Australian Human Resources Institute joins brand journalism game

The Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) has stepped up its content marketing efforts with a new digital portal that it hopes will create stronger ties across the professional community.

The association has partnered with content marketing agency, Mahlab Media, to launch a new Human Resources Media platform incorporating a central content portal, hrmonline.com.au, as well as weekly enewsletters, fortnightly video, social media channels and a revamped monthly print publication.

As part of the agreement, Mahlab will provide daily news updates, practical articles and peer interviews along with commentary from the industry. Another key feature is a peer-to-peer conversation portal that allows users to conduct online conversations using their LinkedIn profile.

According to the company, AHRI’s LinkedIn community exceeds 40,000 professionals.

In a statement, AHRI CEO, Lyn Goodear, said she hoped the site would become the number one destination for HR practitioners online for professional insights.

“We want our members to access relevant and up-to-the-minute content on their smartphones, tablets and computers 24 hours a day,” she said. “We also want it to provide a commercial platform for suppliers to reach our profession.”

Key measurements to gauge the success of the content program will be member retention and membership growth, an AHRI spokesperson said.

"This will be achieved by strengthening the overall perception of the value of AHRI membership, both from within the current membership and by reaching new audiences, through providing useful and intelligent content and showcasing AHRI’s achievements."

Mahlab Media managing director and founder, Bobbi Mahlab, said the two organisations have been working together on the cross-platform strategy since January and been in conversations for a year. She pointed out AHRI was one in a number of brands and organisations to be investing in own digital publishing assets, a trend increasingly being referred to as ‘brand journalism’.

Last month, Suncorp launched a similar digital content hub, Business Insurance Hub, and in April, ANZ launched its own online publication, Blue Notes, manned by its own newsroom and headed by respected journalist, Andrew Cornall.

L’Oreal’s Australian business is also ramping up investment into content marketing with and earlier this year launched a new site, M:Edition, providing beauty and fashion insights and tips from bloggers and brand ambassadors.

And caravan and motorhome components manufacturer, AL-KO, said its decision to launch its digital content portal, Without a Hitch, was about lifting brand awareness in the consumer market by providing more utility-based insights to caravan enthusiasts.

According to the recent Content Marketing Survey of Australia and New Zealand marketers and senior business executives conducted by Castleford, 93 per cent of organisations will either maintain or increase resources allocated to content marketing in the next year.

Read more of our in-depth insights into content marketing here.

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