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Two years later, going strong

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 by Missy

February marks the two year anniversary of Bayview Public Relations. We’re grateful for the opportunities our clients have given us, and the support we’ve received from our partners, colleagues, friends, and family.

A few clients have been with us since the beginning – USAmeriBank, Franklin Street, Fisher & Phillips, Walter Investment Management Corp., for example – and we’re thankful for the partnerships we’ve developed. Their continued support, and the addition of some major new clients – Transitions Championship, Ybor City Development Corp., and Colliers International Tampa Bay, Central & Southwest Florida, to name a few – helped us nearly double revenue in 2011.

While we’ve grown exponentially, we’re committed to keeping our quality of work high. Three things, among many, are fundamental to our approach to public relations:

  1. PR is not “one size fits all.” In a time of shrinking traditional news media, fast-growing social media and tight marketing budgets, each client requires (and deserves) different strategies and tactics to achieve goals.
  2. Targeting pays off. By taking the time to research outlets and read material from journalists, we’ve developed a deeper understanding of the issues facing a client’s audience and how their expertise can shed light on issues, resulting in a better chance of coverage now (or in the future).
  3. Learn to work with the media. Completing our required media training helps our clients feel prepared to talk with the media, understand how the process works, and increase their chance of being quoted as a resource.

We look forward to many more years of helping clients communicate with the audiences that matter most to them!

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A Year As President

Thursday, January 12th, 2012 by Missy

In 2011, I served as president of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). With nearly 200 members, it is one of Florida’s largest professional organizations for public relations practitioners, serving members representing corporations, nonprofits, agencies, municipalities, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and non-profit organizations.
PRSA Tampa Bay Chapter logo
The organization focuses on advancing the PR profession and educating the PR professional. I was honored to have the opportunity to serve the chapter, and my fellow PR practitioners. I’m happy to reflect on a successful year:

  • Grew chapter membership by 18 percent
  • Invested in members by offering four scholarships to the 2011 PRSA International Conference
  • Supported seven chapter members in pursuing their Accreditation in Public Relations (APR)
  • Created a YouTube channel to share key learnings from professional development
  • Launched new website with upgraded features and interactivity

I’m thankful for the support of the 12 Board members and 20+ committee chairpersons and members who contributed to the Chapter’s successes. The Board and committees manage the most valuable chapter benefits – monthly continuing education programs, an annual media roundtable with FPRA, a daylong PR seminar, special interest groups and a bi-monthly newsletter, to name a few. Their dedication and determination keeps the all-volunteer organization vibrant and successful.

Just a few days ago, I passed the gavel to Angela Walters, marketing manager for Hillsborough Community College. I look forward to seeing her lead the chapter to new heights while preparing for the PRSA District Conference, sunshine2012, in June.

A version of this post first appeared in the PRSA Tampa Bay Chapter newsletter in early December 2011.

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Leah Saunders promoted to Account Executive

Monday, October 10th, 2011 by Missy

Recognizing her significant professional development and increased responsibility, Leah Saunders has been promoted to Account Executive.

Leah is dedicating more time toward higher-level account management work, fulfilling a leadership role with clients’ social media strategies, and managing the firm’s internship program, as just a few examples of Leah’s role with Bayview.

She has also expanded her industry involvement, specifically with the Tampa Bay chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA). Having served on FPRA Tampa Bay’s Board of Directors since 2009, Leah was recently named President-Elect for the 2011-2012 year.  

In preparation, she attended FPRA’s annual state conference in August, joining other organization leaders and PR professionals from around the state.

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Dream team concept makes news

Monday, August 1st, 2011 by Missy

On Friday, the Tampa Bay Business Journal wrote about Bayview and its role with Ybor City Development Corp. in “Mercury takes on marketing Ybor City (sub. req’d).”

Cover of the Tampa Bay Business Journal on July 29, 2011

Bayview was included in "Mercury takes on marketing Ybor City"

In the article, Bill McQueen, president of Mercury Productions, says “with low overhead and access to a variety of skills, the team will work to stretch dollars. ‘The adage ‘do more with less’ is pretty much everyone’s marching orders,’ he said.”

Bayview has been working under the “dream team” model on projects for several clients (more here). A dream team is a nimble team of independent practitioners or niche agencies with expertise in a particular area partnering to fulfill different aspects to reach client goals.

Each member of the team brings a specific set of skills or knowledge in an industry, or fills another specific need. With an affiliated team, organizations can select the team members most relevant to its business based on their criteria.

Our client benefits by having the best and brightest team members working toward goals and objectives, rather than having one full-service agency that is strong in one area, but is a less ideal fit in other areas.

More information on our contract with Ybor City Development Corp. can be found here.

 

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Revitalizing A Landmark District

Thursday, July 21st, 2011 by Missy

Bayview Public Relations is part of a team recently awarded a long-term contract to drive business and tourism to Ybor City, a National Landmark Historic District. Bayview will help create and implement a comprehensive marketing and public relations plan to communicate what Ybor has to offer to its neighbors in the Tampa Bay region.

Chosen after an extensive bidding process overseen by the City of Tampa, the winning team for Ybor City Development Corp. (YCDC) was assembled by Bill McQueen, of Mercury Productions. McQueen will serve as the primary liaison for the account and fulfill video production needs. John Walkinshaw of Mercury will assist with marketing strategy and community relations. Kim Thomason, of Thomason Creative, and Jane English, of Jane English Creative Design, will provide brand strategy and creative design. Missy MacFarlane, APR, of Bayview, will serve in public relations and community relations capacities. Media Focus will outline media strategy and conduct media buying.

Ybor City's 7th Avenue, then and now

Ybor City's 7th Avenue, then and now (courtesy of Ybor City Development Corp.)

A division of the City of Tampa’s Economic & Urban Development Department, YCDC facilitates the development, economic revitalization and improvement of Ybor City’s Historic District and the surrounding community.

YCDC also provides staff support to the nonprofit Ybor City Development Corporation, Inc., a community advisory group to the City and the Community Redevelopment Agency on issues affecting the development and improvement of Ybor City. The elected Board is comprised of major stakeholder groups – residential, retail, restaurant/bar, professional/office, hotel, entertainment/events – and ex-officio members representing neighborhood and community organizations in Ybor City. Our team will work closely with their marketing committee, led by Veronica Swiatek.

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Building dream teams

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 by Missy

In reading the December issue of Fast Company, I realized two things. One – I am embarrassingly behind on reading some of my favorite publications. Two – Bayview Pubic Relations is ahead of the curve with our partnerships.

In “The Future of Advertising,” Danielle Sacks brilliantly captures what’s going on with the traditional agency model. In it, Angelique Krembs, marketing director of PepsiCo’s SoBe brand, explained why she opted to work with only shops that specialized in digital, PR, or promotional work, excluding all generalist firms. “…we were going beyond traditional…We realized it was unlikely we’d find everything we wanted in one place.”

As a trusted resource for our clients, we recommend or partner with creative agencies, digital firms and solo designers that match our (and our client’s) expectations and core values to create a comprehensive campaign or fulfill specific needs like brand marks, websites and collateral.

Basically, we work with select partners to create dream teams for our clients. Each member of the team brings a specific set of skills or knowledge in an industry, or fills another specific need. For example, USAmeriBank tapped Schifino Lee to build its website and create collateral materials, while Bayview serves a public relations role. Working with Mercury Productions and Thomason Creative, we’re able to help the City of Tampa Water Department develop educational outreach campaigns.

In some cases, we’ll partner with other public relations agencies or independent practitioners for specialized or additional resources for our clients. The client benefits by having the best and brightest team members working to get results rather than having one agency that is strong in one area, but is a less ideal fit in other areas.

Some chalk the new model up to a generational shift in marketing decision-makers with a digital background rather than so-called “classic marketing educations.” Others realize the old way of doing business no longer makes sense, and are finding new ways to thrive.

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Social media results

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011 by Missy

Bayview Public Relations was retained last year to generate interest in The Reproductive Medical Group’s second annual “New Beginnings” fertility conference at the Marriott Waterside Hotel in April 2010.

Bayview’s objectives were to increase registrations for “New Beginnings” by 50 percent and increase the ratio of prospective patients to current patients attending the fertility conference. In addition to leveraging existing relationships with key reporters and editors, Bayview set up a Facebook fan page for the Reproductive Medicine Group, and counseled the RMG on effective social media engagement.

The Reproductive Medicine Group's Facebook pageThe Reproductive Medicine Group’s Facebook page was started in February 2010 and quickly has grown into an online community for past patients to share their success, support current patients and provide hope to prospective patients. It has become a clearinghouse for patient testimonials and includes images of children conceived with the Reproductive Medicine Group’s help.

Bayview initially set up the Facebook page and spent six months assisting in the management. The Reproductive Medicine Group has managed the Facebook page on its own since November 2010, and its community continues to thrive. Throughout the 2010 campaign, Bayview worked closely with the Reproductive Medicine Group’s marketing/advertising agency of record, Schifino Lee, to leverage the event-specific landing page, an online media buy on GoMamma! section of TampaBay.com and text-to-register capabilities.

Overall, the 2010 campaign surrounding the “New Beginnings” fertility conference exceeded the goals set. Conference registrations doubled as compared to 2009 (200 in 2010 versus 100 in 2009) and a majority of 2010 attendees were prospective patients, whereas 2009 attendees were mostly current patients of the Reproductive Medicine Group. Bayview attributes the campaign’s success to a powerful marketing mix: significant coverage in the Tampa Tribune and TBO.com, targeted online ads and inclusion in the Working Women of Tampa Bay Facebook news feed (3,700 “fans” at the time).

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Bayview PR shares top tips for working with media

Monday, November 15th, 2010 by Missy

On Thursday, Bayview PR principals Kyle Parks and Missy Hurley will help Tampa Bay business professionals understand how media coverage can enhance an organization’s reputation and credibility, and share tips for getting the media’s attention. The presentation on November 18 is part of IKEA Tampa’s Live @ FIVE series, which are programs for busy business owners and professionals to learn key skills for personal and professional development.

During “Getting published: Working with the media,” Kyle and Missy will share how coverage in newspapers, magazines, online news sites, television, radio, and blogs can help an organization. They’ll discuss criteria to determine if a topic or event is newsworthy and how to target the right news organization and person within it to gain attention.

Kyle and Missy will tell their three rules for media interviews and give business owners and professionals tips and techniques for successful media interviews. They’ll teach attendees how to develop succinct and powerful messages to describe their organization and how it helps their customers.

Live @ FIVE is held on the third Thursday of each month, starting with informal networking at 5 p.m. and followed by a one-hour workshop from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Live @ FIVE programs are held in IKEA Tampa’s Community Room located on the store’s second level.

If you’d like to attend, advance registrations are requested as space is limited. Please register through IKEA Tampa’s website by Tuesday, November 16 and include the full name, name of company & email of each attendee.

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Bayview & IKEA team up for professional development series

Monday, September 13th, 2010 by Missy

Bayview Public Relations has joined Maddux NewsWire and Tampa Downtown Partnership in partnering with IKEA Tampa to present the Live @ FIVE series, a monthly series designed for attendees to learn (or refresh) skills necessary for personal and professional development.

Hosted by IKEA Tampa on the third Thursday of each month, each session begins with informal networking at 5 p.m. , followed by a topic-specific program from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The events are held in the IKEA Tampa Community Room in the restaurant on the 2nd level.

The next event on Thursday, September 16 is “So Tell Me About Sustainability” presented by Bryan Roberts, owner of EcoTech Construction and EcoBuild Systems, and Rudy Arnauts, founder of the Campus TV educational collaborative platform. During Live @ FIVE, Roberts will share a variety of sustainable solutions in community design, and Arnauts will lead a discussion in justifying the financial aspects of a green project and describing challenges and benefits associated with lending for green building projects. Learn more and register at IKEA Tampa’s website.

Upcoming IKEA Tampa events include:

  • “Moving sales with mobile marketing” on October 21
  • “Getting published: Working with the media” on November 18
  • “Mind your manners: Seal the deal with a business meal” on December 16
  • “New organization strategies for the new year” on January 15

Register for the September 16 event or sign up to be notified of upcoming events on IKEA Tampa’s website.

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Three more choose Bayview for public relations

Monday, July 12th, 2010 by Missy

Three local businesses have recently chosen Bayview Public Relations to reach their goals.

The Tampa office of Fisher & Phillips, a national labor and employment law firm, has selected Bayview to help increase the office’s business through strategic messaging, media relations, grassroots outreach and community relations. With more than 225 attorneys in 23 offices, Fisher & Phillips is one of the largest U.S. law firms to concentrate its practice exclusively on representation of employers in labor and employment matters.

The Strand, a luxury condominium under construction in Clearwater, has retained Bayview to assist in selling units through strategic messaging, media relations, grassroots outreach and community relations. The Strand is being developed by Espacio USA, Inc., the Americas arm of Madrid-based Inmobiliaria Espacio, an international real estate development leader within Group Villar Mir.

33 Hope, a Christian-based book, film and social network, has chosen Bayview to help raise awareness and promote a launch event on July 29 in Tampa. The book, Thirty Three: The Story of Hope, tells how Christianity got its start after the crucifixion and serves as the central content for the 33 Hope project.

We welcome these additions to the Bayview family and look forward to working with each over the coming months to help move their needles.

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