I had the opportunity to speak with Sarah Bamford, an innovative and successful entrepreneur, and the owner of Hybrid Media Comm.
Sarah Bamford began her journey as most young adults these days, going to college directly after high school with a bunch of uncertainty in the air for what was to come next. She was focused on becoming a luxury buyer and wanted to work in the fashion industry. This is why she chose LIM although during her Senior Co-Op at IMG Fashion she started to change directions and was more interested in marketing/public relations. She finished her Bachelor’s degree at LIM College in Business Administration. Sarah originally was pursuing a fashion merchandising route, the business side of the fashion industry. She met a well-known Entertainment publicist and started to learn firsthand how it all worked. She was advised to enroll in NYU’s School of Continuing & Professional Studies and this is where she refined her skills in the art of public relations.
Sarah knew from that moment that this would be how she helped businesses grow and perform well. She spent time with that said PR person and learned everything she could to understand it deeply. While she was taking graduate classes at NYU she worked with an interior designer and store owner, she later started working with a restaurant and grew to understand her natural ability to help small businesses with their communication outreach.
She began setting her own hours, working from home and traveling whenever she was able. She found herself in a great position after networking with a prestigious CEO. Once she got started working with a roster of clients she created an LLC and called it Hybrid Media to emphasize the use of the two main communications methods she was using — marketing and pr. Her goal was to help clients become more efficient and effective. Client industries expanded to working with nonprofits like The Brazil Foundation and others based in NYC, Westchester and Fairfield Counties. After this, Sarah was still a little unsure about her next steps despite advice from a close colleague, she pursued a continuing education graduate certificate program at NYU. Her time at NYU not only helped her develop professionally but also allowed her the access to build her network further and gave her hands-on experience with experiential event marketing.
Sarah Bamford surely started having her own clients, but this was not intentional according to Sarah. She wanted to start at a firm originally but she was so successful on her own, she continued and prospered through small hardships and insecurities. For the past 12 years, Sarah has helped her clients organically grow their businesses through earned media and marketing strategies. She did work in-house after college but in the marketing department at an NYC-based company that licensed major brand names. From there she wanted to move into the PR department at a luxury brand but ended up missing a few opportunities due to travel plans. The people in her network saw her potential and did not let her quit!
So, I asked her the big question, what does crisis communication and PR in general actually entail?
PR people do it all but it depends on the client’s needs. Daily she’s reaching out to editors, writers, producers, and talent to pitch her client. There is a lot of follow-up. She also takes in requests to feature her clients — or from time to time a media outlet reaches out asking her to give them the scoop on an industry or topic. She also finds herself writing a lot, and editing and managing photos and video shoots. Then she needs to deliver this content to the media outlet in the format that they request. Details are important and often they are running on a tight time frame. She doesn’t have any downtime, she needs to make time to rest and recharge. She expresses that she is so fortunate to work with amazing clients in hospitality, fashion, real estate, design, health and wellness, and nonprofits that she loves.
When it comes to dealing with a crisis, for example restaurant closings during the pandemic, it was a 24/7 job that required her time around the clock. Having an internal communications system in place is critical. Also, being flexible when working with small businesses is important.
A PR pro needs to communicate well both inside the organization in addition to externally with media outlets, business partners, and the public. A strong understanding of all aspects of the business helps a PR pro extracts and deliver the right message to the right audience with the help of third-party credible endorsements. Social media is a great tool although it is generally looked at from a marketing perspective. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and others can help organizations stay ahead of a crisis or build business. It’s a communications platform that mixes both worlds of communications. Her advice is to build a reputation as being hard-working and honest. Along with having innovative ideas and the ability to execute, at the end of the day your reputation really matters.
During a pandemic, Crisis Communications, is the most important area of a PR pros job. They listen and deliver communications to both the client and the public. They follow a diverse range of media outlets across different platforms including digital and in-person events. Depending on her client’s target audience she will follow the media outlets that appeal to their target the most. A comprehensive layered approach is what she thinks works best.
Sarah Bamford’s advice for anyone looking to get into the PR field is “be persistent, be patient, and be positive. Being open to great ideas, teamwork and having a natural ability to connect is important but she’s found her success in being determined and not taking “no” for an answer. Instead, a no to her means “not right now” or find out why the answer is no and come up with a solution. A professional also needs to remain positive and patient, a bit of understanding that there is a whole world around us and maybe redirecting attention to the areas of “yes” are ways to continue being productive.
Sarah ends her remarks with “you’re a piece of the puzzle, you have to be a team player”. Sarah Bamford is a hardworking PR and marketing professional and it is shown clearly through her work with her clients. Follow her on socials to see her highlights of clients and past endeavors!
About Hybrid Media:
Hybrid Media is comprised of a dedicated team of passionate industry professionals brought together by founder and communications strategist Sarah I. Bamford. Clients are carefully selected based on their potential and zest. Once communication goals are set a lean strategy is devised keeping both marketing and public relations in mind. Efficient work is at the forefront of communications by streamlining the message and connecting clients with outlets that will grow the business. A comprehensive approach mixes traditional marketing and public relations with modern communication techniques to convey messages in the most impactful way. Talents and areas of service include but are not limited to event direction, web development, branding, and exposure through advertising or editorial. Basically, a smart “hybrid media plan” that concentrates on achieving objectives through a combination of tactics that support an innovative and effective strategy.
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Author: Chloe
???? Cat enthusiast ???? Bookworm ????️ Foodie Extraordinaire I am a Senior at UConn Stamford studying Communications with a focus in PR. Follow me on my foodie page and personal Instagram! @ctfoodswithchloe @chloeburany If I'm not busy cuddling with my cat, Vito, or lost in the pages of a good book, you'll find me on a culinary adventure in pursuit of the perfect fish taco or lomo saltado. Just trying to live my nine lives to the fullest, one delicious bite at a time! ????????????
