LinkedIn can cook you lots of nice treats. I have warmed up to it a lot since I started using it. I do not have hundreds of connections, but a steady number which I am thrilled with.
Here is what sugar that LinkedIn adds: it allows you to get the names of key contacts you may have had a hard time trying to pin down. (more…)
One thing about me and I think a lot of ice-cream lovers is I adore vanilla. Vanilla is an essence that is always present. What on earth does this flavour have to do with career ambition?
I think ambition to be successful is similar to vanilla because for people who are desperate to succeed in whatever context, you always yearn to be the status quo, as opposed to simply aspiring it. Vanilla is the gold standard in ice-cream for many consumers… (more…)
Church of England has stated that it is against the idea of product placement. What could be useful is career placement instead. Here are my five career placement strategies that you could implement in PR.
Profilescreative does source PR recruitment in London. PR roles they recruit for include junior account executives and PR coordinators. This may be a good idea to have a look at if you are looking for a permanent career, as opposed to just a job.
Are your friends as career-ambitious as you? I think it may be a good idea to have ‘career chats’ once a week with a friend who wants to thrive in PR as good as you do. It could be a short 10 minute conversation where you both update each other on how well you are doing in both of your quests. This is good for morale and motivation.
I really think LinkedIn is going to continue playing a huge role in how people network online. Try encouraging your friends to encourage their co-workers to join. This gives you the potential to link and connect to a wider pool of contacts.
I think emailing your contacts you met on work experience every now and then is a good idea. This is an ideal way of building relationships because you are showing how interested you in keeping in touch. I think as long as this is done genuinely it works. I have done it when I am emailing journalists and I think it helps to keep you on your contacts radar.
With this strategy, I don’t necessarily mean doing another internship. You could start your own blog about PR. From this blog, you could then try and market it to niche publications in other to get more exposure. Or you could conduct an experiment where you use Twitter to see how many followers you can get in one month and to make it even more competitive, do this with the friend you have career chats with. Anything that keeps you working, whether or not it is DIY is a good thing in my eyes.
Is this a sign of a bigger exodus to come?
Press Gazette is reporting that John Waples is leaving the ST to join a financial PR company called Financial Dynamics.
He worked at the ST for 15 years before deciding to try things on the other side.
What do you think of more journalists joining the PR world — does this make it crowded or more diverse?
PC World have reported that emerging markets will be one of the defining factors in the financial success of IT products in 2010.
Lexton Snol of PC World writes:
Emerging markets will drive more than half the new IT industry growth in 2010, with IT spending up 8-13 percent in the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
This highligts the potential PR opportunity for PR work for products such as laptops and mobiles. Graduates could exploit this rise in IT usage and growth by targeting PR companies in places like Brazil and looking for work there.
Furthermore, mobile usage is outdoing the internet on the African continent. This is particularly fascinating news, because it stops the idea that the Internet has been fully saturated in Africa. This could potentially present two types of opportunities:
1. Online: Graduate PRs could align themselves with upcoming Internet services to further promote the Internet to African consumers.
2. Mobile: PRs could look at the big African mobile companies such as Celtel and Vodacom and position themselves to work for them.
This is not an exhaustive list of possible career trends, but it could be an option for aspiring PRs who want to see what other parts of the world have to offer for career progression.
Artwork by Kagem Tibaijuka. Flickr single image attribution in description
[Intro]
“I’ve always loved music”, says Ben Harris. The PR started Run Music in 2006. “The idea with Run Music is to only work with music I’m passionate about”, he says. Whilst many of us do love listening to music, the numbers tell another story. Record sales have sounded out of tune for years since the internet came onto the scene. How can music PRs find breathing room for their careers, if things don’t seem to be going well? Keep reading as vox-pop investigates whether music’s decline affects your chances of building a music PR career. (more…)
How you can follow into the footsteps of PR entrepreneurs by flying solo
Tony Stevens, the founder of Effective PR says he wasn’t sure of the exact moment when he knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur. The sole trader says: “I was made redundant as a purchasing manager from a big international company at the age of 50. After about 1,000 job rejections, I started my own company.” Over 5,000 PR agencies exist in the UK, according to Mischief PR. What are the secrets behind starting a shop and keeping the tills ringing?
Hilary Collins has taken care of clients such as Carlsberg.
Eddie Gershon’s agency turns 18 this year and has retained J D Wetherspoon as a client for over 10 years. The former Morning Advertiser journalist says: “I knew that I wanted to run my own business from my early 20s. I had worked on a newspaper as a reporter and was experienced at working on my own to tight deadlines. I simply put that practice into good use with my PR agency.” Other agency stars always had that feeling that being their own boss was their path. Angie Moxham from 3 Monkeys knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur from the age of 5. Hilary Collins from Big Wave PR, says: “I was 13, I used to sell vintage clothes to get a little more pocket money. I always knew I wanted my own business.” PR businesses need clients to survive. Keep reading after the leap to learn more about turning clients into gold. (more…)
I am trying to do the newsletter thing now as well. Weekly is a good frequency aim right? - posted on 11/02/2010
What is the difference between verified and unverified website email subscribers? I'd really like to know this! - posted on 10/02/2010