Meet Our Summer Interns: Hilary Greene
Posted on 29. Jul, 2011 by PMGpr
This summer we have seven new additions to our PMG family! Our interns are special to us, that’s why we want to feature them in our blog. Each week we will add a profile of an intern so you can get a sense of who they are and what they are doing here at PMG. Feel free to ask them questions and leave feedback. These interns are ready and excited to share what they have learned so far!
PMGer: Hilary Greene
On Twitter: @hilaryfay
Position at PMG: Intern with PMG associate Iza Socha
Background? My name is Hilary Greene and I am entering my last semester at Champlain College to attain a business/marketing degree. I am a transfer student and have spent most of my college years in Colorado and Utah enjoying the outdoors.
Why are you doing this internship? I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do my internship at PMG this summer to gain first-hand experience that will compliment my current marketing program at Champlain College, which I will complete in December of this year!
What do you expect to gain from this internship? This internship has already provided me with a better understanding of the public relations world; I have little PR background since I am a marketing major. In addition, this internship has allowed me to witness the power of using social media tools as marketing and PR techniques and the outstanding benefits that they can provide for many different types of companies.
What are your views on PMG? PMG, People Making Good, is a great company and I could not be happier about doing my internship here. Their name, PMG, tells all…they truly are, good people – making good. (They might as well change their name to G-PMG!) As a Vermonter, I appreciate the work that they contribute to the community and genuine support of their clients that are socially responsible.
What have you learned so far? Thus far, I have learned a lot of new things and have been able to apply my education from Champlain in a professional environment. Some exciting projects that I have been involved with at PMG include;
- Organizing a Tweet-Up
- Drafting Twitter messaging
- Writing editorial calendars
- Editing video footage
- Writing a variety of blog posts using WordPress
- And; researching different brands, markets and trends
What’s it like working with your mentor? My mentor, Iza Socha, is fantastic and is the Social Media Manager at PMG. She is very talented and open to sharing new concepts with me; she knows all the new trends! It is really fun working with her and she guides me in the right direction to complete finished work that both of us are proud of.
Do you have any tips for future interns on PR, writing press releases, pitches, etc.? My advice for any intern would be to be fully appreciative of the opportunity and learn as much as you can! It helps to stay knowledgeable about new trends because these days, it seems like techniques and applications change and improve constantly.
PR Agency Salary and Benefits Review
Posted on 25. Jul, 2011 by Nicole Ravlin
Every two years, we informally conduct an audit on our associate salaries and benefits. As you can imagine, attracting top talent to our firm can be challenging with the allure of the big cities just a couple of hundred miles away. That said, we have a lot to offer in the Green Mountain State that one can’t find in a more urban area. So, depending on the person – Burlington is a GREAT option for starting or continuing a career in public relations.
We’re about to start putting together this survey once again and want to invite a few new firms to the table. Last go around we had four firms. All parties are required NOT to share the information outside of our group.
What you give:
- salary ranges for each position (not owner or partner) within your firm
- a list of benefits and estimated value of benefits package
What you get:
- open access to the final information – depending on what the group decides -this could be by firm or anonymous.
We are looking for:
- Agency principals/owners
- Small agencies – you employ 20 people or less
- from the following cities: Burlington (VT), Boston (MA), San Francisco (CA), Portland (OR), New York (NY), Chicago (IL)… and others – if you want in, let us know!
Interested? Email me and let’s talk. We want everyone who comes to the table to win from this exercise.
Five Years… and counting.
Posted on 20. Jul, 2011 by Nicole Ravlin
Today marks five years of PMG’s existence in its current form – meaning today is the day when Ken and I signed partnership papers to merge our two consulting firms: PMG and Ravlin 
& Associates. It’s flown by.
I have learned a lot over the past five years co-owning a business. I often, jokingly, refer to PMG as my third child as it feels like raising a kid at times. Here’s a few nuggets of advice that I offer to anyone looking to venture off on their own or head into a business partnership:
- Select a field or specialty that you LOVE and are committed to – and then specialize. It makes some of the harder times easier. We chose social responsibility as our niche because Ken and I both felt strongly about working with companies that shared our similar values.
- Keep in mind that it is just business. No matter business partner or client – everyone is bound to not see eye-to-eye all the time. People will argue for what they think is the best course. Be respectful, listen, consider the other point of view and learn to articulate your own. At the end of the day, you are dealing with people you like. It is just business. Make the decisions you need to, and above all, do the right thing (cliche, I know).
- Know what you do not know and then hire vendors. This is one of the most important things that we learned, I think. Hire a bookkeeper, a tax accountant, and an attorney. Their services do not cost much and the return is well worth it. Hey, we’re publicists and marketers – not accountants… leave each respective task to the respected pro! It took us a few years to actually realize this, and in hindsight I wish we did it sooner!
- Take time off. I struggle with this still, but getting away from the office and the day-to-day is important so that you can have perspective. I am thankful for having a business partner for this as I check email and call in less frequently when I do pry myself away from the office.
- Network. Sure, this seems obvious, but so many people are afraid to network. Talk to everyone and anyone. LISTEN to them and then ask them for advice or recommendations on who else you should meet.
- Do not be afraid to ask for the business. Again, Duh! But seriously, if you master the networking part and never ask for the business – you’ll have a lot of good, new friends but your efforts will be lost. I was recently on a client trip and one of the guests, Gary Chartrand and I discussed his new book Un Reasonable Leadership and in chapter (or step) five Gary refers to an Unreasonable Imperative: Never Be Afraid to Ask”. Read the book (I did) and you will learn a lot – but this lesson, I think, is the lesson that matters in growing your business.
Lastly, I want to say THANK YOU. Thank you, Ken: for putting up with my crazy ideas and listening to them like you were taking me seriously. Some of them actually worked! 
I am happy to say we have only gotten in a handful of yelling matches in this time. Thank you to all of the associates past and present who have helped make PMG what it has become today. Without your work and dedication there would be no PMG. Thank you to all of our past and present clients. We are honored that you have selected to work with us, grow with us and be great partners. And last, but not least – thank you to my family – who have sacrificed A LOT, especially Bryan who has been the single dad while I am traveling to meetings, trade shows, client TV appearances and more. I am eternally grateful.
Here’s to the past five years… and now, on to the next ten!
PMG is short for People Making Good. It's long for people that are making good socially, environmentally, and on the bottom line. And it describes our clients and the people we strive to work along side.
We're in our ideal habitat. Making good for responsible upstart and established clients around the country, from our home office in the northern Green Mountains. Close to some of the best skiing, hiking and natural landscapes in the northeast. Come on up.