Digital Marketing & PR

What do you do in your role?

As someone who works in Public Relations (PR), one of my key objectives is to help businesses and individuals cultivate a positive reputation with the public through various unpaid or earned communications, including traditional media, social media, and in-person engagements. Having a positive reputation is vital for brands, especially during a crisis. You are more likely to forgive a brand such as LEGO, a company with consistently excellent products and customer service, for making a mistake than Sports Direct, a company known for poor working conditions and a controversial CEO.

I am currently working at Orchard PR on a nine-month contract covering maternity leave and work with a diverse range of clients that operate in industries such as health, telecoms and food and beverage. My top priorities include liaising with my clients daily, producing and analysing creative campaigns that reinforce the company’s objectives and managing communication for the company, for example contacting journalists and influencers, drafting social media posts and more.

What training have you undergone

I studied Event’s Management with French at Regent’s University and completed my Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) certificate.

What do you do on an average day

No day is ever the same at Orchard PR but every morning I check what is happening in the news and on social media to see what topics of discussion are in the public domain. By doing this I can stay up to date with any comms surrounding my clients but also keep my finger on the pulse when brainstorming for campaign ideas.

The rest of the day will usually involve meetings with clients and reviewing content such as videos; contracts, social posts and press releases before sending to the client for approval. However, this can all change at the drop of a hat if an important press enquiry comes in.

What skills do you need for your job

Written and aural communication skills are necessary, especially in an agency when you’re communicating on behalf of your client. Other skills that are beneficial for the world of PR include adaptability as the media is a changing landscape, strategic thinking, creativity, and the ability to multi-task to meet clients’ different needs.

General knowledge of the environment around you and an understanding of topics of interest is also extremely beneficial when working in PR.

What advice you would give job seekers in the same field?

Follow and subscribe to PR and marketing trade publications such as PR Week, Influence, Campaign and The Drum. These publications provide valuable insight within the PR industry and highlight agencies and brands that are pushing the boundaries within PR and marketing. I’d also recommend attending webinars whether you’re looking for a new job or not. Webinars provide training opportunities as well as insight and opinions that you may not normally have access to.

Finally, follow companies and brands that you would be interested in working for on social media. Companies regularly promote their successful campaigns online and will be happy to share and discuss with you further about their results if you show genuine interest in their brand and campaign.  

What would be your top tip for individuals wanting to get into the field that you work in?

Ask companies for work experience opportunities and internships. Explaining a job and a career can be tricky which is why work experience is beneficial to discover if the career path is for you.

While I was at university, I would intern every summer at a different company to discover what suited my personality. This helped my employability when looking for my first job in PR as I was able to demonstrate why I was the right candidate for the job. Internships also help develop relationships with future employers, for example Orchard PR is the first place that I interned at while I was at university and we stayed in regular contact over the years.

Finally, I would recommend approaching anyone working in PR for more information. We’re always looking for more people to join the industry.

What do you do in your role?

Run the affiliate Channel - Bring in new customers through cash back, voucher, content and social sites.

What training have you undergone?

AdWords certified, also run throughs on different dashboards I need to use. And have done a degree in Marketing (fashion design and technology, Bournemouth Uni)

What do you do on an average day?

Check the affiliate dash board, Update the affiliates with promos as well as checking what codes they have and communicating with them daily setting up exclusives.

What skills do you need for your job?

Google analytics, Excel, being able to communicate with affiliates.

What advice would you give job seekers in the same field?

Get involved in everything, take chances.

What would be your top tip for individuals wanting to get into the field that you work in?

Keep up to date, digital world is always changing and new things are always happening.

What do you do in your role?

Many things! Where do I start? Develop the PR element of PwC's business strategy, working closely with our wider tax, advisory and assurance teams to ensure our broad depth of international expertise is well-profiled.

Put a planned local media schedule in place (both digital and traditional), meeting regularly with editors and advertisers of local publications.

Social media marketing and implementation of our social media reverse mentoring programme.

Brand ambassador for PwC, plus ensuring our staff understand and have everything they need to bring the PwC brand to life consistently in the work they do.

What training have you undergone?

Well, firstly after school I completed a degree in International Marketing and languages (German and French), followed by a Masters in Business Studies specialising in Marketing. When I first joined the firm over six years ago, my first task was to attend a week-long 'social media bootcamp' at our Frankfurt office, at which all Marketing heads were trained on PwC's approach to social media. More recently, we participated in a 'Taking Pride in our Brand' workshop delivered by the PwC UK Brand team, just to ensure we're all fully up to speed with how the PwC brand is evolving. At PwC, brand reputation means everything!

What do you do on an average day?

It's definitely not repetitive or predictable, that's for sure. Usually, I'd start with a marketing team meeting, either in person or by Google hangout, depending on who is based where on a particular day, just to check-in and agree on priorities. Then I might have a catch up on site at a hotel venue with the AV company we use, regarding the stage set for an upcoming event we are hosting. Back to the office to dial into a global PR call to understand more about the latest thought leadership we are releasing globally - there could be as many as 90 people on these calls so we are really lucky to have access to such brilliant technology to enable these meetings to run smoothly. After lunch there might be a briefing call with our web developers to build some website infographics depicting our work on the topic of 'boosting diversity, prosperity and growth in the Channel Islands'. I'll then run through the transcripts with one of our spokespeople for a piece he or she might be doing to camera (say, on data analytics), which we'll then share through our social media channels. Finally, I'll prep a few slides for a workshop I'm delivering later that week to a group of charities on the topic of LinkedIn for nonprofits'. Then, I'll make a dash off to do the school run at about 3.30pm (thankfully flexibility is welcomed and greatly encouraged at PwC) and I'll continue on remotely tying up any loose ends later on that evening. 

What skills do you need for your job?

As well as the official qualifications, you've got to be a good communicator and, simple as it sounds,  you must enjoy spending time with people. Making people feel at ease, being encouraging and not being afraid to ask what might be a 'silly' question have really helped me build some great, authentic working relationships.

What advice would you give job seekers in the same field?

Be proactive in applying for relevant work experience. Most likely you'll find they want your skills just as much, or even more, than you realise. Or get in touch with someone doing a job you aspire to, and meet for a coffee. Who knows where it will take you? When your formal education is complete, don't stop there. Always keep on learning. Stay curious. Learn something new each day and share what you learn. Not forgetting to keep your LinkedIn profile current, with a professional photo, and connect with people on this platform with a personal note, after you meet them at networking events.

What would be your top tip for individuals wanting to get into the field that you work in?

Be authentic, the real you will always be so much better.

We should all remember that intellectual complacency is not our friend and that learning – not just new things but new ways of thinking – is a life-long endeavour.  

My advice to you is to take personal responsibility for digitally upskilling yourself. A very simple example of what we do at PwC is just freeing up some time for people to focus on their own digital learning.