By Dianne Canham, founder and director of éclat Marketing

It’s no secret that creating a PR impact for a company with no prior media profile can be a daunting task. It also requires a very different approach to that of managing an existing and well establish brand image. So how can you break through and what’s the secret as a relative newcomer in grabbing the attention of the press?

Here are a few tips in getting your voice heard:

1. Focus on the issues, not the products or services:
The press and their readers, with a few exceptions, are not interested in your products they want to understand how they can fix real business problems.

2. Select a strong spokesperson:
This doesn’t necessarily mean the person with the loftiest title. The requirements for a good spokesperson are someone who communicates well, has a breadth and depth of experience that allows them to comment on a variety of different industry issues, can explain technical concepts in terms of business benefits and not just features, and isn’t afraid to offer their opinion and be bold and outspoken.

3. Give them the freedom to express a view:
One major advantage of working for a smaller company is that it doesn’t have to be shackled by a corporate communications department that insists on vetting every comment and removing anything even vaguely contentious for fear of upsetting someone. It’s important to allow the spokesperson free reign to offer comment on a variety of subjects and trusting them to project the right image for your business.

4. Champion a subject or idea:
Becoming a spokesperson that is sought out by the press means positioning yourself as an expert on a specific area or subject matter. Graham Cluley of Sophos is an example of someone who has carved out a strong position in the security industry as an expert commentator. If you don’t know him by reputation, type his name into Google and see how widely his influence extends.

5. Use Social Media tools to spread the word:
Tweeting and blogs are regular sources of material for many journalists, both in the trade and business press. Following some of the main journalists in your sector and offering your perspectives, anecdotal evidence and first-hand experience can get you noticed.

6. Read the press and follow the news agenda:
Select a few key trade and national press online and set up RSS feeds to ensure that you know what’s topical as it happens. Timing and relevance are key success factors in getting your name in lights and spotting current issues that are relevant to your customers and prospects and preparing an interesting an insightful comment as the news breaks can secure you some great visibility in high profile media.

7. Prioritise press and build relationships with them:
If your PR agency gets you an appointment with a journalist, make it a priority and confirm the time and date quickly. Getting the attention of the media is tough and timing is everything. The news agenda won’t wait for you, so be responsive and prioritise interviews with the press in your business schedule.

8. Monitor what your competitors are doing:
The advantage of Google Alerts mean that you can easily track what your competitors are doing and where they are getting quoted. If they are getting profile with media that you aren’t then there’s an opportunity to exploit there.

9. Develop independent proof points:
You telling the world that your products or services are great is not particularly compelling, but hearing from your customers, industry colleagues, industry analysts, professional bodies or even ex employees about the advantages they have derived from working with your company and solutions can work well. Case studies, awards and membership of professional bodies can all enhance your reputation as a company and a spokesperson.

10. Focus on the outcomes:
Too much money is spent on PR without having a clear idea of the measurable objectives or linking the results to the agency fees. If you’re using an agency, look for one that shares the risks and rewards with you by linking PR results like interviews and coverage with their remuneration.

Kim Smith – Account Executive, éclat Marketing

Looking ahead and planning for the future can be a tricky task, particularly in today’s economic climate, and with the recent budget announcement that doesn’t really provide much help for businesses, companies don’t want to make long-term PR investments if they cannot guarantee that they will reap the rewards. Instead, they work on a project basis around a specific event or when a new product is being launched. It is amazing to think about how much time and energy can go into a project, all for a quick burst of coverage and awareness before the company fades into the background again, not to be heard of until the next big event and/or product launch.

Surely we are all missing the point? Instead of thinking short-term maybe we should be looking at the bigger picture. Everyone knows the old fable of the Tortoise and the Hare and the message “Slow and steady wins the race” and there is no reason why this cannot be applied to building a brand image.

So, say a business embarks on a project to unveil Product X. Naturally, the process would start with an analyst tour ahead of putting the spokespeople in front of the press. This gives the business the opportunity to refine their messaging ahead of the big launch. Then comes the media tour, a flurry of press interviews all crammed into a couple of days. Ok, so you’ve had all the meetings, and you’ve seen the coverage roll in, perhaps you have also seen the placement of an opinion article appear – now what? Nothing of course. That’s the problem with a project, you see a rapid increase of interest in your company and then that’s it because you don’t invest the time and money into capitalising on the opportunity and extending your reach.

A company that invests in on-going PR has the benefit of not only generating a buzz before the analyst and media tour, placing the said opinion article but then continuing the outreach on a long term basis and developing those budding relationships with the journalists. By following up with the contacts with news releases such as new wins, survey results etc, it helps ensure that you remain at the forefront of their mind. The benefit being that they are willing to listen to what you have to say and on the spur of the minute, breaking news opportunities you could be the first one that they call for comment. Maintaining your visibility is vital in successfully sharing your message. By having a PR team managing the press room, you have a wealth of expertise at your fingertips and your team can monitor for upcoming features and ensure that you are getting your message not only into the trade press, but also the vertical press: a media which can often be neglected in the blur of a project contract, but that is still vitally important as it spreads your message to a wider, but still targeted, audience. More than this is the ability to then move forwards and produce customer case stories and enter the company for industry awards, adding further credence to your brand and products.

Many companies are now seeing the benefit of an ongoing PR presence, and whilst it may seem like a hefty investment to start with, the benefits the business can achieve far outweigh the costs.

Melanie Johnson – Account Manager, éclat Marketing

 
It seems as soon as we wrap up one event project (Mobile World Congress) we are heading straight into preparing our clients for the next big event in the calendar…IPTV World Forum and InfoSecurity Europe!

Events are an important way for many companies to showcase new products, brands and generally get their name out to a captured and targeted audience. With all the pressures on the marketing team to get the stand, collateral and promotional gifts ready, it seems that getting the organisations key messages prepared and out to the media can take a back seat.

Media activity for major exhibitions and conferences can start about six months prior to the event happening. For example, with InfoSecurity Europe, which takes place in April 2010, exhibiting companies were asked to submit speaker submission ideas in October ‘09 for a European press conference that took place in the January ’10. This means that it is more important than ever for companies to get the messaging finalised well in advance so that they are in a good position to successfully approach and pitch for space in relevant publications.

We see far too many companies discussing in detail what news they will announce during the event, but what about the news running up to the show? Many publications that look to cover exhibitions and conferences relevant to their readers will always run previews. These are a great opportunity to create noise prior to an exhibition/conference and drive visitors to the stand. Companies always think that it has to make its biggest announcement of the year during an event. In fact, these news stories will simply get lost and gain no coverage.

If a company does want to announce something during an event and gain coverage, it must make sure that an approved release and confident spokesperson is ready to go before the show. Trust me when I say journalists are bombarded and stalked (at times) by PR’s wanting to get them to meet with their client. A pre-event tour can usually resolve this matter and offers the journalist time to get the news before they drown in all the other stories from the show. Journalists will usually honour an embargo on the news and put it straight up on the publication’s web site when the embargo is lifted, gaining immediate media coverage for the organisation.

With copious amounts of product releases distibuted at exhibitions, journalists always like to get their hands on a new win announcement. If a customer is willing, put them in front of the press to make an independent endorsement on the product that has been worked on so hard to get right.

The right spokesperson is key to any successful PR activity. What annoys journalists more than anything is if they are sold an interview with a specific person and they turn up to the meeting and that person isn’t available, particularly when their time is like gold dust. We understand that shows can be a tough time for all, and meetings are arranged last minute, but what discourages coverage more than anything is if a journalist is messed around. Always make sure that when a spokesperson is confirmed that their availability is secured for media briefings. Many press interviews and coverage has been lost by last minute changes that make the journalist feel unimportant.

The event season is always tough but it also opens up great opportunities to maximise the awareness of a company’s brand. Planning is crucial and it seems that companies need to be on top of messaging and announcements earlier than ever before. Creating the right noise before an event can produce the right leads and make the show a real success.

éclat Marketing is running a seminar on Thursday 1st April at 3pm UK time, about how to gain maximum PR exposure in the security sector. Our very special guest speakers, Dan Raywood – Online News Editor for SC Magazine UK, Dale Pearson – Blogger for Security Active and Ed Rowley – Product Manager EMEA for M86 Security, will all be talking about their experiences working within the security market. Even our very own MD, Peter Shackleton will be discussing how to make an impact at a major exhibition.

To join in the fun register here:

 https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/118397041

Right then, back to grind, what’s next…IPTV World Forum. Bring it on!

Thank goodness it’s over for another year – the madness that is Mobile World Congress (MWC).  As a technology PR company that specialises in the mobile market and someone who has been visiting the show since the days when it was in Cannes, one thing has remained surprisingly the same – the short-sightedness of companies looking to blow all of their best press release stories at the one venue, where they will be competing with the biggest names in the mobile world.

I’d love someone to explain to me why we do this every year!  It seems to me that many companies save up all the releases that they’ve been planning over the year and decide to push them out in a rush on the four days that the entire mobile world is engaged in the same activity.  Yet, no matter how many times I speak to exhibitors about the folly of such an approach, it seems that the flurry of press releases at show time is as much a part of the exhibition protocol as crackers at Christmas.

One of the most common explanations for this offered to me is that the executives really need to have a full diary of briefings at the show.  This also puzzles me, because surely they want to be speaking with prospects at the show.  And a good way to remind your prospects to come along and visit you is to ensure that they are reading interesting things about you before they visit the show.  After all, many of the reports from the show itself won’t be written up until after the exhibitors have packed up their bags and gone home.  So is it therefore pure executive ego that drives us on to bash the phones and call in all our favours throughout the year with our journalist pals to agree to meet our clients at the show.

What’s particularly galling is the fact that news stories that – released at any other time of year – would get real interest, are dismissed with a cursory snippet in the trade press.  Journalists too attending the show are just as frustrated at being stalked by PRs in the weeks preceding the show.  In fact many of them admit to refusing to answer their phone as mobile world approaches to save them the pain of explaining to yet another PR person that they can see the vendors at any time of the year.  They go to MWC to hear from the mobile operators and industry pundits that they don’t have easy access to and that this is the reason that increasing numbers of journos will refuse to set appointments with vendors at the show.

Yet, it seems that we will never learn. We’re into the full on event season now and I notice that RSA Security and InfoSecurity are round the corner and already our customers are contemplating a tsunami of releases…   Is it just me or should vendors really be altering their approach to exhibition PR support?