Special Guest!

Guess who I got to hang out with last night?? Keep your eyes open to find out why! We had a great time!

WWL TV4 Visit

Tuesday Morning, Peyton and I woke up bright and early to visit the WWL-TV4 News Station for 7:00 a.m.! Ann invited us to watch Dan Jatres, RPC Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Representative interview with Eric Paulsen. We were escorted from the waiting room through the main building of the news station, which allowed us to have a brief view of the editing suites, graphics room and the main control room. From here, we walked outside through the garage into the "Filming Suite." We waited eagerly until it was Dan's turn to walk onto the set. When they finally called him, Peyton and I began creeping outside of the filming room hoping to snap a few pictures. Lucky for us, the camera crew couldn't have been more accepting! They wanted us up-front and center (unfortunately, we had to be behind the camera) in order to see everything! We were excited about the interview because we will be working on the 2012 RPC Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety campaign that will launch this fall.

Bicycle and Pedestrian safety has become an increasingly popular topic in New Orleans over the past few years due to the rising amount of accidents between pedestrians and motorists. Dan explains that a main reason for these collisions are a direct result of people not knowing and/or complying with the public laws that have been put in place. The 2012 campaign we are working on hopes to get these messages across, and we are sure it will be one to remember!

SEO

This morning I was invited to sit in on two meetings with other companies who were discussing with us potential SEO techniques. For those of you who don’t know (because I didn’t), SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In other words, it is the process of improving the quality and volume of web traffic to a webpage by applying techniques that help a website achieve a higher “ranking” with major search engines such as Google and Bing. Now you’re probably thinking, how exactly does a company do this?

The most effective way to implement SEO is to take on a key word campaign. In the initial stages, a detailed analysis of over 250 key words takes place. From these statistics, the company can determine the most successful key words to implement into their website. This takes place during the website design phase, where the URL is coded to incorporate the specific key words into titles and site pages in order to set up a “blue print” for the search engine. This is classified as content optimization in order to achieve a higher ranking on different search engines.

Each month, the client receives a monthly “report” stating which key words are producing which results. These results are broken down into finite details including impressions, visitors, and events. Each time the client’s site is brought up on the page is classified as an impression. When the searcher physically clicks the link it is called a visit. An event takes place when the searcher either e-mails or places a phone call from visiting the website. This allows the client to see their Return on Investment for their Search Engine Optimization, and to which words they should be emphasizing.

So, why should clients invest in SEO? Well, simply put, search engines are the most popular method for internet users to find websites and information. Similarly, websites who decide to market themselves online are more successful than their competition who decides against online marketing. With this combination, who wouldn’t want to put themselves online and earn a high ranking among search engines?

Introducing: Jennifer

Hello! My name is Jennifer and I am one of the new interns here at Keating Magee! You’ve probably gathered at this point that I have some sort of tie to New Orleans. Well, you’re right! I was born and raised a New Orleanian! I attended high school at Metairie Park Country Day, but decided going away for college would be a fun adventure. I landed in Lexington, Virginia where I am a rising senior at Washington and Lee University. After graduation next May, I will have my degree in Business Administration. After only being here a week, I can tell that it will be a summer to remember!

One of my biggest passions in life is baking. When I was eleven, I started a baking business out of my kitchen. Knowing this, you can imagine my excitement when I was told I would be sitting in on a brainstorm session for Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen right here in New Orleans! After two hours, we left feeling confident about our ideas and the designs that would come from them. It was one of the most exciting and entertaining brainstorming sessions I have ever experienced.  

Tennis is the other area that I have a great passion for. I’ve competed for many years. I am now a member of the Washington and Lee Women’s varsity team loving every second of competition, hard work and my teammates who have become part of my family.

I can assure you that no time has been wasted during my first week here. I was given the task of contacting and gathering information and donations for the United Health Care Children’s Foundation Golf Tournament, as well as updating the East Jefferson General Hospital weekly newsletter. I am so excited and can’t wait to keep you updated about my summer here at Keating Magee! I am hopeful that just like the tennis team, the team here at Keating Magee will become more than just co-workers!

First Blog Introduction: Peyton

Hi everyone! My name is Peyton Elaine and today is my first day as a new PR intern for Keating Magee. I am originally from Ruston, Louisiana, but for college, I decided I needed a change and moved 8 hours away from home to Norman, Oklahoma to attend the University of Oklahoma. Boomer Sooner! I am about to start my senior year at OU in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communications as a Professional Writing major minoring in Italian. I'm sure most of you are wondering what a Professional Writing major is doing at a marketing firm with a PR internship. At OU, we have a lot of general requirements in our own colleges, like my journalism college, to give us a better understanding of the industry we have decided to go into. I have taken quite a few PR courses and have found that I really like PR. Being that my graduation date is fast approaching, I decided it was time to take the plunge and beg someone to give me some real work experience. This was extremely scary for me, so naturally I decided to go back home where my greatest support system is for this terrifying adventure. When this wonderful opportunity of a PR internship at Keating Magee presented itself, I thought why not?

I am very excited to be at Keating Magee since it is in New Orleans, one of my favorite cities, and so close to those closest to me. I'm really looking forward to getting started on my first project. So far I'm loving the new office and everyone has been so nice and helpful. Well I guess thats all for now. I will keep everyone updated on my progress here at Keating Magee and New Orleans. Wish me luck!

First Blog Introduction: Selina

Hello! My name is Selina. I am a new intern at Keating Magee. I was born and raised in Metairie, which is right outside of New Orleans. When looking at colleges and trying to figure out what was right for me, I decided that being home was the right choice. I mean, where else is better than New Orleans? With that being said, I am currently a senior at the University of New Orleans. When I graduate in the fall, I will have my degree in Marketing. I've learned quite a bit from classes I have taken, but I am ready for some hands on experience and learn even more from everyday hands on work.

Keating Magee is exactly what I hoped to find when looking for an internship. I was nervous to start because I didn't know what to expect having an internship. The only experience I had with other intern-type positions were the usual filing and phone answering. The first day at Keating Magee, I learned that the interns here are actually involved in projects and events and get real hands on experience! No time was wasted, I jumped right into business working with the United Health Care Children's Foundation Golf Tournament. I love being involved and am looking forward to whats ahead.

I am so excited and can't wait to update and share all the new things I am learning on my journey working with Keating Magee!

Passing the Torch

Over the past two weeks the rest of the summer interns have said their goodbyes, leaving the office feeling kind of empty. I'll admit it's been kind of lonely - not to mention a reminder that my time here is drawing to a close as well. Luckily, two new interns arrived Monday to pick up the slack.

Michelle and Selina are both students at UNO and will be working several days during the week this Fall. I've had the opportunity to work with Selina the past two days since she will be taking over the ongoing process of collecting donations for the UHCCF golf tournament. I hope the ridiculous amount of request letters and PDF files weren't too intimidating! From what I hear Michelle is a wiz at photoshop - definitely a skill I could have used this summer.

Teaching the new interns about the office and all the different projects we have worked on makes me realize just how much I've learned this summer. It seems just like a few weeks ago I was freaking out because the phone was ringing and I had no idea how to use it and now I am teaching the new interns, who by the way, have the same freaked out expression when it comes to the phones as I did, how to manage. Michelle and Selina, I hope those written out instructions help! As usual, once I figure everything out, it's time to move onto the next project. What this new project will be I haven't a clue, but whatever it is I hope it brings me back to the wonderful city of New Orleans.

Princess for a Weekend!

The Windsor Court is famous for hosting teas, and the hotel has recently begun featuring one themed tea a month. This month was the much anticipated Princess Tea, and the Windsor Court enlisted the services of a real live princess to grace the presence of the lucky guests…just kidding it was only me; however, I certainly did feel like a princess that weekend. I was dressed as Sleeping Beauty, and all of the little girls truly believed I was the real deal. As soon as they walked through the doors of the Windsor Court, they ran over to me and wrapped their little arms around my legs. There were a few girls who were a tad frightened of me at first; however, their fears quickly subsided once they saw other little girls flock to me. The menu and atmosphere were composed of all things princess: the harpist eloquently played tunes from Disney princess classics, the sandwiches were shaped like crowns, and the party favors were crowns given to everyone personally by me, the guest princess at the tea. The weekend was a wonderful experience and I would love to participate in another themed tea. Tea at the Windsor Court is truly a magical experience. Even on days when the tea doesn’t have a theme, its hard not to feel like a princess!

So long, farewell!

I will preface this post with an apology. If for some reason there are typos, misspelled words or incorrect grammer, I am truly sorry. I still have not fully recovered from the AMAZING event last night at Irvin Mayfield's I Club. Not only was the club filled with talented musicians, media and good friends of Irvin's, but also a few famous actors stopped by! Not too shabby for the opening night. Needless to say, everyone in the office is moving at half speed today.


I can not believe that my two months have come and gone so quickly here at Keating Magee. The experience is one that opened my eyes to the fulfilling, but sometimes complicated, world of communications. Interning for a company can go one of many ways. And guess what? You (the intern) are in control!


If you don't know- ASK!
Do not feel embarrassed or shy about asking for help. You are an intern, therefore you do not know everything and they don't expect you to. It is better to ask than to do a project completely wrong.


Put yourself out there!
Volunteer for any and every job! Oh the kitchen needs cleaning? Sure! There is an event to work tonight? Sounds great! The more jobs you are given the more you are trusted. It pays off in the end. I always felt like a nuisance asking, but I realized that after awhile I did not have to ask. Tasks were being given to me because I earned that responsibility.


Have fun!
Your experience will be so much worthwhile if you are adding fun elements to the work environment. Obviously, some days it will be all business and no play, but there are ways to still make those days enjoyable. Ask to sit it on a client conference call, go to lunch with the other interns, participate in a brainstorming sessions. By doing those things, your days will be more fulfilling.


I could not have asked for a better intern experience than the one I had with Keating Magee. I am sad to go, but I know that I have been instilled with the knowledge and capability to make it in the PR world one day thanks to the people at Keating.
Geaux tigers and of course, who dat!

My Phire Feature

Last week I was assigned to write a feature about Nick Sagona, Keating Magee's Senior Interactive Strategist, and the new, user-friendly content management system (CMS) he created. I enjoy writing, so this assignment instantly brightened my day!

Research is always the first move in when writing, so I visited the Phire CMS website and started looking over the material. Having recently dived into the world of blogging and CMS, I was excited to see what innovative features Nick had devised.

My next step was to interview Nick. During Nick's attempts to explain Phire and how he created it to me, I initially had trouble deciphering all of the technical jargon flying right over my head. However, I quickly began to understand just how beneficial, adaptive and user-friendly Phire can be.

Final step: writing. My personal technique is to look over my notes, organize them in my head and then just start typing. Along the way, I highlight the parts of my notes that have been included into the article. But for the most part, I don't stop typing until all the information is on the computer screen.

While this technique ensures that everything I think gets on the word document, it also guarantees that my editing process is quite time consuming. But have no fear, after some serious editing HERE is my finished product.

Phire is a pretty hot CMS, so definitely check it out!