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Is social media still relevant?

Have you heard anyone say their 2024 New Year’s resolution was to decrease their screen and scrolling time? Team Belle have heard this a lot!However, research shows we’re not backing down just yet with our consumption of social media. According to the Datareportal January 2024 global overview, we can see that social media growth has continued to increase:·       More than half of the world now uses social media (62.3%)·   &nb...

Network, network, network!

With “relationships” being one of our core values and the basis for our approach and how we work, networking has become an important tool for us to position our brand and support our clients.We devote time to networking every week, whether it's attending a Cambridge Business Chamber event, heading along to a fortnightly Venus women in business meeting, attending a PRINZ event, or meeting clients, stakeholders or partners for a friendly coffee catch-up and chat.Networking can sometimes take t...

Can ChatGPT write all your business content for you?

Are you using ChatGPT to write social media posts, blog posts, media releases, website copy or news stories? Stop what you’re doing, right now.Artificial intelligence is completely changing the way we go about our desk jobs. With its advanced language processing abilities, it can generate high-quality content in a matter of seconds, so it’s no surprise it’s being used by individuals as a powerful tool to write a range of things.By now, most of you reading this blog have probably used ChatG...

5 ways you can kickstart your planning for a successful 2024

We’re well and truly into 2024, and if you’re like us at Belle PR, you’ve hit the ground running and are already immersed in your day-to-day priorities.The beginning of a calendar year is always the perfect time to stop, reflect, and take stock of what worked well in the past 12 months, and what could have been better. It’s also a time to identify areas where you can focus your energy and resources in the upcoming year.When you’re busy, marketing, public relations and communication eff...

Is PR a cost or investment?

Imagine this: You are sitting at your desk on a Friday afternoon, with the breeze drifting through your office. As you near the end of a busy week and look forward to heading home, an email with the subject " Invoice " pops up in your inbox. It instantly casts a shadow over your Friday afternoon. Another bill to pay!With cost increases hitting many businesses, paying additional invoices that could impact our profitability can be a dreaded task. If you're like us at Belle PR, you're probably care...

Leveraging LinkedIn for your professional development

With over 930 million members on the largest professional social network, many professionals are not aware of the benefits that LinkedIn can provide to yourself as a professional and any business you are involved. It is common knowledge that social media platforms are an easy way to connect, engage and build networks and relationships, so why not take advantage of this by boosting your LinkedIn profile and understanding all that this platform can offer?In this blog, we will explore how LinkedIn ...

Three hacks for engaging social media content

This week Cushla has shared three quick tips to help you create engaging social media content that will increase your followers....

What is a PR consultant? And why use them?

I was chatting to my husband's 85-year-old grandmother on the phone the other day, and she said, "Charlotte, I read an article in the paper the other day about PR consultants and why businesses use them, and I finally understand what you do now!" Laughing and thinking it was very cute, I wrapped up the conversation and hunted for the story online. A quick Google and Esther Taunton's Stuff article popped up.I must admit that I thought it would be the usual swipe at communications and public ...

How's your reputation going?

Reputation is everything in business.Warren Buffett, the renowned American business magnate and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”Whether your business is experiencing good times or bad, reputation management should always be a top priority.Proactive reputation management in good timesWhen things are going well for your business, it can be easy to overlook the imp...

PR matters in times of economic uncertainty

As we move into the new financial year, your business may be grappling with a feeling of uncertainty around a looming recession and what the remainder of 2023 and 2024 will hold.To offset a potentially shaky economic future, companies are likely reviewing their budgets and making cuts where they can. For anyone working in public relations, advertising and marketing, times like these can be especially tough and its widely expected the sector will take a massive hit.As we move forward into the com...

How to be real and why authenticity matters

Let's face it, in today's world, it's easy to spot fakes. Consumers and audiences are becoming increasingly adept at cutting through the crap to find the real deal and get to the crux of the issue at hand. No matter your business or public relations goals, it's more important than ever to be truly authentic.In this blog, I’m getting real about why authenticity matters in public relations and will share some tips on how to be real in a world full of fakes.First off, what does it mean to be auth...

PR benefits for SMEs

Many small business owners assume that public relations is only for large, multi-million dollar companies or government organizations. That's a common misunderstanding.Here’s an example. I recently wrote a letter for my parents, who were selling their business in Taupō and wanted to thank their customers for their support over their four decades in business. They also wanted to ensure their customers were handed over seamlessly to the new business owners, so they published a copy of the lette...

How ChatGPT could change the way we engage with communities

There's been so much talk recently about ChatGPT and the future role of AI in public relations and communications activities. In early April, Waikato University professor and director of the AI Institute Albert Bifet will be sharing his insights on this topic with a group of PR practitioners, which I am really looking forward to as the possibilities absolutely blow my mind.In the meantime, it got me wondering what role ChatGPT would have in the future in community relations and engagement, and w...

The difference between public relations and marketing

People often ask me what the difference is between public relations/communications and marketing. it is fair to say the lines definitely cross, and I often work in the marcomms space. but here's the difference between marketing and public relations if you ever need to know.Marketing and public relations (PR) are two distinct disciplines, although they both share the goal of promoting a company, brand, product, or service to a target audience.Marketing is a broad term that encompasses all the ac...

The PR campaign essentials

Public relations campaigns are an essential tool for businesses, organisations, and individuals looking to build their brand, enhance their reputation, and communicate their message to the public. But what are the keys to a successful PR campaign? Here are some essential elements to consider:Clearly define your goals Before launching any PR campaign, it's essential to clearly define your goals. What do you want to achieve? Is it increased brand awareness, improved public perception, or something...

Six PR campaigns from 2022 to take note of

A successful PR campaign hinges on a strong communication strategy that’s well-researched, shows a good understanding of the target audience, has clear and measurable objectives, memorable key messages, and a tactical plan that covers a range of different channels.PR campaigns usually have very specific goals, such as driving website traffic, gaining respect or credibility, getting a new product noticed, or drawing attention to a cause.In a world where audiences are overwhelmed by sales m...

Let’s talk about privacy

ACC is in the spotlight around privacy and it's not good news. Back in October 2021, RNZ revealed a group of call centre staff had shared client information in a private Snapchat group of employees working at ACC’s contact centre in Hamilton. Clients' injury descriptions and images were posted to a private Snapchat group called "ACC Whores". Cringe! One image included the name, contact details and injury suffered by an athlete who has represented New Zealand on the world stage. ...

Never underestimate great internal communication during uncertain times

New Zealand’s swift move back to Alert Level 4 on 18 August due to the latest COVID-19 community outbreak has bred uncertainty and emotional disruption for many kiwis.   In times like these, people need timely and consistent information. They need an understanding of what’s transpiring and what they need to do. In the workplace, employees need transparency, guidance and help to make sense of what is happening. The words and actions of leaders can help make people feel safe, more comfort...

The art of balancing openness and privacy

Public relations practice is a widely misunderstood profession, and has been since I’ve been in the biz.  The words ‘spin doctors’ still seem to rear their ugly heads from time to time, implying public relations is all about giving a favourable interpretation of events or a situation to the media. From my perspective, public relations professionals describing themselves as ‘storytellers’ doesn’t help this false impression of what effective communication is all about.  ...

Navigating your way through a communications career

How did you get into communications career? I’ve recently had a few people ask me about my career pathway and how I got into communications.  In truth, I never thought I’d end up where I am today. So, I thought some of you navigating your way through a communications career might value hearing about my journey....

Media relations 101: Don’t say ‘no comment’

I’ve been watching a story unfold over the last week about a high profile organisation.  This story is nothing we haven’t seen in the news before.  There are clearly some staffing issues within this organisation which have been brought out in the public forum. Now they’re in crisis mode and local and national media are all over it. What struck me with this story is the obvious lack of basic media training which made it completely blow up. So here’s a quick, essential tip. If y...

10 ways to email like a boss

Emails are one of the most useful ways to communicate with colleagues, customers and stakeholders.  They’re also a powerful tool for digital marketers. On an average day in the office, I typically send and receive about 150 emails a day. My inbox is crazy and I could very easily tap my days away at my keyboard if I didn’t organise my inbox well, send emails with the right content to prompt the best response, and know when it’s the right time of get off email altogether. Emails provide...

Can I have a copy of your comms plan?

As a senior public relations practitioner, I absolutely love mentoring and supporting other communications professionals seeking to learn and develop in their career.  It’s what I have enjoyed most of all as a communications team leader and am excited to be mentoring another PRINZ candidate for their Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). I have personally been incredibly lucky throughout my career to have had fantastic senior public relations mentors.  Now I’m determined to...

Is an elevator pitch still a thing?

Last weekend I was incredibly lucky to spend a few days in the Coromandel with my husband and his colleagues, a very generous thank you gift from his employer for the team’s hard work during 2020.  How cool is that?! As we were getting to know each other, it provided me with my first real opportunity to chat to people about my new business venture, Belle PR, and my future plans.  They’d heard I was going out on my own to consult, but didn’t know what exactly I’d be consulting o...

Listen up

How much of your day did you spend listening? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like in the fast paced, busy, high stress world we’re living in, we’re spending less time listening to each other. We simply love talking. We often call it ‘information sharing’ to make it sound better, especially in communications and public relations.   Yet I can’t recall a time when I thought, ‘gosh, I love it so much when people talk at me.’  Listening is one of the single most important ...