Are these 5 channels in your communications strategy?

Are these 5 channels in your communications strategy? - Zadro Agency

The online world mimics a crowded market (pre-COVID) with organisations having to cut through the noise of the virtual world. This is where appearing wherever your customers are can pay off, because your brand is never too far from mind.

Multiple points of contact are important, but you still need to be mindful of being where it makes sense for your brand and also where your customers are. Here are five channels you can use in your communications strategy:

1.  Social media

Social media has become a vital way to connect and communicate with your key stakeholders; it is also a platform that easily facilitates two-way communication, with your audience being able to talk to you directly.

Social media is a great channel and should be utilised in some way by every organisation, however one important thing to remember is – your social media page is rented space, as evidenced in early 2021 with Facebook’s news ban. At any time, the platforms can change the rules and if you want to remain there you must change tact. One of the most significant changes for organisations is the death of organic growth – paid advertising is now required to increase the number of followers and engagement.

2. Email marketing

Also known as enewsletters or EDMs, email marketing is a relatively easy way to connect directly with your stakeholders; a clean and regularly updated segmented contact database and a user-friendly template in an email marketing platform will make it even easier.

When it comes to email marketing, consistency is key – this means brand consistency, frequency, and content type. Whether you send a monthly or quarterly EDM depends on how much valuable information you have to share. This will help you better engage with your audiences and develop a loyal following of readers.

3. Public relations (PR)

PR is hard work but when it pays off, it pays big!

It is a powerful tool where a third party spreads your organisation’s brand and/or message, creating greater credibility (i.e. if someone else says you’re great – it carries much more weight than you saying it!). PR also allows you to build a solid and credible reputation for your brand, organisation or team members, keeping your brand front-of-mind.

4. Advertorials and paid advertising

The media landscape in Australia has changed significantly in the last couple of years, with many media agencies turning to advertorials as their prime story type. Paid advertorials involve organisations paying for articles to be written about their brand.

Although this is a significant change – it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You are paying for the piece so you are guaranteed coverage, you have more control of the messaging and you can be more direct in your language, e.g. mentioning specific products / services.

And a little spend can also greatly assist in achieving coverage in your PR efforts.

5. SEO & SEM

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) are vital to your success and if they aren’t currently part of your strategy, they should be.

SEO is an organic approach to ensure your website appears as high as possible in search engine results. SEM is a paid approach to appear in search results. The rules of play for SEO and SEM are constantly changing as search engines become more intelligent at examining content and understanding what consumers are looking for, how they are searching and what they respond to.

If any of these channels are not currently included in your communications strategy, they may the piece of the puzzle that could really boost your communications efforts. If they are already included, are they being used as effectively as possible?

The A-B-C of building a social media presence

The A-B-C of building a social media presence - Zadro Agency

Social media platforms are constantly changing how you reach your people, how you engage them and how your success is determined.

A key part of an integrated marketing strategy is social media. Ensuring that you use the platforms, so they work for you is important to deliver the best results.

Audience

Where are they and who are they?

With so many platforms and channels for communication, the biggest question is which one(s) to use? To answer this, you need to know where your people are. You can choose to be on every channel, however, if your people aren’t there you will be wasting precious resources and it will not deliver the results you want.

You also need to know who your audience is – age group, industry, interests, values, behaviours. By identifying your audiences, you can ensure that your social media is strategic and purpose driven.

If you already know where your audience is and who they are, that’s great, however, with so many changes to social platforms and changes in user behaviour, it may be the right time to review your audience and customer profiles.

Better engagement

We often view social media as one of our main channels of communication, and it is, however, to maximise engagement, we need to play by the rules set by the platform. Once you’ve determined where your audience is and what social media channels work for you, it’s important that you also understand how the platforms work and what they value organically.

How do you do this and what might it look like?

Organically, this could include:

  • Using more video
  • Finding ways to keep audiences on your feed longer
  • Generating more likes or comments on updates and posts

Once you’ve addressed your strategies to achieve organic engagement, you can then look at your paid social media AKA advertising – this is where knowing your audience will really pay off. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t get instant results, advertising can be a bit of trial and error. Try to analyse why a campaign didn’t work, e.g. was there too much text on the graphic? and use your learnings in your next paid campaign.

The great news with paid social media is that you can start with a small budget and increase it as you wish, and you can set a finite budget and rest easy that there will be no bill shock!

Consistency

Consistency is key; you need to stay true to your established brand, style guide and key messages and be consistently active to drive your social media activity for success.

Differing tones, mismatched imagery, frequent changes in the number and frequency of posts can all have a negative effect on how audiences view your feed.

A social media handbook can be a great tool to ensure your whole team are using your channels consistently. If it’s time for a social media audit and refreshed strategy, ask us how we can help you build a consistent social media presence that will appeal to your audience and improve your social media engagement.

Marketing and PR: The Hare and the Tortoise

A classic metaphor of how winning a race isn’t necessarily about speed: The Hare and the Tortoise. This story taught us, even as children, that fastest isn’t always the way to win. Besides being a great life lesson, it is also a great metaphor for explaining the difference between marketing and public relations (PR).

Both marketing and PR fall under the communications banner however they each serve a different purpose and can deliver a different impact and result. By understanding these differences and engaging the best approach to meet your objectives, you will have a better chance of achieving your goals, maximising your overall communication efforts.

Short-term vs long-term

The hare, or in this case, marketing, can be implemented quickly and produce fast results; while the tortoise, PR, works best with a slow and steady approach.

The quick fire: Marketing takes place on channels owned by a business e.g. website, enewsletters and social media platforms; or paid for by a business e.g. advertising and search engine marketing. Marketing allows a business to have control over the messaging and timing and the results can be more easily measured with hard numbers such as products sold, profits made, website visits, and social media engagement able to be tracked.

The slow burn: PR moves more slowly and is most successful when it is part of a long-term strategy to raise awareness of your company, cause or product, or build profiles of key personnel within an organisation. PR is earned media and it can be more challenging to gain organic coverage. PR can be measured by clippings and coverage views however the better way to measure the results is by key message inclusion and the audience who reads that publication to determine if it is being seen by the right people, not the most people.

Selling vs Persuading

Marketing’s purpose is to sell your products and services to new and existing audiences. This is why marketing can be weighted with greater value as it delivers clear results, however, PR can help marketing efforts go further.

PR is not about selling your products and services, it’s about building your brand and creating and maintaining a positive reputation. This is done through third parties (customers, media) saying how good your brand is rather than you saying it, which carries a lot more weight and ultimately has greater value.

Both marketing and PR perform best when they are working cohesively side-by-side, one is not better than the other. Both deliver great benefits to your business and support long-term growth when key messages, objectives and strategy are aligned.

Use your marketing channels to sell your products and services; while focusing your PR efforts on raising brand awareness and building loyalty to establish a stronger foundation for the future.

Want to know how you can align your marketing and PR to get results now and into the future? Get in touch we’d be happy to help you integrate your communications strategy.

Do you need a business health check?

Do you need a business health check? - Zadro Agency

Have you looked at your strategy this year? Last year? It’s highly likely a lot has changed; for you, for your people, your clients and the industry you operate in. Now is a great time to conduct a business health check.

One of the most important things you can do is truly understand your stakeholders’ current needs, wants, and desires. This means finding out directly from your audiences, whether that’s through surveys, phone calls, or emails and asking them how they are, what they need and what they’re worried about? Now is also a good time to do a stakeholder map, or revisit your existing one, because the landscape has changed.

You need to be conducting a relationship ‘health-check’. This involves a very real and honest review of your relationships. What is the state of your relationships with clients, prospects, industry and media? How can you nurture those relationships right now?

Next, it’s about reputation management and looking at your organisation from the outside. If you don’t know what your reputation is, it is very difficult to manage it. Are you seen as innovative or a lagger? Are you perceived as very quiet, or have you disappeared completely? Are you seen as winning? What are people saying about your organisation? Establish what you want to be known as, and for, and build evidence to support that.

One of the most important areas to work on right now is building your community around you and keeping connected. Reach out, look at your CRM and your databases, cleanse them, go on LinkedIn, make sure you’re updating your contribution to your social media. Be vocal, active and present. This is not about selling, it is about listening and adding value.

Finally, look at getting ahead of the game for when the gates open to a different landscape. Consumer buying patterns, travel patterns, which suppliers will exist, how events will happen, and so much more will have changed. Now is the time to get ahead of that; don’t think about quarter two or three, think about quarter four and about the next financial year. Think about what you can control and the vision you want for your company.

Where to start?

A plan, to bring calm, realign your team, ensure your team know where the goalposts are and everybody can get on board and get things done.

You need a strategic plan from which you can develop your communications plan, and then you need to activate your plans. For some “strategy” can be a little scary, however it can be as simple as writing your answers to the questions posed above on a piece of paper.

Marketing During Challenging Times

Marketing During Challenging Times - Zadro Agency

At its core, business communication is asking and answering questions.

  • Why should I buy from you?
  • Can I trust you with my event, budget, people, my business?
  • Have you done this before?
  • Do you have the expertise?
  • Why should I work for you / with you?
  • Why are you better than your competitor?
  • Are you going to really care about me? How much are you invested in me and my project?

However, when we go through challenging times, conversations with your people, clients, industry and prospects come into sharp focus. The questions change to: Do I really need you now? Can I afford you? Can I afford not to use you? What else can do you for me? Do I have a job? Can I trust you right now?

The role of marketing communications in your organisation and the strength of your relationships

 Marketing and communications during challenging times is about clearing the noise and focusing on two things: What can the business do right now? And therefore, what change, amendment, cancellation, policy, strategy do I need to communicate right now?

Some companies use their marketing communications to build culture and leadership, manage change, support sales and promotions, but it’s really about the why; to foster relationships.

What are the priorities of the business today?

Communications and organisational objectives should align. If you don’t know what your organisational objectives are, then that’s where you start.

Marcomms people need to be involved in business discussions. They need to know where the business is and what the priorities of the business are now. Is it bunkering down? Is it strengthening relationships? Is it launching new product? Are you moving event dates? Are you having to let staff go? Are you having to keep staff motivated? Are you keeping abreast of the industry changes? Are you having to educate people?

What are your priorities today? You need to put them down on paper.

Think about…

What you have been doing and what has worked, what hasn’t and take your lead from that. Have you had great results in direct mail or SEM or PR? Have you been able to show personality? Have you shown leadership in previous challenges? Have you got great talent within your organisation to use?

Secondly, you need to identify where are the strengths of your relationships? Are they with your client base or have you been so inundated with business that you’ve been transactional and haven’t built deep relationships?

Where the strength of your relationships as a business have been, and what has worked for you in the past is a good indicator of what you should do next. Strong relationships and the community you build around you is the best insurance policy that you will ever have as a business and make the challenging times that little bit easier.

And finally, come back to your why. Why you do what you do, why is it important, why are you driven to do what you do. Articulate it and let it drive your goals and success.

11 things you can do for your marketing right now

11 things you can do for your marketing right now - Zadro Agency

The repeated lockdowns across Australia are having an immense impact on business; all reports indicate that for now, snap lockdowns will be a part of life and business for the meantime.

If you find yourself with some time on your hands (not for those home schooling!) what about getting to your marketing to-do list? There are plenty of things you could do for your own marketing right now.

Here’s a list of ideas from the Zadro team to keep you and your team motivated, productive and give your marketing channels a polish.

  1. Review and revise your marketing strategy. Marketing and communications strategies should be reviewed annually. When was the last time you looked at yours to check what’s working, what’s not, and set new goals? Now is also a great time to clear the decks and get creative.
  2. Audit and activate your social media. Ensure your company and key staff member’s LinkedIn profiles are current and ask your contacts and clients (past and present) for recommendations. If you have other social media channels, check they are up to date including your About Us and Rules of Engagement sections, cover images and you’ve responded to messages. Now is a good time to write some posts for the next few weeks which you can schedule using the Business Suite.
  3. Update your website. Review your website with fresh eyes and ask, is the content up to date, are the images current, does it reflect your changed focus, and are there any broken links? Now is a great time to learn how to update your website and do an audit of all your web pages.
  4. Write blogs, case studies and content. You may not publish them all now, however, it is a good idea to work out what case studies you want and get to work! Write blogs based on the questions you get asked from clients, and compile lists of advice for articles!
  5. Refresh your marketing materials. Do you need to update your collateral, or create some new documentation? Are your brochures, leave-behinds, info sheets, pitch documents, etc. communicating your key messages and giving prospective clients great reasons to choose you? Print them all and lay them out on a table – you’ll quickly see the inconsistencies and what your prospects are seeing.
  6. Review, update and consolidate your templates. Templates tend to morph over time! Now is the time to reset your templates and ensure everyone is using the same and most up to date versions.
  7. Learn a new marketing skill. There are plenty of online courses and webinars to choose from. Learn new marketing skills, explore different channels and the best ways to use them, or take the time to learn how to use various marketing tools such as your email marketing software.
  8. Continue to communicate with your customers and clients. Use your regular channels – website, social media, enewsletters – or jump on the phone (a communication tool making a strong comeback!) and check-in directly with them. Take the time and the opportunity to continue building your relationships.
  9. Connect and collaborate. Get in touch with your industry media and seek out opportunities to collaborate or raise the profile of your business or key personnel.
  10. Be part of the solution. If your industry is doing it tough, it is easy to criticise from the sidelines about what is happening. (re)Connect with your industry association, and get involved, be a part of the discussions, solutions and the future!
  11. Update your database. OK no one likes this job, but it is the blood supply of your marketing. Break up your database or commit to doing one letter a day (we’re up to M) and review your contacts.

The Zadro team are always here if you want to bounce ideas or have questions. Check out our other blogs for more strategic marketing and communications ideas. We also love a good chat! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via advice@zadroagency.com.au or call us on 02 8003 6819.

8 tips to boosting your engagement on LinkedIn

8 Tips to boost LinkedIn Engagement - Zadro Agency

LinkedIn is a powerful resource that enables people to build their personal brand and credibility as a thought leader in their industry. As with all social platforms, there is an ‘art’ to posting on LinkedIn to ensure the level of engagement of posts is maximised.

We wanted to share with you our top eight tips to improve your follows, likes, comments and shares. A high level of engagement can help you expand your network and develop stronger relationships with clients and other professionals in your industry.

Follow these simple tips to be on your way to optimising your LinkedIn profile:

  1. Make it personal

Passion is infectious (the good kind!). It’s important to share topics that matter to you personally as you will be more knowledgeable about them and it also goes a long way to helping you better connect with your network.

  1. Be authentic

Don’t be afraid to show your personality, whether it’s a dad joke or an emoji. LinkedIn is a professional platform, however, that doesn’t mean posts need to be boring and rigid. Also avoid trying too hard i.e. using industry jargon that no one really understands!

  1. Speak from experience

Personal anecdotes add value to the point you’re making and are a great way to build your credibility as a thought leader. The stories you share don’t necessarily have to be professional, they can link to a learning from your personal life e.g. coaching your child’s soccer team.

  1. Own your industry

Staying up-to-date with the latest news in your industry is important to ensure you’re across the latest trends and challenges. When you come across an interesting article, share it with your audience and provide your opinion on what it means, or comment on the impact it will have on your industry.

  1. Aim to inspire

Stop and think – why does this matter? How will this benefit my audience? This will ensure you are adding value to the platform and starting conversations that actually matter to your industry.

  1. Share your story

The story feature on LinkedIn is relatively new to this platform and is a more relaxed option for posting. Use it to share a ‘behind the scenes’ view of a project you’re working on, event you’re attending or share a ‘day in the life of’ experience. Your followers are interested in what you’re doing, so use this tool to show them!

  1. Celebrate your team

Share pictures of you and your team in the office, on-site or at team bonding activities. If your team wins an award, is successful in a tender or are just plain awesome, be sure to showcase this and acknowledge their hard work!

  1. Experiment with visual

Be bold with your visuals, whether it’s experimenting with video content or selecting an image to accompany your post. You want to choose something striking so when people are scrolling through their feed it stops them in their tracks – you want it to be “thumb-stopping”!

 

Try these eight tips on your LinkedIn and see how they increase your personal brand and credibility as a thought leader in your industry.

Have you seen our other blogs on social? Check out Communicate Better on your social channels for more great tips.

Connect with Zadro on LinkedIn!

Writing an award? Plan to win!

Writing an award? Plan to win!

In our last blog, we shared the five things to consider when writing an award submission, because we know that having the best product, service, event or marketing campaign doesn’t guarantee you a place among the finalists.

However, before you even get to the point of writing your award, another big key to submission success is planning. Ideally, you should be thinking about your submission one year prior, or at the start of the project, you can then slowly build your pool of resources along the way which will help craft your entire submission.

Set objectives 

At the start of the project, set and document the measurable goals you plan to achieve; this will then make success easy to demonstrate. For example, do you want to achieve a percentage increase in ticket sales, secure a certain amount of media coverage clippings, improve your Net Promoter Score by 10 points, or does the individual or team have KPIs to meet?

Document the process 

It is far easier to keep a record of the process as you go and add to it on the fly, than try to remember the process after the fact. Did you change or implement new business practices, who was involved along the way, did you recruit staff specifically for a project, do you have document templates you used?

Take photos and videos 

The more photos and videos you have the better! You won’t use them all, however you will then have a choice about what photos and videos you submit – remember a picture can tell a thousand words. Progress shots, time lapse video, photos of the final product and the team involved will all make great supporting material for your submission – think of it as the icing on the cake.

Collate documents along the way 

Whether you write your submission yourself, or you engage an agency to write it for you, if you gather documents along the way, when it comes time to write the submission you will have a resource library ready to reference or hand over. This might include presentations, proposals, plans, CAD drawings, case studies, stakeholder communications, etc. Consider adding an “Award Resources” folder to your files and dropping things in as you go. 

Get Third-Party Feedback and Endorsement 

You know what you are submitting is award-winning, however someone else endorsing you carries a lot more weight. Survey results from attendees of an event, testimonials from multiple clients and suppliers, media coverage of your event or organisation or individual, even an informal email singing your praises – these will all help to bolster your award-winning case.

Get involved 

Whether you are entering as an organisation or an individual, the more you can demonstrate that you are involved in more than just your own business pursuits, the better. Award judges look for those who go above and beyond; those who contribute to the industry, are active members of relevant associations, are donating their expertise for charitable purposes, are involved in philanthropy. The “extracurricular” will make you stand out.

 

Writing an award submission is quite the task, however by planning to enter an award and following these tips, by the time you need to write your submission, you will have most of the information you’ll need to reference at your fingertips and be ahead of the game.

If you haven’t already, check out our blog about Five things to consider when writing an award submission – HERE.

The team at Zadro have written and won awards for our own work, as well as on behalf of many clients. Find out more here or feel free to get in touch about your award submission plans and questions, contact us at advice@zadroagency.com.au.

Five things to consider when writing an award submission

Five things to consider when writing an award submission

Winning an award can have a significant impact on your business. It can attract recognition and new business – however having the best product, service, event or marketing campaign doesn’t guarantee you a place among the finalists.

The key to making it into the shortlist is how you tell your story in the submission. Before deciding to enter an award, it is important you take the time to consider a few things first:

  1. Understand the submission criteria and make sure you chose the most suitable category.

Before you start writing your submission take a careful and thorough look at the criteria. You don’t want to be disqualified just because you exceeded the word count or your work was completed outside the qualifying period. In the same vein, are you entering the most suitable category – a critical decision to make from the start. Do you have enough evidence to demonstrate the winning results of your work? Do you have all the necessary information to address the criteria effectively with enough detail?

  1. Identify what makes your entry different.

What is it about your entry that makes your submission unique? What idea or insight makes it stand out from the others? How does the campaign support your broader business objectives?

  1. Tell a story, don’t just regurgitate the information.

Your entry needs to tell a story and hook the judges from the get-go. If you simply repeat information or present a spreadsheet of how your campaign had a phenomenal ROI and engagement, the likelihood is you won’t be a finalist. It needs to be enjoyable and engaging for the judges to read – they are judging a lot of submissions, you want to stand out.

  1. Know your audience, but don’t assume that they know you.

When you are creating your entry, write it under the assumption that the person reading it has never heard of you, nor are they familiar with industry terminology or jargon. Make your submission simple, clear and easy to read.

  1. Don’t leave it to the last minute to decide to enter!

Leaving your awards submission to the last moment will make you feel rushed, stressed and can lead to basic errors. Allowing sufficient time to collate, draft, polish and submit your entry will ensure you produce the best possible submission.

A good award entry requires time, hard work, teamwork and collaboration to create a high-quality submission. We often suggest interviewing multiple members of your team to delve deeper and uncover those hidden gems (sometimes you might not even realise what you are doing is award-winning!) and fill in any gaps in your submission.

The team at Zadro are the experts in developing a compelling, professional and winning submission via our tried and tested process – and we can show you the awards (and shortlists) to prove it. Find out more here, or contact us at advice@zadroagency.com.au.

Here’s to strong women.

Here's to strong women. - Zadro Agency

March is a month close to our hearts. Monday 8 March was International Women’s Day and in the US, March is Women’s History Month – we hope this will soon be officially acknowledged in Australia also.

And so, as March comes to a close, we want to take this opportunity to celebrate women one more time (can never do this enough!).

The Zadettes have shared some of the women who have inspired and influenced us; key moments in history that women have been a part of; and our hopes for the future – what we would love to see happen in our lifetimes.

Here’s to strong women.

May we know them, may we support them, may we be them, may we raise them.

Felicity

            Is Inspired by…

Brittany Higgins and every woman whose name we don’t know, who has called out sexism, abuse and harassment in the workplace – both overt and subtle, in the face of strong resistance and with the threat of their reputation and dignity being questioned and torn to shreds. Their bravery and strength lays the path of opportunity for those who follow.

            Looking back and looking forward…

Edith Cowen, who was the first Australian woman to serve as a MP – she’s also on our $50 note! She had a life dedicated to fighting for social and justice issues in the legal system, especially in regard to women and children. She helped found the Karrakatta Club, in which women ‘educated themselves for the kind of life they believed they out to be able to take’.

Every migrant woman who has come to Australia with or without English, with or without education, with or without financial agency, who has raised children, strengthened community groups, cared for others and created a future for them and their families.

Marlise

            Is inspired by…

Ita Buttrose has been an incredible pioneer as a journalist, editor and businesswoman. Just a few of her accolades: founding editor of Cleo, which pushed boundaries at the time; the first woman to edit a major Australian metropolitan newspaper; the first woman to serve on the board of directors of News Limited; and now the chair of the ABC. I also love her iconic matching lipstick and nail colour, and fabulous sense of humour.

            Looking back and looking forward…

The women’s suffrage movement was a key milestone in the fight towards gender equality.

What I would like to see in my lifetime is that events such as International Women’s Day will be an opportunity to celebrate women for everything that we should be celebrated for and will no longer be needed as a platform for driving gender equality – that conversation will no longer be relevant.

Jessica

            Is inspired by…

Jackie Frank, founding editor of Marie Claire Australia, and editor for 20 years. I always loved reading the mix of stories which focused on empowering women and highlighting important issues. After leaving Marie Claire, Jackie started Be Frank Group, a business about engaging with the female economy. I am inspired by her drive and creativity to reach audiences in often fun, light and interesting ways, while still talking about serious issues.

            Looking back and looking forward…

The honourable, Julia Gillard, former PM of Australia. As the first woman to be appointed as the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard paved the way for women to have a more solid standing in Parliament House. Her speech in 2012, addressing the sexism and misogyny in Government, is still as relevant now as ever, women not only deserve the right to be in leadership and have equality, but they also deserve to be treated with respect; we are and have been for a long time more than “housewives”.

Earlier this month, the #March4Justice protested the gendered violence within the Government and across the country, with messages targeted towards addressing the “behaviour unspoken, behaviour ignored, is behaviour endorsed”.

Debbie

            Is inspired by…

Christine Pope – ATMS, COSBOA, Small Business, Naturopath. Christine inspires me all the time as an Association leader with her resilience and dedication to making change in the world of natural medicine, health and small business. She always stands up for what she believes in, and she always takes the time to check in and see if we’re OK – even though she is our client!

Yvette

            Is inspired by…

One female small business owner I really admire is my photography mentor and now friend Gabby Secomb-Flegg, the owner of Ambedo Photography. I admire the way she has pivoted her business in the last 12 months from wedding photography (and surviving all her cancellations in 2020) to shooting more editorial projects. Gabby has also started her own online photography school teaching newbie photographers (like myself) in a way that is simple and easy to understand, and in the process has made her business more successful than it was before the pandemic.

            Looking back and looking forward…

Julia Gillard being elected the first female Prime Minister of Australia (and that amazing misogyny speech). In the future, I’d like to see more women in politics and being responsible for making decisions and creating legislation that will have a positive impact on this country. I also really look forward to the day when the gender pay gap no longer exists, and women can feel safe to get on with their lives without worrying about their safety (all of which would move a lot quicker with laws and policies that address these issues).

Mellanie

            Is inspired by…

Marie Curie. Why? I love science! To this day Curie is the only person, regardless of gender, to receive Noble prizes for two different sciences.

            Looking back and looking forward…

I’d like to see women excelling in science today. There should be so much extra funding due to COVID – it’s our chance to shine.