This year we’d like everyone to give a thought to all children who will be spending Christmas at the Refuge – at any one time 30-40 children are resident. We’ve supported them by buying presents for the children, so they’ll have something to open on Christmas day, and there is still time for other companies to do the same.

Simply go online and click www.localgiving.com/colchesterandtendringwomensrefuge

It’s a fantastic cause and even if you happen to read this blog post when the festive season is over, we know the Refuge will be extremely grateful for any contributions. Support is provided for the women and children all year round, for example, for the children there is a pre-school and after-school club, and the children enjoy many other activities and trips out. However, when you consider that government funding for domestic violence services doesn’t include support for the children, this is a huge undertaking on the part of the Refuge.

Each family has a small self-contained flat and comprehensive support services according to their needs. The cost of delivering this level of support is clearly very high, and so private donations will be vital to maintaining this invaluable service in the future.

We believe that every business has a duty to put something back. These are tough economic times, of course, however a little can go a long way when many people decide to act.

Please give generously if you can and have a wonderful Christmas!

However, as devoted followers of the trade press, we’re still seeing case studies that fail to inspire. Why consign interesting stories to the corner, when a more developed piece would interest readers and give you an opportunity to shine? Here are some of our dos and don’ts when it comes from making your case through third party endorsement:

DO:

• Find out the whole story before interviewing the third parties involved in the project. This requires more than having a list of key dates and products/services provided. Make sure you understand the context in which the transaction took place, such as why your company was selected, the challenges that needed to be overcome, and what unique factors influenced the decision.
• Understand the roles of everyone involved and how they worked together to achieve the outcome. Not only is this information essential for accuracy, but it could also add weight to the newsworthiness of the case study.
• Prepare for each interview. Draft a list of questions that will ensure you get the most from a short telephone conversation.
• Send the questions to the interviewee in advance. They may feel slightly apprehensive about being put on the spot, so anything you can do to reassure them, and make the interview more efficient, will help smooth the process.
• Communicate the benefits of doing the case study to the third party. Offer to send them copies of the editorial coverage and explain you will also use it as a platform to endorse their brand at the same time.
• Aim to secure enough information for a longer article than the usual 150-200 words. An editor may express interest in a more in-depth piece, and the extended version can run on your website. Don’t cut corners and later find yourself having to repeat the interview and approval process.
• Do the maths if there if are significant cost or energy savings involved. Impressive figures will give your story more immediacy and impact.

DON’T:

• Cut corners by omitting a seemingly minor contributor to the project. Consider the possible repercussions if a third party realises they’ve been excluded – what impact will it have on the relationship?
• Ever publicise a case study without getting signed approval from every party referenced in the case study. This is a cardinal sin in the world of PR.
• Submit a poor quality photo with the story. Most magazines are image led, and it won’t matter how interesting your story is if the picture is too small, out of focus or poorly composed.
• Pester a third party for an interview or approval. Another golden rule of PR is never jeopardise customer relationships for the sake of publicity. If someone isn’t cooperating, it’s unlikely their testimonial will be that strong. Focus on satisfied customers who are happy to endorse the brand.

To find out more about how we get the best value from case studies, drop us an email or call 01376 564315 and ask to speak to Helen.

Simple steps to avoid negative publicity

Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to protect your brand. The potential damage of a negative story can be mitigated or even neutralised if you recognise that a PR crisis situation exists which needs to be managed.

However, time and time again we see high profile brands making basic mistakes to their cost. Just this weekend a fairly sizeable manufacturer in the HVAC industry was portrayed in the national tabloid press as being defensive, distant and uncaring – all because they didn’t follow the basic principles of crisis management.

Here are some basic guidelines that could one day save your brand’s bacon:

1. Don’t underestimate the problem

The primary goal in crisis management, especially when it comes to the press, is to prevent the story being published. You can only achieve this by taking the issue seriously from the outset. Assume that an unhappy customer might progress to contacting the BBC or similar ‘watchdog’ press agency, or take their grievance online.

For example, I know of a recent case where a disgruntled customer posted a video of faulty equipment on YouTube, amassing hundreds of viewers whilst the brand delayed sending out an engineer. It may be tempting to dismiss an unhappy customer or local journalist, especially if their complaint is unreasonable, but do so at your peril.

2. Take immediate action

A journalist can turn a story around in a day or two, which includes gathering photography, supporting case studies and technical data. Your company should be asked for a statement, and may only be given hours to respond. If you think a customer or other stakeholder (such as an employee for example), might be going public, or has already done so, treat it as a priority. Even if a newspaper article, radio broadcast or online comment is later corrected in your favour, the damage is done.

Another important point – always respond. There’s nothing worse than when a presenter or journalist says that the company failed to comment. You’ll come across as indifferent and arrogant.

3. The customer is always right

While it’s important not to set a precedent that could undermine the brand on a larger scale, such as by admitting liability to deal with an isolated case, you need to take the attitude that your customer is justified and deserves a sympathetic response. Statistics show that an unhappy customer who later becomes happy is a far stronger advocate of a company than someone who was always satisfied.

Also, remember how the story may appear to the wider public and stakeholders – your irate customer may come across as David taking on corporate Goliath – this is to be avoided at all costs.

4. Avoid negative language

Clearly you must be sympathetic in your statement to the press or online, however what you also need to be aware of is the impact that negative words might have – even if the context in which they’re used is positive. General words such as ‘fault’, ‘failure’ and ‘complaint’ make an impression on readers and listeners, even if the statement is that there was no fault or failure, etc. You also have to be careful with industry specific terms – ‘fire’, ‘gas’ and ‘leak’ being examples from the heating industry that are guaranteed to be internalised by the audience.

5. Understand what the customer wants

Spend time discussing the issue with the customer or stakeholder, and you may find out what it is they really want. In our experience, it’s rarely revenge that’s being sought. Perhaps the customer feels personally slighted and undervalued by the company, in which case contact with a senior manager will make them feel heard. Or it could be that a seemingly small sum they spent rectifying the problem was not insignificant to them. Either way, by having a calm, friendly conversation with them, you can identify what will repair the relationship.

These are just a few tips for staving off bad publicity, but even these basic pointers are frequently ignored. As soon as you suspect that someone may take their grudge public, act quickly and ideally, stop the situation escalating to a crisis. For more in-depth advice on crisis management, please get in touch.

The recent BBC story about poor spelling costing UK businesses millions in lost revenue wasn’t really a surprise to us. Mistakes in written communications not only undermine a company’s professionalism, but are often symptomatic of bad copy – copy that isn’t doing its job to convert customer interest into sales.

We’re all taught to write in infant school, so it’s easy to think that our whole lifetime’s experience of writing equips us adequately with this essential business skill. However, effective written communication is a little trickier than you might at first think, even if you ARE au fait with the ‘i before e’ rule and know how to use a semi colon properly.

Get it right
We can’t stress enough that word-perfect spelling and grammar is of paramount importance, not just for general reasons of trust and credibility, but also because mistakes could give misleading information. For example, knowing the difference between ‘complimentary’ and ‘complementary’ means that you won’t ever fall into the trap of offering something for free, when you merely intended to describe it as being the perfect match with another product or service. If you’re a bit shaky on how to use hyphens, where the speech marks should go in a quotation, or when you should use ‘affect’ as opposed to ‘effect’, then it’s a good idea to brush up on your writing skills.

However, effective copy doesn’t just require good spelling and grammar. It also needs to convey all the right business messages in a suitable voice and tone, in a concise and accurate manner. In short, you need to strike the right chord with your target audience, and you need to do it quickly. Speed is particularly of the essence with online – the web entrepreneur quoted by the BBC in the aforementioned article stated the window of opportunity to make a good impression is ‘about six seconds’ – so it’s even more important that words are chosen carefully and sentences crafted to ensure that your point is made swiftly. This type of writing isn’t taught in mainstream education, so many people aren’t already equipped with the requisite skills to do this effectively – however, if you’d like to learn them, we do offer bespoke workshops in written communication (just get in touch to find out more).

Fresh perspective
Added to the difficulty of ensuring your writing is technically correct, and strikes the right note when it comes to tone, business owners and managers have an added complication to contend with – perspective. You know huge amounts about your industry, and can go into great detail about this and that, using all the relevant lingo. Many struggle to step back from their business activities enough to be able to keep their copywriting clear, concise and jargon-free – and understandably so, since they are so involved in the daily detail that it’s difficult to take an outsider’s perspective. But customers are technically outsiders, so although tailoring marketing communications to meet their needs may be tricky, it is absolutely essential. If you don’t convey your offering in the right way, they may not realise you’re exactly what they’re looking for…

This is where professional copy writers (like us) come in. We not only have an immaculate grasp of spelling and grammar, a stylish turn of phrase, and years of experience when it comes to finding the right voice to convey the right messages, we have the benefit of an outsider’s perspective – it’s easier for us to communicate on your customers’ level, because we’re not so ingrained in the daily workings of the business. Whether you’re looking to communicate with the trade or consumer audience, we can take care of all your copywriting needs, from blog posts, social media and websites to brochures, direct mail and magazine editorial, leaving you free to focus on your main business activity.

There are various ways of going about this, and which you choose will depend on what you want to achieve. At one end of the scale you could casually note which of the companies in your sector are active in the media, and what they’re talking about, so you’ve got a general idea of what they’re up to. At the other, you could measure and record your competitors’ coverage – in a selected set of core titles – on a monthly basis, so that you can produce a detailed analysis and use it to track their strategies (in fact, this is one of the services we offer our clients).

Get the ruler out
Measuring how much coverage – in terms of advertising and editorial – each company achieves can show you who’s investing the most in their brand at any given time, and this is conventionally done in column centimetres. You might expect the largest firms to be obtaining the biggest presence, but it’s not always the case, as smaller (or new) companies with an aggressive attitude to growth may also put a great emphasis on achieving media coverage to accelerate their success.

The titles your competitors are targeting can also tell you much about their strategy. If they are majoring on local media coverage, they might be looking to glean new business from this specific geographical area – but not necessarily. A big corporate employer, for example, might be engaging in this sort of activity to underline their commitment to the local community, and show what a caring, sharing brand they are.

It’s usually thought that only the big guns contribute regularly to the trade press – but smaller companies can punch above their weight and appear larger and more authoritative by having comment and expert advice articles published in their specialist media (indeed, this is our speciality). If you see your competitors doing this, chances are they’re trying to make a name for themselves within your industry for one reason or another. B2B organisations could be trying to reach new customers, or cement their reputation with their existing ones – alternatively, a company could be raising their profile in order to raise the organisation’s perceived value, ready for a sale.

Pay attention
In the trade media, pay attention to the topics being discussed by your competitors, since you might gain insight into which products or services they are focusing on pushing at the moment – read carefully, and you may even pick up hints about new directions or projects, allowing you to move more swiftly to alter your offering, if required.

With work pressures being as they are, it can be difficult to find the time to work ON your business as you spend so much time working IN it, and keeping up with the media relevant to your sector can often be the first casualty of a busy schedule. But if you can find the time – or alternatively find someone who has got the time and can look after it for you – then tracking the activity of your competitors can provide some useful insights.

Here’s Cision’s list of no-nos, which I’ve expanded on:

Sending generic mass email blasts to journalists
Yes, it may be quicker, but what’s the point if your action fails to get any results? It’s better to spend time crafting a specific pitch or two, as you’re more likely to get a positive response, and you’ll have made a more efficient use of time. A generalised ‘hello there’ email will just offend journalists, since you’re expecting them to do you a favour (run a piece on your company) without even having the common decency to find out their name or tailor your approach to their needs.

Adding too much detail or jargon to pitches
You wouldn’t believe how many emails a journalist receives every day (hundreds), so it’s best not to waste their time with lengthy emails – stuff your pitch with adjectives and other fluffy padding, and expect it to be filed in the virtual bin. Keep to the point, explain it clearly, and be assured that the strength of your idea will do the talking (or not – that’s the first rule, always make sure your idea is a good and relevant one!).

Making unnecessary follow-up phone calls
I’ve covered this before, but it’s worth saying again – the ‘did you get my press release?’ call is something that journos hate with a vengeance. Hang around any editorial office for long, and you’ll witness one in progress (you can tell because it’s a short call, and the journalist tries to get the caller off the phone as soon as possible), maybe even hearing the post-call conversation with a colleague, wondering out loud why PRs think this is a good tactic. If you’re a serial offender when it comes to such calls, you may well get a reputation, and find that anyone you telephone is ‘out of the office’ or ‘on another line’ – I’ll name no names, but I can think of a few occasions on which a whole editorial office began to boycott specific PRs because of this very habit.

Pitching identical stories to competing outlets
You wouldn’t sell the exact same goods to different people (and I mean the same actual thing, not just carbon copies of the same product), so don’t expect to get away with ‘selling’ the same idea to editors who are in competition with each other. Publications have to be able to offer their readers something different to the other titles in their niche, so they’ll be really unhappy (to put it mildly) if they see a very similar piece elsewhere. Bear in mind that journalists have long memories, so you may very well scupper your chance of any future coverage.

Not taking “no” for an answer
Well this is just plain rude. If a journalist has told you that what you’ve pitched isn’t right for their needs, then no matter of arguing or desperate pleading will make a difference. Bow out graciously and accept the verdict – and keep the relationship sweet for the future, so you don’t queer future pitches.

Many years ago, when editors had time to enjoy all the perks of being the person that everyone wanted to be chummy with, PR was in some sectors a very different ball game. Leisurely lunches and lavish press trips were the order of the day in some circles, with maybe a few cog-oiling freebies thrown in along the way. But times have changed, and so too has the media landscape – PRs now have to think and write like journalists to get the results their clients deserve.

It’s been reported that around a third of editorial posts have been cut from the media industry over the last decade – which is a huge proportion. With new technologies such as email and digital images freeing up time in the editorial office, publishers found that magazine and newspaper production staffing costs could be streamlined, while more recently the recession and the corresponding drop in advertising revenue has led them to economise even further. Consumer titles have had their teams and freelance budgets shrunk to the lowest possible level, while it’s not unusual for a trade title to be run by just one or two members of editorial staff, with little or no budget for freelance contributions.

With fewer people in-house to produce the same number of pages (benefits of the digital age or no), print media is more deadline-driven than ever before. Add to that advertising department pressure to favour companies which spend money with the title, then you can understand why journalists have their hands full. It’s not surprising they’re no longer likely to accept lunch invitations or go on day-long jollies.

This, along with the corresponding boom in digital media (including social networking), is why PR has changed so radically over the last decade, and why its allegedly fluffy reputation is not only inaccurate, but well outdated.

The most valuable and significant editorial coverage can be achieved by placing articles in publications almost the same way as a freelance journalist might – pitching the idea, refining the angle of the piece to suit the editor’s requirements, and submitting a high-quality article which has real reader value, on time, without fail. This is why, these days, the best PRs think and write like journalists – indeed, a lot of the best PRs have come from a journalism background. They have personal experience of the editorial office, and understand the particular pressures involved, which is absolutely invaluable.

But if you’re not an ex-journalist, how do you go about building bridges with a particular editor? Here’s our insider advice for anyone thinking of using media relations to boost their business:

• Always find out the right named contact for your enquiry. Got a press release about an award win to send in? The news editor might be best. Want to pitch an idea for an ‘expert advice’ article? The features editor is probably the person you want to speak to. If it’s a smaller publication, you may find that the team simply consists of one editor.
• Email is often a more welcomed form of communication, since it can be read at a convenient time by the recipient, and filed for a future issue if not immediately relevant. But keep your message short and to the point, as journalists are time poor and anything other than a concise communication may simply not get read.
• Find out when the publication’s print deadline is, and avoid calling or emailing in the days running up to it. Communications that are not immediately relevant are often not a priority, and may even get forgotten in the rush to get the editorial completed and off to the printers.
• Don’t write articles which are too salesy in their tone. It’s a no-no to continually refer to your company or its products when the editor has agreed to run an advice or comment piece. Not only will you annoy the editor, but in fact your piece will have less impact with the reader, who can spot sales patter at ten paces.
• Try to resist the temptation to call if you’ve not heard back from an editor after sending in a press release. The ‘did you get my press release?’ phone call is the bane of journalists’ lives, and you’ll get short shrift. Rest assured that if it’s useful, and they need more info, they’ll be in touch – and if it’s useful, and they have everything they need, you’ll see the coverage soon enough.
• Make sure your writing is up to scratch. If you have impeccable spelling, grammar and punctuation, along with a nice turn of phrase and an ability to structure an argument within the word count, then it’s more likely that the editor will want more material from you. After all, it’s quicker and easier for them to include your copy than an article that has to be given major surgery before it’s considered of suitable standard.

Unique selling propositions (or USPs) are the characteristics which make a company appealing to customers. Typically they are considered points which enable a firm to ‘stand out from the crowd’, giving them an edge against competitors. The challenge is to isolate those factors and market them to give customers another choice.

However over the years I’ve worked with several clients who have struggled to carve a niche in their industry, often because their key strengths were intangible qualities such as excellent service and customer commitment. We call these hygiene factors – attributes which every company is expected to have as a matter of course, especially during an economic downturn.

As a result of not having a USP, these firms considered that they weren’t ‘PR-worthy’, and found it difficult to develop a clear and focused marketing strategy. And of course this is far more likely to affect smaller companies that don’t have in-house marketing professionals.

Every company has a story.

Our approach has always been to work with clients to place their product or service into a context – a story that makes it easy for customers to understand what they offer, why it’s necessary, and why they are the best provider. In this way we give them an angle to hook journalists and customers alike.

Some of our most successful PR campaigns have been run for companies that could be considered dull and uninteresting, but we’ve proved that every company has a story, once you understand their business, their market, their press and their customers.

For example, take a small company that distributes air conditioning units to the commercial market. They don’t manufacture their own product, but their strength is in the combined experience of a handful of highly trained engineers. They’re not unique and find that their sales message of superior service is not helping them to win business.

Research into their market will show that their clients are concerned with issues such as energy efficiency and government targets, as well as factors such as cost and service. As independent engineers, this firm can offer objective expertise, without relying on product sales – so their service offering has greater value. Their story is about more than ‘just’ cooling; it’s linked to energy saving consultancy, financial savings and independent advice. The firm’s web site, corporate id, advertising, PR and literature can now be designed with this story in mind – making their communication more consistent, professional and engaging.

The story must evolve with the market and the company’s direction, however the core proposition remains the same. The message is much more appealing than a USP, and will repay dividends as customers realise you understand what they want and can deliver it to them.

Email marketing is having a positive impact on many companies, helping to build their reputation and grow sales. But get it wrong, and your customers may be left feeling annoyed and disaffected by your apparent lack of understanding and interest in them.

Think about how you personally respond to sales-led emails, leaflets and phone calls. If they offer something of genuine value and relevance, you might read them, but otherwise you hit delete or the call never makes it past your receptionist. Your customers are no different. They will only respond positively if you give them something of genuine value, which is written and presented in a way that suits them.

Next time you’re planning an email marketing campaign, run through the checklist below. Make sure that what you’re sending ticks all the boxes – if not, it may be a good idea to step back from the keyboard and think more strategically about how you can generate a positive response.

Successful email marketing does the following:

1. Presents information in a way that is easy to read – Avoid long paragraphs and dense blocks of text. Use a professionally designed template to present information and keep the introduction brief. Bite-size is always better.
2. Reflects what customers are thinking – Depending on your sector, your clients may have specific concerns relating to factors such as the time of year, recent news events, forthcoming legislation, and so on. Tap into their concerns and show you understand their needs.
3. Delivers genuine value – What will your readers gain from your email? Will they learn something new, gain a deeper insight into something or feel better for some reason? If your main purpose is to sell to them, and/or give them positive but ultimately irrelevant news about your own business, they’re unlikely to read it and may even mark you as spam.
4. Reinforces your credentials – No-one wants to give their secrets away, but with so much information readily available on the net, and so many companies offering free audits, there is no point hiding your light completely. Share your expertise with clients and contacts and they will not only thank you for it, but are also more likely to come to you for additional services.

These are just some of the benefits of a well-executed, strategic email marketing campaign. It may seem like hard work, but if you want your campaign to succeed, you have to do it properly – especially in an environment where people are bombarded daily by e-spam. Plus there are serious commercial benefits if you get it right.

Start by asking why you’re the best at what you do. Why would someone choose to work with you? Is it because of your expertise, experience, connections, skill-set, personality, or a combination of these? Cross-reference this with what your customers want, and the prevailing market conditions, and try to identify what makes you a leader in your field.

At this point I should point out that I’m not a life coach. This is not about building confidence, but about identifying the qualities and credentials that will enable you to become the benchmark, and using them to increase sales.

Now more than ever, buyers are looking for evidence of success and are far more likely to invest in companies that can claim to be an authority.

As part of our service, we help clients to identify their strengths and capitalise on them. The techniques we use include writing and placing thought-leadership articles in the national and trade press, creating videos for online marketing, hosting business seminars, engaging in social media and winning significant awards.

For example, I worked with an HR consultancy that specialised in absence management. Our strategy was to make them a recognised spokesperson on all matters relating to staff absence, providing advice to employers and support for employees. Securing national press coverage was important to influence senior managers of large organisations, and we achieved this by developing stories that related to businesses and workers throughout the UK, citing trends, commenting on behaviour and wellbeing, plus the commercial impact of staff absence.

As soon as the stories appeared in the papers, we used the coverage to communicate with existing and potential customers, reinforcing the brand’s credentials and strengthening tenders. At the same time, we placed opinion based articles in target trade sector journals, sharing expertise on the subject and raising awareness of the service.

We established a leadership position for the HR consultancy within 6 months, however there are still plenty of opportunities for companies in more crowded markets. For example, a regional accountant that champions SMEs, a legal firm with an excellent track record in a complex industry sector, or a consultant with years of in-house experience at a multinational corporation