If money was no object, what would you do?

This my favourite question to ask people, when I am having a conversation and there is nothing else to talk about, haha.

What about you dear reader? What would you do?

For me, I would be doing the same thing with a couple of added hobbies such as motorbiking.

“A lot of people do work that they don’t like, to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t know” this quote is originally from Dave Ramsey a financial writer and I just reworded it slightly.

The question is do you work to live or live to work?

A book that I am currently reading has said that success is no longer just about money and status, it has broadened to include living and working on one’s own terms while making a difference in the world.

I tend to agree on this point if 30 years down the line you have spent the majority of your time accumulating financial wealth and social status. What would that actually mean to you?

For instance, a palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware who has spent several years as a burse has written a book called “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying”

The 1st top regret is “I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” Now think and reflect on your life, how do you see it? Can you relate to this top regret?

Now, this is the interesting part the 2nd top regret is “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard” Interestingly this regret is mostly by men as most people that Bronnie took care of were from the older generation.

Anyhow, away with the depressive and pessimistic stuff and let’s think positively.

How can we change? (Of course, if you wish to)

Simply by living…by action

Do something new this week, experience things that you have not done before, help someone in need, smile more and tell the people that matter to you, that you care and lucky to have them.

But hey! What do I know?

I am just a man J

Thank you for reading and I hope you have enjoyed this post and remember to live, not exist.

The world awaits…so shine on.

How to get media coverage during ‘silly season’

As it turns out, this is my last blog post of 2017. Where has the year gone?!

As some of my fellow PRs will know very well, this time of year is affectionately known as ‘silly season’ – a time of year when journalists far and wide have run out of stories and content.

Journalists take annual leave and leave their newsrooms short-staffed and their websites lacking in news. Anything that pops up in their inboxes is more likely to get their attention now than at any other time of year, simply because they are desperate for content.

So I thought I would pull together a few tips on how press officers in universities (and other organisations for that matter) can take advantage of this time of year to get some publicity.

Be creative

With so little news around, this could be your chance to flag up ideas that might be overshadowed at busier times. A funny story, an inspiring case study, some quirky research – all these things might grab a journo’s attention.

Piggy-back on stuff

There may not be much news around, but as we all know, that can change in a heartbeat. Has an airline gone bust? Pitch out your tourism academics! Specific health issues making the headlines? Dig out your researchers who can offer some words of wisdom. Even if it’s just a line in an article, it’s better than nothing!

Be a journalist’s best friend

A mentor once told me that we as PRs provide a service to journalists, and as such, we should provide the best service we can. If you can’t help a journalist with their enquiry, direct them to someone who can – even if it’s a competitor. There’s nothing in it for you, but the journo will remember the kind gesture and may come to you again in the future with something you can help with.

Get festive

Don’t underestimate the power of a good Christmassy story. Whether you’re fundraising for charity or encouraging colleagues to wear daft festive jumpers, all these are potential news stories, especially if you’ve got good images to go with them.

Pester your SU

Students’ Unions are a brilliant place to find news stories, especially around Christmas. I have found that quite often SUs are rushed off their feet with other things, so if you can give them a helping hand to get some media coverage for their festive events, they’ll love you forever!  

With that said, there’s nothing left for me to do but wish you all a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, full of excellent PR opportunities and lots of media coverage!

Looking forward to 2019!

Whilst most people are busy making plans and resolutions for the New Year, the Beds Marketing team have been busy working on the 2019 Undergraduate prospectus. Although 2019 may seem like a long way off for most, the 2019 UG prospectus will be appearing at a recruitment event near you from March.

We’ve been co-ordinating the list of courses that we offer, placing bets on how many times I will have to re-do the flat plan this year (my guess is eight – I’ll keep you updated), and liaising with various departments across the University to ensure that all of the information we hold is correct and up-to-date.

One of my favourite aspects of working on the prospectuses is working with the photographers to capture new images. We work with two freelance photographers (Roy Meta and Scene) who capture a range of images for us, from profile shots, to shots of students in situ.

It’s great to be able to get into some of the sessions and see first-hand what our students are working on, as well as the facilities available. This year we were able to see the new nursing simulation labs at both Luton and Bedford, and had the opportunity to explore the Forest School at our Bedford campus. We also had the opportunity to see some of our media and dance students in action.

This year we have renewed the profiles for most of the subject areas within the prospectus too. This provides us with a great opportunity to meet with some of our students and talk to them about their experiences at Bedfordshire, which we can then use to influence future communications.

We’ve also been getting into the Christmas spirit here in the Marketing department with Christmas jumpers and inflatable Christmas characters galore! As this will be my last blog before the holidays I'd like to wish you all happy holidays and I will see you in the New Year! 

Sara

Marketing Officer

**{~first-name~}[URGENT!] This FR££ EMAIL will change your life!**

Firstly introductions are in order. Hello my name is David Fryer and I am the new Marketing Manager at the University of Bedfordshire. Over the last few months I have been trying to catch up with existing projects, future projects, on-going work and upcoming work.

A huge part of our team’s remit is to email enquirers & applicants from a marketing perspective. We tell them about our courses, locations, fees and different ways to study. You get the idea.

So with that in mind I thought it would be useful to explain some of my thoughts on how to create more engaging emails.

Ready?

Ok so here is a quick question to get things started. Which email would you prefer getting the most, one from a close friend with a nice catch up message or one from a company trying to sell you something?

No brainer right?

So when you are writing an email for a campaign or to provide information to an interested party what do you do? It’s so easy to just copy text sent to you from a colleague about a particular subject or event, add a custom name field to personalise it and send it out. But let’s be honest deep down you know that it’s not going to really engage the majority of people on your contact list.

What we are looking to achieve is that same feeling or similar to that lovely email that you get from a close friend, one you trust and also are eager to hear from.

Ok so here we go…

No more contact lists 

Don’t treat your contacts as a group, think about the individual at an early stage. Who are they, what are they interested in and how do they want to be spoken to?

Don’t waste people’s time 

Only send an email when you really have something useful to say. Don’t write an email that requires something from your readers. Instead be helpful, friendly provide relevant information for that person.

Use your actual name 

Putting your name at the bottom of an email is one thing but if it comes from a generic email address your readers will very quickly notice so put your name and reputation on the line that is the best way to be personal.

Be trustworthy 

Let people know what to expect. Yes, sales messages should be part of your email marketing and that’s fine but just be clear about it when they sign up to your emails.

Don’t be creepy

Personalise emails, but don’t repeat people’s name too often.

Be on their side 

Remind people that they’re not alone. Tell them you understand their struggles. Empathize with them, and offer help and assistance.

A reward for reading 

Make sure people benefit from reading your emails. How? Share a useful tip or piece of information.

Spark their curiosity 

Don’t be afraid to occasionally use unusual words or phrases, get your readers interested and wanting to read on to find out more. “Do you want to know the number one reason students choose to study with us?”

Don’t be clever 

Simple, specific subject lines beat clever alternatives every time, too many symbols pound signs explanation marks will only get blocked.

Experiment

Try new subject lines, change tone of voice between enquirer and applicant. Doing something new and exciting not only keeps it fresh for you but also for your readers.

Write fast 

Because that’s how your enthusiasm and personality come through.

Short and sweet 

Long and rambling emails kill your readers’ interest. Try to cut your text by half when you edit.

Ask questions

Imagine having a face-to-face conversation with your reader. You’d ask questions in that situation, wouldn’t you?

Don’t follow a strict formula

Email templates quickly bore your readers, make sure to mix it up.

The harsh truth about emails
Everyone’s inbox is overflowing with lots of irrelevant unopened messages, no one is looking forward to receiving more of that.

If someone has taken the time to open and read your email and has decided that they don’t want to unsubscribe you should feel grateful. People’s time is precious and needs to be treated with respect, don’t take anyone’s attention for granted.

Ok so there you go, my first blog is complete! Hopefully, you found it a useful read. As a complete side note I would like to thank everyone over in MARC for welcoming me to the team.

 If you have any marketing related queries feel free to contact myself and the team.

(Sorry I could not make your hair longer Ellie ran out of time!)