Welcome Vannessa Wade, to PRSay – the podcast of the Houston PRSA Chapter.
In this episode, Vannessa shares about Understanding Messaging and Your Role In It.
Vannessa Wade is the founder and CEO of Connect The Dots PR. Often called an “idea oven” and “branding magnet,” she has been featured in magazines such as Black Enterprise and Fast Company.
From working on legislative campaigns, to supporting UNICEF, Wade has been able to help brands position themselves in newsworthy and culturally relevant ways. Her contacts span the gamut across the media and influencer landscape.
Wade is as driven about public service as she is about public relations. She volunteers her time and expertise to various civic organizations including Kids Meals and The Sickle Cell Marc Thomas Foundation. She serves as Diversity Chair for PRSA Houston, Executive Director of ColorComm Houston and has spoken at The Texas Conference for Women and presented at NABJ. In 2015, she created a branding series aimed at helping college students learn how to brand themselves.
Wade is a graduate of the University of Houston.
Connect with Vannessa at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vannessawade
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vannessawade
Learn more about the PRSA Houston Chapter, our events and opportunities at www.prsahouston.org.
PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher, Public Relations
Welcome Vannessa Wade, to PRSay – the podcast of the Houston PRSA Chapter.
In this episode, Vannessa shares about Understanding Messaging and Your Role In It.
Vannessa Wade is the founder and CEO of Connect The Dots PR. Often called an “idea oven” and “branding magnet,” she has been featured in magazines such as Black Enterprise and Fast Company.
From working on legislative campaigns, to supporting UNICEF, Wade has been able to help brands position themselves in newsworthy and culturally relevant ways. Her contacts span the gamut across the media and influencer landscape.
Wade is as driven about public service as she is about public relations. She volunteers her time and expertise to various civic organizations including Kids Meals and The Sickle Cell Marc Thomas Foundation. She serves as Diversity Chair for PRSA Houston, Executive Director of ColorComm Houston and has spoken at The Texas Conference for Women and presented at NABJ. In 2015, she created a branding series aimed at helping college students learn how to brand themselves.
Wade is a graduate of the University of Houston.
Connect with Vannessa at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vannessawade
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vannessawade
Learn more about the PRSA Houston Chapter, our events and opportunities at www.prsahouston.org.
PRSay is brought to you by Veronica V. Sopher, Public Relations
Hello, and welcome to PRSay this is the award-winning official podcast of the Houston chapter Public Relations Society of America. And I'm your host, Veronica Sopher, I have the pleasure of introducing you to some of our incredible members here that we have in the Houston chapter. And we're gonna go ahead and get this episode started and introduce you to Miss Vanessa Wade with Connect The Dots Public Relations. But before we bring her on, let's take care of some housekeeping. That means I need you to hit subscribe, we don't want you to miss any episodes of PRSay. So that you can stay connected with our members. And if you are listening, or watching rather on LinkedIn or Facebook, drop us some comments so that we know you're here and we can circle back with you. So with that, let me introduce you to Miss Vanessa Wade, welcome to PRSay.
Vannessa Wade:Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here.
Veronica Sopher:Oh, we're so excited to have you. So tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got to connect the dots PR?
Vannessa Wade:Absolutely. This is one of my favorite stories to tell. When I was in college, I was doing a presentation and someone walked up to me afterward and said, Have you ever considered a career in PR? And I said, What's PR? And she said, Well, we're on a meeting tonight. I promise. We're having a meeting tonight, you should come and check it out. And I went to the meeting, which was a PRSSA meeting. Because again, we're in college, and that person was Kelly Pepin check, who was who went on to be the president of PRSA, maybe 10 years or so later. So that's how all of that came about.
Veronica Sopher:I love it. Yes. And that's often the source for some of us were like, what, what is PR? Exactly? Can somebody explain that to me? So tell us a little bit about your journey. You graduated from college? How did you get to where you are?
Vannessa Wade:Oh, you know, it's like going into a haunted house that has rides and all these different things. It wasn't a clear path. At least for me, it was working a series of jobs because I knew I wanted to be in communications. But I wasn't sure what part because it's so vast, it's so big. And so started out with an area nonprofit, worked there a bit. And then a new nonprofit came over and they said, Hey, Vanessa, would you like to work for us. And so I became director of communications, enjoyed it, really fell in love with the PR component of it. And so about, maybe five or six years later, I ended up just starting my own. I was in between opportunities. And a friend of mine said, Vanessa, you can do this on your own, you know what you're doing? And so I did, and here we are 12 years later.
Veronica Sopher:Oh, I love it. And so what's your specialty at Connect The Dots?
Vannessa Wade:Yeah, that's a great question. So starting out, it was a lot of nonprofit. And so now what's more media relations, community relations, and I say, community relations, because I really enjoy community, for people to understand what products what services, what activities are available to them, so they can live a healthier life so they can live a happier life. And so now those are some of the things I do. So public relations, community relations, crisis communications, very good.
Veronica Sopher:And so what type of space are you in? I know, you started out with a nonprofit. And that makes sense. You have a nonprofit background. Have you branched out into any other spaces, any other industries?
Vannessa Wade:Definitely. So leaving nonprofit and and it's funny, because I felt whenever I would try to get out of nonprofit, something would grab me by my foot. Oh, yeah, put me back in. And I think that's for a lot of people, you enjoy the work, you enjoy the results, you enjoy being able to tell stories in an efficient and effective way. And then I begin to say, Oh, well, I'm gonna do some things in medical. And so that was some copywriting for hospital, oh, well, maybe aerospace and so on some things in aerospace, and then higher education. So colleges and universities, helping them understand branding and brand and essentials. But how to do it as a student, you know, when you graduate, sometimes without an internship, sometimes without work history, how can you still bring yourself for that next opportunity?
Veronica Sopher:Oh, that's great. And tell me how do you how do you really focus on that branding and get get right in? I'm assuming you're diving right in with the person or the client. And so you're learning all about their space? How do you personally make all that come to life in that branding? Because I think that's, that's something we don't talk enough about, and everyone's got their own strategy. And so I'd love to know No more about yours. Sure,
Vannessa Wade:well, I know people can't see it, but I'm wearing a polka dot shirt. So that's, that's one of the ways I brand myself,
Veronica Sopher:I'm always wearing pink. I'm always wearing pink.
Vannessa Wade:Right? And it's funny because people will see me and they may not know my name is Vanessa. But they'll say, hey, connect the dots, which is fine with me. It shows me branding works. So for me, it's, it's sitting down with them and sample. What are some of your goals? Like on a perfect day? What was your situation your finances are whatever it is look like? And then how can we brand ourselves as such, and to be real, we all are a brand? Yeah, no matter what we do and how we do it. So even think about people you knew in high school. That's how we remember them 2030 years later, hey, watch your purse, or that person was the smartest in school that may or may not be relevant anymore. But that's the power of branding. And so I start with, you know, what do you want to be known for, you know, some of those core essentials. And if it's, if you want to be known for drawing rainbows, and you know, just join rainbows, then let's figure out how to make you be expert at drawing rainbows. Meaning that's what you need to promote. That's what you need to talk about. That's what people need to see when they meet you, in person. So helping people understand, your brand is never off. Even if you're in a store, people are going to approach you about a particular issue or about a particular events. And so just really helps with helping them understand what a brand is, from the very beginning.
Veronica Sopher:I love that that is so true. And I think that people who invest time early on, and those conversations are going to get a lot more leverage from the content that they're creating and the content that's being created for them. So I think you bring up some some really good points. Vanessa, when you are working with young folks, maybe who are in PRSSA, or you get an opportunity to mentor somebody or give advice? What is it that you tell them about communications and what they need to know?
Vannessa Wade:Oh, there are so many things. But why not? You have to be willing to go with the flow. Because one minute maybe you're setting up an event, the next minute you are escorting someone to an interview. Next minute, you are saying hey, this isn't an actual fact. Can we have this information updated? So being able to go with the flow? And then also being a good listener? Yeah. Can I have a quick example that that I would like to give I've, I was working on a story for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the gentleman was telling me about breast cancer and different things that he had gone through. And I was, you know, listening, I had a few follow up questions. The bigger story was he didn't know he had breast cancer, he went to his doctor, oh, wow, that he's had for 20 years, the doctor said, Oh, that's just fatty tissue. Don't worry about it. He ended up getting a second opinion. They said, No, this is cancer. And immediately, you know, the process started. And so being able to listen. So while it was a cancer story, or male breast cancer story, it became more about having a follow up having the courage to get a second opinion, having the courage to go to your doctor and say, I don't know what that makes sense. So just again, being able to go with the flow, being able to listen, and then being able to follow up with really good questions.
Veronica Sopher:I think that's, that's really great advice. And knowing that we have to be agile in our work is key to making sure that the clients objectives are being met. And so we have to I tell people all the time, it's like a wedding. They don't know what was supposed to happen. So if that one pager didn't get printed, it's not the end of the world, the event is still gonna happen. I You still got other collateral, they didn't know that there was a one pager supposed to be on every chair. So it's as big of a deal.
Vannessa Wade:I love that. Because sometimes we feel it's the end of the world. When we do something wrong, and you know, in that moment, it doesn't feel great. Yeah, in that moment, we're really upset, but in the grand scheme of things is breathe, it's going to be okay because you want to enjoy yourself. And then a lot of times we stress over those details, Veronica, and people don't even notice Yeah, even notice,
Veronica Sopher:You're like, Oh, you put a lot of energy into that? Well, I think that's great. That's great advice. So if someone was considering joining PRSA, at the professional level, what, what would you encourage? Why would you encourage them to do so
Vannessa Wade:it opens you up to other people in other professions, but also different backgrounds. No one knows everything. And so, because I've been involved in PRSA, for such a long time, I'm able to connect with people that know more than I do, about a particular subject. And I'm also able to be the subject matter expert, in some instances. And so outside of the connections, you also build friendships, you know, people that you can call and say, Hey, what do you think about this opportunity? Or I'm putting together an RFP? Does this make sense? So it goes beyond, here's how I can land my next job, or here's how we can partner, if you allow it to? And if you want it to, it can lead into actual friendships?
Veronica Sopher:Absolutely. Oh, that's so true. So Vanessa, are you looking to meet new folks? Are you looking to grow in partnerships? What is your goal right now, with where you are in PRSA? And if members want to reach out how, how can they do
Vannessa Wade:All the time, all the time. So if a person wants that? to meet and go on a walk, I'm open for that. If they want me to come to their office building to see something they're working on, I'm open to that as well. And they can find me on LinkedIn, Vanessa, Wade, so that's VANNESSA WADE. Or they can find me on Facebook, where I often share a lot of tips and tools about communications.
Veronica Sopher:Love it. Okay, that's awesome. We will make sure that all of your digital content links are in the show notes. So members, if you want to connect with Vanessa, and you're looking to just grow your network, she's got some great experience and would be a great partner. Vanessa, thank you so much for joining us on PRSA today. Thank you. You have a great day. You bet. All right, everybody, make sure you connect with Vanessa. She is always looking for contacts. You can find her on LinkedIn information in the show notes. And I hope you enjoyed this episode of PRSA. Make sure you join us next week. And if you hit subscribe, you'll be reminded when our next episode drops. We are always bringing you great content so that you can grow your network and our Houston chapter. So with that, we'll wrap up this episode and we'll see you next time.