Diploma in Public Relations & Social Media by Distance Learning
Diploma in Public Relations & Social Media by Distance Learning
Introduction
Public Relations, in this modern era, is an exciting and rewarding career. Effective Public Relations is a key requirement of most companies and organisations. The area of Social Media and Social Networking has become hugely popular over the past number of years. Websites like Facebook and Twitter have become part of the online culture. Indeed these sites have become so popular in recent years that their terminology has already seeped into the vocabulary. The terms "To Tweet" and "Facebook Page" are now commonly used and understood.
Most of these social networking sites started out as a purely social forum where people could post details of their hobbies and interests and link up with their friends around the world. In the past few years however there has been an increased interest in the use of these sites to help market and advertise brands and products.
Course Content
The Meaning and Development of Public Relations, Definitions of Public Relations. Public Relations' Relationship with other Functions/Professions - Advertising, Marketing, etc. History and Development of Public Relations. Professionalism and Industry Bodies.
Situation Analysis, Research, Objectives, Publics, Implementation, Budgets and Timetables, Evaluation. Planning and Managing a Public Relations Campaign.
News Values, the Inverted Pyramid, Format of a News Story, Writing a Lead, Types of Leads, Personal Leads, Anecdotal Leads, Quote Leads, Rhetorical Question Leads, Narrative Leads, Setting the Scene Leads, Odd, Unusual or Outrageous Statement Leads, Surprising Contrast Leads, You Leads, the End, Grammar, Characteristics of a Good Reporter, the Art of Interviewing, Levels of Journalism, Organising Information, the Writing Process, News Leads, the Remainder of the Story, Improving Your Writing, Writing a Press Release, Press Release Construction.
Attitudes of Journalism, Structures and Roles within Journalism, Typical Components of a Newspaper, Media Relations and the Press Office, the Press Officer, Good Media Relations, Building Media Relations, Knowing the Appropriate Media, What is News?, Types of Publications, Typical Media Material, Media Terminology, Media Relations and Technology, E-Mail, Websites, Blogs.
Press Related Events, Press Conferences, Press Reception, Facility Visit, Open Day, Lunches, Exhibition Press Visits, Planning a Press Event, Considerations, Budgetary Considerations, Supply of Press Material, the Press Kit, Content, Graphics.
Government Relations, Typical Activities, Lobbying Explained, Types of Lobbying, Why Lobby?, Lobby Targets, Common Denials, Lobbying Activities, The Lobby Process, Determining the Scope, Drawing up a Lobbying Strategy, Building the Case, Gathering Information, Passage of Legislation.
Factors, Why Crisis Management?, PR & Crisis Management, Crisis Management Team, Crisis Management Plan, Crisis Communications, Action, Coping under Crisis, Twelve Laws of Crisis PR.
Ethical PR, Ethical Responsibilities, Schools of Thought, the Advocate Trilemma, the Truth Continuum, Professional Responsibilities, International Codes of Ethics, Legal Issues in PR, Legal Issues Defined, Copyright Categories, Copyright Law, Copyright Licensing, Digital Copyright, Slander and Libel, Freedom of Information Acts.
Organise for Success, Consultancy Structures, Standard Consultancy Team Structure, In-House Departments, Structure, Pros and Cons of In-House Departments, Preparing an In-House Strategy, Relationship Management Explained, Publics, Clients, Technical Management, Managing Staff, General Functions of Management, Managing Client Accounts, Entrepreneurship, Pitching for Business, Launching a New Product or Service.
Blogs, Microblogs, Chatrooms, Delicious, Email, Flickr, Twitter, Instant messaging, Message Boards, Mobile Internet, New Media Releases, Online Conferencing, Online Surveys, Pay per click, Podcasts, RSS, Search Engines, SEO, Social Networking Service Sites, Video Sharing, Virtual worlds, VoIP, Wiki and Widgets.
Commercial Implications of the Internet, Social Interaction with the Internet, Web 2.0 and its Implications, Internet Convergence, the Network Effect, Internet Information Exchange, Internet Audience Size and Exposure, Internet Culture and Communication, Transparency and the Internet.
Online Communications Platforms, Online Communication Channels, Online Communication Mediums, Interactivity and Application of Communication Channels, Policy, Optimisation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Online Communications Channels, Online Communications Channels Planning and Implementation.
Local versus Global Communication, Landscaping Platforms, Channels and context, Online PR Organisational Analysis and Segmentation, Developing Online PR Strategies, Online PR Tactics and SEO considerations, Online PR Planning, Managing Online PR Risk and Opportunities.
Internet influence on News, Internet Journalists, Economics of Online News Production, Internet Critics and other influences, the PR Practitioner as an Online Publisher, Ethical Internet PR, Truthfulness and Duty of Care, Online Ethics, Debate, Guidelines and Best Practice. Monitoring and Evaluation of Social Media Discourse, Trends and Value. Policy Influences, corporate speak. Implications of Social Media for Corporate Social Responsibility.
Creative Writing for the Web, Writing for your Client, Relevant Content - Importance of, Simple versus Complex Messages, Keeping a Natural Flow to your Content, Optimising Content, Keyword Management, When to use Key Words, Ratio of Prose to Keywords, Importance of Homepage Content, Images and Art Text, Importance of Spell Checking, Using a Copywriter.
What is Social Media?; A brief history of Social Media; How Social Media Works; Why should a business use Social Media; The power of Social Media in the Marketing and Advertising Arena; Introduction to Social Media Marketing Techniques; Understanding your audience; Social Network Platforms and Applications; Media Distribution; Establishing new categories of relationships with your customers; Accumulating Social Capital; The future of Social Networking.
What is Facebook; Who uses Facebook; How can Facebook benefit a business; Understanding the Facebook environment; Signing up for a Facebook account; Defining your profile; Editing your profile; Searching for and adding friends; Using the Facebook Wall feature; Using pictures on your Facebook profile; Using the News Feed feature; Controlling what people see - using the Hide feature; Facebook Messaging; Facebook Groups; Facebook Links; Facebook Applications; Browsing for Applications; Including Business Applications; Finding Help - the Facebook Community; The Architecture of a Facebook Page; Understanding Facebook Advertising; Developing a Facebook Marketing Plan; Facebook Groups, Hosting Facebook Events; Case Study Sites.
Introduction to Twitter; Understanding a Tweet; Decoding the elements of a Tweet; Signing up for a Twitter account; Creating and modifying your profile; Adding a profile icon; Finding people and uploading contacts; Following someone on Twitter; Adding followers to your account; Using Twitter Badges; Creating a Tweet; Working within the constraints of a Tweet - getting your message out in 140 characters or less; Re-tweeting; Sharing Links - Using TinyURL.com; Using Twitter with Mobile Devices; Using Twitter Goodies; Adding Twitter to Blogs; Connecting Twitter to Facebook, Direct Messages; Planning your Twitter Marketing Strategy; Building a Twitter Tribe; Case Study Sites.
Introduction to YouTube; Understanding YouTube; Browsing on YouTube; YouTube as a social media site; YouTube as a business tool; YouTube as an educational tool; Creating a YouTube account; Linking to your Gmail account; Creating a video for YouTube; Using Open Source Video Editing Software; Adding voiceovers, soundtracks and special effects to your videos; Formatting Videos for Uploading; Uploading Videos to YouTube; Downloading videos from YouTube; Linking and Embedding videos in your own website; Posting comments on other peoples videos; Comparing YouTube and Facebook; Sharing Videos with Facebook; Sharing Videos with Twitter; Case Study Sites
Introduction to LinkedIn; The benefits of having a LinkedIn account; Creating a LinkedIn account; Modifying your user profile; Finding colleagues already on LinkedIn; Building your network; Connecting to the people you want - using Referrals; Making Referrals; Using InMail to contact people outside your network; Searching for a Job on LinkedIn; Getting help - exploring the LinkedIn learning centre; Using LinkedIn Applications; Case Study Sites.
Introduction to Blogs; A brief history of Blogs and Blogging; Creating a Blog - Introduction to Blogger; Registering with Blogger and creating your first Blog; Creating good content for your Blog; Using Templates to format the appearance of your Blog; Publishing your Blog; Uploading pictures and videos to your Blog; Creating links with other Bloggers; Making people aware of your Blog - The use of RSS; Adding an RSS Feed to your Blog; Adding Gadgets to your Blogger account; Comparing Blogger and Wordpress; Using other Blog software; Case Study Sites
Identifying your target audience; Defining the Goals of your campaign; Defining a Clear Strategy for your Campaign; Knowing your unsanctioned community - what people are saying about you; Defining and Establishing your presence; Engaging your Customers; Deciding on the platforms and tools to use; Deciding on a Media Strategy; Hypersegment your audience; Implementing a Pilot Campaign and analysing the results; Identifying Key Risk Areas; The importance of Landing Pages; Interacting with your customers; Revising your campaign strategy.
Understanding Web Metrics and Analytics; Standard Web Metrics; Social Media Metrics; Identifying your current site statistics; Defining what metrics are to be measured - Content, Relevance and Impact; Benchmarking; Identifying your Return On Investment (ROI); Setting Goals; Finding out what sites are actually driving traffic to your website; Deciding on a Web Analytics solution; AWStats and Google Analytics; Introduction to Google Analytics; Setting up a Google Analytics Account; Integrating Google Analytics Tracking Code into your web pages; Setting up Goals in Google Analytics; Other methods of analysing web metrics.
The Business Plan, Creating a Business Plan, Executive Summary, the Business Opportunity, Marketing & Sales Strategy, Management Team & Personnel, Operations, Financial Forecasts, Presentation, Legalities, Choosing a Legal Structure, Taxes, Records and Returns, Setting Up, the Workplace, Office Equipment, Stationary Supplies, Insurance, Financing Your Business, Accounting Software, Becoming an Employer, Marketing Strategy, Knowing Your Competitors, Promotional Tools.
Preparation, Content, Structure, Delivery, Visual Aids, Management of Locations and Audiences.
The project is an important part of the course. Each course participant is given the project brief. Participants are asked at the end of the course to produce a Public Relations & Social Media Pitch Proposal with their recommendations to the examiners. This gives participants the opportunity to use the knowledge they have obtained during the course in a focused way and develops relevant pitching skills.
Online Lecture Modules, Subject Expert Feedback Sessions after each Module, end of module assignments. etc.
The Fitzwilliam Institute Group has a panel of Subject Experts with experience in the Industry.
Anyone working in Marketing, Advertising or Public Relations in an entry or support position or those who wish to make a career change to Public Relations or Marketing. The course will also benefit anyone, such as a P.A., who has internet marketing or online advertising as part of their job specification. Selection is based on application.
Successful students qualify for the Diploma in Public Relations & Social Media (Dip. PR & SM). The Diploma is awarded at Distinction, Credit or Pass Level.
Start Date
01 June 2012
Course Application
Application for this course is available immediately online through our Course Payments Page.
Course Duration
14 weeks to 1 calendar year depending on individual progress.
Fees
€995.00
All course material is included in the fee. Fees are payable by credit card, debit card, bank draft/transfer, cheque or PayPal. All fees must be paid before the course starts
Brochure
Request a Brochure for this Course.
Disclaimer
Every effort is made to ensure accuracy, however responsibility is disclaimed for any error or omission in this website.
PR Courses as part of the Fitzwilliam Institute Group closes on Bank Holidays and for a number of days at Christmas and New Year. Fitzwilliam Institute Group reserves the right to postpone, cancel or alter courses without notice or to change any of the details in this web page. Fees are not refundable unless the course is cancelled by Fitzwilliam Institute Group.
Fitzwilliam Institute Group, Temple Court, Temple Road, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Tel: (01) 283 45 79 Fax: (01) 283 45 75
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