My top three social media tips

I’ve spent a lot of time on social media throughout my internship. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… you name it, I probably did it! Here’s some tips I picked up that might help you execute a social media strategy. 

 

Be a consistent poster

Social media is not a static tool, it’s something you need to update regularly. I updated each platform once every two days to keep content fresh and different each time a person sees it. I also started a post series called “Pearl Tip Tuesday” and each Tuesday a new tip about pearls and their care is posted. I thought this would be a good way to get a sense of regularity and get people looking back through older posts. It’s been a good strategy so far, and will likely become a great tactic to keep in mind. 

 

A picture says a thousand words

Did you know that including a picture in a Facebook post increases engagement (likes, comments, shares) by 39 per cent*? I was lucky at my company to have a big bank of beautiful photos to use in social media. Almost all of my posts had a picture attached as well, which makes the social media profile much more interesting and varied. If a posts pops up in someone’s newsfeed as well they’re much more likely to look at it if there’s an interesting picture as well. 

 

Prepare in advance

Although social media has an advantage in being current and great for news updates, it’s really time consuming to post every day and it will often get pushed by the wayside when there’s other more pressing tasks. As such, I used Hootsuite to schedule posts to the company’s Twitter profile and Facebook’s scheduling feature to save time down the track. I ended up scheduling three months of posts in one sitting, which was a much more efficient way of doing things. We also posted more recent content from events and media as they happened, to make sure the page also had a sense of currency. It was a good strategy overall.

Do you have any social media secrets? Please feel free to share in the comments.

*7 Powerful Facebook Statistics You Should Know About: http://www.fastcompany.com/3022301/work-smart/7-powerful-facebook-statistics-you-should-know-about

Social Media is on Song

My internship has been keeping me on my toes with new and exciting ways of thinking about communication and social media, and how these differ between the worlds of personal and professional.

One of my ongoing tasks here at Zaccaria has been updating the company's social media sites, namely Facebook and Twitter. In the live music and entertainment industry, these two communication platforms are imperative - customers and fans want information that is interesting and timely, and they want it often! As Zaccaria manages several events simultaneously, there are a number of things to consider when managing Zaccaria Events Presents Facebook and Twitter Pages. I will use any time I get (which is not often!) to scan the internet for music news and anything that might be relevant to our upcoming concerts or events.

On the Zaccaria Facebook page, my access as an "admin" allows me to see how many people our posts are reaching, the percentage of people engaged in our posts, the location of people who like our posts and our page, our most popular posts and the trends of our online marketing activity over time. This data allows me to strategise future posts - we are able to determine, before we post them, which updates are going to appeal to our target audience. One particularly important aspect of using social media as a marketing/PR/communications platform is ensuring the content is relevant. For example, if we announce the pre-sale of say The Presets tickets one morning through an eDM to our entire Zaccaria e-mail database - we then follow this activity up with a Facebook post with similar information in the eDM. I have realised the importance of, and how effective it is, to strengthen one medium by backing it up with a complimentary form of communication. Here is the Facebook post I released after the announce of The Presets on-sale.

This post reached 600 people after the first two hours of posting - a figure which is consistent with the fact that we announced through eDM the on-sale that morning.

While on the topic of being timely and relevant, another tour Zaccaria is promoting is Human Nature: The Christmas Tour. Zaccaria has been organising a number of publicity events to promote the tour, one of which was an TV appearance by Human Nature on Better Homes and Gardens. Following this appearance on a Friday night, I posted on Zaccaria's Facebook and Twitter pages to remind the public and our target audience of the tour. The idea is to keep people thinking about the event - it doesn't have to always be about announcing tickets on sale, but rather keeping our audience in the loop with the latest news and happenings of Zaccaria and the talent we are currently representing. Below is my Twitter post from this morning, which I was excited to see was "favourited" by Human Nature - meaning the word is getting out.

So there is my brief reflection on the importance of social media and how it can be utilised in a more effective way to maximise publicity by supporting another form of communication. My experience at Zaccaria has taught me that as PR professionals we cannot rely on one form of communication - we need to focus on creating a diverse, integrated marketing communication technique in order to resonate well with our stakeholders.

Is anyone else using social media at their internship, and what insights have you noticed from using it in a professional manner as oppose to just generally stalking people?

Hope to hear from some of you!

Delta

Branding: Much more than just a logo

I am now 10 days into my internship at Corporate Sports Australia working on the Chevron City to Surf for Activ and I have very quickly realised the importance of corporate branding.

Branding is defined by the American Marketing Association as a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. 

In the instance of the Chevron City to Surf for Activ, branding is vital due to partnership and sponsorship agreements made with external parties.

Every piece of documentation including but not limited to; press releases, emails, newsletters, event guides and marketing material needs to have the official Chevron City to Surf for Activ logo on it, as seen below.

Additionally, in written communication such as emails, press releases and published media it is essential that the event name is written in full, being the 'Chevron City to Surf for Activ' not the City to Surf or Chevron City to Surf.

Even when emailing press releases I am required to include a disclaimer note reading:
**Note: Please be sure to refer to the event by the official event name 'Chevron City to Surf for Activ' in all media.

By mentioning the disclaimer in my email I have reiterated the importance of branding and secondly I have covered myself in the instance that the event is not referred to correctly.

Due to Chevron's agreement as the exclusive naming rights sponsor for the event, Chevron must approve all logos and marketing material that is produced. This communication between Corporate Sports Australia and Chevron regarding the branding of the event allows both parties to have a sound understanding of the Chevron City to Surf for Activ brand and what it stands for within the community.

The first press release I produced I had several instances where I referred to the event as the 'City to Surf' but today having produced 15+ press releases it has become second nature to write the event name out in full.

In the instance of events; branding also allows the public to make the connection between the event and social media initiatives. In the case of the Chevron City to Surf for Activ, the hash tag #CTSjourney is being used via social media platforms including Twitter and Instagram. Through the branding efforts made by Corporate Sports Australia and associated parties this hash tag is immediately recognisable to the public to be in relation to the Chevron City to Surf for Activ.

So far I am very much enjoying my internship at Corporate Sports Australia and am looking forward to seeing all the behind the scenes preparation come together on the 25th of August. I look forward to updating you all on my progress and sharing my experiences with you.

#foodstagramming

Foodstagramming is a continuously growing trend in which people posts photos of their food on Instagram and Twitter. With that said, my Instagram feed has turned into a constant stream of photos of other people’s food and I know I’m not the only one. 

Indonesians in particular, are up to date in almost all social media trends thanks to the popularity of the Blackberry and affordable internet mobile plans. I Googled and found that 95.7% of Indonesian netizens are active on social media. And as an Indonesian myself, I know firsthand the love affair my country has with social media, predominantly twitter.  

As mentioned in my first blog post, What restaurant PR brings to the table, I’m currently interning at a restaurant in Jakarta. As I spend much of my internship at the restaurant, I’ve been able to observe patterns in customers who follow a variety of social media trends. As expected, it is generally the young female adults aged 17-25 who spend the few good minutes uploading photos of their meals online. It therefore becomes essential for the restaurant to present their food, drinks and desserts in an artistic way that entices customers to take photos and upload online. A clear advantage of the foodstagram trend is the awareness and interest it creates online that will help in attracting future customers to the restaurant.

#parc19bistroterrace

Social media is a powerful PR tool that has become increasingly important in the restaurant scene across the world. Restaurateurs have altered their business models to integrate social media. Evidently, proactive use of social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can significantly improve the business in terms of public awareness and interest, customer loyalty, profit and so forth. However, we should never forget the risks involved. Restaurants run the risks of having negative comments posted on their Facebook wall, which calls for constant monitoring. Burger King recently suffered a hacking incident which brought negative impacts on its brand reputation. A restaurant and other establishments must take the necessary actions in order to mitigate social media risks.

Cresting the Hill - The PR Journeyman Part II

Hey fellow interns,

Since I last blogged there's been a number of exciting things happening at my placement at Volunteering WA.  As I mentioned at the end of my last post, I was getting some help from a friend of mine at Murdoch who's studying Screen Production to film a video for YouTube.

Needless to say, it was a highly interesting experience. I've previously been involved in stage productions in high school, and have recently started pod-casting for a page I run on Facebook - but this was the first time I've sat by myself and essentially monologued to a camera. It was really unnerving to be perfectly honest, and we ended up shooting for an hour to come up with about 3 minutes worth of edited footage - Zak was quick to inform me that I was not cut out for a career in acting, and I think I would have to highly agree!

The final product was really well put together though, and I will provide a link on my last post when it has been put up on YouTube - so there's something to look forward to!

Besides that, I have been working very closely with the Services Team at VWA as we gear up towards the launch of their currently undisclosed new feature that will be launched at their Gala Dinner and Awards Night on the 15th of this month. I'm really excited, as not only were my partner and I offered tickets to attend - but I think it's going to be amazing to see all the work our team has been putting in unfold in a night of celebration, and to see how that translates over the early life of the launch.

I took part in helping write for their monthly newsletter for GoVolunteer, which was really quite helpful in brushing up on my skills - I used to write for a number of other newsletters, but hadn't done so for quite some time. I always find it's easier to say more than say less, and the art of writing a newsletter piece has to obviously be quite succinct. Thankfully there wasn't a great deal of editing, so the newsletter went out on time and I was able to add another piece to my portfolio which is always a great thing too!

My main focus this week has been writing up a Communications Plan for VWA and the other state peak bodies which should hopefully be getting sent out tomorrow. It has been exhausting work, and the research has been quite extensive - but I'm so thankful for all the study that I've done so far, it really has been nothing but a permanent state of reflection as I look back to reference what I've learned and apply it relevantly to my current scenario.

I've really enjoyed my time so far at VWA - and I think it's been an experience for both myself and the services team in working together. It's quite sad to think that my last day is only a little over 2 weeks away, but what I've taken away from this has been invaluable to me and I think will aid me greatly for when I seek my next internship.

Once again, thank you to those who have taken the time to read about my experiences at VWA. Please make sure to read my next post, which will hopefully be the night after the Gala dinner - plenty of photos and stories to share!

Good luck to all - and I look forward to reading about you!

Blade
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Our Big Day has Arrived, as has the end of my Internship

Open Day was held on a beautiful sunny Sunday, and everything went better than we could have planned for. We got to the University about an hour and a half before people were due to arrive, as there were still things to be set up. On the day, everything went as planned, and my role was mainly to help manage any enquiries coming on through social media channels. Myself and another lady from the public relations team, were also tasked with managing the social media, in terms of raising awareness of events, taking photos, and we even managed to get #OpenDay trending.

The day was amazing, with each of the educational departments at Curtin having massive marquees, and entertainment everywhere. Nova arrived, as well as a petting zoo, 10 roving entertainers, two bands, a human soccer table, a human venus fly trap and food everywhere.

We managed to have more attendees at this year's Open Day, than any other previous event. We had 17,500 people arrive, and thankfully, there was no need for our emergency response action plan.

The week after the event, Asha and I attended meetings with many of the people/departments involved in Open Day. These were to note down any suggestions for the following year, to thank everyone for their effort, and to brainstorm ways we could out do ourselves next year.

The event was great, and it was amazing to see all our hard work come together. However, it did mark the final fortnight of my time with Curtin's Marketing and Public Relations team. I have had so much fun, and I found working within a big organisation, which include a huge number of people from different departments, coming together for the one project, really enjoyable and exciting. During my time here, Asha and I attended many meetings with people from Marketing, Public Relations and Media departments, and everyone was always encouraged to voice their ideas, including me. Asha was an amazing person to work with, and I can't thank her enough for giving me the opportunity to help her. She showed me how important being organised is, and just how much you can achieve when you are.Working with the Curtin team was so enjoyable, and everyone is so good at what they do. What I took from my time at Curtin was, how important good communication is within such a big organisation. It takes a lot longer to get things done, when you're working with so many people, but the end results, can be, and were great.

Engaging your audience online

As has been taught not only through out my university studies but is also evident through any work experience, social media is the growing area in which businesses are connecting with their stakeholders.

The West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) has of course their own website, and like most companies also a Facebook, Twitter, and because they are a performance organisation- event listings on Perth websites such as ShowMePerth. What many people may not know however is WASO also live streams various concerts throughout the year to the Northbridge Piazza through its partnership with iiNet which is a great way to make classical music more accessible to the wider public.

This week in PR International the discussion focused on social media and the rule of 80% engaging posts to 20% informational whenever you are posting anything online to your followers.

I feel this is a valid rule and I applied it to WASO’s online media presence. For example, recently WASO performed a concert titled Symphonic ABBA and instead of just promoting the concert itself on Facebook, there was uploads of ABBA songs via YouTube, a picture was shared on Twitter and Facebook of the disco ball concertgoers could expect on the night at the Perth Concert Hall and later reviews were posted too so people had a chance to have their say on how they found the performance.

My personal contribution recently to the online communication of WASO was to put together the monthly e-newsletter which is received by around 5,000 people. According to WASO's Digital Marketing Coordinator the email involves writing a blurb for various upcoming concerts in a more casual manner, which I found surprisingly harder than writing from a sales focused point of view! Part of this task involved getting in touch with a musician from the orchestra and approaching them for the introduction of the email as well as liaising with the WA Ballet for a ticket giveaway to Pinocchio, their new performances which WASO provides music talent for. 

Seeing all of what WASO displays online, triggered by this week’s conversation in PR International made me consider further the different approach that should be taken on social media as I see followers of a company page on Twitter and Facebook as generally being there because they already love the brand (particularly in the case of a music organisation). Therefore they shouldn’t be advertised at quite so much as engaged and made to feel included with the company, something I think WASO does well.

Social Media is the new Black

Social Media is the new Black
 

After two and a half months at Scitech I finally am feeling the groove of the workplace and my spot in the office. There is always something to do which is either challenging or exciting and this really has calmed my initial nerves of working in the ‘real world’.

There is one thing about the ‘real world’ which everyone should have a strong grasp on and that is the crazy world of SOCIAL MEDIA. This can be anything from facebook, twitter, blogs and hootsuite which I have found to be a massive eye opening experience in its self. If my sole role in Scitech was to just monitor, adjust, post and create social media stories and information I would have my hands full. The fact that these women in the communications department are able to get any of their other jobs done astounds me. That being said I have been given the administration ‘master key’ to Scitech’s entire social media sites and I take this responsibility with both caution and excitement.

 It is amazing how much there is to know about the world of twitter (which up until recently I have only used to stalk the Kardashians and Justin Beiber) so with this in mind I asked my supervisor for a crash course introduction to the social media site. All these hashtags and handle things that needed to be understood have taken practice but I have to say I am now nearly a twitter convert! I still don’t post much on my personal one (I prefer to stay the silent type) but I now can receive the most up to date news information, fun facts about anything and follow what is happening around Perth. This homework is necessary in the real Public Relations world and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is as computer redundant as me.

Hootsuite however has blown my mind, for anyone who has not heard of it look up http://hootsuite.com/ and prepare to be amazed. It is basically a dashboard which allows you to manage and measure your organisations social media. With one login you can view, update, measure and even draft upcoming posts which are schedules to come out in the future. It has your facebook and twitter on the same window and so you can easily view what is being said about you, what you are saying and what you want to in the future. Highly also recommend this as homework to all!

From uploading pictures of events, giving people a heads up to upcoming things and just interacting with our stakeholder, social media is amazing and we should never underestimate the power of it. If you want to see fun and factual things everyday add us on facebook or follow @ScitechWA (even a video of the baby chickens hatching!)

Feel free to comment, until next time! J

Brooke

INSTIGATING INSTAGRAM - SOCIAL MEDIA MANIA

As the forms of social media communication tools continue to grow, the demand for organisation to keep up is increasing!

Welcome to my second reflection on my placement at the one40william division owned by Jones Lang LaSalle. It has been a busy past few weeks as one40william prepares to enter re-development stage at the 140 Perth sector.

In today’s technology driven society, social media has taken the forefront of corporations communicating and engaging with their stakeholders. Although one40william currently has a Facebook page  and a Twitter account  and a 140 Blog on their website, 140 has recently entered the INSTAGRAM photo sharing world.

TIME TO INSTIGATE INSTAGRAM AT 140

As a result of the social media meeting that I attended regarding 140’s new INSTAGRAM strategy, I was given the role to liaison with Caitlin from Zebra (an organisation that specializes in social media and web design). We both set out to take interesting and creative shots of 140, to capture that unique brand image. It is a creative and exciting role that allows me to utilize the 140 brand position and interact with the retailers.

I was fortunate enough to experience and be a part of the step-by-step process required to create and form a social media tool. Steps were taken to ensure that the photos taken represented the 140 brand and in turn were able to capture the interest and attention of those whom were scrolling down their INSTAGRAM photo feed. Through the use of bright colours, two creative minds and bringing ideas beyond the ‘normal product’ Caitlin and I were able to capture images that were out of the ordinary. It proved that to be different is to think differently when using social media to communicate with your customers in today’s social media realm.

As 140 Perth has recently begun its social media exposure on INSTAGRAM it is receiving great support and exposure. Not only communicating 140’s brand tag line “The 140 Difference” but also promoting the retailers and the products offered at 140 Perth.

To view such creative and interesting images from 140 Perth, search ‘140 Perth’ on INSTAGRAM.

TODAY’S SOCIAL MEDIA

From Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Blogspot, YouTube…the options are endless! The large range of social media communication tools are highly accessible to corporations. However, through personally seeing social media used in a real life communication sense proves that the planning and management of social media is essential to ensure that it is effective and stands out from competitors.

As a result of my experience with initiating INSTAGRAM for the 140 brand, I found the most essential aspect was the planning period. Planning was the most significant step to ensure that when images were released to the public that they were stimulating and enticing. Therefore the planning and periodic management of such a social media tool is crucial to ensure that 140 does not fade into the INSTAGRAM background but leads the forefront of creativity.

I am enjoying every aspect of my placement as the day’s fly by at one40william. To finally be completing an internship instead of casually volunteering at events has proven to be exciting, insightful and allows me to use my creative ideas.

Until next time,

Alexandra Wheeler