Diamonds (and pearls) Are a Girl's Best Friend

The most exciting day of my internship so far was when the graphic designer asked me to help with a social media photo shoot. The shoot was for one of their key jewellery clients and I was to be the hand model. It was 5pm in the afternoon on a Tuesday when was I asked to make my modelling debut and as I enthusiastically said yes, I looked down at my non-manicured nails and thought, crap. Not wanting to let the team down I organised a manicurist to come to my house at 7am the next morning to fix me up. I had also been asked to bring along any fashion-related props that could be used in the shoot. I scoured my house for all I could find and packed all my designer bags, perfumes, Vogue magazines, candles and fashion coffee table books into my car boot, ready for the next morning. I gave myself a little pat on the back for being so committed and organised.

The next day, the shoot location was at the client’s stunning showroom. As I walked through a shop assistant pointed me toward the back wall. I looked up and saw two glass doors covered in cascading waterfalls, which led to a space usually reserved for celebrities to personal shop.  I walked through the doors with a huge smile on my face and saw a rather famous chef chatting with the head jewellery designer, as they looked over some new pearls. Trying not to get too distracted I found the graphic designer and we got to work.

The first thing we had to do was look at the creative brief. It told us what type of images we needed, how many, what essence they wanted us to capture and the objectives the client wanted to achieve through the images. After we discussed our approach it was show time.

While she set up her camera, the graphic designer asked if I would like to style some flat-lay images. I love social media and, having had my own blog for some time, I know how to style an eye-catching flat-lay. I made two flat-lay scenes; the first was using soft pink hues and textures and the second using earth tones and rougher textures. She came over the check on me and was really happy with my styling! She stated I was the exact right person to bring along and, given that social and digital media is the area I want to specialise in, this was welcome feedback. We added some beautiful pearl pieces to my flat-lay and the photo shoot began. The images looked gorgeous! I styled about five more flat-lays and then it was my turn to model.

I picked up the first bracelet I was to wear and took the price tag off, which was marked at $33,000. I slid the piece over my arm and, as the pearls and diamonds caught the sunlight that was gleaming through the glass roof, I thought, please God don’t let me break it. Throughout the afternoon I put on over $300,000 worth of pearls and diamonds and it may have been the best afternoon of my life.

I feel the graphic designer and I made a great team. She was great to work with and really collaborative. She let me have a lot of creative control over the styling and we got some beautiful shots. They will all be published on social media over the coming months and I’m really excited to see the final results.

Are You a Sales Person?

“PR is just like sales, are you a sales person?” This is the question my placement boss asked me last week. For all intents and purposes, yes I am. I have worked in high-end retail management for years now. I could probably persuade you give me your bag and then make you buy it back for twice what you originally paid for it. What she was getting at was that a PR practitioner has to sell their pitches to clients and their ideas to management. To do so they have to be confident, knowledgeable, efficient and authentic; just like a good sales person.

Though years of customer interaction at work, I have fine-tuned the art of selling. But what I’ve realised, after studying communications, is the reason I sell well is not because I can manipulate customers into buying things they don’t need. It’s because I do the exact opposite. I help them realise what they do need and then present only options to fill that need. And I do that by asking open-ended questions. In other words, I do my research. 

I ask customers questions such as, “are you shopping for yourself? Are you buying a gift? Is the gift for a special occasion? What is their personal style?” By finding out what they need, I also find out what they don't need and from there I can make appropriate suggestions on products. 

Alike to sales, we have to ask the open-ended questions in PR too, although, we answer them ourselves by conducting in-depth research into our client’s business. Why does the client need PR? What is already working for them? What isn’t? Are they sending the correct messages to the correct people? In public relations, and not just writing a PR plan, research should be the starting point for any initiative. Without research we cannot define objectives because we do not know what we need to achieve. Research is the difference between an idea and an effective solution. In retail, it makes me a sale. In PR, it wins me the client.

Started From the Bottom Now We're Here!

Heading into my internship I had high hopes I would be deeply involved in real, riveting public relations work. To an extent I have been, but for the most part the work has been fairly surface level. Generally this is to be expected and honestly, I don’t suppose I would trust an unqualified intern with work that could jeopardies my client-consultancy relationships either.

On my first day I walked into the office thinking, ‘please don’t give me a spreadsheet, please don’t give me a spreadsheet.’ Five minutes later I was given a spreadsheet. I sat at my desk editing it for hours and, for a moment, I honestly believed time was going backwards.

The spreadsheet I was working on was a media contact database. It’s an essential tool for PR practitioners because it enables them to reach editors or writers instantly to pitch a story and generate interest in a client. Without an updated media database, pitching becomes a lengthy and clumsy process. So, although the task I was doing wasn't intensely fascinating it was still real, necessary PR work.

Over the next few days, in between the meatier PR work, I was given other menial tasks to do such as fetch stationary, draft travel plans for client trips, take client work to be packaged and, on one particular day, I was given three hours to find one hundred small green luggage locks that needed to be delivered that day. No small task for those who know anything about retail stock management and the chance of someone stocking one hundred locks specifically in green. But moving swiftly on...

Even though the tasks weren’t particularly stimulating they still provided opportunity; an opportunity to show work ethic, efficiency and attention to detail. So, each time I was given a small task I did it to the best of my ability. I did it quickly, thoroughly and with pride.

The way you approach small tasks may very well define how an employer perceives you. All those small tasks are essential for the completion of larger, more important tasks. If you do them incorrectly you risk laying a weak foundation for your team. So, the next time someone asks you to go and fetch some envelopes, fetch them with enthusiasm. Know the size of the envelope, how many are needed and the specific colour and then proudly update your LinkedIn profile with 'professional stationary buyer, because it may very we'll be the difference between getting a job and going back to retail.

 

Making Your Client Insta-Famous

I have just completed two weeks of my internship with a small boutique PR consultancy. The majority of the work I have been given is social media based, which is excellent as I get to combine my web communications and my PR skills.

The knowledge of how to create an engaging and meaningful online presence is an essential component in a PR professional’s tool kit. Social media can have a hugely positive effect on a business, if its use aligns with client objectives and branding strategies. If used strategically social media can achieve the following:

• ·    Increase the client’s audience and reach of messages
• ·      Direct online traffic to desired domains
• ·      Increase the sell through of product or services
• ·      Increase ability to actively engage with consumers/users/viewers
• ·      Allow consumers/users to see transparency in business operations (gain trust)
• ·      Allow for a deeper perception of brand through consistent publishing of on-brand content
• ·      Allow messages to be sent instantaneously to a large, relevant audience
• ·      Break geographical restrictions of traditional media

Since its creation in 2010, some businesses have solely used Instagram to drive sales and communicate with target audiences. A great example of this is hair mask company Oh Hello Hair. This company sells a small collection of hair masks exclusively through its website. The only communication tool the company used initially, to amass an active audience of 371,000, was Instagram.

Image via @ohhellohair 

Through Instagram alone Oh Hello Hair were able to establish a brand identity, direct consumers to the website to purchase products, communicate and inform followers/consumers and engage with brand ambassadors, as part of a third party endorsement strategy. Utilising the platform in this way enabled the brand to thrive and it quickly began turning a handsome profit.

Image via @ohhellohair

For the past two weeks I have been creating social media plans, specifically for Instagram, for several different clients. The clients already have Instagram accounts but need assistance in making them more meaningful and on-brand. The clients are all from different industries making the objectives of their Instagram pages differ also.

https://www.instagram.com/ohhellohair/

The following is an overview of the five stages needed to create an engaging and effective Instagram presence.

STAGE ONE: RESEARCH

 To create a strong social media presence you have to know the following:

• Who is the current audience?
• Are they active or inactive?
• Who is the target audience? Know the demographic and sociographic and be specific.
•  When is the target audience most likely to be active online, so the posts get maximum exposure?
• Complete a statistical analysis of current posts. Which were successful, which were not? Why? 
•  Are all social media platforms branded and cohesive and do they tell the same story?
• Are they linked together?
•  Are the existing social media platforms a true reflection of the client? If not, why?
• SWAT analysis of current usage

STAGE TWO: PLAN

What are the key objectives of the Instagram page? Which of the following does the client want to achieve:

• ·      Generate sales or use of services
• ·      Increase active audience/ consumer/ client base
• ·      Inform
• ·      Educate
• ·      Entertain
• ·      Inspire

Different objectives on social media channels require different tones and voices. Unless you fully understand the objectives of the content you are posting, it won't be meaningful and will result in no objectives being reached.

Once the branding and objectives are understood, you should have an idea of what type of content to generate. As a guide, aim to post no more than twice per day. Any more and the meaningfulness of the posts are reduced and you risk flooding the feeds of active users. *Exception is live streaming/updates of exciting events or relevant breaking news.

• ·      Create a social media content plan for each month. Identify any upcoming significant dates, events and promotions that align with the brand or business. If you are working in-house, then it is this point you would be working closely with other departments in order to gain maximum exposure for the brand and its upcoming activities.

• Choose images to post and create copy to go with them. Images should be high quality and the copy should be snappy, with one point per sentence. Nothing should take up more than a few seconds of users time on social media, or it becomes obsolete. Use the few seconds of audience interest you have wisely. 

• Find relevant, popular and niche hashtags to go with images in order to make the image easily searchable.

State Three: Design

Each social media platform is suitable for different content types. Instagram is a visual medium, making the aesthetics of the page highly important. Plan how the client’s page will look, remembering to ensure it remains on brand. The best and most successful Instagram pages are consistent and tell a story or convey a theme just by one glance. Consider one of the following:

• ·      A colour scheme
• ·      To use the same border on each image
• ·      To use the same filter on each image
• ·      To use colour groupings

Stage Four: Generate Unique Content

Online audiences respond well to unique content.

• ·      Organise a photo shoot with the client and their products/services
• ·      Use props and environments that align with the client’s branding

Stage Five: Engage

It is crucial to engage and be responsive with followers:

• ·      Ask questions
• ·      Reply to comments and queries in a timely manner
• ·      Be interested in what the followers add to the presence
• ·      Engage with other relevant businesses in a similar field (steer clear of direct competitors)

Once the above is complete, the initial Instagram page should be up and running. The steps then repeat as a continuous cycle. Quantitative and qualitative research needs to be routinely gathered and analysed to ensure the Instagram page is effectively adding value to the client’s business and achieving desired objectives.

In addition to the above, social media strategies and campaigns can be planned using the Instagram page as the communication medium. Also, ambassadorships can be sourced to increase exposure. These act as second layer tactics to an already established Instagram page.

I'd love to hear anyone's tips on how they increase social media followings.