You need to have a good idea of time when you are speaking. Going on for too long will upset your audience, and may not allow sufficient time for questions. Finishing too early could be equally embarrassing, particularly if the next speaker is not ready (or worse yet, has not arrived). Always rehearse so that you know how much time you will take. Remember that when you are nervous, you may speak more quickly, so make a conscious effort to slow down and stay on schedule. Most important of all, make sure that you can see a clock or a watch while you are speaking – but don’t keep looking at your wrist! MEDIA MYTHS There are lots of misconceptions about the media. Here are a couple. I need to ring journalists to make sure they have received my press release, and see if they are going to use it<br>
Er…No. This is the first job given to a press office trainee to make them realise that it is not a good idea. Never pester a journalist about press releases. They’ll contact you if they want more information. I should ignore freelance journalists – they move around too much.No again. Freelance journalists should be cultivated, because they move around. They work for more journals and broadcasters, are more experienced, and likely to be career professionals. Aim at developing a long-term relationship with them. By Alan Stevens, Media Coach www.mediacoach.co.uk
Archive for Online PR
Watch The Clock
Build A Business Blog
It seems that every where you listen, read or log on – a popular new way to sell your company is through blogging! There are many people with personal blogs full of ‘what are you doing this weekend, fancy meeting up’ notions but business blogs are an increasingly effective way to raise your profile…
What are Business Blogs?
Blogs are being used as a powerful marketing tool which have allowed businesses to communicate effectively with their customers and demonstrate expertise, as well as open new prospects and widen their contacts – the UK and abroad.
Why have a Blog?
Business Blogs are a cost effective way of differentiating your business from your competitors, are a great PR and marketing tool, a way to exploit niches in your market places, research your industry, position yourself as an expert and communicate your brand messages.
Blogs attach a personal voice and a human face to your company and the products and services that you offer, which increases the value of your organisation in the eyes of your customers. This will lead to an increased loyal customer base, building trust and a personable approach which customers value.
In addition, you find that Search Engines such as Google will actually work for you in your online marketing. Because of the way in which blogs are structured, they are very search engine friendly – increasing your web visibility.
If you are a new business and may not have the capital as yet to create your own website, blogs are a cost effective way of show casing your images and correspondence to a very wide audience, and don’t worry if you’re not a techy genius. Blogs are very easy to use because you can write using a “Word” type of interface which means that you do not need a web designer to put information on the web for you any more – anyone in your organisation with access to the internet can update and add information as required!
Written by Bethanie Lunn of Huge Promotions
The Future of Online PR?
I was astonished to read in PR Week recently about how much PR activity is going into the online virtaul world Second Life. It seems that big money is being ploughed into it by large coporates such as Reebok and a number of car manufactureers for example. They want to establsh a presence in the virtual society and even market and PR to its citizens. One example that caught my eye was Reebok setting up a virtual shop where you can design your own trainers – how’s that for brand maintenance?
And then I read about a PR company that is launching the tour of one of its comedians with a virtaul gig in Second Life. The idea is from a division of the PR company that has been set up – a digital division – to take advantage of opportunities like these that are opening up every day.
Now I’ve never been on Second Life but a quick look at it says that it has 3,360,421 citizens and supports millions of dollars worth of monthly transactions – and you can exchange your online Linden dollars for real US dollars. Wow it sounds like I should check it out!
By Paula Gardner, www.doyourownpr.com
Three approaches to PR
We held a fantastic like-minded speaker event on the value of PR last week.
Our guest speaker was Susanna Simpson, an inspirational young entrepreneur who has succeeded at establishing an excellent PR agency called Limelight PR. She has worked with a whole host of clients who have been connected to a wide range of media channels thanks to their agency. During the evening, she shared her insights on the three main approaches to managing a PR campaign.
The first is Strategic PR – Telling the educational story behind your product/service to raise awareness. This focusses on editorial that highlights research, findings, knowledge and campaigns about your industry. It is particularly relevant for trade publications/media channels.
The second is Tactical PR – Reaching out to your consumer base with the intention to generate sales. This focusses on editorial or approaches that highlights consumer casestudies, features and product/service attributes or benefits. It is particularly relevant for mainstream/ target niche consumer publications/media channels.
The third is Ego PR – Telling the story of the entrepreneurial founders to build up the personal brand of the business. This focusses on editorial to profile the background, skills, experience, drive and passion of the entrepeneur(s) who founded the business. It is particularly relevant for business or lifestyle related publications.
These three approaches certainly gave our entrepreneurs food for thought at the event, so we hope it helps you to plan your PR campaign too!
Personal Branding Online
Branding online can be confusing. It is often hard to know where to start, but having a successful online Personal Brand is key for small business owners, self-employed professionals, freelancers and anyone who wants to promote what they do. Many of us find products or services through search engines, only to click and find that the website is a complete turn off to the company. The two main reasons for this are: they are faceless – another corporate website filled with business jargon – or it is a handmade website which does not conform to the company’s brand guidelines and fails to fulfil business objectives…
Lets face it, people today have less time to sit and wait to be sold to. The Internet has made things instant and accessible; everybody can know who your competitors are at the touch of a button. With so much choice it’s essential to have not only a competitive edge, but also a Personal Brand Identity (PBI), which you can use to be individual and to create a presence online and offline. Your PBI should form the foundation of your company brand guidelines: a set of rules that ensure your brand remains consistent throughout every type of communication.
After all, if you want to be known as an expert in your marketplace or want to grow your network you will need to develop a brand that will create impact when they meet you and ensure your website is not only a reflection of the real you, but is also easy-to-use and appealing to your target market. Below are a few basic principles of successful websites that have carried through their Personal Brand.They have…
- connected emotionally with their target market
- been consistent with the message they are sending out
- added value to their users, i.e. an e-newsletter or article
- established themselves and their business as experts in their field
- provided some form of evidence of their credibility i.e. testimonials or case studies
- a well designed website that makes you feel good
- a human feel with a face or a story behind the product or service
- their values communicated through the content and design
People who are successfully branding themselves online choose carefully what they want to say and how they want to be perceived. They build a foundation from knowing who they are and who they want to attract. They then make an emotional connection and present this brand package to their clients/customers.
7 key benefits of using your personal brand within your website:
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Making it easier for your clients to buy
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Differentiates you from your competitors as it is unique to you
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Brings consistency and focus
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Creates strong user loyalty and credibility
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Establish an emotional connection with your clients and prospective clients
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Develop a personal style that reflects your skills, expertise and characteristics
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Create a brand identity that is compelling, enticing and draws people to you
By Dawn Winder, Director of I-Define Living Ltd www.i-define.co.uk
Why PR is a vital part of your online Marketing Promotion campaign
PR is often thought to encompass just real life media such as newspapers, magazines and the web, but there’s a whole world of online PR that needs attention as part of your business growth.
Why Online PR is so vital
Think about what happens when someone reads your name in a magazine or newspaper. Unless it’s a household phenomenon such as Crown paints or Paris Hilton then chances are they’ve got to now only remember your name but also the web address too. I don’t know about you but I can think of countless occasions when I’ve come across a business’ name in a magazine at the dentists waiting room or a friends house, thought to myself “I’ll have to take a look at them I get back to the office” and promptly forgot all about it.Online Pr and marketing promotion means that your name and website address is already there in front of your potential customer. All they have to do is click on it. What could be simpler than that?
It’s a Virtuous Circle
Write more articles; get mentioned on more websites and you’ll attract more people to your site. Get more people coming to your site and you’ll be more likely to appear higher in the search engines when people search under your keywords and phrases. How cool is that?
You can’t get much Cheaper than this
In the world of business promotion online Pr and marketing is as cheap as it gets. No investment in designing funky brochures, no paying out for high quality and expensive stationery, or exorbitant postage charges. A quick email accompanied by the relevant documents – press release, photographs, articles etc – followed up with a phone call. All it needs is your time – a small investment for such a potentially huge return.
It’s Easy To Track
Whilst it’s hard to know who came to your site through what article and which offer tracking online pr and marketing is easy. If you’ve access to your web statistics you should be able to see the addresses of the sites where people are coming from – and watching how those figures correspond to the efforts you are putting in. And, on that note.
You Can Also See Who’s Buying
If you’re getting a lot of click through from one particular site but no one’s buying you can take a look at why –are they clicking through on a message that doesn’t really convey what you are selling. Equally, the sites where people are coming to you and buying are the ones that need your attention. Look at ways that you can strengthen your association with and appearances on these sites through mews items, articles, competitions, postings in the forums, comments in the blog etc – and also look for other similar sites where you might the same level of success.
Paula Gardner is a PR and media coach
http://www.doyourownpr.com
http://www.divinepublicity.com
