Media Relations in Action

The company

Twenty Recruitment was formed in January 2009, in the depths of the recession, by Paul Marsden and Adrian Kinnersley who were responsible for the rapid growth and sale of Astbury Marsden. The company specialises in mid to senior level appointments within the professional services, financial services and commerce & industry sectors across technology, finance and IT.

The challenge

While the company had recruited a number of senior consultants who were real experts in their field, in early 2009 Twenty as a brand was still a relatively unknown quantity in the market.  They had excellent client contacts but needed an additional differentiator from the more established brands out there.

The solution

BlueSky embarked upon a campaign of placing thought leadership articles in target heavyweight trade media which Twenty then used as examples of their expertise within their specialist sectors.  One of these pieces was an article written for Twenty covering the brain drain from investment banking into utilities within the energy trading space. When Twenty pitched to a major utilities group for a senior technology specialist within its energy trading division, they used the piece as an example of their expertise.  The client felt that this was a clear demonstration of their industry knowledge.  They won the assignment on an exclusive retained basis ahead of two well established executive search firms, placed the candidate and made a not inconsiderable fee.

What they say

“The team at BlueSky have generated an impressive amount of coverage for Twenty but it doesn’t stop there. They have a refreshing approach when it comes to PR and understand that it covers so much more than just the media. They have been instrumental in developing copy for our website; for our employer branding messages and for our social media channels. Regular visitors to the office are popular with the whole team, BlueSky is more than just a supplier; they are a key strategic advisor.” Adrian Kinnersley, Managing Director of Twenty Recruitment Group 

I’m on on of my rants again I’m afraid.

OK so the euro zone is in chaos, the economy isn’t great and it looks as though we will have a few tough years before things get better.  But do you know what?  That’s life. In the good times, every person, every company and every country spent too much. Fact. So now we all have to take a bit of a hit and pay it back.

And while we’re about it I have to say that not every market is in the doldrums.  There are pockets of really positive activity out there. Several of our clients are trying to seed some good news into the media  - and do you know what – by and large  they aren’t interested. Why? Because they just want to dish out their daily diet of doom , gloom and more gloom, Well I’m  fed up of it.

And if you take us as an example – we have grown every year since 2007.  It’s not been easy,  In fact it’s been bloody hard work but we are growing, we are making money and we are taking people on.

So please – let’s just get on with it  - and bloody cheer up. Have a Fab Christmas – and a PROSPEROUS New Year

To find the answer to this question I turned to Twitter itself and less than a minute later I had found the Twitter silence hashtag along with various supporting account profiles. Reading through the discussions I found people across the UK pledging a Twitter silence, and the BlueSky PR team did the same.

I was amazed when I logged back into Twitter to find that the silence really had happened online too, and it really made me think about the power of the online world. We are now more connected than ever and the majority of the population are never far from a tool to access the digital community. As people use new technology to be more social, I find it truly inspiring that it is also being used to unite people across the nation.

Ten years ago I stood with a few friends to observe the Armistice Day silence; today I did the same with thousands across the UK through Twitter. If that doesn’t show how much our lives are affected by social media, just watch the Twittersphere next week to see how it is used to support Children In Need.

Having graduated in PR and Journalism nearly four years ago I jumped straight into the PR world with a graduate role in a communications agency, where I tried my hand at various PR elements in several industries. Since then I have narrowed down my interests to the HR and Benefits industry and have worked on PR campaigns with key industry leaders over the past two years.

In my new role at BlueSky PR I will be bringing my background in the sector to new clients in the recruitment, RPO and benefits industry.

My enthusiasm for writing and public relations started during my college years where an interesting combination of media studies and English literature introduced me to the world of creative writing and journalism.

I’ve also recently completed a course in digital marketing and am a real advocate of social media as a PR tool – if you want to hear about some of the latest social media news, trends and tips follow my twitter account @VickieCollinge

My main interests are in the creative arts, most notably classic literature and music. I taught myself piano at a young age (though I am by no means an expert!) and eventually went on to learn to play my dream instrument the saxophone. I am always eager for a new challenge and am looking forward to working with the team on innovative PR activity.

For some recruitment businesses, the decision to undertake PR can be a hard one. Recruitment is hugely results driven and ROI is easily measurable. PR is different, and it can take some time to see results. With this in mind, we thought we’d feature a Q&A in each newsletter with a recruiter who uses PR, and why they do so. This edition we speak to David Leyshon, MD of specialist technical and engineering recruiter, CBSbutler.

Q: Why do you use PR?

A: We use PR as a key element to achieving our ultimate business goals: namely to promote the company as an employer of choice, build the brand amongst target communities and, in all cases, to create positive messages for the market place.

Q: How do you measure ROI?

A: ROI within PR can be somewhat qualitative. While loose financial returns can be applied to media insertions, we largely base it around feedback from stakeholders. And in the case of candidates, the number of applicants who refer to key PR events, such as awards.

Q:What advice would you give to recruitment businesses considering PR?

A: Be clear about your priorities and business objectives, define your strategy and agree a set of expectations via measurable service levels e.g. the number of media articles per quarter. Once you’ve decided on your goals, hold regular reviews to discuss performance and fine tune the approach and tactics used. Be prepared to enter into a two-way partnership; the quality of work delivered by PR professionals is highly dependent on the material your team offers up – they cannot perform miracles!

• Fill out your Twitter bio and upload a picture. A profile with no information can put off potential followers. People like to know they’re communicating with a human being, so it’s important to say who you are and what you do. It also helps to link to your website in order to instantly build traffic there.

• Twitter is about engagement and adding value to your community or followers. Therefore it’s wise to have a separate account for a jobs feed. It’s hard to interact with clients and candidates when they have to scroll through hundreds of jobs to find your last “proper” tweet. Clients might also find it off-putting to have their feeds clogged up with information that isn’t relevant to them. Regularly mention your jobs feed to give candidates the option to follow that account too.

• Don’t follow hundreds of people before you’ve built up a proper following or people might think you’re a spammer. Twitter is about conversation, so listen as much as you talk and build up relationships as you go.

• Promote your Twitter account by including it in your email signature and adding a Twitter button to your website as well as adding links on your other social media sites such as Facebook pages or LinkedIn. That way current clients and candidates can find you at the click of a button.

• Populate you page with a few inspirational tweets before you start following people. You only get one chance to make an impression on new followers so two or three tweets showcasing your knowledge is an advantage. BUT, don’t post these all in one day – spread them out over a week or to minimise suspicion!

The successful social media campaign

The company

Handle Recruitment is the leading recruitment consultancy for the media and entertainment industries. With more than 30 years’ experience, Handle has grown to encompass the wider demands of the increasingly complex media and entertainment arena. It is the only consultancy to have divisions dedicated to providing permanent, temporary, contract and interim solutions across all core business functions.

The challenge

BlueSky PR started work with Handle in 2010 with the brief of providing PR and communications support. Following the successful creation of multiple Twitter accounts for each division within Handle, there was a clear need to increase the follower numbers to heighten brand awareness. Handle set BlueSky the task of devising a social media campaign that would increase followers in the long run and highlight Handle to both job seekers and potential clients.

The solution

After an initial brainstorming session, BlueSky decided that a competition was the best option. However, the real issue would be how to get the information to the correct people, who would then follow them on Twitter. It was decided that the competition would be announced via email to Handle’s contacts and posted on its blog.

While Handle decided on what the competition prizes were to be, BlueSky came up with the questions. The competition details were hosted on a hidden page of the Handle website with a few questions about the company. The answers to all the questions were scattered throughout the site to encourage entrants to have a good look at the whole website and learn more about the business. In order to be sent the link to the hidden page, entrants had to follow one of the Handle Twitter accounts. They were then sent the unique website link to enter the competition.

The competition ran for two weeks, by which point the number of followers across the eight Twitter accounts had increased by over 800. Furthermore, the number of candidates that registered for jobs during the competition and in the following two weeks increased by 20%.

What they say

“We knew we had to increase our social media following but were unsure how to go about this. Once we had decided on what sort of prizes we would give away, BlueSky handled all aspects of the competition and came up with some great ideas. Following the competition, we have maintained our high Twitter following and have noticed a significant increase in candidates approaching us about opportunities. ”

Gill Bell, HR Director of Handle. 

The first part of the task was to choose products to take over to France. Susan, as team captain for Venture ran through the product room in a whirlwind. She had no clue what she was doing, evident by her beyond stupid questions, “Do the French care about their kids?” and “do they drive?”. Karen Brady couldn’t believe what she was hearing and neither could I!

As project manager for team Logic, Tom took a different approach, slowly analysing each product and their margins. As well as team Venture, Tom also had his eye on the star product, a booster seat that doubled as a backpack. However this idea was quickly poo poo’d by French speaking Melody who much preferred the idea of a teapot light! After being instructed to conduct some market research by Tom, irrelevant of her feelings of the products Melody claimed that the light was the better option regardless of the comments made by the French commuters.

As the second day began, both teams set off to sell their products to the French masses. Melody refused to share with the other children and threw her toys out of the pram in a tantrum when Tom tried to divide up the visits set up the previous day. Tom however couldn’t bear to deal with a sulking Melody and caved in, leaving himself and Natasha to go to the major pitch presentation and Melody and her lapdog for the day, Leon, going to all the meetings.

Team Venture, however worked as a team. At their presentation to the French retail giant, Helen nailed her pitch like a pro, whereas Susan simply demonstrated that she can fit in a child’s booster seat! After succeeding with the retailers, Susan and Helen utilised the time remaining by scouring the streets, stopping at a mobile phone shop on the off chance. This tactic paid off as they managed to sell 1500 mobile/ipod grips.

At the end of the final day in Paris, Melody happily proclaimed “I should move to Paris and do business here.” I’ll start the whip-round for the ferry ticket myself!

Back in Blighty and in the boardroom…

As the results came in Team Venture annihilated Team Logic as Helen’s amazing pitch scored a record-breaking 214,000 Euro order. Tom decided to bring back Melody to the boardroom for her bossy behaviour and Leon for his contribution to the task or lack thereof.

Melody pointed out that she made the sales on the day but failed to convince the judges that she didn’t take over, “I let Leon sell the teapots…” Karen Brady raises an eyebrow, “You let him?”

It wasn’t looking good for Leon either as the boardroom bitchiness continued. Karen wasn’t impressed with his efforts and asked him what else he had done except for drawing a sketch of a teapot light during the market research stage of the task – it turns out he did nothing else! However the judges seemed equally appalled by Tom’s behaviour on the task. They were gobsmacked to hear that Tom refused to select a candidate for the pitch and instead played Rock, Paper Scissors to decide. Slick… Ha! And these are supposed to be the ‘business elite’

Lord Sugar seemed impressed with Melody though, “She is a tiger! Take a leaf out of her book, she’s fighting to win. She is ruthless; she’ll eat them up and spit them out! She’ll step on anyone and that’s what I like about her really…” Personally I thought she should have gone. She lied through her teeth and she wasn’t a team player at all! All good qualities for a future business partner I think Lord Sugar! However it was useless Leon that was made to get the black cab home and was fired.

Campaign: The Global Snapshot

Client: Antal International

Budget: £25,000 annual budget

Antal International, a management recruitment specialist, operating in 30 countries worldwide, appointed BlueSky PR to look at the marketing challenges generated by its global reach. Whilst the 75 individual offices were well known within their domestic markets, its overall global brand awareness amongst potential candidates and clients needed improving. Antal asked BlueSky to come up with a campaign.

Objectives:

• To raise awareness of the Antal brand on a global basis
• To keep the costs of the project down. Previous quotes from a major international PR firm had come in at £350,000 annually.

Strategy and plan: 

In order to keep the cost of the project down without sacrificing quality, the PR team came up with the idea of a simple quarterly survey which would monitor hiring and firing levels of managers and professionals in key markets around the world. The PR team knew this would appeal to both specialist and generalist media because employment trends are often are a reliable indicator of wider economic ones.

The survey, limited to four basic questions – are you hiring now, do you plan to hire in the next three months, are you firing now, are you planning to hire in the next three months, was carried out by Antal’s own consultants. The PR team reasoned that by including the consultants in the research would not only keep costs down, but also provide a valuable business development opportunity giving them a reason to contact potential clients.

With the research completed, the PR team turned it into a written report and then produced press releases tailored to each country.  The report was used for marketing purposes and the press releases were distributed on a global basis.  The PR team produced a ‘guide to dealing with the media’ so individual offices could distribute the releases to the local media without incurring large fees to use a news wire service.

Measurement and evaluation

The campaign generated hundreds of pieces of coverage in diverse media such as the Financial Times, CNN, Spain’s El Mundo, The Times of China, the Gulf’s Arabian Business, as well as TV interviews on stations such as CNBC.  All this has resulted in brand recognition and credibility on a global basis.

Results

As a direct result of the survey, Antal secured several new clients on a global basis. This included companies in the UK, Netherlands, China, Poland, India and the Middle East. During the 2 months following the release of the survey, the Antal website also experienced a 20% increase in unique users.