LCC Marketing and Public Information

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The Marketing and Public Relations Office handles a variety of marketing and promotional activities for Laredo Community College. The office staff includes a director, a public information specialist, a publications designer/editor, a graphics assistant and an administrative secretary.

Services provided by the Marketing and Public Relations Office are available to all college departments, student clubs and administrative officers. Services generally fall into four basic categories: publicity, publications, advertising, and special events planning.

Publicity is any free announcement to the public concerning the college, its employees, its students and its activities. Information is released to the public by the Marketing and Public Relations Office through print, electronic or other media, and is disseminated locally, regionally, statewide or nationally, as appropriate.

Publicity, usually in the form of a press release, is generally related to recruitment, instructional programs, enrollment and registration activities, faculty and staff initiatives or successes, student successes, one-time or recurring college events, community outreach, athletics news, student club news, or related events.

Departments who wish to release information to the public should seek approval or direction from their dean or division leader. Once approval is obtained, the requesting department should submit a request in writing to the Marketing and Public Relations Office in a timely manner. Typically, a minimum of two weeks’ notice is best to allow time to promote your activity or event. More time may be required for scheduling of talk show appearances.

All contacts with the media should be coordinated through the Marketing and Public Relations Office. Calls from the media to other departments should be forward to the Marketing and Public Relations Office for processing. For more information on how to handle media inquiries, consult the Procedures for Handling Media Inquiries on the college website at www.laredo.edu/marketing.

Your contact for publicity is Steve Treviño, public information specialist. You can reach him at (956) 721-5140 or stevet@laredo.edu.

Prioritization of requests is determined by the Marketing and Public Relations staff, taking into account the date the information is received and the number of requests received. Typically, a minimum of two weeks’ notice is best to allow time to promote your activity or event.

Photographs to accompany a press release can be arranged through the Marketing and Public Relations Office if adequate time is given. Otherwise, archival photos may be used at the discretion of the Marketing and Public Relations Office when appropriate.

Remember, college news and other publicity is published strictly at the discretion and timetable of the media. The Marketing and Public Relations Office maintains a log of when press releases are distributed to the media, and news clippings are archived for a minimum of three years after publication.

There are two categories of publications handled by the Marketing and Public Relations Office - institutional publications and departmental publications.

Institutional publications handled by the Marketing and Public Relations Office include the annual catalog and the academic semester course schedules. An annual publications budget is allocated and managed by the Marketing and Public Relations, which coordinates and facilitates the printing of these publications with input from various departments.

Any new institutional publication that requires outsourcing must be preplanned and pre-budgeted during the annual budget process by consulting with the director of Marketing and Public Relations Office for pricing and other considerations.

Departments may also wish to develop and print their own publications, such as business portfolios, special brochures and reports. Many of these publications can be printed by the LCC Print Shop. Departments should consult the Marketing and Public Relations Office during the planning process to ensure the publication follows the standards established by the institution.

If a publication cannot be printed by the LCC Print Shop and requires outsourcing, the department is responsible for the cost of printing. Departments should anticipate their publication needs for the year and plan for them during the budget planning process. New publications can be pre-planned and pre-budgeted through consultation with your dean or division leader and the director of Marketing and Public Relations.

Your contact for publications design is Ricardo Limon, publications designer/editor. You can reach him at (956) 721-5140 or limon@laredo.edu.

Printed materials are defined as all printed promotional materials such as flyers, posters, invitations, postcards, brochures and more that promote the college’s programs and services. Most printed materials used at the college are for specific projects, events or activities and should follow a standard format as developed by the Marketing and Public Relations Office. This is to ensure every representation of the Laredo Community College name will convey our image in a strong, clear and recognizable manner. For more information on the use of the college’s logo and standard templates available through the Marketing and Public Relations Office, consult the Institutional Identity Guidelines on the college website at www.laredo.edu/marketing.

Your contact for printed materials is Jesus Carrizales, design assistant. You can reach him at (956) 721-5140 or jcarrizales@laredo.edu.

Writing, editing and graphic design assistance for printed materials is available through the Marketing and Public Relations Office with adequate advance notice. Here are some tips for ensuring you receive your printed materials in a timely manner.

1. Plan early. Contact the Marketing and Public Relations Office early in the planning stage to allow time to schedule brainstorming, designing, editing, proofing and printing of your materials. Depending on the complexity of design requested, this process may take from two weeks to six weeks to complete. Be prepared to discuss your intended audience, your deadline, and your budget (if applicable). Our appointment calendar is generally booked a week in advance, so be sure to call early and allow at least an hour to discuss your needs.

3. Supply complete and correct information. The Marketing and Public Relations Office can assist you in writing and designing your printed materials to conform to college standards. Keep in mind, however, that your materials are only as good as the information you provide. Remember, once your materials have been designed and proofed for errors, they are final. The cleaner you make your original submission, and the more time you allow for the design and printing process, the less chance errors will occur. All elements must be submitted at the same time – photos, text and any other elements you would like considered for inclusion. Any revisions once your information has been submitted can lead to costly delays, in time and money. We cannot guarantee that we can revise your printed materials if significant additions, deletions or changes are requested after the design has been created.

4. Approve the design. Once your printed materials have been designed and proofed by the Marketing and Public Relations Office, you will be asked to approve the materials before they go to the Print Shop for printing. If anyone other than you must also approve copy or be involved in any decisions concerning your printed materials during the process, it is your responsibility to obtain that approval. Sign-off on the project is required before your materials can be printed. Be sure to review all contact information, such as dates, locations and phone numbers, carefully before approval.

Advertising is any paid announcement concerning college activities, including newspaper ads, magazine ads, television commercials, radio spots, billboards, bus ads, high school sports programs, community sponsorships, promotional items and others. Only the Marketing and Public Relations Office and the President’s Office can authorize purchasing of advertising on behalf of Laredo Community College.

The Marketing and Public Relations Office determines the advertising needs of the college, based on:

Departments should anticipate their advertising needs and plan for them by consulting with their dean or division leader and the director of Marketing and Public Relations during the annual budget planning process.

If a department has an urgent, unanticipated need for advertising during the fiscal year, that department should consult with their dean or division leader and the director of Marketing and Public Relations to discuss possible solutions.

Your contact for advertising is Deirdre Reyna, marketing and public relations director. You can reach her at (956) 721-5140 or dreyna@laredo.edu.

Special events that involve the Marketing and Public Relations Office generally fall into two categories: campus-wide events and department-level events.

Campus-wide events are complex, highly structured events initiated by the college that are open to the public and require resources from a variety of college departments to coordinate. Such events generally are coordinated by the President’s Office, the Community Relations Office and the Marketing and Public Relations Office. These events generally require participation from the college president, either as master of ceremonies or as a key speaker.

Events hosted at the department level cover a variety of activities, such as the opening of a new office, a despedida for a colleague, an open house, an art show or other activity that involves planning and coordination by a specific department. Depending on purpose and scale, these events also may be considered campus-wide events and may require assistance from the Marketing and Public Relations Office and the Community Relations Office. For guidance, please consult both offices early in the planning of your event to ensure proper protocol is followed.

The Marketing and Public Relations Office can guide you through the process of planning and coordinating an event. If you would like assistance in planning an event, please make an appointment with the director of Marketing and Public Relations. Here are some key points to remember when planning an event:

1. Plan early. Be sure to plan your event as soon as possible so that you can place the event on the appropriate campus calendar. Check the Events Calendar on the Intranet when choosing your date to minimize scheduling conflicts. This step is important to ensure that necessary resources are available from college departments who may be involved in other scheduled events. Also, be sure to check that the location you wish to reserve for your event is available. New campus-wide events should be approved through the Campus Calendar Committee. For more information on the Campus Calendar procedures, consult the Campus Calendar Committee Procedures on the Intranet.

2. Seek approval. Consult with your dean or division leader to ensure that your event has administrative approval. If your event is a department-level event that does not require resources beyond your department, it would not require further approval. If your event requires resources from other college departments, such as setup from Physical Plant or media coverage through Marketing and Public Relations, consult the Campus Calendar Committee before setting a date to ensure scheduling conflicts are minimized and proper protocol is followed.

3. Cover your bases. Consult with all departments that may be involved in your event. Depending on the purpose and scale of the event, some of these departments may include:

• President’s Office – for approval and/or president’s involvement/attendance

This is not necessarily an exhaustive list, since different events may require different needs. If you have any questions on the planning of your event, be sure to contact the Marketing and Public Relations Office at (956) 721-5140.

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Laredo Community College has designated the Marketing and Public Relations Office to coordinate all inquiries from news media (print or electronic.) The Marketing and Public Relations Office will ensure that the college’s position on issues is articulated in a uniform, consistent and expedient manner.

Providing key campus leaders with advance warning of a potentially controversial issue is vital to mitigating the damage to the college’s image from negative publicity and/or misleading or inaccurate information.

Departments with advance knowledge of potentially controversial issues that may affect Laredo Community College should:

When time does not allow the preparation of a college position, the appropriate spokesperson should:

The President’s Office has the discretion to respond to all media inquiries and can also designate an appropriate staff person to respond. In most cases, the following spokespersons will handle the designated issues. All other issues should be referred to the President’s Office and the Marketing and Public Relations Office.

All requests for Public Information should be made in writing and forwarded to the Human Resources Department for processing. The appropriate response must then be forwarded to the requestor in writing.

Keep in mind that these procedures offer only a guideline on how best to handle media inquiries and may not account for every potential situation. If you have any questions or doubts about how to handle a media inquiry, please contact the Marketing and Public Relations Office at (956) 721-5140.

The Marketing and Public Relations Office at Laredo Community College reaches the community with news, information and campus calendar, advertising services, and special events.

Meet the MPRO Team

Deirdre Reyna

Deirdre is your contact for advertising, publications, promotional items and public information. Deirdre joined the college in 2005 and has extensive experience in print journalism and photojournalism, having worked for a variety of daily and weekly newspapers. She has a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in communications. A transplant from Virginia by way of California, Reyna has called Laredo home since 1995.

Steve Trevino Jr.

Steve is your contact for publicity, photography, media relations and campus calendar events. Steve has been a member of the MPRO team since 1991, shortly after earning a bachelor's degree in communication arts. Prior to LCC, Steve was a video photographer/editor and an on-air disc jockey for several TV and radio stations in Laredo and Corpus Christi . Born and reared in Laredo, Steve graduated from LCC with an associate's degree in radio/TV production.

Ricardo is your contact for publications, promotions and other creative services.

Chuy is your contact for creative services such as flyers, brochures, posters, and other publications.

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Meet the MPRO Team

Deirdre Reyna

Steve Trevino Jr.

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