Hello
again, everyone. Is everyone adjusting well in the establishment you all are
interning at? I hope everything is going smoothly and I wish everyone happy
working!
This
is my second blog post and it has been a week since I first started my
internship in Miri Marriott Resort & Spa. Besides’ the task of media
clippings as mentioned in my previous blogpost, I have been assigned to do the
company’s social media monitoring. My supervisor gave me their Facebook and Twitter’s
ID’s and passwords. I was trusted with their social media accounts and boy, was
I excited! Handling the social media accounts of a 5-star establishment known
worldwide was thrilling.
Miri
Marriott’s PR department is handling Mulu Marriott’s social media accounts.
Hence, I was tasked to monitor both Miri and Mulu Marriott’s accounts. My first
task was to increase the likes of their Facebook page as well as increase the
follower counts. When I started, Mulu Marriott’s Twitter account’s followers
were merely 42 followers. As of today (7 July 2015), I managed to increase the
count to 388. As for Miri Marriott’s Twitter account, it first started off at
7690 and I managed to bring the count up to 8062. My supervisor have been
telling me that the Miri Marriott Twitter accounts followers have been
decreasing for weeks now. After mentioning to him about the increase, he praised
me on my efforts and I was proud of myself. The feeling of accomplishment truly
is indescribable. Please do visit Miri Marriott's Facebook page here and Mulu Marriott's Facebook page here. You can also visit their Twitter pages: Miri Marriott & Mulu Marriott respectively.
Every
morning at 8.30 am, our department team will have a morning briefing and we
will go through our daily packet which includes messages from the General
Manager of Cluster Director of both Miri and Mulu Marriott, birthday shoutouts,
forecasts of room bookings and many more. After the briefing, we each have to
mention our goals and tasks to be done on that very day. I will always update
the team on the amount of followers I’ve managed to increase yesterday and
hopefully increase them further that day.
Besides’
that, today, I was given the task of writing a press release on Mulu Marriott’s
“Spirit To Serve” (STS) program. STS program is Marriott’s community relations program where they support the communities where we live and work. Marriott International focuses on five global social issues: poverty alleviation, the environment, community workforce development, the wellbeing of children, and global diversity and inclusion. The program helps to create goodwill by supporting special causes. This program
is a way for Marriott to “give something back” to the community. Besides that,
it helps to garner valuable media attention as well as developing close working
relationships with local businesses and community groups. Through the program,
the company can build partnerships with other corporate sponsors and develop
rapport with them.
You can read more on Marriott's Spirit To Serve here.
Press release format:
Be sure to indicate right at the top that this document is a
news release. The words, “News for Immediate Release,” should be bold as
possible in the upper left-hand of the page.
Be sure to:
- Use the full name of the property;
- Type the release in Times New Roman
font, 12 point type;
- Use an informative or catchy
headline in all caps, on two single-spaced lines. Position the headline flush
left, not centered;
- Double-space after the headline,
and double space between lines of a release. Triple space between paragraphs.
Do not break paragraphs between pages;
- Do not indent paragraphs;
- If a release is longer than one
page, put the word “more: at the end of each page. At the end of the release,
put a “30” and “###) to signal the end;
- Number all pages but the first one.
Include a shortened version of the headline at the upper left-hand corner of
subsequent pages and the appropriate page numbers, including the word “page”;
- Only capitalize executive titles
when they come before the person’s name. Do not use courtesy titles (Mr., Ms.) on
the first reference on an individual. Use the full name instead, Use courtesy
titles on all subsequent references; and
- Spell out numbers from one to
nine, use numerals for numbers from 10 and up. Always spell out numbers that
begin a sentence.
Media Monitoring Do's & Don'ts
Media
Monitoring Do’s
- DO
complete your profiles
Make
sure your profiles are branded, and that they explain what service you provide.
Include a link to your website or how people can get in touch with you.
- DO
engage with your audience
Make
sure your posts are interesting for your audience, respond to questions and
comments as timely as possible, and keep your messages consistent with your
brand’s identity.
Creating
a monthly calendar of any special days or content you want to distribute can
help to keep your social channels timely and fresh.
- DO
consider timing when posting
Ensure
your posts have a good chance to be seen by your target audience by posting at
the most effective times to achieve higher levels of social engagements
- DO
use links and hashtags
Links
can be used to direct traffic back to your website and hashtags help to get
your posts seen. Breanded, unique hashtags can help users find your content
faster and more easily, as well as establishing your brand.
Social
media is all about community so reshare and engage with the content of others
that is relevant to your audience. It’s a great way to build connections and
show support to the business community you’re a part of.
- DO
make your content stand out
Variety
is key when it comes to types of content being shared. Include a mix of images,
blogposts, infographics, tips, authoritative content and video.
You’ve
worked hard to build your audience so don’t let it go to waste by being rude or
aggressive. Respond to people who have taken the time to get in touch-always be
positive and emphasize your strengths rather than highlighting any weaknesses.
Media
Monitoring Don’ts
- DON’T spread
yourself too thin
Don’t waste time
signing up to every social media platform going if you’re not going to have
time to update each one regularly. Think about what’s important and will work
for your business.
Social media should
be used to inform and show your expertise, not just to hard sell. Don’t overwhelm
your feeds with too much information though; carefully consider the content you’re
sharing.
You should be
monitoring your channels daily for comments, compliments and complaints so that
you can respond to them effectively.
Don’t underestimate
what is required when running social media channels for your business. Fresh
content must be created and be up to date with the industry news and changes,
while someone should be responsible for regular posting and interacting with
any customer comments or queries
No one likes a post
with a thousand hashtags in it. Limit yourself to 2-3 key phrases and try to
use them naturally within sentences instead of lumping them at the end.
Resharing is one
thing, copying content and branding it as your own is another. Always give
credit when credit is due.
- DON’T forget about
the visuals
From infographics
to videos, posting visual-based content drives interaction. Time is short so
having content that is easy on the eye and quick to digest is key.
- DON’T share or
interact with questionable content
There’s a delicate
line on social media as to what should be shared and what shouldn’t. think
carefully about your business and what it stands for before you interact with
controversial or questionable content.
If you would like to read more on the Do's & Don'ts, please visit the website here
"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”
– Jimmy Johnson
That's all for my second blog post. Stay tuned for my next one.
Till then, happy working!
Jasmine Alyssa Epui
Miri Campus
Curtin Sarawak University
17143743
