Where Worlds Collide: The Marketing & PR Overlap

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When I first started my PR & Marketing degree, I always imagined that these two majors would rarely overlap in the real world. How wrong I was! I'm currently completing my internship at my place of work - I work 30 hours a week as the Marketing Assistant at WA PCYC - and my role has really proven how much all communications roles are intertwined. Even though PR isn't even included in my job title, about 50% of my role could be considered PR-based activities.

For example...

• I manage 1 Twitter page and 3 Facebook pages, and then oversee another 19 Facebook pages that our individual centres also have access to.
• I write media releases regularly and liaise with (mostly local) media most weeks - we need to have a great relationship with local media as our centres are scattered all over the State.
• With the above also comes maintaining media distribution lists, tracking which stories were picked up and ensuring we have copies for our records, which I'm also responsible for.
• I'm accountable for producing WA PCYC's bi-monthly newsletter, Intervention (which I'm excited to say will be getting a fresh new look soon!).
• I am currently on a three-person planning team for WA PCYC's 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner, which involves working closely with our internal stakeholders and various suppliers.
• I'm also on a three-person planning team for the 2016 Youth and Community Justice Conference, which will be held in October. The Conference boasts speakers like WA Police Commissioner Dr Karl O'Callaghan, Chief Justice of WA Wayne Martin AC QC, ACIC CEO Chris Dawson APM and the 2IC of ASIO, so stakeholder management is essential.
• For the above two events, I'm responsible for creating and implementing a PR plan to maximise ticket sales and secure media coverage of the events. I've also designed the invitations and programs for both events.
• Even in the more marketing-type duties I do, my PR skills are so valuable - you're not taught how to write succinct yet engaging copy in your marketing degree.

Since the cross-over between disciplines and duties can be pretty large (especially when you're working in an in-house comms role), I think having extra skills can always be helpful and can even give you a bit of an edge in interviews! If there were 3 tips I could give first year PR students, they would be:

1. Learn your way around the Adobe Suite.
   Having a basic knowledge of InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator will help you so much! I know that we now have Canva for creating social media tiles, but I sometimes find some of my favourite fonts aren't supported by the platform - plus it's not a photo-editing software. Adobe offers a great deal on their student subscription, so it's worth checking out. There are heaps of free tutorials on Youtube to help you on your way.   
2. Learn how to read and code basic HTML.
   I'm not saying that you need to know how to code an entire website, but even knowing how to insert a picture or create bold text through code will put you in good stead. In fact, while formatting this post I had to go in to the HTML editor to override the rich-text "compose" mode, as it wasn't formatting the way I wanted it to look. Codecademy has some FREE basic courses you can take if you're unsure where to start.
3. Learn how to use different communications platforms.
   MailChimp, SurveyMonkey, PRWire and Hootsuite are just some of the platforms you'll encounter in your travels, and if you're a proficient user of them you'll be making your bosses life so much easier. Plus, if your boss hasn't used that specific platform before, you've now got a unique skill to bring to the table. Win-win! 

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I'm by no means professing to be an expert, so I'd love to learn from you!
What are your top three tips for PR students/graduates to help put them a step above their competition? 

'Til next time,
Jess.

Hands-on practice in-house

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

After having completed my second week at NEUW I feel that I now have a good understanding of the business. With a more hands-on focus this time, most of this week I prepared and edited their winter ’13 look book. What does that mean, some of you may think? Basically, it's everything from shooting flat-lays of the products to edit the layout in InDesign. I would like to recommend everyone wanting to pursue a career in public relations or marketing to learn InDesign and Photoshop. I’m self-taught, and have found it very useful for uni assignments as well as editorial pieces.

My first two weeks at NEUW confirmed what I already knew: PR involves numerous different types of tasks. It could be anything from research, strategy and layout to conferences, brainstorming meetings and events. PR is not a career where you only deal with one type of people – and that is what I like about the profession.

One of the reasons I wanted to complete my PR internship in-house was simply because I have found it fits my personality better. I have always enjoyed the thought of understanding the company you’re communicating for inside out, and that way being able to using all information to either improve/promote or sustain how the business operates. In-house practice is not for everyone though, and there are definitely positive sides with consultancy. Handling several different accounts across sectors might be the most motivating, but also that you usually specialise within a few areas.

NEUW employs both in-house experts and consultants. In other words - you get the best of two worlds, especially when dealing with consumer relations. Because we are living in a hyper modern fast-paced world, a consumer's mind-set and buying patterns change rapidly. In my opinion, behavioural and attitude change are the two most interesting aspects of communication. Does anyone agree (or disagree) with me? 

On my last day before the Christmas break I presented my own business recommendations to my supervisor. Next step, to begin when I’m back in mid-January, is to execute some of my suggestions. My supervisor initiated this structure, as we knew I was only going to be available for a short amount of time. I have to say it makes me feel important and very much more a part of the staff team than 'just' being an intern. It’s also definitely one of the better ways of learning.

Sara