Social Media Butterfly

Social Media Butterfly 

Last week I attended a reception for this year’s ATHENA leadership award recipient, hosted by IWIL. I was taking photos and a fellow board member referred to me as IWIL’s ‘social media butterfly’. I rather liked it. When I got to thinking about it I realized it was a perfect description for what the person responsible for an organization’s social media should be. 

I attend almost all IWIL events and have also committed to being on both the ATHENA and Symposium committees. Honestly, sometimes I have to attend via conference call (even I can’t be at two places at once), but I feel it’s my duty as the person responsible for keeping our membership informed about our activities, via our social media platforms, which include Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, to keep myself in the loop. 

At Gem PR & Media we manage a large number of social media accounts, in fact, much of Chris’ time is taken up posting, boosting and scheduling ads for our clients on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. We pride ourselves on delivering a great return on investment for our clients. So much so that our most recent, large-scale social media project, blew other mediums; TV, radio, and print, out of the water – and best of all we have the stats to back up the claim – because with social media we can actually measure engagement, reach and buying power. 

Back to the social media butterfly comment, for which I am quite proud, it is imperative to immerse ourselves in our clients’ businesses, to absorb all that they have to offer, to have an understanding of their products and services, to gain feedback and testimonials from their clients so that we can portray the very best of their business. 

Whether that’s attending a retirement party, visiting a group that a client is speaking to or creating traditional media (by that I mean TV, radio, and print) opportunities so we can then spread the word via social media too – then that’s what we’ll do. We don’t sit still for one minute. We move from place-to-place seeking out opportunities to create engaging posts for our clients’ target markets. Much like a social (media) butterfly. 

Millennials

Chris recently prepared a presentation about marketing to millennials for one of the networking groups we attend in Springfield. Here, he explains why, no matter your business, you cannot ignore this generation in your marketing, media or public relations planning. 

Essentially, a millennial is anyone born in 1981 and onwards, according to popular opinion – although some say it goes as far back as those born in 1976. More simply, millennials were the first generation to come of age in the new millennium. 

One of the world’s most famously successful millennials is Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. Facebook is a key marketing tool that we use for clients in order to target and engage with their preferred audience. It’s extremely cost effective and measurable – it’s where, not just millennials, but all generations are at. For example, within a 25-mile radius of Springfield, there are more than 46,000 Facebook users over the age of 50. 

Millennials work hard when motivated; they like the opportunity to be  heard, prefer an interesting office environment (at Gem PR & Media HQ we have a range of workspaces from a large table that seats six for collaborative work to sofas and quieter breakout areas – oh and of course, we have a beer fridge). Millennials are decisive and want their leaders/mentors to be the same way. 

Millennials appreciate an environment that rewards creative problem solving: hence our collaborative desk at Gem PR & Media. The open culture that millennials have adopted allows people to move around and solve problems they care about most. For example, sometimes life means it’s difficult to work from the office and we need to stay home for a day or more – we have no problem with that. Happy employees mean happy clients and continuous growth for our business, which also means we have more resources at our disposal to give back to the community. Something else millennials care about – brands that care. 

Did you know, according to Hubspot, 84% of millennials don’t trust traditional advertising? We also spend a great deal of our time researching potential purchases – online mostly – before taking the plunge. We pass on to our peers for advice about products, we read news stories and blogs before committing to a brand. However, once we’ve chosen a brand were vehemently loyal to it. 

The value of columns, blogs and paid for editorial is far greater than the traditional, bog standard ad. So think about your market – 90% of millennials log more than two hours a day on Facebook – and how you want to spend your marketing dollars – or speak to us and we’ll show you how! 

Facebook Live

Like any social media platform, Facebook’s goal is to keep users active and engaged. In December, Facebook launched its live video feature for IOS. 
Facebook Live helps extend your audience reach, but won’t necessarily drive a huge amount of traffic to your website – you must encourage people to do so through your page – the contact button is a good way to increase clicks from the platform. 
If you’re going to engage in a Facebook Live campaign make sure you have a strategy and set objectives – there’s nothing worse than random content, which is uninformative and dull. And, there are plenty of examples out there! 
On a positive note, Facebook’s algorithm favors live streaming videos – however, know your audience – think about the time of day you are broadcasting and make it interesting. If you’re struggling to see how you might use Facebook Live effectively here are a few tips: 

1.    Like any online activity, you engage in for marketing purposes if you’re gong to do it, do it well! 
2.    Tell people when you are ‘going live’ – this will encourage your followers to engage with you during your broadcast if they are prepared for it. Write a description of your topic and the purpose of your discussion – what’s great about Facebook Live is that you have an opportunity to engage with your audience as you are broadcasting. 
3.    It goes without saying; make sure you have a good connection! 
4.    Ask your followers to tap on the Follow button on live videos and videos that were live and then opt-in to get notifications the next time you broadcast. 
5.    Acknowledge your commentators by name and respond to their comments. 
6.    If you develop a following and have compelling content broadcast for longer periods of time. 
7.    Be creative! Don’t bore your audience. If you want them to come back your followers need to get something out of it. 
8.    Make sure you mention your business, your services and your web address – this isn’t an advert, but with any form of marketing or PR you have to take the opportunity to promote yourself. 
9.    Facebook, in its Best Practices guide, recommends you broadcast for at least 10 minutes – make sure you have enough content to do so. 
10.    When your live stream is over the video will remain on your page so use the opportunity to repurpose this content by writing a recap post for your blog. You can even edit the video so that it’s a little more polished and ready for use on your website. 

Types of Facebook Live videos you might want to consider: 
•    Question and Answer sessions
•    Take your followers behind the scenes of your organization
•    Breaking news (news means something new, interesting and relevant) 

Remember, whatever you do, make sure you stay on brand, use key messaging and align your Facebook Live strategy and objectives with your business goals. If you’re going to take the time and time is money, to use Facebook Live prepare, promote, and create compelling content. Don’t waste your followers’ time, they are busy people and need to gain something from your post (any post for that matter, live video, photos, text or pre-records). 

Online tools

There are a number of online tools we use at Gem PR & Media almost every day. So, we thought we’d share these with you – especially as most of them are completely free!

Wetransfer.com

One of our favorites. Wetransfer.com allows for the sharing of large files without subscribing to the platform – and it’s free. You simply upload, or drag and drop, your files onto the page, type in the recipients email, add a message if you want, and send. You’ll not only receive an email to confirm that your files have arrived safely, but you’ll also get an email when the recipient has downloaded the files. The only drawback is that the files must be downloaded within a certain time, about a week, however you are sent an email notifying you if the files have not been downloaded about two days before deadline, which is handy because you can remind your recipient to do so. When you’re editing magazines from around the world, like we do at Gem PR & Media, this tool is invaluable.

Toggl.com

At Gem PR & Media we time keep so that we can measure our effectiveness in managing client accounts and track other activity such as admin, or our own PR, for example. Toggl is free and easy to use. You can also add members of the team to your account so you’re all recording to the same timesheets. There’s also an opportunity to download projects, which is extremely helpful for ad-hoc clients.

Canva.com

Canva.com is fantastic for creating images for social media. Now, we have some pretty creative people in our team, such as Courtney who’s a whiz when it comes to Photoshop and video, but I’m better with words so Canva is perfect for me. What I like about Canva is it’s pretty foolproof. You can upload your own images, add text and download to your desktop. The images are even sized for the various social media platforms – which is fabulous!

Facebook.com

An obvious choice right? As a team, we don’t just use Facebook for the promotion and marketing of our clients, we also use messenger to communicate, especially if there’s more than two of us involved in the conversation and we’re working remotely or it’s the evening and we’re watching TV with our cell phones in hand.

Grammarly.com

I was a skeptic, at first, when I came to grammarly.com but now, I wouldn’t be without it. Essentially, Grammarly.com is an automated proofreader – anything I write online is tracked and when there’s a typo or a missing comma grammarly.com suggests a correction. This is great if you’re multi-tasking or in a hurry. I love to get my red pen out and proofread, but when you’re in the middle something and you have to quickly add a post to Facebook, the phone is ringing, and you’re in the supermarket – Grammarly.com has your back! 

Don’t Just Do Facebook Videos—Do Them Well

According to the social media analysts at News Whip, engagement is down across the platform for every kind of Facebook post except for one: video. And it’s not just for easy cooking or the latest Wine About It. According to the Boston Globe, it generated 12 million views through video on social media—something its team could never have imagined hitting on its website.

Why does it work? Well, frankly, it’s less work than reading. When done right, it’s easy and informative. When done right, it’s a boon to your company and what it’s capable of in terms of delivering a message in a timely and interesting way.

When done wrong, however? It’s a massive waste of money and can make you look bad.

But don’t worry. We’re here to help ensure you do this right.

1.     Keep it simple.

According to a recent study, 85% of users watch Facebook videos with the sound off. Consider your viewers—if they’re busy professionals in an office, they’re probably not wanting to draw attention to the work they’re not doing. With that in mind, you’ll want to use text to get your message across rather than or in addition to voiceover. But no one wants to read a novel in a Facebook video. If you’re using voiceover, show only the major bullet points on-screen. Keep the text short and concise—no more than seven to 15 words on screen at a time.

2.     Keep it short.

With that small amount of text on the screen, it would likely take a long time to get every bit of the message you want across or an entire interview. Don’t do that. Frankly, it’s rare that anyone has the attention span to watch a video online for longer than two or three minutes. If you can’t get your message across in that amount of time, break it up into a few shorter videos, or use video in addition to a lengthier blog.

3.     For the love of all that is good and holy make sure your spelling, punctuation, and grammar are correct.

It does not matter how good and well-produced your video is if the text is poorly written. The fact is, a lot of people think they don’t need writers. Everyone thinks they can do it themselves. And that may well be the case at your company—but you must check, double-check and triple-check that it looks good. If there’s a typo, not only do you discredit yourself as an expert in your topic, but also this is the internet—people are going to comment on it. And who wants their awesome video to turn into a conversation about “your” versus “you’re?”

4.     This isn’t the Blair Witch Project. Don’t bounce the camera around too much.

If you don’t have fancy tools, keep the camera still. You don’t want to make your audience seasick.

5.     You don’t need a big budget.

That said, you don’t need fancy tools at all. I once made a video using an IV stand in place of a tracking dolly. One time I used a rolling golf bag (this worked terribly, I do not recommend it). Try different things and see what works for you. You don’t need expensive lights if you have a nicely lit room. You don’t need a costly boom mic if you buy a $30 lavalier microphone on Amazon.

6.     Landscape. Please do landscape.

People get really annoyed about portrait. Just turn your phone on its side and head off complaints before they happen.

Video is scary if you’ve never done it before. But you don’t have to be a film major to get it done. Smartphones, iMovie, these simple tools make it easy. Practice and see what works and doesn’t. Go forth and have fun!

Award winning entries

As a professional public relations company, with years of experience in gaining positive exposure, we know the importance of recognizing the achievements of our clients. 

This is why, as part of our PR and media plans for each, we work towards gaining clients recognition within their industries, amongst their peers, and for giving back to the communities in which they operate. 

A great way to do this is through the entry of awards, whether that be the Chamber of Commerce in the area, awards given through a media outlet or an industry association or body, which recognizes those that excel in its field. Sometimes the awards we enter, on behalf of clients, are for the entire business and at other times for individuals within the organization. 

The benefit of entering an award comes, not just, from the winning of it, but other PR opportunities, which derive from entering. Although this may sound contradictory, it really isn’t all about winning when it comes to positive exposure and award entries. Clients who are nominated for awards often gain significant recognition in the run up to and during the occasion. Not only will the media participate in spreading the word, but also there is an opportunity for us to PR the nomination through traditional and online content, such as the business’ social media platforms. 

We pride ourselves on an outstanding record when it comes to gaining clients’ recognition for their achievements and making the very most of their nominations and/or wins. There’s no denying it takes skill, knowledge and experience, not everyone can write a winning award entry. This is why we work hard to get to know our clients and their businesses too – it’s all part of our strategic approach to PR, media and marketing and to running successful campaigns, which see our clients’ companies grow and achieve their objectives. 

A professional guide to social media

This month I had the pleasure of presenting my professional guide to social media at the Illinois Women in Leadership luncheon. In order to provide attendees with the information they were seeking, I worked with the program chair to develop an online survey, which went out to the membership in advance of the event. Over 25% of IWIL’s members responded and about half of the women involved in our organization attended the social media presentation. 

The survey revealed that most of us use Facebook, but want to learn more about LinkedIn and Twitter when it comes to promoting our businesses. It also found that 67% of respondents have a social media strategy for their business, which is fantastic. Surprisingly, or not perhaps, only 13% use a social media management platform. 

So, armed with this knowledge, I prepared a presentation that reflected the online activities of our membership. I spoke about the benefits of social media, content creation, my top tips for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, the need to set objectives and then manage these through engagement and measuring results. 

So here are a few of the tips that I shared with the ladies at IWIL: 

1 Social media is about quality over quantity when it comes to followers/likes/connections. 

2 These are public profiles, which can be seen by journalists, your employees, donors etc.

3 You must address complaints quickly. Take the conversation offline when necessary. 

4 Limit access to your accounts and change the password regularly. 

5 Content is key; make sure it’s relevant, engaging and informative. 

6 Accompany posts with links, images, videos, and tags. 

7 Do one platform really well then expand.  

8 Create a vanity URL for your business page e.g. facebook.com/gemprmedia and LinkedIn profile linkedin.com/in/gemmalonggemprmedia

9 Images boosted on Facebook must contain less than 25% text. 

10 It is ok to repost the same messages; less than 10% of your followers will see a single post – unless you boost – or have followers that share posts. 

11 On LinkedIn, you can tag users that you are not connected to.

12 You can add posts to your LinkedIn profile. 

13 When tweeting, think about leaving space for people to retweet your @name and add a comment (140 characters max per tweet) 

14 Use #s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; these allow for the identification of topics or trends.

15 75% of users are more likely to purchase from a brand they follow on Twitter 

Meeting Hillary and reflecting on change, challenge and opportunity

Yesterday I met Hillary Clinton. It was brilliant. I was lucky enough to attend the MSNBC town hall at the Old State Capitol because my very talented friend wrote a fantastic piece in support of Hillary, six weeks ago, which was read by two million people. Not only is Courtney Enlow-Hall my friend, an extremely talented writer, but also the latest addition to Gem PR & Media. We are so excited that she will be working with us to continue the strategic and sustained approach we take when it comes to delivering global public relations, social media and marketing services for our clients.

Each year the president at Illinois Women in Leadership chooses a new theme. Our current president, Cheri Plummer, chose challenge, change and opportunity. I mention this because sat there, yesterday, listening to a woman who is likely going to be the next president of the United States of America and the country’s first female president I thought about the challenge, change and opportunity that had lead up to this moment for me.

The challenge of moving from one continent to another, making new friends and building a business.

The change of living in what my niece calls ‘the other world’, where, as Hillary said yesterday, on average 90 people die each day from gun violence and you’ve lived most of your life on a 25-square-mile island, with 60,000 people in the English Channel and it’s safe to leave your front door unlocked; it’s a big change.

When it comes to opportunity for me it’s about leaving my mark by giving back, by using my experience to help those who need it, whether being PR chair for Friends of Memorial, volunteering for Daily Bread through Rotary or working with people like our friend Tony DelGiorno who is running for the State Representative in the 99th district. I am extremely thankful for the opportunities that have come my way over the past 18 months, living in Springfield, Illinois. I do not take for granted the people I have met, those I get to work with and the growth our business is going through.  

Meeting objectives through professionalism and innovation

As a PR and media consultancy we rely on the professionalism of others to uphold the standards set by our clients. We are responsible for their reputation in public and in the media, on and offline, but we rely on others to provide support in other areas and that is why we choose to work with individuals or organizations that are experienced, knowledgeable and innovative.

We work with small, medium and large businesses, so it’s only right that we collaborate with professionals that offer a range of services and price points. For example, if you’re a start-up you may not have the capital available to invest in a $5,000 - $10,000 (£3,500 - £6,500) website right away, but if you speak to the right person he or she may be able to work with you to provide the $3,000 website now, which can be developed, built upon and invested into in the future.

It’s hard to find good people, but when you do it’s important to champion them, support them and remind them how fantastic they are.

Kate Spencer is a photographer in Springfield, Illinois she is professional, hardworking and continues to improve her own work and the industry. Kate Spencer Photography is our go to in the US. We would ask Kate to work with any of our clients and know they would be impressed with the end result. Kate is the fashion photographer for SO magazine; she works with us to conceptualize the story we want to tell through the clothes, make up, location and models. And she nails it every time. Try choosing seven to nine of the best Kate Spencer photos from a selection of 300 to 500 … it’s tough. The best thing about Kate is that she doesn’t know how good she is.

Jon Thomas is more than a web developer; he helps businesses deliver designs that please users and meet their business’ goals. He takes a modern, collaborative approach, which involves meaningful iterations and user feedback. He does all of this for one reason; to ensure the success of your business objectives.

See what we mean about working with great people.

Another area of our business that continues to grow is our events services. Tony Boston of Superior Sound Entertainment is a technical wiz when it comes to uplighting and sound. He takes an idea and turns it into reality, what we love most about working with Tony is he likes a challenge; he’s willing to innovate, but yet never compromise on quality.

So, if you find good people who push the boundaries, are professional and continue to challenge what has come before, hold onto them because they will help your business grow in the way you want it to. 

Social Media for Non-Profits

At Gem PR & Media we’re always eager to share our knowledge and experience with those who need it most, but cannot afford consultancy fees, such as non-profits and charitable organizations.

One of the ways we are able to do this is through teaching classes at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois. Our next class is Social Media for Non-Profits – and it’s only $15 for two hours. We’ll be teaching some of the tricks and tools we’ve learnt over the years whilst managing numerous social media accounts.

Social media can be a minefield for anyone, not least non-profits that are already under-staffed and have little resources or time, for that matter. But social media is a great tool to get your message out there to the masses. Whether promoting a fundraiser or requesting donations for raffle prizes, the way in which you approach posting, such as the inclusion of an interesting photo or the times at which you engage with your audience, all make a difference.

We support a number of clients in the US, Channel Islands and UK that have the capacity to engage in advertising, but we also work with a number of non-profits that do not have the finances available for social media advertising. So, we have developed a toolkit for those organizations that want to engage with their audience online, but need to be thrifty about it. Our next class is on November 10th between 11am and 1pm at Lincoln Land Community College.

We will also be teaching classes next spring, which will provide non-profits and businesses an opportunity to learn about PR and marketing planning, crowdfunding and how to develop media relations. If you are interested in any of the above please visit http://www.llcc.edu or ping us an email at hello@gemprmedia.com and we’ll point you in the right direction.

Social Media Top Tips

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• Post at five minutes to and five minutes after the hour. This is when people are checking their phones for emails and updates on their way to and from meetings, the office, lunch or home. 
• If you are having trouble tagging a person or business in a Facebook post use the @ symbol and a capital letter at the beginning of the name. 
• Use hashtags to increase the profile of your social media activity; especially when you’re mentioning trending topics. 
• Add videos, photos and links to your posts to increase their visibility.
• Post regularly, but make sure you’re posting material that is relevant to your target audience. 
• If you’re pursuing an aggressive campaign post four-to-five times a day on Facebook. 
• If you want all of your followers to read your tweet make sure you place a character ahead of a @username otherwise the post will go to the @username only. 
• Make sure you regularly update your profile on Linkedin and make new connections. 
• Support your fellow followers on Twitter by participating in #FollowFriday/#FF. This will also encourage others to include you in #FFs and attract new followers. 
• Engage with Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram users; social media is about two-way interaction. 
• If you receive a complaint on social media deal with it promptly by acknowledging and, if necessary, taking the conversation offline in order to resolve the matter. 

A day in the life of Gem PR & Media

Part of what we do at the consultancy is write for and on behalf of our clients from columns to Q&As and features to news stories. A feature that often crops up amongst the business media is a version of ‘my 9 to 5’ or ‘all in a day’s work’. So, I thought I’d write my version in this week’s blog. 

What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at work? 

Well, I start work at 5am so the first thing I do is boil the kettle! While I’m waiting I logon to my computer and open my email, Facebook page and time sheets. More often than not I’ve already checked my emails and social media accounts on my cell, before I get to the computer. Once I’ve got my coffee I proceed with my tasks for the day, making my UK clients a priority, before those in the US reach their desks. 

Suit or casual?

Casual until I liaise with a client on Skype or I have a meeting, then it’s smart. 

Clear desk policy or scattered papers?

To be honest, we try to stay paperless, other than printing documents for clients, we stick to our white board, emails, Skype and the good old phone. My desk normally needs a tidy every so often though as I do have a weakness for post-its! 

Coffee or tea?

Always coffee, but I am trying to drink more water (my health industry clients would be proud)! 

Packed lunch, restaurant or gym? 

I tend to skip lunch because I ordinarily have a late breakfast between 9am and 11am

When are you at your most productive? 

I am definitely a morning person; I get the majority of my work done between 5am and 12noon. I try to arrange meetings on a single day or after 10am or 11am when my UK and Channel Islands clients have finished for the day. 

How many emails do you have in your inbox? 

 I don’t tend to file emails so I literally have 1,000s which have accumulated since day one on August 29 2013! 

What’s the last thing you do before you leave the office? 

I never really leave the office as I work from my laptop and phone often. In fact I think it’s important that my clients know they can get hold of me 365 days a year 24/7, I’d want that if I was entrusting my business’ reputation in someone else's hands.

A Trail Not a Trial

We have worked on a range of public relations campaigns since the launch of Gem PR & Media in 2013, but most recently we were involved in a congressional campaign in Illinois, USA. We learnt a lot during this campaign, from conception to completion; we helped create a strategy, messaging and managed media relations, but most importantly we developed a candidate. 

Our job was to guide him through the political maze, which includes the electorate and the media. It was one of the most challenging public relations campaigns we have ever worked on, but also one of the most rewarding. In a congressional campaign where the district covers numerous counties there’s plenty of travel involved, the media is widespread and so are the many meetings, rallies and parades. 

In a political campaign, a key to success is fundraising. Fundraising events are crucial, but also one of our favorite aspects because the support the candidate receives from friends, family, colleagues and proponents encourages them - it reminds them why they are doing this in the first place. 

We had the opportunity to work with intelligent, well-informed and passionate individuals including, people working on the campaign, supporters and journalists. We are excited about Gem PR & Media’s next political adventure. Watch this space.

Me. University. Media.

Dannie Jones

Dannie Jones first interned with Gem PR & Media in Easter 2014 – since then she’s provided support with social media campaigns and copywriting for various titles through our press service. Dannie has just completed her second year at university and is about to start a summer programme in Guernsey with Specsavers’ creative team. She took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to tell us what the last year has been like – while she’s thrown herself into media life (as well as hockey).

My Skype meeting with the new Loughborough Student Union’s Media senate just finished and so the task of writing up the minutes will soon be underway.

The senate consists of 10 members (of which I am one) whom run under the vice president of media. Loughborough students elect the vice presidents and president after a competitive campaigning period. Those elected make up the union executive team. They run our union; unique due to the fact the students actually own the premises.

And where do I fit in? In the academic year of 2014/15 I became the union magazine – Label – head of marketing. My application was spurred on by spending a month at Gem PR & Media. I had enjoyed my first year of university, living up to Loughborough’s sporting reputation and involving myself in the hockey team, but in second year I got stuck in with LSU media also.

Loughborough Student’s Media consists of four sections. LSUTV, LCR, Label and Lens. There are also hall media representatives that proudly showcase their campus living hall. There’s a chance for volunteers, like myself, to receive training with cameras and editing software. We’ve also made visits to the BBC and ITN. More than anything, there are plenty of opportunities; you could run your own radio show, write articles for the magazine, create television scripts or learn to take great photos and videos. 

#BackBoocla

We are really excited to be involved in a project, which today sees the launch of a new class booking web application on the world's largest crowdfunding platform!

Boocla is a clever online booking website for anyone who runs classes and courses. If you are an instructor, teacher, trainer or tutor, with Boocla you get a mobile-friendly website, amazing class booking system, free sub-domain, free hosting, and free business cards for under $240 a year.

Oi Labs, the innovation division of award-winning advertising and marketing agency, Oi, has created Boocla - an amazing class booking system for anyone who runs classes and courses. Boocla is ideal for individuals and small businesses around the world; from yoga, personal training, kickboxing to music, karate, cupcake decorating and any other class or course related activity. In order to raise funds to take the project further, and to create as much interest in Boocla as possible, the app is being launched on Kickstarter.

Oi Labs has a target of $25,000 over the next 30 days and Gem PR & Media has been invited to tell the whole world about Boocla!

We’ve been busy writing articles, blogs, press releases, social media content and brainstorming ideas to attract attention to Boocla. If you’re a journalist, media outlet, blogger or vlogger we have everything you need at the touch of a button.

We’ll keep you updated with this exciting campaign, but in the meantime if you want to #BackBoocla visit KICKSTARTER PAGE or www.boocla.com to download user friendly material for your articles, interviews, vlogs or blogs! 

The rapid pace at which Gem PR & Media is growing is down to one thing: contacts.

We work hard to build a strong network of contacts around the globe. It’s not a coincidence that we’ve lived in three continents in 10 years. Training and working as a journalist in Guernsey, the UK, and Australia and now also living in and writing for publications in the US, it’s hard not to build relationships and connections with the public and media.

Gem PR & Media is, and those that represent our company are, a member of several organizations, which allow us to connect with individuals from all walks of life. I am a member of, and have been for years, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, I’m also a Rotarian, a Jaycee, attend weekly BNI meetings and I’m involved in a number of other charitable organizations. Chris and I often volunteer at charity fundraisers in order to give back to the communities in which we operate and strengthen our existing connections.

The other important thing to remember is, once you’ve made a connection, to remain connected. Friends, family and colleagues will tell you that I make a real effort to keep in touch either through letters and cards, emails and texts, Facebook and Twitter or Skype and calls. I work in the media and communications industry so it comes natural to me that I want to be in constant communication with my personal and professional network. What’s also important is that, with having a business spread across two continents, I remain in front of people. I do this through the media: writing articles about the PR and media industry – and Gem PR & Media of course. I’m also active on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Once you build a strong network around you, it’ll only have room to grow. Organic growth is key. Warren Buffet said: ‘It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.’ Isn’t building a network about building a reputation? If you think about it that way you’ll really start to value the network around you and continue to grow it.