Lisa Sirkin Vielee
“I love what I do. I always have. But some days are harder than others. That's why I subscribe to the goal of ‘300 days.’ If you enjoy your job 300 days out of 365, you are blessed.” Lisa Sirkin Vielee
The Herd Strategies social media theme for July is #PRorNah, highlighting local leaders across the communications field and answering the question many organizations have asked: to PR or not to PR? This week we’re highlighting public relations and marketing expert Lisa Sirkin Vielee, president of Well Done Marketing.
Lisa has a varied and extensive communications background that encompasses both marketing and public relations. She graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in journalism and creative writing. Her 25+ years of experience in tourism, arts and corporate landscape was honed through work with both big-name Indianapolis-area public relations firms as well as nonprofit and government organizations, including The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Fit City Indianapolis, and the Office of the Governor, where she served as Deputy Press Secretary under Gov. Joe Kernan.
Lisa founded and served as the president of the PR agency Gracie Communications for almost 11 years. When her PR agency merged with Well Done Marketing, her communication perspective expanded. As a result, Lisa typically takes an integrated approach to most projects, allowing her to repurpose specific tactics to satisfy multiple communication goals. “Marketing is the umbrella for everything we do: public relations, advertising, internal communications, promotions, etc.,” she shared. The biggest difference between the two genres of communication, according to Lisa, is that “there are no marketing emergencies." Public relations professionals, on the other hand, must always be prepared to respond in the event of a crisis.
Even though Lisa is now the president of a marketing firm, she still keeps public relations tactics and strategies in view. “I have a broad definition of PR. I believe it includes any communication effort to a specific public,” she said. The first step to a good PR campaign is to define the objectives and the audiences: identify what you are trying to communicate, who needs to hear your messages, and who should deliver the message. Then, determining a timeline that outlines when and how information is released is key. In PR efforts, Lisa also identified the importance of preparing the spokesperson(s) in order to be better equipped for potential questions or tricky situations.
Communications professionals frequently find themselves creating messaging and sharing stories. However, Lisa highlighted the importance of taking a step back from conveying information to focus on an often-overlooked aspect of communication: listening. “A few years ago, I learned about the acronym W.A.I.T., which stands for ‘Why Am I Talking?’ I have it written on the whiteboard in my office as a reminder to talk less, listen, and ask more questions.”
To keep up with Lisa, you can follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. To learn more about her work at Well Done Marketing, visit their website at www.welldonemarketing.com or follow them on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
