An overview of how to reimagine your business marketing and public relations to help you reinvent your business out of challenging times.

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Digital Public Relations
Training Program
Debbie Elicksen ©2021

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The program is designed to help you scale your business and out-perform your competition. You
will learn to refine, and use, your best voice to communicate a compelling message. In addition,
you will be able to attract and work with your preferred audience through digital
communications.

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MISSION STATEMENT
Build for the Future
The purpose of this educational program is to support and teach you how to use digital platforms to
elevate your communications with your prospects and preferred clients so your business will thrive
and be sustainable no matter what the market conditions.
This program will help you:
• Find and master effective ways to communicate your message, in a memorable and compelling
manner directly to your preferred audience.
• Become diligent in improving your processes to have your messages land in a way that inspires
and motivates your preferred audience to take the next right step.

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DEBBIE ELICKSEN BIO
Debbie Elicksen understands best practices of how to make digital media work for business,
particularly in sports, entertainment, politics, independent experts, and other professionals. She
has worked with international clients from the United States, Canada, Sweden, United Kingdom,
China, Switzerland, and more.
• Agency experience includes project managing websites and annual reports.
• Experience working in television, print, radio, and Internet media.
• Public relations in sports, government, non-profits, entertainment.
• Published in traditional and digital articles, newspapers, newsletters, and blogs.
Publisher, author, and project manager of over 150 books.
• National Hockey League reporter for several publications, including NBCSports.com.
• Worked in both amateur and professional sports administration. First woman to
headman a football conference in Canada. Public Relations Director for a California
Angels Triple A baseball team.
• Served on City of Calgary Sports Steering Committee. Inducted into Alberta Sports Hall
of Fame 2018.
• Webcast/podcast host. Co-created an Internet web show that interviewed well-known
global digital thought leaders bridging traditional and digital communications.
• Worked both traditional and digital media: strategizing, producing, managing media,
public relations, and marketing campaigns.
• Delivered keynotes, group facilitation, and training to schools, universities, teachers’
conferences, speaking associations, and career development organizations.
• TESOL Certificate through Arizona State University online.

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Work Highlights
• In four months, helped a sales training company increase its Twitter following by 12%.
Many of its followers were industry leaders with over 100K in their network, which
meant it had access to more influential prospects.
• In one month, helped a political party’s Twitter account grow its reach from 1289
impressions to 10,300 impressions.
• In four days, increased a comic book company’s Facebook following by 25,000 during
the 2012 San Diego ComicCon, which launched its social media influence exponentially.
• Wrote and published 15 books; edited and project-managed over 150 books and annual
reports.
• Hired by an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker from New York City to provide
digital SEO strategy and use traditional and digital media to help her promote several
screenings of her latest film. The results helped her attract more screening and
distribution opportunities for her award-winning film.
• Created a digital footprint out of nothing for a start-up entertainment company in
Arizona, which included a social gaming system that operated sovereign to sovereign,
plus a tribal partnership to develop an entertainment center on 82 acres of land that
helped them land significant partners and investors.
• During a seven-year contract through an Ottawa marketing agency, provided public
relations for the Government of Canada in Calgary, Alberta, which involved creating
storylines for media, press conferences, photo shoots of federal ministers.

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MARKETING SUMMARY
As you are probably aware, the digital media landscape is constantly changing. What that may
mean to you is your traditionally preferred customer has changed how they access information
and communicate. You don’t have to look far to see stark examples. Retail has struggled for years
to understand how to keep people shopping in person, and sadly, many business owners did not
heed the forecast, and tried to maintain buying processes that no longer fit the shopping market.
Retail is not the only industry to have struggles; traditional media landscapes have, too. For
example, newspapers have been decimated over the years with an audience that prefers paywall-
free digital formats over physical form. That creates a challenge for subscriptions, thus
newspaper ad revenues were down 48% in 2020. (PEW Research).
The control of media has shifted to the user/audience, who embraces digital media because it is
engaging, interactive, and targeted. Meanwhile, traditional media is controlled by editorial
boards and shareholders and the user/audience has no control, other than to share links and add
commentary.
If the medium is the message (Canadian communication theorist Marshall McLuhan), the role of
both forms of media is to entice the viewer to want more from you – to encourage user/audience
to tune in, subscribe, to act.
The Current Media Climate: Digital Media Statistics
The most reliable digital and social media statistics come from these five companies:
• HubSpot (HUBS – NYSE: software developer for inbound marketing, sales, and customer
service)
• PEW Research Center (nonpartisan research on social issues, public opinion, and
demographic trends)
• Omnicore (healthcare marketing and advertising agency)
• Hootsuite (social media management platform)
• Sprout Social (social media management and optimization platform for brands and
agencies).

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The following represents a collective of the 2020 statistics these companies have published. The
use of smartphones and social media are the most common forms of communication across
emerging economies. What it means is by successfully managing these mediums, it will help your
business effectively communicate to your preferred prospects and customers.
Reach of social media platforms:
Facebook:
• 300 million active users daily who browse on average 58 minutes a day.
• Age 65+ is the fastest growing demographic.
• Only 10% of users live in the US or Canada; 41.3% live in Asia-Pacific.
• Only 17% of users follow brands.
• 94% of Facebook ad revenue comes from mobile.
• Users are four times more likely to watch livestreams than recorded video.
• Demographics of age groups using Facebook (active and less active):
Age 18-24 = 76%
Age 25-30 = 84%
Age 30-49 = 79%
Age 50-64 = 68%
Age 65+ = 46%
YouTube:
• Active monthly users – 2 billion.
• Active daily users – 30 million.
• TV paying subscribers – one million.
• Average mobile views session – 40 minutes.
• Videos watched per day – one billion.
• Mobile views per day – one billion.
• Hours of videos uploaded per minute – 500.
• 89% of traffic comes from outside the US.
• 62% of businesses are on YouTube.
• 51% over 75 years old watch videos.
• 51% users visit daily.
• 70% views are on mobile.

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• Total demographics of age groups using YouTube (active and less active):
Age 18-24 = 90%
Age 25-30 = 93%
Age 30 – 49 = 87%
Age 50-64 = 70%
Age 65+ = 38%
Twitter:
• 330 million users / 262 million outside the US.
• 145 million monetizable daily active Twitter users.
• 20 million daily Twitter users in America, Japan users are second highest.
• 80% tweets come from 10% of Twitter users.
• Most active users have 20x the followers on average.
• 12% get news from Twitter.
• Users like brands that are inclusive and transparent.
• Users spend 26% more time with ads than other social media platforms.
• Hashtags get 100% more engagement.
• 2 billion videos are viewed on Twitter per day; tweets with video get 10x the
engagement.
• 93% video views are on mobile.
• Total demographics of age groups using Twitter (active and less active):
Age 18-24 = 44%
Age 25-30 = 31%
Age 30-49 = 26%
Age 50-64 = 17%
Age 65+ = 7%
Instagram:
• 1 billion users with highest concentration in the US (116 million).
• 73 million users in India, 72 million users in Brazil.
• Second most logged in site next to Facebook.
• Users browse average 53 minutes a day.
• Engaged users are interested in brand content.
• 83% users discover new products and services here.
• 70% want their brands to take a stand on social/political issues; 36% say they will
purchase more from the brand when they do.

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• Over half are under age 34.
• Total demographics of age groups using Instagram (active and less active):
Age 18-24 = 75%
Age 25-30 = 57%
Age 30-49 = 47%
Age 50-64 = 23%
Age 65+ = 8%
Options Available for Formal Education
A Google search for the top academic institutions for media and journalism is not an easy one to
find specific training in digital media platforms.
Stanford University has a Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate that includes 90 to 120 hours of
instruction over 12 weeks and four courses. It also has a Professional Education Cybersecurity
Certificate that includes 6 to 13 hours of instruction. The institution also offers individual courses.
Digital media and social media are not generally categorized the same from university to
university. Courses specific to social media (which is a name that limits the description of what
digital media really entails) are generally sprinkled into Communications, Journalism, and
Marketing programs.
In academia, digital media or media technology is generally determined by elements, such as
coding, technology, artificial intelligence, networks, protocol, and data. These courses are offered
through Engineering, Humanities and Science, Computer Science, and Information Systems
programs.
Some institutions are coming around, but programs are usually listed through Continuing
Education rather than as a stand-alone graduate or undergraduate program. Under its Continuing
Education, Mount Royal University offers Social Media for Business (four courses, 54 hours,
online); and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) offers two courses: Social Media for
Business (five hours, online); and Digital Marketing Professional, which the school has partnered
with Digital Marketing Institute to provide some of the instruction (42 hours, on campus one
evening a week/online).

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A search of top-rated courses, specific to social media, brings up MOOCs (Massive Open Online
Courses) and private organizations, such as Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Hootsuite, and
others.
A common mistake is to assume young people automatically know this media because they know
how to use a mobile device and computer. Secondary school curriculums are slowly adapting to
teaching digital media, but for the most part, it is taught classroom by classroom, depending on
whether the teacher knows or embraces this form of media. The challenge is many junior and
senior high school students have limited access to the Internet during school. Administration
personnel block certain websites, namely Facebook and other social media.

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OPPORTUNITIES
Given that over 50% of targeted business clients access their communications and media through
a mobile device, and 63% of the billions of Internet subscribers are using social/digital media for
several hours a day, it is essential for your teams to find effective tactics to use this robust and
always available business development machine.
There is no “one size fits all” in this media. Each platform is a technology tool with different
purposes and audiences.
Digital is the medium, not the mindset. – Mitch Jackson, The Streaming Lawyer
Forrester Research: 90% of customers make their decision to buy online, whether
they shop in-store or not.
If consumers have had a good social media service experience with a brand, 71% are likely to
recommend it to others. (Ambassador Referral Marketing Program)
Brandwatch Consumer Research adds: 96% of the people who discuss brands online do not
follow those brand-owned profiles.
Qualtrics software company reports 60% of companies are convinced they provide good mobile
experiences; 22% of customers disagree.
Accenture, an international research company, discovered 33% of consumers, who ended a
relationship with a company, did so because their experience wasn’t personal enough.
Good customer service portals are important; in one study, Microsoft discovered 79% of
millennials are more willing to buy a brand if their experience is favorable. Google Marketing
adds: if it takes over 3 seconds for a web page to load on mobile, 53% will abandon that site.

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BUSINESS CHALLENGES FROM THE 2020 PANDEMIC
Although the consequences of Covid-19 is pressing corporations for a reset, many business owners have
faced this truth for a long time.
Consumer spending habits have changed significantly, even before the pandemic.
PEW Research learned half of Americans said their lives will remain changed in major ways after the
pandemic is over. That probably means more employees will continue to work from home, and they will
access most of their consumer products by shopping online. Uncertainty has been the constant factor
during 2020, and so far, in the first quarter of 2021.
The workforce is facing insurmountable stress, both from their businesses and households. People are
worried about health and safety, connectivity and belonging, limited growth opportunities, job insecurity,
increased workloads, and performance evaluations based on a company’s bottom line.
Prolonged stress causes anxiety; prolonged anxiety causes mental health issues, which will negatively
impact their performance at work.
Recovery and Reinvention
Business owners will increase the probability of corporate growth if they reimagine how to deliver
products and services.
The cosmetic company Clarins is a good example. Personal one-on-one in-store service has been an
important mechanism for driving sales. With stores closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, leadership was
faced with finding a new way to reach its customers.
An analysis of customer conversations revealed there was little interest in makeup during lockdown. That
made previously planned promotions obsolete. Instead, Clarins pushed its skincare products and tailored
its content towards combatting stress. It used tools, such as Instagram stories, for its beauty experts to
provide home-based DIY (do-it-yourself)-themed posts to promote skincare products and offer one-on-
one consultations.
The change in marketing strategy was almost immediate. In the first month alone, there were 450
bookings for one-to-one consultations; and social ads drove 30,000 visits to the Clarins’ website.

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The future of most companies ultimately depends on meeting the needs and expectations of the buying
market.
Appearances matter. Improving the company website and digital media is a natural place to start. Having
said that, if your cybersecurity is not robust, you will experience a lot of future pain.

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BUSINESS CONCEPT
Use Digital Media to Drive Business to Virtual and Brick and Mortar Locations
This program will help your business learn how to:
• Attract, engage, and convert preferred prospects into customers or promoters of your
business.
• Ensure the quality of your communication resonates with your preferred prospects and
customers.
• Leverage technology to amplify your customer service.
• Inspire others who are “well-positioned” digital contacts to promote your business.
• Embrace technology, and the creative ways it can be customized, to showcase your
products and service to your preferred contacts on different platforms.

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Training options:
1. Three levels of customized instruction available for your business:
i. Entry level
ii. Foundational for marketing, sales, community managers
iii. Upper management
2. Self-directed instruction for businesses and individuals.
Process:
1. Virtual or in-person instruction, complete with marketing tools, downloads, textbook,
and follow up.
2. Instructional videos and textbook.

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INSTRUCTION OVERVIEW
Pre-requisite:
• Basic computer literacy
• Know how to email and use search engines
• Experience using a mobile device (tablet and/or smartphone)
This is an e-learning program that is edgy, visionary, and helps your business tap into its creativity
to customize its marketing for maximum benefit.
The curriculum incorporates virtual environments, video, audio, engagement, and changeable
platforms. In addition, the curriculum is customized to fit different types of businesses and
industries.

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Three customized levels of training available:
Entry Level:
These participants include front desk, customer service, valet, floor, cashier staff, etc. Depending
on the module, instruction will range from an hour to a half-day. It provides a general overview
for staff members to learn the roles of communication, public relations, and marketing
departments. This will provide them with support if they see an opportunity to create a unique
and exceptional customer service moment.
Foundational Level:
Your front-line staff members, who are directly responsible for communications, public relations,
and marketing as part of their daily tasks, will be better equipped. This will include best practices,
case studies, and other tools and information that will help them excel at their positions.
Upper and Middle Management:
This instruction may be a half-day session so upper and middle management can understand the
concepts of the training, how it works with each level of staff in sync, and how the entire
organization benefits. The instruction process includes how to measure return on investment,
what types of goals to set up, how to motivate teams to participate, and how to respond and/or
protect the organization’s reputation should there be a negative event or a crisis.
Everyone in the organization will have the option to take the full and comprehensive training. For
example, a manager may want to learn more so he or she can participate directly alongside their
team in promoting the organization.
Follow Up:
Access to subsequent content:
• Update and refresh material to ensure obsolete platforms and features are replaced
with relevant platforms and features.
• Interviews/podcasts/webcasts.
• Q & A sessions.
Ongoing training sessions for new hires, personal development, and staff changes.

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DIGITAL MEDIA MARKETING
“Allow the world’s access to work for you.”
Usher
Your preferred prospects do not feel a human connection to a logo. Finding the right type of
connection is what brings new people into your digital community. A profile picture makes a
difference.
Your audience has an audience. Every user on a platform has a following, whether it is large or
small. Success breeds imitation. When a user shares your content, or adds positive commentary,
this equates to the same as earned public relations. Some of your audiences’ followers may
become your preferred customers.
Spray and pray does not work. (Elaine Lindsay) You must do the right work to be noticed. If this
were easy, every business would enjoy raving success. The work is tedious, thought-provoking,
and if implemented correctly, your social media will be as effective as a front-line worker; the
first and last impression your preferred customer sees or experiences, when they research your
business, will determine the confidence they feel about your company. Digital platforms do not
convert customers and clients immediately any more than the clothes do when a customer walks
into a retail store. You get back what you put in with human resources. Digital platforms foster
the potential for new business through the value of your content and digital engagement.
Digital media is your passport to the world. You are not just reaching local prospects; you will
also build opportunities for new ventures and products to help your business grow. Whoever sets
up a profile there can own the space, but your digital space must be active. There is no future in
the “post and pray” strategy.

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THE CURRICULUM
Introduction to Digital Public Relations (PR)
How to Use Technology to Amplify Your Business
Although digital media is not purely social, it does have personal elements that are important to
your consumer. It is technology that can be leveraged to elevate your business communications,
public relations, marketing, and customer service elements.
Your business team will learn the technical elements required to navigate each media and its
reach.
Digital PR Strategies
Your business team will learn to use critical thinking to break down strategic planning for the
platforms you have decided are right for your products and services. You will also be able to
integrate platforms, know how to post, what to post, and when to post.
Principles of Digital PR
Your business team will know how to apply Internet etiquette and how to recognize spam,
phishers, trolls, and cyberbullies, and learn basic copyright issues.
Applications of Digital PR
Your business team will learn basic technology information, platforms are needed for successful
navigation, and how to access places that local ISPs may be blocked from.

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THE WEBSITE
What is it about a website that causes you to give up and move on to another site?
Given that the individuals of your business team will receive two hours of guided instruction to
comprehend website basics, such as domains and hosting, they will learn how to maximize your
SEO and visual aesthetics required to attract and keep your viewers from leaving before
navigating your site.
1. Best practices for website layout, design, navigation, functionality, and compatibility
with mobile devices.
2. Simplify your message and clarify your content. Always be diligent to be concise, and
without spelling, grammar, punctuation errors.
3. Use content and images to maximize your website’s SEO.

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GOOGLE
When you receive the results of your search about your own company, and they happen to be
disappointing, you may not have the time or patience to keep searching. If your digital presence
is difficult to access, your preferred prospects will become frustrated and possibly give up and
migrate to your competition. You need to decide the specific keywords to search for services
related to your competition; your results will depend on the specificity of your search.
Participants in this course will learn how maximize your company offerings by using the tools of
this platform. They will also discover how Google uses SEO and why certain businesses show up
first in a search, while others languish in the outfields.
1. How to sign up and assess what information/services to use i.e.) Google Drive, Gmail,
etc.
2. How SEO work in Google and how it can be optimized for your company.
3. How do to maximize your Google presence. (tags, metatags, directories to list in, such as
Crunchbase)

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FACEBOOK
After this learning tutorial, your team members will know the basics of how to set up and manage
a personal and business page, the pros and cons of each, and best practices to ensure your
success in a very crowded, and competitive, arena. They will also learn the do’s and don’ts on
how to engage with preferred customers and prospects.
1. How algorithms and platform changes affect your content.
2. How to use Events and Facebook Live.
3. How to get the most from your Facebook ads.

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LINKEDIN
After working through this program, your team members will be able to find, and connect with,
the people with your preferred prospects.
The members on your business team will learn the difference between a free and paid account,
and some of LinkedIn’s basic applications.
1. How to set up a LinkedIn account as an online resume.
2. How to find current contacts and connect with people you don’t know, yet.
3. Best practices – tips on what not to do and how to shine and stand out from the crowd.

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YOUTUBE
Learn how to use YouTube for recruiting, marketing, and use SEO to enhance your company’s
searchability. Your team will also learn the benefits of user-generated content and how it differs
from professionally produced videos.
1. Creative Commons and copyright.
2. Using the platform for recruitment and product launches.
3. Streaming, SEO, merchandise, and YouTube millionaires.

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TWITTER
Use Twitter to find the people you want to access, including their circle of influence. Learn the
built-in tools to manage ROI, and how to find trending topics and hashtags that relate to your
business.
Twitter is the platform an ever-increasing number of people access for fast-breaking national and
local news; it is also where public relation fails and bad news is kept in the spotlight for days or
even weeks, in some cases.
1. How to pick a Twitter handle even when you think all the best names are taken.
2. What to tweet, how to tweet, how often to tweet, and how to work the platform for
best results.
3. How to know when someone is talking about your business in a good way or a bad way.

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INSTAGRAM
Your business team members will learn how to create and showcase simple visual media to put
a unique twist on your message.
1. How to create pictures, text, and video on a simple scale for the platform and use its
built-in filters.
2. The importance of hashtags and how to use them.
3. How to use a search to find other users and discover ideas on creating content and
showcasing your business.

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BLOGS
Your team members will learn how to use a blog to increase your company’s digital visibility,
choose the blog platform that works best for you, and the type of content you can create. You
will also learn how to find blog ideas, and how to develop a catchy, attention-grabbing title that
fits into your business message.
1. How to set up a blog, decide on a topic/angle/theme, choose the best medium and
aesthetics.
2. Create an editorial calendar to determine content, how often you will post, and who will
write and post it.
3. How to maximize your blog’s SEO and repurpose content for other platforms.

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OTHER PLATFORMS
Your team members will learn about other platforms (visual, audio, audio/visual) that you might
consider adding to your digital portfolio. You will decide what platforms to use when you refine
your company message and your preferred customer to determine what elements fit well into
your visual, audio, and audio/visual platforms.
1. Visual platforms: Pinterest is popular with a specific audiences (from corporate women
and stay at home moms, who want DIY ideas for their hobby or home-based business).
Many are individual influencers. It is vital to learn how you can use each platform for
your visitors to connect to your website and/or blog.
2. Audio platforms: For example, podcasts are a popular hosting/distribution platform,
where you can create and publish audio. Similar to blogging, best results require an
editorial calendar and timeline, because this will help you keep your team on track.
3. Audio and visual platforms: TikTok and other webcasting sites are popular with different
audiences. You, and your team, will discover how to choose the best platform(s) that
works for you.

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PUBLIC RELATIONS
After an audit of your current and future advertising spend, your business team members will
learn how to use digital resources to create a bigger online footprint. This will help launch and
showcase your business products/service and create earned PR, which in turn, will help generate
good press and media exposure.
1. Free online resources where you can create more exposure for your business.
2. Free and paid PR services that help create earned PR.
3. How to use transmedia (multimedia platforms) to plan a creative launch of a new
product or service.

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CRISIS MANAGEMENT
When you investigate your IT, when is the last time you updated your system, updates, security
software? Do you have protocol instructions for your staff?
Your team members will learn how to prevent a cybersecurity breach, the do’s and don’ts on
handling cyberbullies and trolls, and what to do when something devastating happens to damage
your company’s reputation.
1. Cybersecurity and how to prevent a breach, and what to do when you discover one.
2. Managing real and imposed negativity: Cyberbullying and what not to do and what you
should do when your business or staff members are harassed and threatened online,
including how to handle Internet trolls.
3. Managing a PR crisis and the steps you need to take to get out of it.

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CONCLUSION
There is an endless supply of experts and myriad how-to videos providing good generic content
to help increase your understanding of the basics of digital media marketing.
There are several content organizing software/apps (social media management tools), that will
support numerous platforms and keep track of content posted in digital media. Pricing of the
various services depends on need; it can be costly if you are using the media for business and
have several platforms to manage. There are tutorials that will disclose how to manage these
sites. The top sites are Buffer, Hootsuite, HubSpot, AgoraPlus, and SproutSocial.
There are several inspiring thought leaders who offer solid social content and keynote training
for businesses and conventions. Some of them provide managing services, but many are in the
speaking business and/or have their own practices in another industry, although, they could
possibly provide referrals to someone who needs day-to-day operational help.
Sifting through resources can be daunting. Finding the right fit is essential. Many companies hire
someone fresh out of MBA or a marketing school. However, having a marketing degree does not
mean they are adept at digital public relations. Some companies classify digital PR as an entry
level internship. It is not. This is where companies can fail spectacularly if someone sends the
wrong tweet or ignores an urgent customer service request that was asked on the Facebook page
two weeks prior. Many company leaders create their own PR fail because they do not know how
to manage these platforms because managing IT is not their genius. Therefore, accessing the right
help is vital.

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https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Public-Relations-Business-Elicksen-ebook/dp/B092LPJX7D/
debbie.elicksen@gmail.com
http://www.debbieelicksen.com
https://twitter.com/bookpublish101