Deirdre Breakenridge is the President of Mango! (marketing & brand recognition), author of four popular PR books and adjunct professor of public relations at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey. Having packed much into her life; she continues to break boundaries and share her wealth of knowledge. You’re in for a special treat. So listen closely!

Who do you look up to?

There are so many different people who have affected me, both personally and professionally…far too many to name.  Just a few folks that stand out include: Fraser Seitel, who is known as the “Father of Public Relations” and author of the college textbook, The Practice of Public Relations.  My family has known Fraser since I was in elementary school.  Both he and his wife (who was my fourth grade teacher) have made an impact on my life.  Also in my professional career, I admire authors including Charlene Li (Open Leadership), Brian Solis (Engage!), David Meerman Scott (Real-Time Marketing & PR), and Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point), who are among my favorites.  They’ve enlightened me with their in-depth knowledge and expertise and continue to provide me with fresh perspective.

In my personal life, I look up to my parents who are the perfect model of what parents should be. I’m truly thankful to have them as my role models. I hope that I can take what I’ve learned and pass their wisdom down to our children.

I also see my oldest brother as a true inspiration. Because he is eight years my senior, I’ve watched and followed his lead over the years. The only difference is that I chose the entrepreneurial route rather than following his exact footsteps down the path to Corporate America.

How do you build traffic to your blog?

I promote my blog through social networking, my work with Mango! and speaking at different programs and events around the country. It’s so important to cross promote through your social communities. When I write a blog post on PR 2.0 Strategies, I immediately update on my Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook profiles to let my networks know that I have a new post and to share the topic for discussion.

I also use hashtags on Twitter, including #PR, #socialmedia, #PRSA, #PRStudChat (a community I co-founded for PR students and professionals), which are extremely helpful to connect my blog content with people who share similar interests, issues and passion.  Lastly, whenever I participate in a guest blog post or a media interview, I always link back to my blog.

What are some of your passions?

I also love art and feel that surrounding myself with beautiful paintings, drawings and graphic design helps me to be more creative in my own client work and writing projects.

I’m very passionate about my work and writing projects.

Aside from my family, I’ve always believed that my work in communications and as an author has been a great way to express myself (especially the book writing). The book writing has also turned into blogging, which allows me to share deeper thoughts and information with my PR, marketing and social media communities. My posts are based on “listening” to community conversations and sharing information that my peers have either asked for, or want to learn about in their professional careers. I also love art and feel that surrounding myself with beautiful paintings, drawings and graphic design helps me to be more creative in my own client work and writing projects.

How often do you blog?

I started out blogging only once every two weeks.  I remember reading Debbie Weil’s book on Corporate Blogging, which stressed that you should keep the pace that you set.  So many people start out blogging frequently and then realize that they can’t keep up.  With a busy schedule, I didn’t want that to happen to me.  In the beginning, I knew once every two weeks was manageable with a business to run, books to write and a family at home.  However, I loved the blogging so much I found myself wanting to post more often, which turned into once a week.

Today, I’m blogging about two to three times a week, depending on what’s going on in my professional career that needs to be reported/shared with my community.  I’m a firm believer that if you want to interest your community and attract new members, then the content you share must be meaningful to them.

How can social media be used in a more powerful way?

The peer-to-peer dynamic is tremendously strong through social networking.

Social media is an excellent way to connect with people and share a deeper, more personal side of yourself, your work or your company. It’s different than any other type of communication because it allows us to break down the barriers, and see the people behind the brand or to get a closer glimpse of our favorite celebrities or even our peers.  The power of democratized content has also changed the way that people receive and share information.

No longer do consumers just rely on their brands for information.

Instead, they trust their peers in a social community, who share reviews and recommendations and help them make a decision.

Every year, Edelman’s Trust Barometer comes out and the statistics say that consumers trust their peers far more than their brands, the media and the government.  The peer-to-peer dynamic is tremendously strong through social networking.  The connection to peers has a powerful impact on how brands will use social media to reach their consumers directly, not in an effort to market messages, but to be more helpful resources.

How do you find happiness?

Happiness is spending time with family and being able to find the right work/life balance.

I’ve been extremely lucky over the years by including my family in my work.   My husband will often travel with me and there are times that my entire family is able to participate in the events where I speak.  One of my proudest moments was when my mom and dad attended my keynote speech at the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Leadership Rally in New York City. It was the first time my parents had ever seen me present to a large group of people. After the keynote, my husband and kids joined us there too.  The presentation took place during my Birthday weekend, so it was wonderful to share my work with my family.

Family brings the most happiness into my life. Their support and involvement in my career has made my professional journey much more gratifying.

About Deirdre

Deirdre Breakenridge, president and executive director, communications, Mango! Creative Juice, an integrated advertising, marketing and communications agency, is also an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she teaches courses on public relations and interactive marketing for the university’s Global Business Management program.

Her books include “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,” “The New PR Toolkit,” “PR 2.0,” and “Cyberbranding: Brand Building in the Digital Economy.”