When spare Hoover parts become PR

Hi everyone, it's good to be back. After the family were struck down with swine flu I took on a Florence Nightingale role and nursed my heart out for 10 days.

Anyway, during my time of being housebound; well pretty much quarantined, I took the opportunity to catch up on all of those domestic jobs that just stay on the to do list for ever.

One of those long overdue nagging to do's was the repair of the Hoover.

We purchased said Hoover some years ago, and really, it's never worked very well. It tends to blow out clouds of dust, leaving the house smelling musty and really defeating the object of vacuuming in the first place.

So I called up the Hoover parts line, cringing as someone answered, I was already slightly embarrassed about calling having had this small waste of space for so long.

So I apologetically explained the problem, noting several times that I knew I really should have returned it when we first got it. However, I was stopped in my tracks when the helpful customer service woman replied politely and efficiently 'don't worry madam, let me take your address and we'll send you the replacement parts straight away'.

Are we so, so bad at customer service in this country that we just can't cope with a satisfactory reply? I didn't quite know what to do with myself. And, low and behold, the very next day a courier arrived with the parts, and our Hoover now works like a dream.

I have to apologise for the post about Hoovering, not the most sexy of topics, however it did make me think how important customer service is to our PR strategies.

If you look at your last three customer interactions, what went well? And what didn't go so swimmingly?

Note down a positive and a negative for each and use them in the following ways:

Positives

- Are these in your elevator pitch, USPs, mission statement, on your website?

- Are the positives things that really make your business stand out from the competition and make your business what it is?

- Can you use those qualities/people to improve other areas of your business?

Negatives

- What can you do to avoid this issues arising again?

- Can you compensate those customers for those issues?

- What can you learn from these mistakes and how can you improve your business from what you've learnt?

Customer service, good and bad, generates word of mouth. As a nation we love to moan about poor service, so unfortunately if you get it wrong, it's not just one customer's loyalty that you influence.

On the good side, it is rare to get service that goes above and beyond, so word will spread. And in the age of social media it doesn't just spread over coffee, check out Twitter for mentions of your business, Google your company name and see if anyone has blogged about you. I'll bet that if Hoover are up with their social media strategy they'll pick up on this.

For those that know me well you'll know that I am a complete and utter Waitrose addict; and that's purely down to their customer service. They consistently impress me; double your money back if you return an item you're not happy with or money off vouchers if you didn't get a chance to use yours before they expired and so on. And I regularly rave about them - on and off line.

So if you are making time for some PR or marketing for your business this week, make some time to review your customer service strategy and start thinking of it as part of your overall PR plan.

5 Alternatives: There's more to PR than press releases

As PRs we quite often here these words from potential clients 'I think I need a press release'.

They're often happy to admit that they're not sure why, and also to admit that they're not really sure what a press release is. A sales pitch? An article? A story?

The traditional press release does often underpin a publicity campaign, and is a way to engage with the press - editors and journalists, if you have a story to tell. It brings together the what, why, when, where, who and how and allows a publication to lift the parts most relevant to their audience, drop them in with a quote and a photograph, and Bob's your uncle, you've got a story with minimal work required.

However, quite often a press release isn't the way to raise your profile. There's no point trying to create a story out of nothing. If you try to invent an amazing feat or headline grabbing event that just isn't really all that, you wont make it past first base.

Instead, investigate some other ways of putting yourself in the spot light (for the right reasons - no ads appearing on roundabouts overnight please!).

1. Blogging

We had to start with blogging really. Writing a (regular) blog is a great way to share stories with your audience in an informal and informative way. Talk about your business and the industry you're in, in a way that will engage and give food for thought. Comment on topical news stories and offer current and potential clients advice and expertise.

If you find this is popular, why not let your local business magazine know that you're offering regular advice on a given subject. You never know what this could lead to.

2. Ask the expert.

This leads nicely onto the second point. Consider your area of expertise and what current situations your clients are facing. How could you support them? What advice could you give? Think of a handful of different angles based on your business and what it offers, as well as current news stories and contact the editor who handles business content, or consumer news and pitch your idea.

3. Awards

Your business deserves recognition for the products and services it provides. Start looking for local and national awards that you could enter. Best newcomer to the high street, best customer service, small business of the year and so on. Invest some time in writing detailed applications and remember to include all of the achievements you've made and give examples wherever you can. Even if you don't win, you may be a runner up, and if it's a big competition the visibility of taking part alone could be really worthwhile.

3. Social Media

Create a buzz about your business on Twitter. Don't blast out repeated sales messages, instead look at your USPs and talk about what makes you different, innovative, right for your customers. Search Twitter for keywords that link to your industry or search geographically. Follow editors of magazines and newspapers you're interested in, as well as other websites and blogs. You'll be surprised how many opportunities can come up this way. LinkedIn is worth trawling too, a client of ours just landed an opportunity with Radio 4 this way.

4. Product placement

If you sell a product, think about placing it in the media and sending samples to editors. If you can link it to a current news story send it to the local press - an umbrella that opens automatically when it's raining (maybe not but you get the gist!!). If it's a great new iPhone app, how about Metro or one of the national newspaper supplements. Whatever your product if you can get a sample into the right hands the exposure could be huge. Remember though, you have to be able to deliver - not just getting the samples into the post, but if you're inundated as a result, can you deliver?

What we tend to do when we're entering a new phase of PR planning is to draw a map - plan out your activities with your brand at the middle, with arms coming off for each of the targets you have. Include details of your objectives, what you want to results to be and who is going to do what. Pin it up and stick at those objectives. A lot of the time, repeated messaging to people (without becoming a stalker), is the way to get a foot in the door.

On a final note, is your business ready? It's all very well and good investing time in these activities, but behind the scenes is your business ready for a judge from a best new business panel to come and interview you? Do you have stock of the product that you've promised to send to Meridian Tonight? Are you ready for the phone and email enquiries about the column you've just had published? Be business ready and the efforts that you put in on the PR front will be rewarded.

More on being business ready in the future as we expand and start offering a package covering just that - being business ready.

New to Twitter: I love a list, and a Twitter list, even better

Over the summer months I gave a couple of talks at Oxford networking groups on social media, and Twitter was a big part of this.

It was a great opportunity to introduce small businesses who may have previously dismissed the tool as a frivolous waste of time, and explore some of the possibilities it can bring:

- Introduce you to the wider business community in your area and build brand awareness

- Help you to find new resources, tools and services that will enhance your business

- Alert you to opportunities to get involved with interesting projects

- Position your self as an expert in what you do and raise your profile

- Extend your customer service offering

- Promote events, special offers and incentives

- Build up the human element and personality of your business

So these are just a few. Over the past few months it has been really rewarding to see many of the businesses I've spoken with pop up on Twitter, and start using it to make connections and move forwards.

Now, Twitter has launched a list facility which makes it even easier to find relevant people to follow, and share those who you follow with others.

For example, I've set up a list for my favourite suppliers (called favourite suppliers!), which means that anyone looking for website designers, graphic designers, photographers and so on can follow everyone on my list in one click.

You can see the lists option next to your following and follower stats on the right hand side of the screen.

Further down the right hand side of the page you can create a list for yourself and pass on the people that you find interesting to follow.

Have a look also at the lists you've been added to and see who else is on that list. Lists are a great way to find people in the business community around you, find suppliers, follow businesses within your industry sector and reach out to more people.

Remember to think big! When you tweet you're reaching much further than you think. As many of the businesses I've got to know have - get the quality of your posts up, give people some food for thought, free advice, new news and you will rapidly increase your Twitter circle, and the potential for your business suddenly becomes vast.

Thanks for reading as always.

Three things to know about choosing a graphic designer

So, Warrilow PR will only be so for a short while longer (part of the reason for writing this blog is to spur me into action to get the last bits and pieces of our rebrand done ready to roll out - Christmas, it has to be before Christmas...or the New Year)...

Anyway, we're rebranding and after a long search, we finally found a designer that 'got it' and brought our ideas for the new logo to life.

So, proudly introducing Jason Lawes, graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, doodler, and the man who can in our eyes.


Because we found it so hard to find the right designer for the job, at the right budget, and find someone who could take a somewhat chaotic brief with creative references coming from all over the place (interiors magazines, baby websites and a few objet trouvé type influences), we asked Jason for his tips...

Q. What are the three things you really need to include in your brief for a designer working on a new logo?

A. Background info. The more information on the background behind the company/individual etc the better. This helps in understanding what the logo needs to say, and gives a better understanding of the target audience.
Where will the logo be used? Designing a logo for different media can pose certain restrictions. For example if the logo will just be screen printed on t-shirts then there may be colour limitations - this would not be the case if the logo needed was just going to appear online.
The competition. It is good to know of similar companies/individuals in the field, so that the design is different and stands out from the crowd (and of course is better than theirs!).

Q. What is the main thing to avoid when working on logo concepts?

A. Don't over complicate things! Simplicity is the key. With the many requirements for a logo these days across web and print media, sometimes they will need to appear very small. So it is important for the logo to be able to work at different sizes. I think simplicity also helps with brand recognition. It is good to steer away from proceeding with designs that the designer isn't happy with. If you're working on behalf of a client stick to your guns and argue your case about what you think works better, but remember that they have the overall say so!

Q. What are your all time three favourite logos?

A. I do love the Apple logo - very clean, simple, easily recognisable and it has evolved over the years from simple rainbow colours to a more glossy Web 2.0 feel. Another favourite is the Rolling Stones mouth logo, an ageless design which has worked right through from the 60s. Great band too! There are a lot of action sports brands which I love within the snowboard/surf market. Lots of them adapt and change their logos fairly often within the different sports, but O'Neill always maintain recognition mainly through the wave icon - the text can often change.

So, should you be looking for a designer, especially when it comes to branding, we are very happy to plug our latest discovery - Jason Lawes; creative (crucially!), competitively priced and endlessly patient!

What did you do today dear? I lurked in some chat rooms....

The term chat room has come to mean a lot more these days, with many business sectors adopting the format to host business related discussions.
Gone are the days where chat rooms were solely for dating, or uniting unusual interests…

Today pretty much every industry profession sports a wide variety of forums or chat rooms available for people to share knowledge, ask for advice and gain opinion on a range of matters.

I really recommend taking some time to investigate these types of sites as they can offer a fantastic opportunity to share expertise and generate additional interest in your business.



Forums could be particularly useful to you if you’ve explored other social media platforms and not found that they fit with your business, time or style.

Three areas where forums can be used:

- As a PR I often go on to PR and Marketing related forums and offer advice to those looking to write their own press releases, secure some press coverage, or write new copy for their brochure or website. I don’t do it to persuade them into becoming a client, I do it to offer help and support, because I know I can go to similar sites and ask for advice and receive a hugely helping hand in return. As many people who run a small business will know, the sharing of this type of support is absolutely invaluable. Indirectly I receive requests for more information about my services from others who have read the posts and whether it’s just a bit of guidance or a request for a quote, it’s a great way to expand your communications.

- An optician client of mine is interested in using forums, again not directly to gain clients as he’s not a nationwide operation. However in his situation it’s a great way to find out what questions people have about their vision needs and which areas are poorly addressed online. This serves as an opportunity to tailor the information and advice on his own website to the types of areas people are interested in.

- For those in heavily regulated industries such as finance or law, some additional research is required. Remember that you are always responsible for the advice that you give online, the same as if you were face to face with a client. Read the small print of the forum you’re interested, contact the moderators to find out what you can and can’t do. Once you’ve checked it all out, these types of forums can be a great place to offer your expertise, and if you find it is well received, why not use it as a stepping stone to contact your local business supplements or magazines to offer advice on a regular basis to readers.

So if you do one small PR activity this week, spend some time researching business forums – Google your industry profession + forums and see what you come across. Be guided as to the popularity of the site by the number of posts and number of people currently online. Also, the forums on LinkedIn are a good place to start.

Register and lurk in the background for a while – it’s perfectly acceptable!!! Once you get a feel for the people, the regulars and the topics of interest, start posting responses that you feel will help people out.

And remember, just like all of the other social media tools – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn – this isn’t about sales – you’re not there to sell, you’re there to help, support, gain trust and build your reputation as an expert in your field.

Finally, online conversations in chat rooms are often picked up by search engines, so just remember that you need to be happy that whatever you say could come up when someone Google’s you – if you don’t agree with a discussion, walk away and find a more engaging topic to participate in.

One small end note; as the popularity of this type of online discussion grows, so does the technology available. Coveritlive.com for example allows you to embed a real time chat platform into your website or blog so you can host live discussions. If anyone would be interested in a live chat about PR or anything related let me know!

How to run a business and survive - 5 thoughts of the day

A couple of months ago I heard about Business Mum Week and decided it was too good an opportunity not to get involved with.

As a result I’m hosting the Oxford Business Mum Week networking event, for mums who run their own business and juggle work commitments with family life. It will serve as a fantastic opportunity for people to meet face to face and share ideas, support and resources.



A week later, venue confirmed, invites out, and busily distributing leaflets around the local area, I started planning a radio interview, attendance sheets, feedback forms and so on – and realised that I’d inadvertently taken on another ‘little project’ which was rapidly becoming a big deal.

As someone who has set up their own business, you’re probably the type of person that does this. A lot. There are always new and exciting opportunities, ways to branch out, new areas to explore.

Sometimes though, it’s just not possible to do everything. The moment you give your acceptance to this fact is the moment you regain control.

There are two things that have to balance in my mind – my favourite quote from Edison – ‘there’s a better way to do it, find it’, and Jack of all trades, master of none.

There has to be a balance between investing the time to research, understand and execute a job well, but also refine that list of goals to focus on the most important, results orientated objectives.

Having experienced many of these challenges and struggling to keep this balance front of mind in the early stages of setting up my business, I thought it would be good to reflect…

1. If you want to rebrand, launch a new website, start blogging, attend a few more networking meetings and find better office space all before the year is out, forget it. Just because objectives go hand in hand, such as a string of marketing goals, doesn’t mean you need to tackle them all at once. You’ll get so overwhelmed by the ‘bigger picture’ that achieving just one action will become impossible. This can be really demotivating and lead to in some cases, the worst case scenario ‘I need a day off to rethink’ which ends of with lots of movement in circular motions.

2. Be really, really, really strict about your working hours and environment. This I would say is absolutely critical. For a number of reasons working late into the night is never good. If you fire off a proposal at 9pm, Jamie’s American Road Trip in the background and a glass of Merlot by your side, when you re-read it back the next day, it’s very possible that you’ll be wishing you’d waited and looked at it with fresh eyes. It’s also possible that the words ‘pukka’ could have sneaked their way in subconsciously.

3. Manage people’s expectations. It’s not good to always be a yes man. If you have a number of client commitments, orders to fulfil or places to be, then don’t say yes before the other person has even finished speaking just because you feel you should. Offering an explanation, a suitable alternative and managing expectations will do you far greater justice in the long run. Also, if you’re not the man for the job, say so, and recommend an alternative supplier. Again, it will do you favours when it comes to word of mouth in the future.

4. Delegate. There are some jobs that are just better left to the professionals such as accountancy or graphic design. It’s really tempting to try and muddle through certain tasks yourself to save a bit of cash. When you weigh up what your time is worth against how much you could have earned during the hours you spent trying to figure out how to fit the name of your business into a circle, make it look like a sun and add a border around it, then you’ll wish you’d just invested in an expert in the first place. I speak from experience.

5. Figure out what time of day suits you. This goes back to the days of exam revision for me. If you’re bright and breezy in the morning, then get the jobs you want to put off done then. If you’re better on a full stomach after a jacket with beans and cheese at lunchtime then get the challenging stuff done straight afterwards. On that note I’ll leave you with my favourite clip of the moment from BBC Walk on the Wild Side….

I'm a niiiiiinnnneeeee!

I recently attended a presentation at a really good local networking group called The Late Breakfast by Patrick Bird of Interactive Performance Management.

It was good because I have never laughed so much in a business situation in my life, literally the tears were streaming, and had my fellow networkers not been in stitches also it could have been a little embarrassing.

At the same time I gained some very valuable tips on matching your body language in business meetings, whether you’re pitching for new business, reviewing a campaign with an existing client or taking part in a presentation, here are some very useful pointers I took away from Patrick, as well as the reason for the hilarity.

1. People often make their minds up about a person in the first 20 to 30 seconds of meeting them so initial impact is vital. Make sure you own the space, good posture with a firm handshake and clear greeting.
2. Pitches to clients are about the message you leave them with, make sure your content (words) are well prepared but also “HOW” you are going to deliver the presentation is thought through and rehearsed to maximise your communication. Congruence of words, body language and tone of voice is critical, if you say you are pleased to be there make sure the 3 things actually match the message.
3. Think about your breathing and avoid the squeaky voice coming out in the presentation. Breathe from the diaphragm into your belly and not from your chest, the quality and resonance of your voice will improve.

So why so much laughter? Patrick opened his talk with an activity to get us warmed up. Based on the last digit of our mobile phone numbers (bear with me on this), we had to walk around the room greeting people at that level.

So, if you’re a zero, you’re pretty much dead, not good. If you’re a nine however, you’re bursting at the seems with get up and go.

We had the opportunity to start with our number, mine being a four, so I was a little bland and moped around, but then I got to do eight – well I went for nine just to make the most of the opportunity.

I more than got into role shall we say and shrieked my way around the room, embracing my fellow networkers and greeting them as long lost friends. It was a very energising experience to say the least. The shock on the faces of my '2' and '3' networkers was brilliant. I think their ears may still be ringing.

I only wish that there was video footage, as short of being able to act this out each and every morning to get the day started, it would provide a valuable reminder of how important it is to match your colleagues or clients body language and ‘number’.

If you’re meeting a client today, you walk in to their office and they are clearly having a ‘2’ day, it would be worth saving your ‘9’ for another moment – don’t waste it though, use it somewhere, it’s good for the soul!

How are you using Twitter for business? 10 things to know

Twitter has exploded in popularity over recent months, especially its use by small businesses as more and more people join the way of thinking that they have more to say than what they are having for dinner. After doing a talk on social media at a networking group (@TLB) at the beginning of July I’ve noticed just how many small businesses are really getting their tweet on.

There are still lots of ‘it’s not for me’ and ‘I don’t get it’ types, and it isn’t for everyone, and no one gets it straight away (although we like to pretend we do).

As a small business myself I’ve found it invaluable. New suppliers, advice, opinion, useful articles, something to make me smile when I log in first thing in the morning.

There are huge possibilities for small businesses, so Twitter is worth investigating. It's not simply a case of tweeting about you're products or services, there's much more to it.

Here are our 10 things you should know about Twitter for business:

1. Twitter is just like any face to face networking event. When you first join you should take a step back, get to know people, let them do the talking and get comfortable in your new environment. Once you’re ready, make the break from shy to sociable.

2. Make some boundaries. One you’ve got a feel for what people are talking about and how you could contribute, establish whether this is a purely work tool. If you are connecting with friends as well as potential clients on Twitter, be mindful that a blow by blow account of the 5-a-side football match you’re watching may not be of interest to everyone!

3. Be yourself. Don’t try and be the corporate face of your business. Be you, tweeting on behalf of your company. Just because you’re using this for business reasons, doesn’t mean you need to start speaking in the same tone that your corporate brochure; it is a social application.

4. Who are you? People want to know who the person behind the tweets is so add a good photo and write a concise biography that not only tells people who you are but also helps people to find you when searching for certain businesses.

5. It’s not a sales tool. Don’t start posting 10 times a day about your 50% off sale. People will get bored very quickly. It’s almost like spam.

6. Start following interesting people. Don’t feel that you need to follow everyone who follows you. It’s doubtful that following Sexy Sandra who wants to talk naughty with you, is going to add any real value to your business! There are lots of good applications that help you to find relevant people, check out this fab post from Twitter pro Mashable.
7. Go with the flow. After you’ve been using Twitter for a few weeks you will soon find your feet. Find out who you know is already on Twitter and use them as guinea pigs to get into the swing of things. Don’t get sidetracked into reading each and every post and replying to everything that has a vague connection to your business.
8. On that note, keep your objectives front of mind. It’s not a sales tool, but what are you trying to achieve? Are you looking to explain what services you actually offer? Search for people looking for those services and reply to their questions. Are you looking for new staff? Diversifying and trying to establish if there’s a need? Use Twitter to build conversation, but also to build your business.
9. Do it regularly – Twitter requires some maintenance. The great thing is, updating the short 140 character tweet is quick. But if you’re starting to chat with people, and you don’t reply for a month, they’ll soon lose confidence in you.
10. Finally, enjoy it. If Twitter is going to add value to your business you need to enjoy, not dread using this tool. There are many, many great articles available on how to use Twitter; get on to Google and have a read.

Another great post comes from Sponge NB on Twitter for business, have a read.

The Late Breakfast, the networking group I mentioned, started using Twitter a few months back and have already welcomed new attendees through tweeting about themselves, and have found that Twitter allows them to communicate with a much wider audience than they have done previously.

The ‘Twitterverse’ is a vast online chat room to explore and use in the way that suits you; a place where people hang out, talk, share advice. To talk more about Twitter do get in touch with me – catherine@warrilowpr.co.uk or call 01235 202284 (it’s still good to talk and hear a voice!).

The rise (and fall) of the blogger

There has been lots of talk online recently about mummy bloggers in particular following the BlogHer conference in Chicago a few weeks ago.

BlogHer is an annual event which brings together women from all sorts of backgrounds and professions, with differing interests, hobbies and areas of expertise.

The main message that came out of the conference this year – beware of the swag hag. Stories of women bribing and blackmailing their way to new shoes, clothes and other freebies through the threat of negative reviews on their blogs for non co-operation.

There was a really interesting article in the Independent on Sunday recently, which really illustrates just how much time and energy companies are putting into targetting bloggers with products, in order to secure positive online reviews.

Taking a step backwards for a moment, what is a blog? A blog should really be like a diary. A personal collection of stories, thoughts, feelings, ideas, ramblings, rants and so on. Blogs are extensions of people’s personalities.

So this new, much more commercial edge to blogging threatens to take away the reason that people log on and read their favourite blogs on a regular basis.

Yes, blogs often contain reviews of products or services – a blasting of a new restaurant that was supposed to be amazing but served dried out steak and cold chips, or a big thumbs up for a new car that has exceeded expectations with all of it’s gadgets and gizmos.

However, reviews in blogs should be spontaneous, not influenced or written purely because something was free. Companies are increasingly wising up to the fact that with a bit of pampering and some freebies, bloggers will happily write good reviews in return.

Bloggers are extremely influential people, and more and more so, parents in particular turn to blogs, as well as forums for an honest, expert opinion before making a purchase or trying something for the first time.

So, does this mean we’re not getting an honest opinion all of the time?

From a personal perspective, I am a mummy blogger. I write about being a parent – the highs, the lows, the tears and tantrums, as well as the truly magical moments.
Like many bloggers we get sent products to review. When the blog was first started in April 2009 it was very tempting to get sucked into accepting freebies – everyone seemed to be ready to throw stuff at you.

If we ever review a product, it’s because we love it. It’s because it does the job it’s supposed to better than any product. If we don’t like something, we don’t talk about it, simple as that – and we offer to return it.

Having digressed quite far down the line of swag hags and mummy bloggers, I’d like to return to the point. If you are blogging, are you doing it for the right reasons? Free stuff is just one of them:

- Are you writing for pleasure? If so great, write what you like, when you like and go with the flow.

- Are you writing for business? If so, are you providing informative information with advice, guidance, opinion and a call to action?

- Are you writing about the right stuff? Are you writing about last weeks news? There are lots of bloggers out there, so if you want people to follow your blog, you need to have your finger on the pulse. Ok, so here I’m writing about a conference a few weeks ago (tut), but this topic is going to increase and increase in magnitude so hopefully we’re on topic still!!!

- Are you being honest? Don’t create stories that you think will make a good read. Be honest and be yourself, write as you, not someone you think people will read.

- Are you blogging because everyone else is? Are you sitting at your desk on a Monday morning, stomach lurching because this is the time you’ve set aside to write your weekly blog entry? If you don’t like writing, don’t enjoy it and wonder what on earth it’s achieving, then don’t do it. There are plenty of opportunities to express yourself online and develop conversations – check out LinkedIn, Twitter, or research the many business forums and chat rooms that span each and every industry. If you have expertise to share, find the place where you feel comfortable participating.

I had a quick scan through my early ramblings from when I first started blogging and they cover all sorts of odd topics. They all convey my personality and are written as me, but probably not quite in line with what my audience want to read about. So, you live and learn. It takes a while to find your groove, but if you're enjoying blogging, stick at it.

If you write, they will come...

PR: Back to Basics Part 2 - what else can you do?

Following on from our post last week about the first steps that it's really important to have in place before you embark on a journey into PR, here's part 2.

USPs – what are your unique selling points? When a customer gets in touch to find out more about you, what do you need to tell them that sets you apart from the competition? What do you do differently, what do you do faster, cheaper, better? List your USPs on your website and make sure they really are unique. Research your competitors and see what they are doing.

Business cards – make sure you always, at all times, have a supply of business cards in your pocket, purse, or wherever you may like to keep them! You never know who you are going to meet and where.

At your premises – there’s no need to roll out the red carpet, but a well presented reception that is clean, bright and welcoming will do your business wonders. At the same time as doing some virtual housekeeping with your email signature, website details and answer phone, make sure that your premises give the right first impression.

Time – raising the profile of your business takes time. Don’t be scared to block out some time each week to dedicate solely to building the business. It’s hard, but it will pay off. Spend time regularly ensuring the messages you put out to customers are accurate, professional and polite. Once the basics are in place, you’re ready to hit the headlines.

Social media – are you using LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter? Have you started accounts with every social media site there is, and now they’re all sitting there having been updated once and once only? Close down the accounts that you don’t use; if Facebook isn’t for you, don’t use it. Focus on one or two tools that really work for you – your target market are using and opportunities to reach these people exist within them. There's loads of great information on the Internet about how and why to use each of these tools.

Help – there is always help available. For more advice and guidance refer back to local networking groups, as well as people like Business Link. Rope in friends and family to ‘mystery shop’ your business and give you honest (this is the key!) feedback about the service they experienced.

Want to talk more? Get in touch! Following our recent office move we're now re-connected to the outside world with a good old fashioned landline - 01235 202284.

PR: Back to basics - simple steps you may have missed

When we consider PR we quite often jump straight in at the news stage – lets create some news and get some press coverage.

This is a good objective to have, and whether you’re doing your own PR or have / want to work with a PR agency to manage this for you, generating news, entering awards, supporting charities and events, running offers and promotions, are all targets to consider in order to gain publicity.

But, and this is a big but, have you covered the basics?

When you start shouting to the media about your business – your revolutionary product or amazing time saving service, are you well prepared, and well presented?

What you want to avoid more than anything is getting great press coverage, and then driving new customers to your website, email address or phone number, for them to be disappointed by the first impression you give.

So what factors can really turn people off, and what can you do? Here goes, this is part 1 of our guide to the simple things.

Telephone messages – what does your telephone answer phone message say about you? Do you even have an answer phone or does it just ring, and ring, and ring when there’s no one available. Make sure your message is clear and concise. The business name should be easy to hear and understand. Make sure you explain how and when you will get back to people – be realistic – don’t say you’ll reply within an hour if it’s more likely to be 24! Manage people’s expectations.

Email addresses – do you have a website? If so make sure to register the email addresses using the same name, for example we are http://www.warrilowpr.co.uk/ and I am catherine@warrilowpr.co.uk. For general queries we also have info@warrilowpr.co.uk. This should be one of the first things you do to improve the perception of your business – proper email addresses look far more professional than Gmail or Hotmail addresses.

Email signatures – make sure you have a signature at the bottom of your emails. This not only looks professional but it’s a great way to promote your business – include a link to your website, blog and Twitter pages. Make sure it’s not too long though, people don’t want to scroll on and on to find your phone number.

Branding – do you have a logo? Maybe a strap line as well? Make sure that your branding appears consistently across all of your marketing materials including your website, email, business cards, stationery and brochures. If you’ve updated your look and you’re still using up that last reem of headed paper or last box of business cards, it’s time to recycle them – be consistent. If you don’t have a logo, really consider investing in a designer – this is something to employ expert help for and will really help you to stand out.

Website – if you have a website, keep it up to date and make it easy to use. Pencil in a monthly check, or even every two weeks if you can to make sure contact details, special offers and news are current and up to date. If you don’t have a website, it’s time to look into having one. Most types of businesses really need a web presence, even if it just serves to offer contact details.

Developing your website – if you have a website and want to take things on a step, look at increasing the content to further engage with your target audience. Add testimonials from happy customers, include case studies if your service or product needs some explaining – what about video or audio content? If you like to write, why not offer tips or articles within your area of expertise? Also think about adding links to groups or associations that you belong to, or complimentary services that customers may find of interest.

In part 2 we'll cover your USPs, business cards, your premises, social media, time and help!

For more advice on back to basics and PR, do get in touch – if we’re not instantly available, do leave a message, send us an email or visit the website and we will get back to you within 24 hours (apart from the first week of September…apparently Blackberry’s don’t work on Spanish beaches….)

If only money could buy time...

Following on from the great advice from Antonia Chitty on setting up your own business as a mum, we have some top tips on separating work and family life.

For the mumpreneurs out there, juggling work and home life can be a constant battle, not only with the workload but with your conscience too.

Advice for home working mums on separating home and family time

Advice for home working mums on separating home and family time

I’ve been working for myself for the last six years, and one of my biggest issues, still, is learning to switch off. I love what I do, and it can be easy just keep working into the evening, but I know that you can’t do that every night and still stay on top the next day. Here I share some of my most effective suggestions to ensure that you get family time, work time AND me time.

It is easy to find that, running a business and a family, you feel permanently stretched. Being busy is one thing: most mums feel tired by the end of the day. But it is quite another to find that you have been working in every spare minute and just don’t have the energy to keep going. So, you need to divide up your time.

Take a few minutes now, sit back, and have a little day dream. If you had 5 minutes to yourself, what would you do with it? What about if you had a couple of hours? Would you have a long soak in the bath, or go to the shops unhindered by the kids? And if you had a whole day, where would you go and who would you spend time with? Make a few notes about these dreams of what you’d like to do in your spare time, and then look at your diary. Now book in some time for yourself, just in the same way that you book in the kids dental appointments, parent’s evenings and the school play. Make sure you note down your plan for the time, even if it is simply to have a luxurious bath and do your nails. Then, do all you can to keep that time for yourself. Try to have a few hours every week booked in to look after yourself. It will make it easier to look after the family during the rest of the week.

With regard to time to spend on the business, I find planning ahead works well. Set yourself ‘work hours’. I’m not suggesting you have to do a 9 to 5. Instead, pick the hours that suit you. When I only had one child I used to work for 2-3 hours each morning while she was at playgroup. Now I’ve got three, my work is timed around when the baby naps. But I still have a clear idea of when is work time and when I stop working.

For many mumpreneurs the time between 3 and 7 is the toughest time of the day. Tired grumpy kids need food, attention and baths. Make things easier on yourself by switching off the computer at this time. Try letting the phone go to the answer machine if you’re in the middle of something too. By just concentrating on the kids at this time everything can run much more smoothly.

My final tip is about making the transition between work time and family time. Everyone finds it difficult to change from one to the other. So, if your mind is full of all the uncompleted jobs at 2.45, take 15 minutes before collecting the kids to make a list in a notebook. Give yourself a pat on the back for all the things you have achieved, and then close the notebook until you next plan to work. Go and do the school run with your mind clear to concentrate on family time.

Antonia Chitty is author of the Mumpreneur Guide’s Start Your own Business Book, available from1 September from http://www.themumpreneurguide.co.uk/, http://www.amazon.co.uk/ and to order from any bookstore.

Thanks Antonia!

I want to be the boss!

For many women, having children is a real time of change. Not just for the obvious reasons, by priorities change. Time is more precious and the daily commute to work may no longer fit in with your lifestyle.

There's some great advice and support networks out there, and we're really excited to have some expert advice from Antonia Chitty, author of the Mumpreneur Guide’s Start Your own Business Book.

Advice for mums thinking of setting up their own venture

If you’re on maternity leave, are you thinking of ways to avoid returning to work? Or perhaps your little one is about to start nursery or school this September. With plenty of news about successful mumpreneurs, you might be thinking about setting up your own business. This is a great way to choose your own work hours to suit your family. You also get to work in an area of your choosing: most mums tie in their work with an interest, skill or passion which can help you keep motivated.

Starting your own business can seem daunting, however. So what are the first steps?

1. Come up with a business idea. You might have an idea of your own, or you may prefer to sign up for an existing direct sales business or franchise. Loot at whether there is a niche for your business. You are more likely to succeed if there is little competition in your area. Whatever sort of business you choose don’t forget to…

2. Do your research. You may be excited about your new business, but the important thing to find out is whether people will buy. Don’t just ask friends and family as they are likely to be positive about whatever you do. Set up a survey online using something like survey monkey and print off some copies to hand out to potential customers face to face too. If your business is targeting mums, catch people at toddler group or the school gate and ask for their views.

3. Make a plan. Business planning may seem daunting, but it is a great way to thrash out all the ins and outs of your potential business. Talk to your local enterprise agency: most offer free or low cost courses to help you get started with your plan. Enterprise agencies are also a great place to go for more help and resources.

4. Take your plan and break it down. Again, don’t be daunted by all the things you now need to do to start the business. Work out the hours you have available to work and make a timetable. This will give you a realistic idea of when your business might be able to launch. It will also help you break big ideas down into small, achievable steps. One of the biggest problems for most mumpreneurs is lack of time. If you have a plan laid out they you can see what you need to do next even if you only have a few minutes.

5. Finally, get some support. It can be lonely setting up a business single handed, but there are lots of mums out there doing the same thing. Join a forum or go to a local networking group and you’ll be able to get help and advice from experienced mumpreneurs.

One of the biggest challenges anyone working from home struggles with is separating work and family time. Do I get my expenses in line or put a wash on? Do I review my marketing strategy or clean the car? Some of us are very disciplined, but others are easily distracted. We'll have some more expert advice from Antonia on this subject coming soon.

Antonia Chitty is author of the Mumpreneur Guide’s Start Your own Business Book, available from 1st September from http://www.themumpreneurguide.co.uk/, http://www.amazon.co.uk/ and to order from any bookstore.

The rise of social media in PR and business communication

Ingrid Semanikova recently joined Warrilow PR on a freelance basis having just graduated from Thames Valley University.

Ingrid wrote her dissertation on social media, so it is a pleasure to welcome her as a guest blogger on the subject.

In recent months there has been significant growth in interest in the micro-blogging social media service Twitter among PR professionals. Why? Because it’s about communication, interaction and engaging.

PR, in very simplistic terms, is about the ability to communicate a series of messages to a target audience.

There are many directions that could be taken and many audiences every company needs to communicate with in order to succeed, including potential customers, existing customers, employees and others. Good PR practitioners do not only communicate their messages, they listen to their stakeholders, monitor what is being said and done and respond accordingly.

Where other activities such as marketing and advertising are normally shorter term campaigns with one clear target, to sell, PR enables companies to have ongoing conversations with their target audiences where they can demonstrate their knowledge and expertise of products and target markets.

While advertising and marketing are one way monologues about the benefits of certain product or service, PR being a two-way conversation actually helps to identify what matters to customers. This can be then reflected in an organisation’s overall strategy.

The evolution of technology combined with the natural human desire to converse has brought about a real change into the way businesses and individuals communicate and relate to others.

The work of the PR industry, in building and sustaining reputation while spreading awareness, therefore has to adjust.

For businesses the immediate challenge is to identify processes and procedures that will enable them to interact online as members of specific communities, while simultaneously maintaining their role as guardians of reputation. This is not a challenge that will be overcome lightly, requiring commitment to deploying time and resources. But it is not something which can be achieved without becoming immersed in this post-Web 2.0 environment, and the implications of failing to face these challenges adequately could ultimately prove more time-consuming and costly.

If a growing number of customers now seek information online, then a business needs a successful approach to online PR. Those turning away from online PR and social media, whatever their motivation, risk becoming ignorant of their target audiences, but also turning down the opportunity to create word-of-mouth endorsements.

Social media are communication tools with a truly global reach potential. However, there are rules to be followed in order to succeed. These are not defined by the business community, not even by those who develop and sell the technology itself, but by those who use it.

Of course there is a lot more to say on this topic, and that's what I intend to do here. In future posts I plan to examine Twitter and social media in more detail.

Food for thought...

A family friend asked me at the weekend, what is PR? Is it marketing? So I thought I'd do a quick post because sometimes it's important to remember what it is exactly that we're trying to do.

We all like a good meal. Whether it's a traditional roast (a firm favourite although I couldn't eat one in this heat!), an authentic Italian pasta dish, or something like sushi.

But back to PR and the reason for the food theme.

PR is very much like that favourite meal. Granny's steak pie maybe?!

It's that family recipe that has been handed down through the generations and is simply delicious.

I'm not usually one for analogies, but bear with me because this is a good one.

PR creates memorable moments. It captures people's imagination and leaves a lasting impression.

Like that favourite steak pie. You enjoy the experience, you wonder what the ingredients are and you want to find out more. You want the recipe and you tell your friends how good this pie is.

You're interested. You remember it. And you tell other people about it.

That's what good PR is about.

On the other hand there are lots of other methods of communicating with your customers that can be very effective, but sometimes they are just chicken nuggets.

No comparison to granny's steak pie really.

Chicken nuggets can taste good. But do you ever remember a chicken nugget?! Would you want the recipe or ask where they came from? And, the other issue, there are lots and lots of chicken nuggets out there, all doing pretty much the same thing, just being nuggets of chicken.

So, I'm sorry for the cornyness of this little post about what PR is, but I quite like the food association.

What is Google Local Business?

Merrill Jacobs of Genero Web Design is our guest blogger this week, and tells us about Google Local Business.

Google local business is an online directory of business listings that target location specific searches (eg. London, Berkshire etc). It is similar in principle to the paper version of the local business listings found in the Yellow Pages, except that you have the ability to update your online listing as and when you like.

The significance of having a Local Business listing is the fact that it appear at the very top of the page in a section that stands out from the rest of the page.

So, how can you get a listing?

All you need is a Google account. If you need to create an account then visit https://www.google.com/local/add.

Once you have an account and are logged in you can enter the details of your business. These range from your address through to contact details, hours of business, accepted methods of payments and a link to your website.

There are also ways in which to improve your ranking amongst other businesses within your sector. These are:

Encouraging clients to write reviews. Clients can rate your business using a five star rating system.
Adding photos/videos. Your listing can be branded with your company logo, product photos/videos.
Using location specific keywords (eg. London, Berkshire etc). These keywords appear in your listing.

Google Local Business will compliment your other online marketing activities and is a smart, straightforward and cost effective way of increasing you online presence.

Good luck!

Work from home? Enterprise Nation offers a helping hand.

Run a home business? If you haven't already discovered Enterprise Nation check out the website now. We spoke with Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation and the brains behind Home Enterprise Day.

What is Enterprise Nation?

Enterprise Nation [http://www.enterprisenation.com/] is a free resource for anyone starting and growing a business from home.

Who set it up and why?

I set it up! I started my first home business when I was 27 and sold it within 2 years. After the sale, I realized that even though I had started, grown and sold a business from home (and there were many more people turning spare rooms into home offices) there was no dedicated website or resource for us home business owners. I decided to create one.

What kind I find on the website?

You will find content across three areas; business, lifestyle and technology. We cover all the topics you need to know when starting and growing a business from home - from making a first sale, through to the music that will have you working at your best! The site is updated every day with homeworking news, features on gadgets/products, interviews with successful home business owners and tips/how-to guides. As well as written content, we also have an audio/video channel, packed with informative and entertaining podcasts.

What is Home Enterprise Day?

We are very excited about this. Home Enterprise Day forms part of this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week and will be held on Friday 20th November. The aim of the day is to encourage more people to start up at home (full time or part time) and to inspire those running a business from home, to grow. It will be a day long celebration of a modern way of working. The highlight of the day will be the Enterprise Nation Conference and .. in the lead up to the day we have launched a race to follow every home business owner in the UK on Twitter. Please join us at www.twitter.com/e_nation

What would be your biggest piece of advice for people working from home?

Start small. Grow at your own pace. Keep family and friends onside. Oh, and enjoy it! After all, you’re making a living from doing what you love, have the freedom of being your own boss and … enjoy a 30 second commute!

Cartoon workshops for all

I recently bumped in to a past colleague at a networking event. A talented illustrator who I used to work with at a marketing agency, and is now exploring new ground running cartooning workshops for old and young; with equally popular results. Recent events for school children as well as Mensa have gone down a storm, so here is a quick Q&A with Peter Bellingham, the man behind the pencil.

When did you first start drawing?

Comics were my first inspiration. My parents bought me one every week, starting with Whizzer & Chips, then Look-In before I finally became hooked on the Marvel superhero comics. I'm pretty sure The Incredible Hulk was the first thing I ever drew.
When I was ten I drew a picture of my headmaster's favourite singer, Debbie Harry from Blondie; she was my favourite too. He stuck it on his office wall and it was then that I realised I might be quite good at this drawing lark.

When did your talent turn into a career?

When I started secondary school I would draw pictures of popstars for my friends to pin on their walls. At 50p a time, it was the first time I earnt any money from drawing and funded my addiction to Curly Wurlys.
After college, I began working as a designer at a large newspaper group in the North West. When the Editor in Chief said he'd sacked the cartoonist because he was too expensive, I volunteered to fill in and my cartooning alter-ego Scooter McKenzie was born. Ten years later and I was still doing it; I was obviously very cheap.

Why did you start the cartooning workshops?

I was at a craft fair, selling greetings cards. I would draw a cartoon on a card, put a sticker on it saying 'fresh today' and when it sold, I'd start another. Forgive the pun but it drew people to my stall, all of them wanting to chat or ask questions. One person asked if I could teach this skill to children and, not wanting to turn down any sort of work, I said I probably could. The next thing I knew, I had two workshops at Abingdon Museum as part of their Arts Festival. I've also talked to Abingdon Art Society and was the 'entertainment' for a large gathering of members of Mensa.

What's next?

More workshops and seminars. In the coming months I'm teaching people how to draw American cartoon characters at a 4th of July event, I'm demonstrating cartoon skills at the Fun in the Park event in Abingdon on September 13th and giving a workshop for Henley Rowing and River Museum's Family Day in October.
There may also be a book in the pipeline at some point in the future, sharing all my cartooning tips and secrets.

What type of projects do you work on for clients?

Illustration of all kinds, most of it for advertising or marketing use. I draw a lot of personalised company Christmas cards for businesses and I'm mostly hired by marketing or design companies to add illustrations to their printed material or web based projects. I've also just joined the largest cartoon distribution group on the internet and am excited at the prospect of supplying cartoons to publications all over the world.

How can we find out more?

You can visit the following websites:
For contact information and an extensive gallery:
http://www.peterbellinghamillustration.co.uk/
For more up to date news and images:
http://www.scootermckenzie.blogspot.com/
To buy merchandise:
http://www.aarght.com/art-gallery/peter-bellingham.aspx
or email me: peterbellingham@postmaster.co.uk

93% of your first impression is down to body language....sit up straight!

A few weeks ago I attended a talk at The Late Breakfast on presentation skills, hosted by Hilary Lewis of Creative Training and Alison May of Colour Me Beautiful.

Wait, wait, I know we've all been forced to go on corporate 'how to give a good presentation' type courses, where you sit yawning at the back knowing full well that you should make eye contact, keep it short, la la...but this was fun! I smiled, I laughed, I made the odd faux pas, but I enjoyed every moment.

So, of course, now it's here on the blog. I'll keep it short!

Hilary stood up in the most amazing skirt with brightly coloured children flying kites dancing around the hem. Check in the box for first impressions by my measures. I loved that skirt.

Alison was wearing all black - didn't someone tell me recently that this was a big no-no? Reminded people of death and all that?!

We learn good presentation skills through intelligent play, so after telling us that people form an opinion within the first 5 seconds of meeting you, Hilary had us on our feet shaking hands with someone we didn't know. I slightly misunderstood this task, ran up to a stranger, shook her hand and ran off again. Nil points for first impression made by Warrilow PR on this occasion. Note to self, listen more carefully.

We then went on to create still scenes in small groups of four or five -a great presentation, an awful presentation, a disaster and an awards ceremony. I was the only lady in our group of four. My suggestion that two of the men 'hug' for the awards sketch was laughed off nervously, and a handshake quickly decided on oops.

It was really interesting to see how the same poses, with different facial expressions could completely alter the impression given off.

After we re-took our seats we had to do a very quick sketch of the person next to us. Now, I'm no artist but this does look just like the person I drew, I swear! It picks out the details that her first impression give - which is a good test of what stands out about you. I had a great scarf on that day which made it in; must wear that more often.

Alison reappeared for her part of the presentation having had a complete outfit change. The black number was a plot, damn I can't go back to black after all. And she did look amazingly different in navy trousers, a salmon pink blazer and a geometric necklace. Her skin looked all rosey, her hair style was noticable and her petit frame shown off to it's full potential - in a professional way!

Alison talked about what different colours say about you and I kept thinking about my bland predominantly black wardrobe. I definitely need to book myself in for a consultation. I've never been a navy type of person but apparently it's the stylish version of black, I need to investigate - it's also considered peaceful, trustworthy and respectable. I can't believe I have nothing navy in my wardrobe, surely this is me!

Wearing red makes you memorable. I have nothing red either! I have some serious shopping ahead of me.

Hilary and Alison are both really inspiring speakers and great at what they do. Make sure to visit their websites if you want guidance on making a good first impression.

I am off to put 90% of my clothes on Ebay and start shopping for navy and red; I hope I don't look to nautical?!

Building a better business

I attended a really good networking event yesterday hosted by The Late Breakfast which included workshops from various people including Merrill Jacobs and Steve Gunn on smarter web success and Appletree on marketing planning.

Merrill, Steve, and Emma from Appletree will be guest blogging for me, so watch this post, more to come soon!

Oh, and after the 'don't wear black, it reminds people of death' incident, I went in a super snazzy yellow, white (with a hint of black) ensemble. Nadine, the image consultant was there and although didn't comment, I got vibes of approval.