In 2019, worked as the Public Relations Chair for Alpha Delta Pi UBC Sorority. This volunteer position involves identifying and creating a consistent marketing brand for the organization and executing it across social media platforms in a way that is representative of the organization.
The position of PR Chair has afforded me the possibility of applying a long-standing and keen interest in public relations and marketing to a practical, hands-on role, while taking advantage of my existing skills and interest in photography and social media. I have been especially interested in the impact of public relations and marketing as they apply to social media platforms such as Instagram, and I was eager to have the opportunity to explore this profession, while providing a service to the organization.
This volunteer position involves identifying and creating a consistent marketing brand for the organization that would both represent the organization accurately and attract new members; developing content for the sorority’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, including conceiving and implementing photo shoots and public relations messages as well as designing logos, branding materials, and interactive posts; liaising with professional and volunteer photographers and videographers; collaborating with colleagues in leadership positions to develop strategies; and communicating with members to encourage participation in photo shoots and member events.
I have always been passionate about photography and have identified it as one of the creative outlets I use to help me de-stress and relax. Taking on this role seemed the perfect way to use my existing skills, learn new ones, and add a creative element to my schedule that would also provide a healthy counterweight to my academic activities. I have become a better and more creative photographer while carrying out this role, developing new skills related to photo composition and editing, gaining a better understanding of lighting and its impact on my product, and learning about new apps and products to help in the editing process.
Yet the role also presented new challenges that I had not anticipated, so that I experienced a steep learning curve as I entered the fast-paced world of social media. I discovered the demands of creating a marketing plan and a consistent brand that is captivating and visually pleasing. Moreover, I was surprised and, at times, overwhelmed, by the speed and frequency of notifications. For several weeks at the beginning of my tenure in the role, I realized that an activity I used to turn to for stress relief was, in fact, causing me considerable stress and anxiety. My learning then became as much about how to create a desirable product as how to manage my time; communicate effectively with other members of the organization who were either relying on my output, or offering suggestions for photo shoots and social media posts; establish effective boundaries so that I was not constantly responding to notifications, tweaking Instagram pages, or editing photos; and sourcing and hiring videographers and any other outside professional help that I needed.
At first glance, the most obvious learning significance of this role has been the opportunity it has given me to hone my craft as a photographer, and to learn new and better skills. At the same time, I have learned some fundamental marketing and public relations skills involving ways to appeal to a specific audience while representing the goals and values of a larger organization. But the equally, and perhaps more valuable things I have learned include developing a better understanding of how to manage and prioritize my time in the face of sometimes constant demands for attention and action; how to develop and communicate a plan to colleagues; how to respectfully and effectively explain a rational for that plan; and finally, how to maintain the fun parts of pursuing a hobby that also has a component of responsibility. More broadly, I have been able to explore one aspect of a role in marketing involving the design of logos, branding materials, and interactive posts.