PR and marketing

Radio can be a tricky medium when you are preparing for a media interview. Unlike print or television, radio does not have visuals you can use to further emphasise a point or use as support for what you are saying.

However, radio is an extremely useful and powerful medium and a great way to target key audiences. Here are a few tips on how to prepare and get the most out of a radio interview.

Make the message clear
When taking part in a live or pre-recorded radio interview it is vital that, before the interview deadline, you make sure you understand what you are talking about and how you are going to get your message across in short, simple sentences.

Whatever you do, try not to waffle. Many people when they get nervous or feel as though there is too much silence will begin to waffle on about things that have no importance or bring no value to the interview.

Always remember that radio journalists will never create silence or ‘dead air’ on radio, so don’t be afraid to use short and to the point sentences – the journalist will more often than not have another question ready as soon as you finish speaking.

Talk to your audience - not at them
Radio creates the illusion of a one on one private conversation with the audience. It is much more intimate than television or print and therefore you must be careful about how you converse with your audience.

When you speak, pretend you are speaking to a friend rather than a group of people. Tailor your language so you are including the audience in the conversation rather than just blurting out what you have to say.

This not only shows that you care about your audience, but it also shows you are open to and welcome feedback and others’ opinions. You will also come across much friendlier and more genuine if you treat your audience as individuals rather than a mass of target audiences that you want to get your message out to.

Research the station and the journalist
It is great idea to research information about the radio station and journalist who will be interviewing you. Find out who the radio station targets – what are the demographics? Are they an AM station or FM? Talk back or commercial? Does the station have an area of interest e.g. education or lifestyle? Find out everything you can about the station or program before the interview.

Similarly, research the journalist who will be interviewing you. If you can find out what their opinions are on the topics they will be interviewing you on. How do they normally interview their guests? Do they ask controversial questions? What type of interviews have they done in the past?

All of this information will help you prepare for your interview and will help in how you deliver your answers and decide what key messages will be most effective.

So you want to start up a social media campaign for your business but don’t know where to begin?

There are many different types of social media from Facebook to Twitter to Foursquare and blogs. Knowing how to use each one, getting the best results and keeping up with your ROI can be a full-time job in itself. Not to mention constantly updating the content that is on topic and interesting.

Experienced social media companies will be able to do the research for you and develop a comprehensive social media strategy.

Another point of difference is social media campaign companies will have experienced writers on staff who can utilise their skills for the different platforms from writing 140 character tweets to 1000 word technical blog posts.

Tips for working with an outsourced company:

Do your research before picking a company. Different companies work within different sectors, such as lifestyle and retail, and can be experts in different fields.

Set targets: Know what you want out of the social media campaign and set realistic targets. This can be a certain amount of engagement, comments on a blog or number of customers taking up an offer from a social media site.

Communicate with the company to make sure you are both on the same page. Social media is an ongoing, daily activity and you want to make sure you both have the same idea when it comes to the message and public persona you want to showcase.

Hilton Worldwide today announced the appointment of Richard Todd as Regional Director of Human Resources for Australasia. Reporting into Brendan Toomey, Vice President Human Resources for Asia Pacific, Richard will function as the key business partner in the delivery of local and corporate HR services in the Australasian region.

Richard joins Hilton Worldwide from Toga Hospitality Group where he served as Director of Human Resources for Australia and New Zealand. Over the four years in this role, Richard managed the HR strategy for the region including the growth of the human capital capability, and the implementation of a centralised HR function to support business expansion and change management.

“Richard’s strong experience implementing HR strategies, systems and processes during growth periods ensures he is a true asset to our executive team. With our developments and refurbishments across the region, Richard will focus on delivering our cultural integration program, Blue Energy, ensuring the right people are in the business for our growth plans,” said Ashley Spencer, Vice President Operations Australasia.

“He is highly experienced in managing human resources from a national and regional level, and has a solid foundation in talent acquisition, team member engagement, learning and development and retention within the hospitality sector; his expertise will benefit the Australasian executive team immediately,” said Ashley.

Throughout his nearly 20 years in human resources, Richard has demonstrated strong directorship and HR delivery across hospitality, property investment and IT sectors. Prior to Toga, Richard spent four years as Area Director of Human Resources for Hyatt International Hotels and Resorts. He has also held a number of Human Resources and Training & Development roles with Stockland Hotel Group, , Micros-Fidelio Asia Pacific and Renaissance Sydney Hotel.

“I am very excited to be joining a company that offers such amazing opportunities for team members to grow their careers, and has strategies in place to ensure the company vision is achieved  through the  measurable culture alignment and activities of the organisation ,” said Richard.

Richard has managed human resources projects internationally in Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Australia.

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About Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 91 years, Hilton Worldwide has been offering business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,600 hotels and 600,000 rooms in 81 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. For more information about the company, please visit www.hiltonworldwide.com

Sydney based agency, CP Communications, has won the Hilton Worldwide account to manage PR and social media throughout Australasia.

CP Communications will be responsible for driving strategic public relations for Hilton Worldwide across Australia, New Zealand and The Pacific, as well as implementing the hotel group’s first social media strategy for the region.

Senior Manager of Corporate Communications for Hilton Worldwide, Asia Pacific, Charlotte Seymour said, “We approached CP Communications to assist us in delivering a unified social media PR strategy for the Australasian region.  We are looking forward to working with CP Communications, integrating everything from corporate communication and new hotel developments to targeting the leisure and tourism markets.”

While individual hotels will still be responsible for local media coverage and marketing, CP Communications will work closely with the corporate team to drive PR and social media opportunities from a regional level.

Director of CP Communications, Catriona Pollard said, “It’s a fantastic account for us to win as a growing agency, we are thrilled to be able to partner with such a reputable brand and are looking forward to achieving outstanding results across PR and social media channels.”

CP Communications has won a number of accounts recently including the Institute of Executive Coaching and Zintel.

Read the full article here.

Read the full article here.

Read the full article here.

 

We often think about using PR and social media to build a company’s profile – and that it only benefits the company as a whole.
 
But what about your profile and your reputation?
 
If you work within a company, or run your own business, you can use PR and social media tactics to build your reputation and increase your profile. It will enhance your chances of landing a position on a board, help with your next career move or assist in sales for your business.
 
Often as women, we think we have to be amazing experts to even talk or write about a topic. But the more you accept that you are an expert, the more everybody else will accept it too.
 
So, it’s time to step into the spotlight. It’s time you acknowledge your experience and do what women do so well – share it!
 
At this October Social Media Women event, Catriona Pollard will share with you her secrets on how she built up her profile and positioned herself as an expert in her field through the use of PR and social media, and how you can as well.
 
About Catriona Pollard:
Catriona Pollard is an expert in public relations and social media with more than 18 years experience in developing and managing PR and marketing programs.
 
Catriona is the Director and owner of CP Communications, a public relations and social media agency and is a co-founder of Social Media Women.
 
Catriona was one of the early adopters of social media in the Australian PR industry and is an advocate of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs.
 
She writes the popular blog Public Relations Sydney that led to her being labelled as a leading public relations blogger. Catriona is also listed as one of the top 100 PR people worldwide to follow on Twitter.
 
Catriona is regularly approached by the media to provide expert comment on public relations and social media and teaches a course she designed called PR and media releases that get results at the Sydney Writers’ Centre.

A not to be missed event - learn how build your profile and increase your reputation through the use of PR and social media.

Register now for our October event at http://socialmediawomen.eventbrite.com