British Council trains Nigerian journalists on personal branding, content optimization
Communication experts have stressed the power of collaborations, personal branding and content optimization in helping Nigerian journalists perform better the media’s role of educating, informing the public and promoting democracy.
Speaking at a media capacity-building workshop held in Lagos, recently, at the instance of the British Council ,the Senior Broadcast Journalist, BBC, Peter Okwoche, noted that there are increasing opportunities for collaborations between local journalists and international media agencies , which he stressed provides the opportunities for Africans to shape the narrative about the continent, rather than leaving it for foreigners who do not have deeper appreciation of what the issues are.
“Increasingly, we s(BBC and other international news agencies) are depending on local journalists and news media. If you don’t tell your story, somebody will tell it any way he chooses. The only way we can tell our stories is through collaboration,” he said, encouraging Nigerian journalists to build relationships with international media houses and to pursue professional excellence which would make them stand out in the field.
A brand strategist and the MD, 141 Worldwide, urged journalists to build their personal brand so they could stand out in their profession.
“You need to brand yourself or be bland. Personal branding helps you to be differentiated in the midst of all. The ultimate purpose of personal branding is to broaden your influence,” he explained, urging journalists to build their reputation on a strong foundation of character.
While speaking on how dynamics of the digital revolution is affecting news consumption, the MD, Wild Fusion, a digital marketing company, Abasiama Idaresit, advised journalists to adopt social media tools in news gathering and reporting to enrich their reports and for content optimization.
“Slowly, we are going to get to a time when you don’t look for new, news will find you,” Idaresit added.
The Country Director, British Council Nigeria, Lucy Pearson, said that the training was designed to build capacity of journalists in the discharge of their responsibilities in recognition of the huge role played by the media in promotion of democracy.
“As UK’s international Organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, British Council Nigeria constantly seeks different ways of creating opportunities by providing platforms where knowledge can be shared amongst key stakeholders. For us, this workshop is timely as we constantly seek to develop different sectors in the economy through capacity-building initiatives. We recognise that the huge role the media plays in promoting democracy.”
