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Archive for the ‘PR’ Category

The most crucial question in PR

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Do you ever misinterpret what is required? I wonder, if, like me, you sometimes get the wrong end of the stick?

Last week I was at a Women in Logistics event in Clitheroe. One of the speakers, a dynamic MD of a massive European freight company, was telling us, in no uncertain terms about her demand for remarkability. All her suppliers had to exceed her high targets.

In her presentation, she mentioned that she’d had real problems with her communications, and she was in the process of looking for a new supplier. “Aha!” I thought. “I’m in communications, I give a remarkable service. I’ll speak to her”.

What I should have asked, at the time of the presentation was “what do you mean by communications”? Because it turns out, she was having a problem with her telephones. Er, not my area of expertise at all.

Which reminds me of the story on the legendary John Peel’s BBC Radio 4 Saturday morning programme, many years ago, which had me in tucks. It went something like this:

Little boy: “Daddy, where did I come from?”

Dad (having prepared himself for this day): “Well… Mummy and Daddy love each other very much…” and he continued to explain the mechanics of making a baby.

Little boy: “Oh. I thought I came from Preston”.

So my top tip is this: Ask clarification questions at the time something is raised. It will save you time, energy and possibly embarrassment later.

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Why would anyone turn away business?

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

I was invited to tender (ITT) for some business last week. Quite a big slug of business actually. Yet I declined.

As a business woman, it sounds counter productive to be turning away opportunities. After all, in this economic climate, every pound counts. But I’m a fervent believer in working with people who have a product or service which I feel comfortable promoting. PR is an odd sort of profession from that point of view. Although my clients’ businesses clearly aren’t mine, I feel very protective of them. I need to like the people I work with and the way they work. We need to have the same ethical stance, regardless of sector specialism.

In order to really get behind a business and make the client/agency relationship work, there has got to be that synergy. The way I work is more of a collaborative approach, which is a win-win way all round.

So, the fact is, this week I’m shorter on work, but longer on resolve – and it feels good.

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Pitching for business – 6 steps to success

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

Pitching for business is a way of life for many businesses, and PR is no exception. I always liken it to finding a partner – there has to be an initial spark of ‘talking the same language’ and then discovering you have the same interests, ethics and goals is the next step.

Here are my 6 crucial areas to think about if you are pitching for business:

Make sure you have Smart objectives (ones which are specific, measurable, realistic and timely)
Do a comms audit beforehand, so you know the baseline you are working from
Discuss how exactly the business will be managed.. The day to day contact point, and the reporting process
Understand and manage client expectations
Explain how you measure success
Demonstrate your sector specific knowledge

And remember, pitching is a two way process.. Courtship needs both people involved, so be prepared to walk away if you think that spark is missing.

What aspects do you consider at a pitch?

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Six ways to control your message

Saturday, October 15th, 2011

Have you ever seen a bride and groom stand outside a registry office – and been so swept along by the joyous occasion that you can’t help smiling? Or have you ever walked into a room where there’s just been an argument – and you can feel the tension in the air?

Emotions are like that – they are contagious. It is important not to overlook this fact when conveying news of any sort.

This truism was particularly emphasised when my daughter’s school invited parents to a meeting about a significant change this week. The atmosphere in the hall was initially courteous, upbeat and the questions posed were non-controversial. The majority appeared accepting of the new situation and we could sense all was going well.

Until, that is, someone spoke out. They clearly articulated well thought-out objections. Tapped into concerns that hadn’t yet been thought about, let alone communicated.

And the mood in the room changed. The animosity was palpable. Now it was not 300 parents who were overall accepting of the plan, it was 300 parents with real worries.

Have you ever experienced that?

So I thought it would be timely to share some crisis PR tips regarding communicating to a group of people.

Take the advice of a PR professional to see if your message might in any way be controversial. They usually have enough distance from the issue to be able to see pro’s and con’s in an unbiased way.
Avoid public meetings – remember, mood is very contagious. It is far better to have an ‘open house’.
Brief people with your arguments in good time – so everyone feels they have an opportunity to think about things.
Encourage feedback – it’s a massive resource to be able to harness the ideas of all those extra brains! Public meetings are a daunting forum to voice an opinion, and many choose to leave their views unheard.
Arrange for a day/evening or two of ‘drop-in’ sessions. This gives everyone the chance of having their individual concerns addressed on a one-to-one basis. These allow people to express their concerns without necessarily recruiting others to their cause.
Acknowledge the feedback you have received, thank people for their time, and act on it where appropriate.

So next time you want to communicate a big change to a group of people – think twice before holding a meeting on it.

If you want more PR tips, sign up for the Tigerfish PR newsletter.

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Essential ways to approach a PR strategy

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

Generating caravan sales was an unexpected, ongoing theme in the March PR Strategy workshop in Manchester. But feature it did, and workshop leader Dennis Kelly FCIPR from Teesside University successfully used this real live example to guide us through the creation of a PR strategy, bringing the whole process to life.

We seven delegates ranged in experience from sole practitioner of B2B PR to corporate comms managers for NHS, banks and retail complexes. Pooling our resources, we spent a very enjoyable day looking at why PR strategy is so important, via the trusty ‘plan-do-review’ model, right through to evaluating the PR process, which involved inputs, outputs, outcomes and outflows.

With humour and sound practical knowledge, Dennis looked at various ways to generate a PR strategy, including a Weihrichs 4 strategic options and De Bono’s ‘segment and challenge’ techniques.

As a hands-on PR practitioner, what I found particularly useful were his 15 top tips on getting time with busy managers to encourage them to focus on PR and strategy in particular. And here they are:

Identify common objectives
Be seen, be accessible, be visible
Say … ‘we have problem [x] and this will solve it’
Something which is new/leading edge
Say “This is something which will work for us..”
“Have you seen…” ie. topicality
“I think I know how we can save some money…”
Appeal to vanity..
When you achieve something, have some celebration – share the credit
Try the ‘reverse seminar’ technique. “… I know you’re really busy, but can you give me just half an hour to explain to me what’s happening in [your world]“
Find advocates for PR in the organisation
Demonstrate how something will work to get buy in
Set up focus groups
Gather insights from experts
Just pop in!

At the end of the session, we left armed with some great notes, more PR contacts, and a headful of ideas to implement back at the office. Which is my definition of a successful workshop.

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Get the porch light working

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

From time to time I get asked to pitch to companies who see PR or indeed social media in general, as the answer to ALL their problems.

Sometimes it is because they have a problem communicating to staff

Sometimes it is because they aren’t converting sales

Sometimes it is because they aren’t selling anything.

But can PR cure this? Well, yes and no.

I would, of course, say PR is fabulous. It is a powerful way to communicate with your customers, potential customers, neighbours, employees and potential employees. It IS an extremely useful marketing tool and it can:

• Help build reputations

• Increase awareness of products and services

• Enhance the credibility (and hence the worth) of a company

• Makes people think more highly of you.

• Help in opening new markets

• Protect business in times of crisis.

• Attract the best recruits and business partners

• Enhance access to funding and investors

• Create a premium value for products and services

• Generate interest from new customers

We all see what happens to firms that don’t handle their PR well.

But strangely enough, it can’t work miracles. If your product is the wrong product. If it’s at the wrong price for the market. If your staff feel undervalued. If your sales team can’t convert… well, that all goes to a deeper level than PR.

Let’s get this in perspective. PR is an effective and persuasive way to reach out with your message. But the actions behind the words have just got to be there. There’s no hiding behind a miasma of spin.

To put it bluntly, if your house is in the dark, fix the porch light before installing the spotlights.

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Choosing a PR agency

Saturday, January 15th, 2011

Traditionally, economically challenging times sees a decline in marketing spend. But does this make sense? Of course, I can see that its easier to sack consultants rather than staff… but it does seem counter-intuitive stop telling your audience what you have to offer. Especially during a recession.

Indeed, here at Tigerfish Towers, I’m delighted to say, we have recently had more requests to quote for new business than ever .

Which led me to think about how tough it must be to recruit a PR agency. It’s all very well knowing you need PR, but taking on an agency is a different matter. It’s not that we make it intentionally difficult, it’s just that, well, we’re all going to say that we can do the job.

And frankly, it IS fair to say that most PR agencies can do PR, because if not, they’d rapidly fold. But the big question is… are they the right ones for your business?

Do they have the right contacts? The right ethos? The right knowledge?

I’m a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), who run a great PR ‘matchmaker‘ service, to help you to find a suitable consultant or consultancy from their membership database. This link also flags up some great questions to pose to any prospective agency.

But over the 25 years I’ve been in PR, and with the last decade of running my own consultancy, here’s my very top tip for choosing a PR agency…

Choose an agency where you get on with the person who will be working on your account.

Not the person who does the pitch (who you might never see again), but the actual person you will be having day to day dealings with.

Because PR is all about communication. So if you can’t communicate with your PR consultant, how on earth can they communicate well with your publics?

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Are you making the most of radio?

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

I’ve always been a huge fan of radio. The breadth of news, opinions and entertainment which come through the airways, pretty much for free, wherever you want, are fantastic. Whilst I’m working, or particularly on car journeys, I have a talk-radio station keeping me company.

But what many overlook, is the wonderful PR opportunity that radio offers. In terms of audience reach and credibility, it is a great tool. And lets face it, on the BBC, it’s coverage that no amount of money can buy. Broadcasters are always looking for people who are authoritative on their subject, to have an opinion, to be entertaining, to give listeners something worth hearing. And that person might well be YOU.

So if you are lucky enough to be invited onto the radio, (and I’m assuming it’s not fielding an ‘issues management’ piece ) here are some things to help you prepare for your ‘fifteen minutes of fame‘.

When you know about the interview:

First of all – don’t panic! The presenters want to create good radio, and so it’s just not in their interest (unless on the Today programme!) to reduce you to a stuttering wreck. They are adept at making their interviewees feel at ease.
LISTEN to the programme you’re going to be on, so you know the format and style.
Think of what you might be asked; what your audience would want to hear.
Jot down the top 3 things you want to mention – in the heat of the moment, things can go clear out of your head
Email the show producers some blurb about you – so they have a couple of sentences which will accurately introduce you. (We’ve all heard the sort of format: “….and next is [you], a [your generic job title] from [company] in [place], who will be sharing her experiences of [your area of expertise/hobby/trip etc] with us after this next track…”)
It might be appropriate to send over some background into your experience, or anything which you feel the presenter should know about you, or flag up if something relevant has just cropped up in the news.
Make sure they have your mobile number in case of emergencies/changes of plan
Share the news of your forthcoming interview on LInked In, Twitter, Facebook, on your website – put a link to the ‘listen live’ page if appropriate
Plan your route to the radio station – aim to arrive 30 minutes before your ‘on air’ time, even though you’ll only be invited into the studio 5-10 minutes before (it would be a hideous pressure knowing you were late for something like this!)
If you’re a guest on a chat-style show (along with other guests at the same time) you might want to take in something which would be a talking point – ie. if you make candles, take those in; if you’re talking about an African charity, take some pictures of it in – so the other guests can get more of an idea of your world.
Ask if there will be the opportunity to use photos or links from the programme’s website page afterwards.

10 minutes before you go into the studio:

TURN OFF YOUR MOBILE PHONE
Go to the toilet!
Take some deep breaths to relax your voice

Whilst you’re on air:

Remember, you’re the ‘expert’, so give your opinion
Try to use examples when you explain your field of expertise – it’s much easier for listeners to relate to
I know this sounds basic, but remember, you can’t be seen smiling or just nodding in agreement – make it audible
Don’t ’sell’ your product/service, don’t plug your charity initiative, call for donations etc. Would you want to have that pushed to you if you were the listener? Talk about your cause by all means, talk about your customers, talk about how you developed your business.. .but radio is after the personal angles, not the selling ones.
If you’re asked a question you don’t know the answer to, don’t blag it, or make it up on the spot… admit that you need to get more info – and do.
Take in your ‘top 3 things’ notes – but make sure they’re on a single sheet of paper which you can leave in front of you. It’s not good to be rustling!

Afterwards

A thank you note/email wouldn’t go amiss – there maybe another opportunity and you want to maximise your chances of being asked.
Make some quick notes on what you would improve for next time (whilst it’s still fresh in your mind)
Put out another social media message if appropriate

I believe that, for a good communicator, radio coverage can brilliant PR. In terms of reach, audience and credibility, it’s well worth doing.

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When speaking isn’t so easy

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

On a number of occasions recently I’ve found myself at the front of a room of people, delivering a presentation. Now you would imagine that, since my line of business is very firmly communications, this wouldn’t phase me. But what I enjoy the most is getting OTHERS into the limelight. Whilst I love the preparation; love the results; love the afterglow – the actual presentation itself fills me with trepidation.

So I here are a few useful tips I’ve picked up recently about presenting with aplomb:

A great presentation is a journey. First establish where your audience is (ie. are they worried about finances/excited about a new project/interested in the future) and then let them know how you are going to get them to their destination. The taking that analogy a bit further, they might be in rainy Clackton, and at the end of your presentation, you’ll have them in the Maldives. Hopefully.

When you come to speak, take charge of your stage. Move the props to suit you.

In order to capture the audience’s attention, try asking a question; making a provocative statement or recount an amusing tale.

People tend to most remember the first thing you said, and the last thing you said – so make sure these are worth it

Tell them what you’re going to say – say it – then tell them what you’ve told them.

Always try to include a case study. For example, lots of people say they have excellent customer service, but, if you can, give an example – like you hopped into your own car and drove the parts to the customer (or whatever) – then it has so much more impact, because it’s a story AND it’s believable.

All presentations need a call to action at the end. What do you want people to do after they’ve heard your talk? Register on website for an ebook? Log into webinar? Book next course?

Before you start your presentation, breathe slowly in for a count of 8…. hold the breathe for 4 seconds, and breathe out for 8. Do this 4 times. Quite amazingly, this works rather well as a way to calm nerves, and gain control of your voice.

And finally, if it helps at all, please feel free to use my personal mantra which is: ‘I’m a grown up. I can do this’

(Thanks to Karen Tems and Andrew Thorp for inspiring me)

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Eleven approaches to rustling up news stories

Friday, May 7th, 2010

A few weeks ago I was asked to give a talk to start-up businesses at Northern Lights, UCLAN on ‘an introduction to PR’. It was a pleasure to meet such dynamic and inspiring entrepreneurs.

However, whilst I was preparing my presentation, I found myself thinking “what can I say about my business area that could possibly be of interest to someone else?” But what a thing to think. I had fallen into the same trap that many of my clients find themselves in. “There’s nothing newsworthy about my firm” they claim, when I know full well that they’ve just won masses of work, doubled office space, invented a new widget etc. The fact is that sometimes we are just too close to our own businesses to work out what the news actually is.

Despite my reservations, I must have done something right at my talk, because the feedback very positive. And I’m certain that’s how your own information will be received. So I thought some approaches to finding the interesting, newsworthy aspects of your own business might be of use.

Have a think about what you might tell a friend if they asked you to talk about the positive things that happened this week at work. Do any of these strike a chord…?

You’ve won new business/clients
You’ve developed new services/products
Have you taken on staff?
Moved to new premises?
Taken the decision to change direction – whether in business or in your private life (if it’s relevant and you’re happy to talk about it)
Can you talk about delighted customers? What was it that made them so satisfied?
Is your company growing? Celebrate it! What about special anniversaries in business?
Is your team taking part in any charity fundraising?

It’s true that on occasion, there really does seem nothing positive to talk about. Assuming you are still required to talk about business, just conversationally you might go on to explain -

Your opinion on the economy/affect of topical issues on your business ie. weak pound/ driver shortages/ government directives/ fuel prices etc. – how have you overcome it or is it a real challenge?
You might discuss the most frequent questions your customers ask. Could you turn that into a general information piece?
There might even be a trend that you’ve spotted which is of interest. Like this amazing graph from Canadian water utility company.

Of course, this is just a start to delving around for positive stories which will make news items. Sure, maybe you don’t immediately have something which will grab the media, but you can be pretty certain that if they’re on your website, they’ll be read.

So what’s your week been like?

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