs have made a positive impact on students, alumni, people in the community and others . We also are interested in faculty who can serve as media experts on local and national issues . Ask about our annual experts guide that we distribute to media . 1 P U blIC aTIon s Course Catalog The college’s course catalog is produced by the Marketing and Public Relations department and distributed via the Admissions and Records office . It is a comprehensive publication that outlines courses, programs, campus life, financial aid and admissions . Course Schedules —Primary contact for news articles: Rochelle Daniel 301-322-0157 Six times a year, the course schedules are produced and mailed to households in Prince George’s County, reaching more than 300,000 homes . Schedules are mailed for credit and noncredit courses during the fall, winter, spring and summer . They provide an effective way to reach residents directly and share information about the college . We provide a limited amount of space for news articles that promote programs and achievements in some of these publications . Requests for news articles may be made two months prior to the intended course schedule . The course schedules are printed and distributed on campus during the following months: Winter noncredit . . . . . . . . . . . . October Spring credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November Spring noncredit . . . . . . . . . . . . . December Summer (combined) . . . . . . . March Fall credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April Fall noncredit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . July Today and Tomorrow Newsletter —Primary contact: Jelita McLeod 301-583-7018 Today and Tomorrow is the college’s external newsletter published twice a year (fall and spring) and distributed to more than 2,000 businesses, donors, college presidents, high school principals, elected officials, board of trustees, alumni and county residents . It is used to communicate the president’s vision for the college, highlight successes of faculty, staff and students, and promote academic, continuing education, and workforce training programs . Use Today and Tomorrow to communicate your programs in these areas to the external community . Internal Quarterly (IQ) Newsletter —Primary contact: Rochelle Daniel 301-322-0157 IQ is the internal newsletter that is distributed eight times a year to all employees . The publication seeks to strengthen internal communication among employees by providing useful and enlightening information . Reporters who are designated by division and department heads receive a one-month deadline to submit information for specific areas to the IQ editor . Submissions are made by e-mail and interoffice mail . Use IQ to communicate your programs to the campus community . 2 s e RVICes Consultation Many times, people are not aware of the services available on campus or where to start in their quest to promote programs or events . The Marketing and Public Relations staff offers consultation on marketing, advertising, public relations and publications . Please feel free to contact our office to schedule an appointment to discuss any of these areas that may assist in supporting your program or event . An early start is the key to a successful promotion program . Advertising —Primary contact: Deidra Hill 301-322-0916 Advertising is paid publicity on radio, television, cable stations, newspapers, magazines and commercial space (i .e . billboards, Metro posters and dioramas) . Primarily, advertising is used to support recruitment efforts, increase visibility and enhance the college’s image . Advertising schedules for broadcast and print opportunities are planned in February for the next fiscal year . Graphic Design and Production —Primary contact: Morgan Gilpatrick 301-322-0647 The Marketing and Public Relations department provides graphic design and production services for publications that support the marketing and recruitment efforts of the college . This includes course schedules, college catalogs and recruitment brochures . Additional publications that the office produces include program brochures, direct mailers, posters, flyers and business cards . The graphic design and production process begins with a meeting between you and our office (publications coordinator and a graphic designer) to discuss editorial content, graphic design, timelines and expectations for the project . A meeting should be scheduled one month before the date you need your project in-hand . A meeting may not be necessary for repeat jobs—those that have already been produced by the Marketing and Public Relations department and need only copy changes . Allow up to three weeks for Marketing and Public Relations to prepare artwork for printing once complete final copy has been submitted to the department . Allow more time for complex projects . Provide final copy on CD or zip disk or by e-mail in a Microsoft Word file . Include any photographs or auxiliary items needed to complete the job . Digital photographs should be high resolution (300 dpi at full size) . Digital photographs taken from Web sites are not appropriate for print . Print request forms for the college’s Printing & Duplicating Center are available at the MPR office and at the duplicating center . Request forms should accompany all orders . The omission of any of these pieces may delay the job . We will contact you when the job is completed, and you may pick up your job in the Marketing and Public Relations office . You may then take the artwork to the college’s Printing & Duplicating Center or to an outside printer . If you decide to use an outside printer, contact the Office of Procurement and Contracting for required paperwork used in bidding for outside printers . 3 s e RVICes Media Relations —Primary contact: Rochelle Daniel 301-322-0157 The Marketing and Public Relations department is responsible for media relations, which involves cultivating and developing partnerships with media to encourage news coverage of the college and its programs . Although we can never guarantee media coverage, we need your participation to effectively work with media and maximize publicity . We recommend that you schedule a meeting with our staff to discuss the project or event that you would like to promote in the media . Here’s How You Can Help: Provide newsworthy information including story ideas, events, programs, dates, times, locations, names of persons involved, hometowns of individuals and contact information to our office by interoffice mail, e-mail or phone call at least four weeks in advance. Here’s What We Will Do: We will plan a suitable strategy to notify media through newspapers, periodicals, radio, television, cable stations and Web sites . Once publicity material has been written, we will send a draft to you for your review . Please send any changes within one to two days to ensure timely distribution to media . The strategy that we develop for your program, story idea or event may include one or a combination of the following media relations tools: News Release—one of the most commonly used communication vehicles with media, this one- to twopage announcement written in news style covers who, what, where, when and why and highlights story ideas for coverage . Releases are sent at least two weeks in advance for daily and weekly papers or two to three months in advance for monthly publications . Media Advisory—this one-page announcement is sent as an urgent reminder and follow-up to a news release a few days prior to an event, highlighting who, what, where, when and why . Some news organizations may require this format two to three weeks in advance for calendar sections of newspapers, television bulletin boards, radio event and Web site listings . Pitching—the process of contacting select reporters and editors to solicit coverage of an event or interest in a story idea . If the reporter is interested, pitching may lead to news coverage . Pitch Letters—a longer, more formal way of pitching using written correspondence sent to select print and broadcast journalists soliciting news coverage, an interview or a meeting to address a specific issue or story idea . 4 s e RVICes Op-Ed—short for Opposite-Editorial, these articles offer the writer an opportunity to address a local or national issue that impacts the community and suggest a course of action . Op-Eds are placed at the discretion of an Op-Ed editor . Generally, experts write these pieces, focusing on their areas of expertise . Faculty are encouraged to use this option. Letters-to-the-Editor—offers anyone in the community the opportunity to respond in writing to an issue and have the correspondence printed in the newspaper . Editors set guidelines for this format that address length and contact information . Space is limited and there is a selection process determined by the newspaper . Media Guide—a list of Prince George’s Community College faculty, staff and administrators who are experts in their fields . The media guide is produced annually and distributed to local and national media . Media Visits—scheduled meetings with select journalists designed to build and maintain relationships with media, educate reporters about the college, suggest topics for news coverage and learn specific interests of reporters . News Conference—formal event arranged to address, introduce or respond to a major issue dramatically impacting the campus as well as the local, regional or national community . Spokespersons are featured, media are invited to cover the event and media kits providing background information are distributed . When we generate media coverage, we communicate this to the campus via e-mails, the Web site and a compilation of select news clippings that is distributed monthly . PUblICITy —Primary contact: Rochelle Daniel 301-322-0157 The Marketing and Public Relations office offers a number of publicity options for your program or event . Publicity is a planned procedure used to bring notice of an event or program to the public . See if one of the following publicity options works for you . Marquee —Contact: Mary Battle 301-322-0916 Forms are available in the Marketing and Public Relations department to request that information about programs and events appear on the marquee, located at Route 202 and Campus Way South . The information should be no longer than two lines and should be sent to the office at least two weeks in advance . Requests are handled on a first-come, first-served basis, and priority is given to academic and registration information . Facilities Management coordinates actual display of the information . 5 s e RVICes Cable Television —Contact: Rochelle Daniel 301-322-0157 Forms are available online to request that information appear on the college's cable television station, Channel 75 . Visit http://academic .pgcc .edu/multimediaservices/video .htm . Click on Cable TV Announcement Form under the Cable TV Operations heading . Complete and submit the form 30 days prior to the event by clicking the submit button . When submitted, the Marketing and Public Relations department will review the form and forward it to Cable Television Operations . Photography —Primary contact: Rochelle Daniel 301-322-0157 Photography arrangements can be made through the Marketing and Public Relations department for special events . With at least a two-week advance notice, we can arrange for you to borrow the office’s 35mm camera, recommend a freelance photographer, provide you with a disposable camera or schedule a staff member to take photos . College Display —Primary contacts: Mary Battle 301-322-0916, Morgan Gilpatrick 301-322-0647 The Marketing and Public Relations department houses exhibit display units that can be used by employees for college-related events . Web Site —Primary contact: Joshua Sisk 301-341-3012 The Web site is a useful resource for the campus community, offering electronic versions of printed materials such as course schedules, newsletters and news releases . The Marketing and Public Relations office assists in maintaining the look of the Web site . To request an update or addition to the information on the Web site, contact the college webmaster . Please include the URL (Web address) of the page(s) needing updates and detailed comments on the changes or additions . Any text or images to be included should be attached to the e-mail as digital files (Microsoft Word for text documents, JPEG or TIFF for images) . Please note that all changes to the Web site must be cleared by the appropriate department or individual responsible for the information . For more complex projects, please schedule a meeting with the webmaster . 6 s e RVICes I n Te Rnal Co m mUn I CaT I o n The Marketing and Public Relations department contributes to the strengthening of internal communication at the college in the following ways . Internal Quarterly—internal newsletter published eight times per year . E-mail—news articles, messages about radio and television interviews with staff, faculty and administrators, and information on the college’s advertising campaign are distributed via e-mail to employees listed in the college e-mail address book . Web site—information about the college, students and employees is placed on the Web site . Flyers—information is distributed via this form through interoffice mail, e-mail or posted throughout the campus . Marketing Outreach Committee —Primary contact: Deidra Hill 301-322-0916 This committee is composed of administrators, faculty and staff who have as a part of their job function some type of marketing outreach function . The goal of the committee is information sharing and determining ways to strengthen the college’s marketing outreach activities through intergrated approaches . P R oCeDUR es Business Cards Business cards are produced by the Office of Marketing and Public Relations and printed by the campus Printing & Duplicating Center for administration and select staff and faculty who have direct contact with the public . Requests for all business cards must be approved by the appropriate vice president . The college does not reimburse employees for business cards produced off campus . Procedures: • The business card request is made by sending a completed “Request for Printing & Duplicating Services” form to the Office of Marketing and Public Relations in Kent Hall 236 . The form may be obtained from the Printing & Duplicating Center . This form must have the signature of a vice president. • Include all of the required information on the form such as quantity needed (1 box=500 cards) and the recipient’s name and information in the SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS section . Information in this section should be written as you wish it to appear on the business card . Be sure to include your complete department budget code on the form . • You will be notified by the Printing & Duplicating Center when your cards are completed . 7 P R oCeDUR es Media Contact All media contact must be coordinated through the Office of Marketing and Public Relations . This is particularly so when statistical data pertaining to the college and its programs are concerned . When media call the college, all of these calls must be referred to the Office of Marketing and Public Relations at 301-322-0916 . When we receive media requests for information or interviews, we screen the request by asking questions about the nature of the media inquiry and other people or organizations participating in the request . Once this information is obtained, we determine whether to participate in the inquiry . If participation is decided, we develop an appropriate statement or identify the appropriate staff person to answer the inquiry . Should the latter take place, we provide the staff person with as much background information as possible in preparation for the interview . We also will follow-up with media and college staff to determine the outcome of the inquiry . Dos and Don’ts—When Media Call DO refer all media inquiries to the Office of Marketing and Public Relations at 301-322-0916 . DON’T answer questions from media without first contacting the Office of Marketing and Public Relations . An exception to this would be for those employees who have already established a relationship with media through the Office of Marketing and Public Relations . DON’T provide statistical data about the college (i .e . enrollment, headcount, college budget, number of staff) . Any figures about the college must be checked and cleared by the dean of planning and institutional research before being released . DO inform the Office of Marketing and Public Relations immediately when asked by the media for statistical information . DO ask questions of the reporter when you have been asked by the Office of Marketing and Public Relations to participate in an interview . 8 s Taff Deidra Wright Hill Director 301-322-0916 hilldw@pgcc.edu Morgan Gilpatrick Coordinator of Publications 301-322-0647 gilpatme@pgcc.edu Rochelle R. Daniel Coordinator of Public Relations 301-322-0157 danielrr@pgcc.edu Natalie Cole Public Relations Specialist 301-341-3043 Senior Graphic Designer 301-322-0914 Jennifer Strass Graphic Designer 301-386-7510 strassjx@pgcc.edu Mary Battle Program Assistant 301-322-0916 battlemm@pgcc.edu Jelita McLeod Writer/Editor 301-583-7018 mcleodjm@pgcc.edu Production Assistant 301-322-0885 G lossaRy Advertising—information placed in the media by an identified sponsor that pays for the time or space . It is a controlled method of placing messages in the media . Graphic Design—the art of combining text and graphics and communicating an effective message in the design of brochures, newsletters, posters, signs and other types of visual communications . Internal Communications—deals with the public concerned about or involved in the internal workings of an organization such as employees and volunteers . Marketing—a management function that identifies human needs and wants, offers products and services to satisfy those demands, and causes transactions that deliver products and services in exchange for something of value to the provider . Media—constitutes the key components of the nation’s public information system . These include newspapers, magazines, trade publications, radio, television, cable, Web, books and wire services . Production—the process of designing, proofing, and preparing digital files for printing . Public Relations—a management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the public on whom its success or failure depends . Publicity—information from an outside source that is used by the media because the information has news value . It is an uncontrolled method of placing messages in the media because the source does not pay the media for placement . References About .com (2005) . Retrieved August 2, 2005, from http://graphicdesign .about .com/csdesigntips/a/graphicdesign .htm . Cutlip, S .M ., Center, A .H ., Broom, G .H . (2000) . Effective Public Relations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc . 06055