Networking your way to success

As my time at Fremantle Press comes to a close it has become clear how valuable the contacts I have made through this job are. While I know the value of networking events I have never been a particularly big fan of how some people chose to go about it-handing out their business cards left right and centre and attempt to sell themselves to anyone and everyone. It is important to get out there, meet people and make a good impression as a PR professional, but I personally think it’s more effective to network in a relaxed, subtle and friendly way. In my experience people like a genuine approach, so taking the time to get to know people, have interesting conversations and build real relationships is very important.

On my last day at Fremantle Press I was invited to a farewell celebration for a long-serving staff member. I was able to meet the board, many of whom are well known in Perth’s arts and business communities. I used this as an opportunity to get to know them and make a good impression. Having taken the time and made an effort with these people I would feel very confident to call on them at a later date.

My approach to networking is a reflection of my personality and it has worked really well for me. I think everyone has to find their own style that works for them and I would be very interested to hear how others approach networking and any suggestions or tips you’ve got on how to get noticed and remembered. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Verity

A jack of all trades

PR professionals must be a jack of all trades. Working in the industry you are expected to learn new programs and stay on top of the latest developments in the industry. One day you’ll be organizing an event, the next designing a new website and the day after that hosting a press conference. You never know what a day will throw up at you in this profession, which is why you must be able to think on your feet, be creativity and be organised.

I came to Fremantle Press with a basic set of software skills. I could use word and powerpoint and I was a wiz at Facebook, but that was about it. But what I lacked in expertise, I made up for with a willingness to learn and the ability to pick up new skills quickly. So now I have mastered InDesign, Hootsuite, Campaign Monitor, Wordpress and even the company website.

Working in PR also means paying very close attention to detail. Sending out a press release with typos, grammatical  errors or the wrong information is a big no-no. This week my project was the monthly enewsletter and before it was sent to all our subscribers and posted on our website, it was proofed numerous times by different staff.

If you’re interested in reading a couple of my stories click the links.

Final call for Hungerford entries

Consultancy title raises money for Starlight

Working in PR is exciting and challenging because there is so much uncertainty about what each day will involve. But if you can handle the pressure, have a thick skin, a willingness to learn and a positive attitude, then this is the profession for you.

Verity

Making corporate social media more personal

Social media changes constantly. It’s a PR practitioner’s job to stay abreast of the latest trends and work out what online forums a company should be using and how it should be using them to best reach the target demographic. When doing my daily scroll through Facebook, something on the Curtin University page caught my attention and stood out as a great technique for social media. I noticed that any comment responses made by the Curtin PR team, always had the individual employee's name attributed to it. So instead of just being a response from Curtin University, it was now a response from Emily at Curtin University.

The simple idea of having an employee write their name next to their post is used by lots of corporations and I think it can have a really positive impact. Firstly it makes an online corporate profile a lot more personal, after all social media is intended to be social. People are more inclined to interact with an organisation via its social media if they feel they’re talking to one person rather than an entire corporation. I also think making corporate pages more personal could make people think twice before trolling. Many people use social media, particularly Facebook, to vent about their bad experiences with an organisation or its products. While there is no way of controlling this and people will still attack an organisation, I think people are generally less likely to do so if they felt they were attacking an individual.

Attributing the employee name to the comment also suggests it is that individual’s comment rather than an official company statement, which could also assist the company if that comment were to attract criticism. I think this is a great technique and I would definitely consider using it if I were responsible for the social media of a large corporation, particularly one that often receives customer feedback on online forums. So if you're like me and need a reason to justify your time on social media, start observing what tricks and techniques other corporations use to encourage social media interaction and perhaps you too will get some ideas that can be implemented in your work place. 

Verity

Overcoming a fear of telephones

Growing up in the digital age has seen a reliance on emails for communication. Rather than picking up the phone and talking to a stranger, I would much prefer to send them an email and just cross my finger that they reply. However when I started in the PR industry I realised this had to change. Don’t get me wrong, emails are still important and can be a good communication tool, but when it comes to establishing relationships, face-to-face or over the phone conversations are much more effective.

This idea is particularly important when pitching to the media. Journalists are flooded with press releases and event reminders from public relations teams every day. If you can make the effort to make a quick phone call and really sell your story, the chances of success are much greater. In saying that I have found times where using email is actually superior to phoning. Some journalists prefer you to contact them via email and rarely answer their phones. When dealing with journalists in the Eastern States or overseas, time differences may mean email is the only option. I also find that sometimes an email works best because I have time to compose my thoughts and write the most enticing pitch possible, rather than getting nervous and bumbling my way through a phone pitch. Working out whether to phone or email pitch is quite an art that develops over time as you get to know the journalists and their individual styles.

Overcoming my fear of the telephone pitch has been very important. I used to get stressed over the fear of rejection and worry that journalists would be rude to me. But then I realised that if they say no it’s really nothing personal. Also, if a journalist doesn’t like your email pitch they just won’t reply. This leaves you wondering if they got the email or if maybe they opened it and liked it but then forgot to reply. I used to spend time worrying and waiting for their reply, then I realised it would be quicker and a lot less painful if I just rang them and found out yes or no. So my words of wisdom for today would be, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and chat to someone. If you’re pitching an idea, the worst they can say is no.

Verity