Halfway Point

Greetings, how are things going for all of you? I’m having a great time at work, though it is a little tedious having to sit in the office staring at the laptop screen for 9 hours straight. But, all in all, I have great colleagues to talk to and seek advice from. So, it makes life in office a little better.

This is my third blog post and also my halfway point through my internship period. 15 days have gone by and in these 15 days, I have learnt a lot about PR in the hospitality industry.

So, what exactly is PR?

Public relations defined:

“Public relations is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation (or individual) and its (or their) publics. It's the key to effective communication in all sectors of business, government, academic and not-for-profit.”- Public Relations Institute of Australia

To find out more on public relations, please visit this website.

The broad definition above may explain why the field of Public Relations is often hard to be categorized and to understand. In this blog post, PR is defined as the subset of marketing communications that shapes attitudes and perceptions, help establish and reinforce corporate and brand values and image and influences customer, associate and investor behavior.

Public Relations can be your most effective communications technique for two reasons:

• Public Relations usually involve the “third party” editorial endorsement of the media, thereby making your message more credible in the public’s mind.

• Sustained PR efforts result in enhanced awareness and attitudes among consumers. Once positive attitudes and beliefs are firmly embedded, it is much harder for a competitor to change those perceptions.

Public Relations practitioners use the following strategies to achieve their objectives:

Media Relations: Interaction between PR and the news media that results in positive publicity or media coverage that builds a favorable image and understanding of your establishment. Tactics include establishing media relationships, distribution of press releases or other materials, planning press events and property visits, even communication with media in a crisis.

Special Events: Events that attract media attention and generate news or feature coverage. These include press conferences, new openings and press visits to your establishment.

Internal Relations: Communication with fellow associates, strengthening both morale and loyalty by informing them, motivating them and their families and responding to their concerns.

Community Relations (Spirit to Serve): Involvement with special causes that are of concern to the community that builds goodwill for your hotel and its “neighborhood”, including fundraising, volunteer work, disaster relief and/or donations to special community projects- your community relations efforts.

Issues Management: Implementation of proactive communications to address and shape public concerns or interests. By following the news, you will be in a position to provide key counsel to your executive committee about consumer trends or potential threats that may impact the establishment.

External Relations: Communications and interaction with other organization that aid or impact your establishment or your industry as a whole, such as NGOs , associations and interest groups, tourism offices, major local attractions and art museums, etc.

Crisis Management: Communications activities during a disaster or a challenge to your establishment’s integrity. A sound crisis communications management plan is essential to any marketing plan because presence of negative communications during a crisis can have long-lasting, damaging consequences from which you or your establishment may never recover.

"Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”– Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am looking forward to what’s in store for me for my next 5 days in the office.

That's all for my third blog post. Stay tuned for my next post. 

Till then, happy working!

Jasmine Alyssa Epui
Miri Campus
Curtin Sarawak University

17143743

Unlocking My Potential

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.

• DO plan ahead

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.

• DO reshare content

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.

• DO respect your audience

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.

• DON’T spam your feeds

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.

• DON’T forget to monitor

You should be monitoring your channels daily for comments, compliments and complaints so that you can respond to them effectively.

• DON’T skimp on resources

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

• DON’T overdo it

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.

• DON’T plagiarize content

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