Alcoholics struggling in lockdown

Photo credit: Step By Step Recovery

It was so brave of recovering alcoholic Jane, now a project worker at client Step By Step Recovery, to share how bad things were, in a bid to encourage others struggling with addiction to reach out for help.

Lockdown and the last eight months, have been tougher than ever for people with addiction problems and those in recovery.

And there’s never been a more important time to highlight the role that specialist addiction support plays.

I was delighted to see that Jane,  Step By Step Recovery and it’s outstanding service and team had been featured in iNews, after we shared Jane’s story.

Read it in full here

If you are struggling to reach the media with your news:

* Make each approach personal and only send your news to journalists who write about those sorts of topics.

* Make sure you have a ‘real’ story backed up with facts, some great quotes and images.

* Follow-up with a call a couple of days after sending your Press Release – you’d be amazed how many get ‘lost’ in Inboxes, get passed to a colleague or go on a ‘To Do’ list – never to see the light of day.

* Don’t treat all media the same. National reporters will want a really strong story and you’ll need to drop everything else and quickly supply any extra information and images they request and set up any interviews before the opportunity passes and to meet deadlines.

* Regional media need lots of information making their story a strong local one, 1-2 people quoted in their area, backed up with facts and hopefully events. And of course quality photos.

Contact me to learn more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#healthpr #pr # #publicrelations #marketing #healthcaremarketing #pragency

How To Use Great PR To Persuade

 

No matter what size your organisation is, my latest Blog ‘How To Use Great PR To Persuade’ – will help to set up your project for success.

 

Adopt my principles to communicate your BIG NEWS and reap the benefits.

Clarity of message, targeted PR, delivered consistently = a dream combination.

Maybe I’m a bit of a communications nerd but I still love ‘turning something around’, making it easier to understand and more accessible for the audience.

There’s an interesting story in most things…you’ve just got to look.

What is PR?

PR is not limited to crisis management or firefighting. PR is an overarching communication strategy that builds brand awareness, establishes valuable relationships and builds trust.

And having trust in an organisation is key. The success of a new service launch or campaign relies heavily on how and when information is communicated to its staff, patients, investors, customers and stakeholders.

I’ve seen throughout my career, how organisations which are transparent and who communicate regularly are (in the main!) trusted, respected and well-treated by the Media. If a ‘situation’ does occur, it’s far easier to manage and any subsequent stories are reported in a balanced way.

You’ll be relieved to hear that the vast majority of reporters aren’t out to ‘do a hatchet job’! They are just doing their job. I should know, I used to be one.

Mastering your message through the effective use of PR will have a positive impact on the success of any projects or campaign.

And well planned communication strategies enable organisations to manage their relationships with all key stakeholders.

PR is about effective communication and every organisation, regardless of size, depends on its reputation for survival and success.

By incorporating a strategic PR approach into everything you deliver, you will increase public understanding of what you are trying to achieve, build support for your project and help to influence the opinion your audience has about you.

In order to deliver a successful campaign or project you first need to master your message and then deliver it effectively. In this post, I’ll outline the three key steps which will help you establish and maintain this mutual understanding and goodwill between your organisation and your key stakeholders.

Master Your Message

  • Write your key messages (clear statements of fact)
  • Make them interesting and unique
  • Be consistent in your messaging – whether it’s a video, Press Release or social media message
  • Get clarity on your story – effective PR is about telling a story
  • Be clear – define the end benefits of your activity
  • Identify your audience and how to reach them
  • Be clear from the outset what it is that you are trying to achieve
  • To measure PR results, take a snapshot of your current vital statistics – monthly website visitors, social media followers, any media coverage, number of phone and email enquiries, click throughs etc, audiences and brand mentions – then compare at the end of the PR activity.

Planning

Many projects fail or are not as successful as they might have been because they were not communicated clearly or planned properly, with enough lead-in time.

If PR is an afterthought or bolted on at the end of the project planning process, the success and reach of your campaign is going to be limited.

Including a communication strategy at the outset and incorporating it into every stage of the project, shares your key objectives, messages and activities to ensure the whole team understands and ‘buys into it’.

This helps to ensure consistency, reduces duplication and audience misunderstanding, promotes stakeholder buy-in, staff ownership and commitment.

One of the simple steps I’ve always taken is to communicate outside news with staff first so they hear about developments from their employer. That helps to foster a culture of mutual respect and loyalty. Your staff can be your biggest advocates if you treat them properly.

Delivery

Where you deliver your message is a key factor in determining your reach and visibility. Find out where your audience are hanging out?

Are they on social media? Probably. Which platform? Does your news warrant a Press Release?  Do you want local, trade or other media coverage and what would help you in sharing your story?

Are you communicating in the most accessible ways? Can the key stakeholders access the information and understand it? Talk to your patients, customers and target audience to see how they most like to receive information. Adapt your communication style and method to suit the different groups in your audience.

Could you host a conference or an event which would enable you to raise brand awareness and develop partnerships? A great way to increase your reach is through collaboration and leveraging the audience of your partners.

Good PR is the key to delivering any successful campaign. Taking control of the way your story is communicated from the very beginning allows you to manage and influence your reputation and relationships.

Investing in PR for your project increases the likelihood of success and has many long term benefits.

If you want to take control of how your story is told, drop me a message.

P.S – I’m also experienced in blog writing, drafting fresh content for your website, preparing key documents and dealing with media enquiries. When you’re ready, get in touch.

 

 

October’s Hot Five Business Tips

Summer is over and 2019 is just three months away – so buckle up… here’s October’s Hot Five  Business Tips.

Since the start of 2018, I have been working regularly with marketing guru and business mentor Nicola Cairncross and I’d like to share some of the valuable “golden nuggets” from our combined 40+ years in marketing, PR and communications.

1. Do something to move your business forward every day

This is one of the most valuable lessons I have learned since starting my own business. From meeting a business contact, sharing a story in a relevant social media post, networking, working on a new business proposal and regularly updating your website – investing time and money in your business on an ongoing basis is important and it pays off if done properly.

Make sure you are open to the next opportunity.  Keep your shopfront (website and social media) bang up to date and relevant. Take the buying journey that a prospective customer would and check that it is seamless.

Things are always evolving, so investing and moving with the changes is part of the rollercoaster of running your own business.  It never ends!

Don’t let yourself off the hook – if you have a weekly call with your mentor – do what you need to do before the call – be accountable.

2. Build your team

Whether it’s working with other experts or asking a business contact or trusted friend for their input into a new idea, it’s important to feel part of a team and to collaborate.

This year, due to my brilliant former colleague, Lyndall, having new commitments, I have delegated differently. As well as existing contacts, I have worked with several different people who each have very specific experience and skills. Some I discovered via sites like People Per Hour.  In addition, a friend shot my videos and a contact of a contact edited them.

This has resulted in additional expertise to the business and it’s also freed me up to do other things. I’ve given talks to other businesses, started writing a regular magazine column and it’s allowed me to devote more time to finding new business.

Because I have been able to stop focusing solely on the job in hand and to ‘look up’, I have a better grasp of the business landscape and what I need to do next.

3. Step outside your comfort zone

At the start of 2018 I said to myself I would be braver and bolder in my business. So I faced some of my demons and made a series of little videos addressing some of the “business pains” that organisations often face.

Making the videos benefited me and my business in so many ways and it also taught me what I suspected – that helping others to achieve their goals is what gives me the ultimate satisfaction.

I also ventured into the world of Facebook advertising and thanks to my mentor, learnt a whole lot about that. I also worked with a talented web developer who has run several businesses. I have applied some of his vast knowledge, not only to my business, but also to my clients’ organisations.

I’ve come to the conclusion that many of us fear the unknown and that often stops us taking that next step. Don’t let it – just prepare thoroughly.

4. Invest in your business

Early in 2018, when business was quieter, I spent time making the videos, advertising and rewriting and updating my website so it was easier to use and more informative.

It took a lot of time and some money, but ultimately it has paid dividends as my website is my shopfront and it subsequently attracted new clients.

I learnt a lot from the process. I found stepping out of my comfort zone on an almost daily basis and having to learn various Apps from scratch REALLY difficult and it often felt uncomfortable having to admit I knew very little when I was used to knowing what I was doing. But it was ultimately worth it. I adopted new ways of working and new skills that benefited both my own and my clients’ businesses.

If you are time poor, you can delegate these types of tasks – just don’t NOT do them.

5. Build credibility

It’s simple really. You have to be consistently good at whatever you do and then find a way to communicate that – by sharing your expertise with others.

Whether it’s through publicity and editorial pieces, Instagram, Twitter or video using YouTube and forums like TED Talks, raising your business profile and credibility through good public relations can help to increase your reach without paying for advertising space.

Editorial space is deemed to be worth 2.5 times more than paid for space as it carries more weight, authority and credibility, so it’s worth thinking about ways that you can share what you know.

Go where your audience is watching/listening/reading and share your information there. Don’t sell – offer help and advice.

If you’re a person who prefers to watch rather than read – you can watch the short video on Building Credibility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October’s Hot Five Business Tips