We all want our good news to go viral. But sometimes it’s the information you don’t want shared that actually gets traction. Your business is closing retail stores. Your call centre is going offshore. Your company is making redundancies. Social media is not just word-of-mouth – it’s world of mouth. So, how do you manage that conversation on the social…
My reverse bucket list
What’s on your travel bucket list? Volunteering in Africa, teaching English in Prague, eating pasta in Rome? We dream of the next adventure, the next achievement, the next thing… but what about reflecting on the life we have lived? Here’s my reverse bucket list – my top 10 most unforgettable travel moments in Asia. 1. Watching sunrise…
Eat, pray, love Bali
I visited Bali last year for the first time in two decades. I travelled with my new partner (at the time) and our four teenagers (one mine, three his). It was wonderful to escape the bleak Melbourne winter in June for 10 days of tropical heat. Bali has changed in some surprising ways during the…
What’s your theme for 2014?
I love Twitter. I get so many ideas, insights and inspiration from the people I follow. I met @trevoryoung in 2008 and he has since become both a mentor and a friend. Trevor posted his three words for the year, and a theme, over on his PR Warrior blog this week. I’m poaching the idea to share here….
Reflections on 2013
It’s New Year’s Eve tomorrow and it’s been a huge year! Here are my highlights… I conquered my fear of public speaking. I was a keynote presenter at the Social Media Marketing in Tertiary Education Conference in Sydney. It was a tough gig – I was the final speaker on the final day. I was so nervous…
6 reasons PR pros are perfect for social media
In 6 PR and social media predictions for 2013 author Sandra Fathi says public relations will win the battle over which corporate discipline “owns” social media. Hear, hear! Digital and mobile technologies continue to transform the PR practice. The lines separating PR, marketing, branding, advertising, and customer service are blurry indeed in social media. Do PR professionals…
Seven reasons why companies should decentralise social media
Is your organisation truly social? This was one of questions raised at the 2012 International Social Media and PR Summit in Amsterdam. Edelman Digital‘s Marshall Manson presented three models for creating social organisations. The first was the centralised model we are all familiar with. Social media is managed by a central division and provides the official voice of the…
Eight ways to create refrigerator journalism
I recently heard a term that has really stuck with me: refrigerator journalism. It was used by Ragan Communication’s CEO and publisher of PR Daily Mark Ragan at the 2012 International Social Media and PR Summit (SMPR2012) in Amsterdam. During his opening presentation on brand journalism (aka content marketing) Mark said the Holy Grail is…
A day in the life of a social media manager
You might imagine that being a social media manager is exciting, glamorous and fabulous. But here’s what a typical day actually looks like… 7am: Morning alarm goes off. Reach for iPhone and attempt to read mention feed of company’s Twitter stream with sleep in your eyes, glasses off and no coffee. Manage to make out a couple of blurry tweets that…
Bring on 2013
As the sun slowly sets on 2012, I’m taking a little time to reflect on the year that has been. If I had to sum it up on one word, it would be BIG! It has been a year of massive highs and one extreme low for me. You can’t have one without the other, right? Let’s…
My springtime in Paris
I’ve been meaning to write about Paris for months. However, I should warn you, it will be difficult for me to write about the most romantic city in the world without sounding effusive. Paris was as wonderful as I imagined – and then some. Everything the French do, they do beautifully. The architecture, the art galleries,…
My new role – and why I love it
I was recently promoted from PR Executive to Social Media Manager. I’m absolutely loving my new role. But it’s also been a surprisingly steep learning curve. Why? Well, it turns out there’s a big difference between using social media as part of your broader PR strategy and being completely immersed in it eight hours a day, five days…
