Digital sentry in Dubai keeps tabs on all the trends

Louise Holah, digital director at public relations company Dabo & Co, talks about a day in her life.

Louise Holah is the digital director at the public relations firm Dabo & Co. She urges clients to build social media presence. Sarah Dea / The National

A Louise Holah is the digital director at the Dubai public relations company Dabo & Co. The 36-year-old, who arrived four years ago from the United Kingdom, talks about a day in her life as she keeps an eye on all things digital, including 20 Twitter and Facebook accounts.

7am

The first thing I do after waking up is look at my BlackBerry, checking emails and messages. For breakfast I usually have cereal at my desk but I make sure I have a coffee on the way out.

8am

I live in the Downtown five minutes' drive from my office. When I get to the office, I check social media channels and see if I have any meetings with clients. We have five digital champions across the board in the office in events, public relations and administration sections, and we hold a weekly meeting to discuss content and training needs.

10.30am

I get a Diet Coke to fuel my caffeine needs. That's a ritual now. I keep up with social media trends. Instagram is popular now. We have to listen to what clients say, what media they are using, and what their business is all about. Some clients say it's OK we are not on social media. But we try to tell them that people are talking to you there, and that you need to be creative out there. [Social media] may be damaging to your brand [if not handled well] but you are also missing out on opportunities. For such clients we give a two-hour presentation. But people are a lot less scared than they used to be. For clients who say they don't have enough time, we tell them how to use the [platform] effectively, and its potential for the client.

Lunch

I usually order or bring my lunch around 1pm. It is usually quinoa salad with chicken.

3pm

I take care of client meetings, if there are any. We also have a crisis management programme, which says this is how we deal, how you react to [rumours or damaging publicity]. You can't hide it or delete it. I had to deal with one recently mainly on Facebook and a bit on Twitter and offline. Every time a client's name is mentioned we check it online on the client's behalf. It is being as quick as you can. With social media, [rumours] can spread fast.

6pm

I tend to go home. But before that I go running or attend my flywheel class.

8pm

I finish my classes or running, and my fiancé and I either go out for dinner or cook, but we are lazy at cooking. If we do it is usually salads or noodles.

11pm

I go to bed, but before that I check social media and the internet on behalf of clients. I do that on weekends, too.

* Sananda Sahoo