I know from my personal experience that just being seen can help develop a potential client base. I know living in Texas that this is exponentially easier for me than people in most other states. I personally go weekly to rodeos and bull ridings of various organizations just to simply network. Just by attending these events I have met and made acquaintances with contestants, bull fighters and staff. Through something so simple I have recently made a connection with a rider on the top tier of the PBR organization. Just by simply being around helps develop relationships that may help develop potential clients.
Another tip that I have learned is to know the industry. For me bull riding is something that I have loved for a short time but I know a lot of things most fans will never care to do the research into. I remember talking to a rider that my mother and I are friends with after he made an unsuccessful ride and we told him exactly what he did wrong, and he looked as us in shock that we actually were able to figure that out. In the rodeo industry respect is a huge thing and that is one way to develop it. I think no matter what industry you are in it is a major help to understand the industry and gain the respect of those involved.
The next tip that I have learned along the way is to not be afraid to be proactive. I was at a Professional Bull Riders event last year and there was a pre event mixer with the fan club and riders. I saw someone who was an employee of the PBR and I introduced myself to her asking her what her department was. Although she worked for an area I was not interested in she told me that there was a PR opening in the office which was not listed on the company website employment section. This is information I would not have found out if I had not spoke to her that day.
I also have taken every possible opportunity to work in the field however I can. I have interned at Rodeo Austin as well as my university's Career Services office. Now you might be wondering why a rodeo person would wish to work in a career services office but it actually helped me develop more connections in the industry. By working there I got the opportunity to job shadow (a weeklong internship of sorts) with the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
Also if you are a college student take any opportunity to make your work personalized to the industry you want to work in. I was in a writing class at my community college and we were doing a documentary for a local film festival on a topic of our choice, and it was rodeo time in San Antonio so I did mine on how contestants like the San Antonio rodeo compared to some of the others that they compete in during the year. Through this I have developed something on my resume that makes me stand out compared to some others who might be competing for jobs or internships. I also spent a day shadowing the sports producer of one of my local news channels.
So once you have developed these connections the time has come to put them to work. The main thing with PR is to get the word out. The first step would be to find something about your client that is newsworthy. If I were to represent a rodeo contestant I would go to his hometown newspaper and make sure that they were keeping the town aware of how he was doing in competitions and building support. A lot of rodeo contestants come from small towns and it is easy to get local support. For me I know a rider who I have watched ride locally for 3 years now make it to the top of the PBR and if I were to do PR for him I would start in his hometown and build support from there.
In bull riding there seem to be 3 things that draw people to be a fan, their home state is the same, they like the riders style or abilities, or they like their attitude or passion for the sport. I know I have become a fan of riders for all of these reasons and have found that this seems to be the most popular criteria for who fans like. You need to know where your client stands in each of these categories, get to know them as a person and as a rider. I know most all of the home states and riding styles of the most popular riders on the PBR tour.
The last thing I have as a tip for building a company is to keep informed on what is going on. in the early stages you are vulnerable so you need to establish yourself. This means doing things like taking advantage of fan bulletins, story comments, and news stories. My professor told me one day about Google Alerts which is a tool I have fallen in love with. If you go to Google and click news you can set up to have Google e-mail you each time or once and day with stories containing your keyword. Set up alerts for your client, their competitors and if they are a rider the organization they rider for. Google Alerts pulls stories from news sources all around the country and puts them in one convenient place for you.
So to anyone who wants to start a PR company wether you share my passion for the rodeo industry or not I hope this was helpful.
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