The tumble drier that was 2021 has almost come to a grinding halt and awaits the input of the load for 2022 when it will go full cycle again! It’s been a merry, but sometimes frustrating journey in that crazy spin cycle, and there has been something to learn from every shuddering revolution.
2021 has been such an extraordinary year from a PR perceptive! Gone are the days when a good story got picked up by an editor and used without the blink of an eyelid. Our media folk have been challenged – with Social Media and Google ads taking up a fair share of the average organisations marketing budget. Traditional media has taken a back seat and that has given our Get U Noticed PR team the challenge of finding different, but exciting and enduring ways to get our clients noticed.
We have had some fantastic highlights. The Entrepreneurs Workshops that we devised to put two of our fantastic clients, #MargaretHirsch and business coach #MarlenePowell together to host this weekly virtual event for solid, stable or struggling entrepreneurs, have been a phenomenal success and we have drawn on some brilliant speakers, many of whom we hope to have back in 2022. We have loved seeing both Margaret and Marlene, being acknowledged for selfless work with the South African small business community. We have had some great testimonials from our attendees – especially the regular attendees who would not miss a virtual meeting and whose businesses have benefited from every session. Undoubtedly, virtual workshops and networking events have been the way to go – with the added relief of not having to wear the ubiquitous, annoying, but yes, very necessary mask!
Mental health has been an issue throughout the pandemic and our brilliantly eloquent client, #YaelGeffen took the bull by the horns and gave the subject a heartfelt airing with her article that went viral on destigmatising mental health – which, according to a recent World Health Organisation (WHO) survey conducted in 130 countries, “COVID-19 disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide while the demand for mental health has increased”. Yael, like Margaret and Marlene, has become a sought after public speaker and we will continue promoting all three as public speakers next year.
A huge thanks to #GrantAdlam and the team at KZN Business for the fantastic opportunities for exposure that they have given our clients. It was wonderful to see the Hirsch’s win the Retail Business of the year award earlier this year and Marlene was well chosen as the host for the KZN Top Women In Business awards event. Here regular coaching column, both online and in print, has been a huge success.. It was also wonderful to see our clients, #ZosKunene and #RaKunene from #zudomanzi talk about their brilliant new concept, the start-up #CleverCloud on the KZN Business platform. We are looking forward to getting loads more exposure for this fantastic programme designed to manage information seamlessly and efficiently. We can see CC being a global success!
Finally, I was super excited to form my own networking group for PR and Marketing people – and anyone in related fields. My Communications and Marketing Specialists Networking Co-lab group is up and running – on WA and soon to be on other platforms. Feel free to inbox me if you would like to join. It is all about sharing ideas, getting notices of events out there and chatting about the latest PR and Marketing trends – Unmasked, of course!!
Glenda Thompson.
CEO. GET U NOTICED