Changes and success in modern PR
Guest speaker Dr. Elizabeth Hornsby spoke to Southeastern Louisiana University’s (SLU) Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) club about changes in the field of public relations and how students can prepare for the professional world.
Since the field of PR is changing, Hornsby met with the club to keep members up to date and informed. She discussed the assimilation of PR, data analytics, professional skills and new job opportunities for the Louisiana PR field.
The topics Hornsby emphasized the most were PR convergence and data analytics.
Hornsby said, “There is this sort of convergence of public relations, advertising, marketing, communication and media. Marketing, PR and industry has never been more diversified than it is right now.”
PRSSA Vice President Raeleigh Joshlin asked Hornsby to further explain the changing field when she inquired, “Can you go into data analytics? It is very new to communications at Southeastern.”
Hornsby responded, “Data analytics is the job of taking all that data and making sense of what it means in the terms of the brand or company.”
Students were advised to learn data analytics. She described data analytics as “actionable” and “fun.”
Hornsby followed by saying, “If you see a data analytics class pop up, take it.”
The club members laughed as she explained how she once ran from math, but eventually found enjoyment in it.
“Don’t be afraid of the numbers,” Hornsby advised.
Internships, personal branding and industry conferences were also topics Hornsby discussed with the club. She urged students to attend industry conferences and not just academic-based conferences.
“Outside of an internship that’s another way to insert yourself into professional life,” noted Hornsby.
In order to stand out and succeed in the professional world, she emphasized the importance of LinkedIn and certifications, such as Hootsuite.
She commented, “You might think who cares, but people care. Networking is a real thing and in this industry it makes or breaks you.”
Freshman PRSSA member Molly Gill said, “She gave us so much useful information,” when she discussed the career advice PRSSA’s first guest speaker of the semester provided.
The Louisiana film industry was also briefly discussed. Dr. Hornsby described the field as a “burgeoning market” when she informed the club about the governor’s desire to bring every aspect of the film industry to Louisiana, not just production.
Hornsby is currently teaching media management and economics at Southeastern; however, her class schedule will be different for the fall semester. She also advised students to keep an eye out for her during the summer semester.
She can be followed on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at ehornsbycomm.
Her office is in D. Vickers 256 on Southeastern’s main campus and her email is ehornsby@selu.edu.
