Week 3: A Conversation with Stephen Chavez by Wai Khine
By UCLA X469.21 Student Wai Khine
Fast moving 21st century technology is changing our lifestyle. Despite that fact that we’re on our phones constantly and spending a lot of time using social media, we barely have enough time to meet people and socialize. During our Week 3 class, we were fortunate to have Stephen Chavez as our guest speaker to share his experiences in PR and explain how he utilizes his passion and expertise to succeed in social media.
Stephen is the president of ChavezPR — his boutique agency that develops successful multi-channel campaigns for some of the world’s leading brands and nonprofits. Clients have included Verizon, Anheuser-Busch, Northgate Gonzalez Market and the National Institutes of Health. His work has earned the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silver Anvil Award.
Stephen discussed how his strong passion for food led him to create LatinoFoodie.com — a blog focused on Mexican food and culinary travel. He explained how the blog has helped him serve his clients. By becoming an influencer himself, he can more effectively connect clients to the right type of influencers (micro or macro) to in-turn help tell their stories.
During the discussion, we learned about a lot of different tools — including Stephen’s favorite photo and video editing applications. However, he reminded us that we should always focus on campaign strategy and content ideas before deciding which tools and tactics to use. He also explained how marketers must consider their brand’s “voice” when developing content and engaging online. He then explained why it is useful to monitor competitors and relevant influencers to help come up with content.
Lastly, Stephen urged us to be aware of copyright when using photos, videos or music. It is important to have permission before using someone else’s copyrighted material.
Stephen made me realize that having the tool is not enough — the key is having the right strategy and content for the right audience. That’s how you follow best practices in social media.
