What's it like working in B2B public relations?

In our special 75th anniversary print edition of Influence magazine, we spoke to communications professionals who’ve recently entered the public relations industry about their experiences, hopes and aspirations. Today we’re hearing more from Eden Shelley, marketing specialist with B2B agency, Napier:

When I first wanted to work in comms I was mainly interested in B2C, probably because I used social media so regularly and - like a lot of young people - wanted to put my ‘stamp’ on the internet. But during my second year at the University of Keele, where I studied marketing media, I did an internship with a B2B agency in Leeds and it just felt like a really tight-knit industry where I got to learn so much.

So straight after graduating I joined Napier - an agency for B2B technology clients - as a marketing specialist, where I work alongside one other person in the northern office in Keele University in Staffordshire (the head office is in Chichester). My role is primarily a supporting one, with my main responsibility being to reach out to the European and US media to secure content for clients of Napier. This can include technical articles, a written Q&A or a virtual interview as part of my reporting.

I’ve been here almost two years and - as with the previous agency in Leeds - it feels like a really tight knit company where I’m not ‘just a number’. That’s important to me as I think it is to young people in general - they want to be seen as a person and to build those familial relationships in the workplace. Plus it’s flexible. 

As my first full-time role, I felt like I needed to say yes to everything, not take too much time off etc, but my managers have been so reassuring, reminding me that the company will keep running if I take time off, and that I don't need to check emails while I’m on holiday! 

Feeling valued in work

So there's no pressure there, plus there’s a lot of transparency in terms of what issues the company might be facing and what needs to be ironed out. I appreciate that so much, because it means that I’m not excluded from the conversation and shows that I'm a valued part of the company, not just sitting there doing my own separate job.

But the thing I love most about my role is that I make connections with new people every single day. It’s actually what first attracted me to the industry: I love talking to people, finding out their interests and just making connections outside of my own little bubble.  And at Napier, because it’s quite niche (most of my clients are in industrial automation) you talk to the same people regularly, and so quickly end up on friendly terms. And that provides the foundation to build really strong relationships.

And the creative side of the role is great too. I think it’s easier to make really creative campaigns in the consumer sector, because you have a lot more things at your disposal like social media. But in B2B, while you still have tools like content creation and graphic design, you have to put more effort into making campaigns creative. But I actually think that makes it more gratifying.

Putting theory into practice

Moving from the on-paper world of university to the real-life working world was a big shock, and Iwas particularly surprised at the amount of detail involved.  So for example, when you're doing a report, you don’t just report on the data, but provide insights into what the data is telling you: “This is the amount of coverage we've got in this country, for ‘xyz’ reasons.”

It required analytical skills that I didn't need before, but there’s been so many resources to help with things like that, such as webinars, plus Napier’s weekly teachings on different skillsets. Also, if you are ever struggling, someone will always reach out to help you. That’s another thing I really enjoy about my job - no one’s just a sitting duck. 

One thing I am hoping for in the near-future is more in-person work, as I’ve only ever done things digitally. As I’m client-based, being remote helps a lot but I’ve attended some client meetings and events in person recently and have just really benefitted from that, as I’ve been able to gauge people more easily. Obviously, when you're on camera, you're not seeing a lot of body language, and it’s that that gives away our emotion.  

So, I’d like to be up and out on my feet more. Partly because it all feels a bit more human but also I don't ever want to find myself in a position where I need to manage a client or an event, and don’t know what to do. I think it'd be really good if remote workers like me could go out there more and experience the real world a little bit more, because I'm sure things are done differently than when you’re sat behind a computer screen.

Looking further ahead, to the next five or 10 years, I think I'd like to either be monitoring my own clients, or maybe exploring what other opportunities are out there in the B2B industry. The most important aspect though, regardless of what role I’m in, is that I’m constantly learning. Your job is going to be much more gratifying if you can stay interested in it, otherwise you’re just kind of passing time, passively scrolling through stuff. But there’s so much rich content in B2B, I’m confident that’s not going to be difficult. 

Eden Shelley is a marketing specialist at B2B agency, Napier.