The importance of personal development in PR

As a PR practictioner and a social media specialist it’s easy to assume you are ahead of the game. Today,  however, I benefited from an online PR workshop delivered by Nigel Hughes which showed me that there is always more to learn.

Whilst the workshop was delivered at the Freshfield office, it took me away from everyday office thinking and reminded me of the importance of sharing knowledge. Nigel delivered a presentation explaining the importance of online PR, for a PR person. Often, we are so consumed with pitching the importance of online PR to clients, that we can sometimes become disengaged from advances within the industry and our own development.

I took in so many new tools to add to the PR armoury that my brain feels a bit frazzled. However, the end result means I am able to offer a wealth of knowledge to clients which gives them an extensive service. Developing my expertise regularly will allow me to remain confident in running PR campaigns and continue to achieve successful results.

You need to ask yourself if you are truly on the pulse and no matter how busy you are make time for your own development. At Freshfield, continued development is vital to give our clients a return on investment. Believe in better and broaden your skills.

Don’t take my word for it, try it yourself.

A Fresh New Role for Me ….

I haven’t created a blog for a while as I’ve been settling in to a new role at Freshfield Marketing Communications.  In fact, I feel like I have settled in very well, having at least two coats and three Tupperware boxes stashed at the office. No one appears to mind my random outbursts of conversation – thank God! I’m lucky to inherit some fantastic clients in retail, leisure and financial services and this means that my work is extremely varied.

I did prevent myself from visiting the loo for the first week as I didn’t manage to remember the countless door codes and I feared I’d get locked out, that aside, Freshfield is a team of hardworking professionals who are non-fluffy and really down to earth.

This week I have been creating social media proposals and working extensively on media relations. I also managed to persuade a well-known city businessman to dress up and pretend to slay a dragon for publicity which proves that PR is never predictable.

PR professionals have had to adapt rapidly to the changing PR landscape, marrying traditional media with social media and really utilising an array of platforms in order to achieve coverage. However, I feel that as long as you put yourself in the correct creative and professional circles, you can achieve a successful output, giving clients a real ROI.

I’m happy to be working in a job which is pretty dam relentless but a role where I can use my creativity and communication skills.