Twitter helps Lily find a job

Published date: 25 May 2011 | 

Published by: staff reporter  ( www.chesterfirst.co.uk/news )

Lily Tucker. 

A CHESTER student is counting her lucky stars after she got a career boost through social networking site Twitter.

Lily Tucker, who recently graduated from the University of Chester, attracted the attention of Cheshire-based firm Freer PR after using the hashtag “#OperationHireLily”.

Within minutes of her first tweet she had received many retweets and several leads, one of which detailed a possible vacancy at Freer PR.

Lily comes to the company with a year’s PR experience gained through work placements and a part-time role at marketing communications firm James Rae Communications.

The appointment was made at a very busy and promising time for Freer PR after new account wins prompted an expansion.

Freer PR’s managing director, Nicola Spindler, said: “At Freer PR we pride ourselves on the strong relationships we build with our clients. The business has grown purely through referral, by achieving great results for our clients.

“Recent account wins meant that in order to continue to offer the best possible service the team would need to grow. I am positive that our combined skills and working relationship will lead to even bigger and better coverage for our clients.”

Lily said: “I started #OperationHireLily purely to see how far my Twitter connections would take me, I never expected to get such a great response or find a company that I was so in tune with.”

Client Testimonial...'The return on our investment in PR is clear'

"Hillyer McKeown have worked with Nicki now for over six months and the coverage that we have gained during that time has been outstanding. Within the service sector there will always be a hesitation in engaging with a PR agency as you can sometimes struggle to feel the value of your investment - working with Freer PR has given us no such worries. 

Nicki has worked tirelessly to build a close relationship with every member of staff within Hillyer McKeown and this proactive approach has paid dividends. As someone who has used PR agencies before I can honestly say that this is something I have never encountered before - Nicki and her team continuously look for PR stories that will raise our profile, they identify opportunities in areas we maybe wouldn't consider and then they deliver it in a way that feels completely pain free. 

PR is no longer a headache, or something that I know I should be doing but can't quite get to it! Nicki has become an integral part of my marketing department and works instinctively across all of the areas of our business - it has been so successful that she now works across the whole group of businesses and her input is invaluable. 

Freer PR has now become our preferred supplier of both on and offline PR support - we continue to gain local and national coverage for the work we are doing and both our clients and competitors have taken notice! The return on our investment in PR  is clear - enquiries through our website have increased, journalists now ask in advance for our opinion and some of our key partners are passing through recommendations that we might not have received before. 

Basically, working with Nicki Freer has added to our bottom line and I look forward to developing a strategy with her to build on the successes we have already had." 

Debbie Edwards, Head of Business Development, Hillyer McKeown LLP. 

Client Testimonial : Saint Belle working with Freer PR

'We met with quite a few different PR companies, but as soon as we met met Nicki from Freer PR we knew we wanted her to represent Saint Belle. Nicki totally understood our brand, image and the direction we wanted to take it. Nicki is now part of our brand and offers so much more than just PR to our business; she offers support, guidance, motivation and inspiration. We are really looking forward to a long and successful relationship between Freer PR and Saint Belle'. 

Adam Williams, Saint Belle  Lingerie. www.saintbelle.com 

'Client News: Almost Half of employers forced to teach teenagers basic literacy and numeracy skills’

Press release: Tutors4GCSE, May 2011 

It’s a frightening finding, but this week the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) announced that following a research study they found some 44% of businesses are offering literacy and numeracy tuition amid concerns their young staff are unable to carry out everyday tasks.

The low-levels of basic skill in these subjects have impacted on the worker’s ability to compose ‘coherent memos’ or ‘calculate price discounts in their heads’.

Over two thirds of the employers that were surveyed said that school and college leavers lacked vital ‘employability’ skills, whilst over 55% said they struggled to manage their time or routine.

The findings come as the Government prepares to launch a radical overhaul of skills training for 14 to 19 year olds.

Commenting on the findings, Director of Learning, Sharon Hughes of regional tutoring company Tutors4GCSE said ’I’m not surprised by the outcome of this research study. In my opinion the problem is not funding or access to learning, but rather a lack of engaging content and delivery’.

‘Our Secondary schools lack specialist Maths and English teachers, however the foundations of these topics are delivered in the primary school sector, often by teachers who have no more than a Grade C at GCSE themselves. It is not reasonable to expect them to have a depth of knowledge sufficient to enthuse and engage young learners, at this early stage.’

Sharon continued ‘Too much emphasis is on learners ’remembering’ rules rather than engaging with these subjects in a meaningful way. There should be more focus on understanding and the application of knowledge which would make all school leavers more employable’.

Tutors4GCSE provide specialist Maths and English tuition for those in school years 5+ with dedicated school leaver/adult classes available during the daytime and evenings. 


www.tutors4gcse.co.uk 

Client sets out on big 'A-Venture' to launch new business

Lynne Edwards, of Mold, has spent the last 18 months planning and researching her niche business and recently launched with the support of several leading names within the expedition industry.

Lynnes business, A-Venture marketing, specialises in acting as a conduit between corporate sponsors and high profile expedition leaders for some of the worlds most amazing explorations and expeditions.

"I first came up with the idea when I could see the influence Steve Backshall was having on my youngest daughters lifestyle. She was inspired by him and I could see this positive action counteracting the Nature Deficit Disorder that exists with the younger generation. My aim was to highlight the plight of the explorers and then in turn use this to inspire children and to promote and an outdoor lifestyle, so we as a generation can raise healthy, happy children who have a love of the natural world "said Lynne.

" As a busy working Mummy it’s been an adventure just getting the business off the ground! I was studying for my degree in business management whilst working in financial services so at times it felt like an uphill struggle especially juggling a young family, however I now class myself as very fortunate that I can work doing something I love, combining my skill for marketing and negotiation with my passion for adventure".

Lynne has already affiliated herself with some great figures in the industry. "I’ve engaged with some large names in the Expedition/Exploration world such as Ed Stafford (the first person ever to walk the length of the River Amazon from source to Sea) and Jeremy Curl -the youngest Westerner to ever walk the whole of the Sahara desert to Timbuktu unaided and on foot. Working with such credible names makes it a very attractive sponsorship proposition for large corporate names."

Carys Edwards, for Venture Wales, has supported Lynne in launching her business and added “It has been a pleasure to support Lynne on the Welsh Assembly Government’s New Business Growth Programme. With ongoing support in Marketing, Business & Financial Planning, Lynne has made incredible progress in developing her business proposition. She has identified a niche in the adventure and travel sectors and with her drive, enthusiasm and personal believe has won a number of big name supporters. We wish her every success.”

Lynne added "I'm so excited about the future for my business We're working on some great expeditions now such as Jeremy Curls record breaking crossing of the Danakil Desert and James Bowthorpes Race Across America."          

Lynne has also recently entered the Barclays one small step competition - support her by viewing her entry online     https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk/Entry/Detail/2086/4     

Saint Belle Choose Freer PR

We're delighted to have been appointed PR consultants to Chesters newest boutique 'Saint Belle'. For those of you have yet to find this den of 'all things beautiful', Saint Belle is a lingerie boutique, with a difference. 


Situated on the rows in Chester, Saint Belle is a store of beauty. 


Headed up by designer Annabel Mount-Kirk the store offers leading lingerie collections and swimwear brands with names such as Stella McCartney, Mimi Holliday, Elle Macpherson and SeaFolly as well as the stores own label collection under the brand 'Saint Belle'. 


It's exciting times for Saint Belle. Their first collection has caught the attention of the fashion industry, and we were able to secure their first trade press in the largest industry buying publication 'LingerieBuyer' just hours after their first press release went out. 


"We're really excited to be working with Saint Belle"commented Nicki Spindler, Freer PR. "The Saint Belle Campaign will incorporate raising their profile in Chester as well as working to position the brand across national media. We've really enjoyed the brainstorming sessions to date and we're looking forward to implementing a planned and well executed campaign". 

#Operation Hire Lily: Twitter campaign lands Lily Tucker an Account Executive role at Freer PR

We are delighted to introduce our latest recruit, Lily Tucker, who has joined Freer PR as an account executive.


Lily has recently finished a degree in journalism at University of Chester and comes to the company with a year’s PR experience gained through work placements and a part time role at marketing communications firm, James Rae Communications.


She is a self confessed social media addict and attracted the attention of Freer PR after launching a Twitter job search using the hashtag #OperationHireLily.


Within minutes of her first tweet she had received many retweets and several leads, one of which detailed a possible vacancy at Freer PR.


Lily said: “I started #Operation Hire Lily purely to see how far my Twitter connections would take me, I never expected to get such a great response or find a company that I was so in tune with. The icing on the cake was landing a position with Freer PR.”


Lily’s appointment was made at a very busy and promising time for the company after new account wins prompted an expansion.
Freer PR’s, Nicki Spindler said: “At Freer PR we pride ourselves on the strong relationships we build with our clients and dedication we put in to achieve great results. Recent account wins meant that in order to continue to offer the best possible service the team would need to grow. I am positive that our combined skills and working relationship will lead to even bigger and better coverage for our clients.”


Freer PR are a boutique public relations consultancy based on the Wirral, near to Chester and Liverpool. To find out more visit www.FreerPR.com or call and speak to the team on 07540 723 832.

The Top 10 PR Mistakes To Avoid

The purpose of PR is to positively portray your business, brand or product. Don't confuse PR with advertising.  You pay for advertising space and the publications carry your message. For PR to work for you need to engage with your target publications and persuade the media to take an interest in your business. You need to capture their attention with interesting news stories - afterall they decide which stories make the cut and which don't. Here's my top 10 of PR mistakes to avoid... The BIG sell.... Yes, please be positive about your Company, brand and message,  but if you're too pushy, or your message is all sell sell sell the media will smell a rat. This is news after all, so stick to the facts! The 'no news' press release.....you may be interested in your small business stories, but truth of the matter is, the press won't be. If you waste their time sending them small snippet no news releases they'll soon take you off their radar. Lead Times... Yes you have something wonderful to say and your news story is as tasty as they come, but remember depending on your target audience some publications work up to 3 months ahead - so consider your lead times and check your message will still be relevant when it goes to print   Buzzwords... Like most things there's always a buzzword or key phrase of the moment - don't be dragged into fluffing out press release content with industry jargon. Editors don't have time to read everything that hits their desk - so keep to the point and use language the reader will engage with - not be confused by Same old... Keep your press release angles creative - don't stick to the same old format. You need your press release to reach out and grab some attention Simply press send... Just because you've hit send and sent your press release - the work isn't finished. In fact its only just begun. The relationships you build with your media list can be the difference between having your news story featured and it never seeing the light of day. Put in a follow up call to the journalist or editor you've sent the release to. This will allow you to start building a relationship with them - and it will benefit your PR activity in the long run. Finger on the pulse.. Reading local newspapers, understanding the style of national newspapers and being familiar with your target magazines will help you keep your news stories relevant. If you've something that ties in with a current trend or topic it will all help! This will help you avoid poorly timed press releases. Immediate Coverage... This isnt always the case. If you're a small business or a new product or perhaps you've never engaged with the media before, you may need to work harder at gaining the trust of the editors and journalist before they carry your story. Remember the difference between advertising and credible PR? If the Editors know you'll be sending them regular credible news stories they'll start to feature them. Don't be surprised if your first few releases don't make print... with positive media calls and regular press releases you'll get there. Work with a professional...You're best placed at managing your  business and a PR professional is best placed to manage your PR. PR isnt something you pick up and put down. It isnt as simple as hitting send, it about being creative with idea's, writing accurate and interesting news stories, having good media contacts and working on building strong relationships on behalf of your company or brand. Having a planned strategy will help you reach your objectives. The guaranteed coverage promise.. Whether you do your own PR, appoint a freelance consultant or appoint the biggest agency - PR is never guaranteed. The proof is in the pudding or in this case - the coverage...so to find the right PR person for you, ask for recommendations from other business owners and when you're meeting with any PR person ask them to demonstrate the coverage they've secured for other clients. It's a good way of finding out what you can expect in return for your investment.