By Alicia Broadest, Account Executive

With the emergence of New Media and an increasing number of new technologies available, the ‘value of print’ is an ongoing quandary within Public Relations. Time and time again we hear our clients declare the desire to see their names in print, but why?

The ongoing decline in print publications, with the closure of many free-sheet papers and magazines, is proof, if any were needed, that the value of print has diminished. This is further heightened by announcements earlier this year that the Mirror Group will cut 200 jobs as the company progresses to new multimedia newsrooms and the introduction of its web-based content management system (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/jun/10/trinity-mirror-job-losses).

A report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) revealed that newspaper circulation has fallen by 25 percent in the UK since 2007 http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jun/17/newspaper-circulation-oecd-report while the consumption of news online was increasing with over 50 percent of the population surveyed, now reading news online.

So, do things really ‘look better on paper’? From a PR perspective, I would have to say no! Online media offers unprecedented potential as the number of people surfing the Web is not limited, and therefore achieves a more expansive audience. By using online media, publications can reach wider communities of people, and in fact build virtual, online communities encouraging interactivity through user feedback, and even grassroots reporting for the media content.

As we advance into the ‘Digital Age’ the use of New and Social Media is developing into a culture, with on-demand access to content any time, and in fact anywhere and this is supported by the influx in new wave technologies such as smart phones, iPads and mobile internet.

The New Media phenomenon presents a global publishing platform combining text with digital imagery and videos, giving readers the benefit of both visual and graphic content.

Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means damning the significance of print. Traditional print media is no relic of the past and is far from dead, it will always be a great way to garner publicity for your clients. I am merely accentuating that times are changing and digital media should not be shunned over traditional forms.

By Maria Muller, Account Manager

Long ago I was taught the principals of Public Relations. I was taught that PR can be classified as an art, as the practitioners possess qualities such as creativity and originality. I was also taught that PR could be defined as a science, as practitioners apply scientific principals when planning and executing on PR plans.

Intrigued and amazed by the nature of human psychology, I set out in the PR world armed with my newly found knowledge – excited about the challenges that communication and messaging strategies would bring. How to define company goals and objectives, and aligning them with the company strategy and direction. How to manage the communication channels between an organisation and its internal and external publics. How to build relationships with customers, employees, share holders and ultimately the general public. But nothing could prepare me for what I was to find.

In a PR agency focusing purely on delivering results, the pressure is on. Clients expect results – and rightly so. From their point of view, they are paying a third party to handle media and analyst relations – which can include writing, customer communications and event support. Clients expect a regular and constant flow of press meetings, analyst briefing, but above all: media coverage. And so I spend my days looking for existing opportunities, creating new opportunities, drafting media bulletins and press releases, case studies and other press-ready documents to fulfil my promises on delivering results.

I make promises to journalists and sell my soul – waking up with night sweats and screaming myself awake during the early hours of the morning. OK – perhaps I’m exaggerating just a little. But you get the picture – delivering on those promises can be stressful.

Working closely with the media also provides a little insight into their world. I enjoy the excitement and fast-moving world in which journalists exist. Now, more than ever, news is updated in real-time and a breaking story could be old news ten minutes later. I am fascinated by news rooms, news schedules and how a news story is put together. Oh and the thrill of finding a client’s story online and the ability to report on coverage achieved…

However, conveying this to clients can be tricky.

Client A wants to have five press meetings on his next trip to London. So I spend a few hours trying to convince my journo buddies to meet with him, even though he doesn’t have any announcements or company news to share. Once five meetings are booked, I draft the briefing books and conduct short media training for the client to establish messaging. Afterwards he calls to say that he will not be able to make three of the meetings.

So I go back to the journalists to reschedule. Annoyed, some of them reluctantly agree. But at least we made target. I call the journos back and promise them a glass of wine when I’m next in London. They seem happier.

Client B wants to have 20 articles in tier one IT trades. Easier said than done, as the UK press has never heard about them before and probably have not been waiting for Client B to come along and fill their pages. But we try nonetheless and of course succeed.

I love my clients – I really do. In their own special way, they all have brought something to my banquet of experience. But I do think that every PR should be allowed one free prayer per day. It seems only fair.

By Kim Smith, Account Executive

It’s not hard to do, we’ve probably all done it, in fact I’d be surprised if someone said they hadn’t had their head turned by the bright lights of the big city when looking for a PR agency. It can seem entirely appealing when looking to maximise your media awareness and brand reputation that you head straight for London as traditionally that’s where the majority of publications are based and your PR team will be in the centre of all the action, reacting when you need them to, to whatever may arise. But just because they are in the city, does that really mean you’re getting the most from your investment?

The key is actually to look beyond those big London-based agencies, and towards those shining stars that may seem further afield, but can actually have so much more to offer. What’s more is that technology businesses are more likely to be based in the Thames Valley region – dubbed the “Silicon Valley of the UK”. Along the heart of the M4 corridor, easy access to the whole country and mere minutes away from the airports and transport links, not to mention London itself when a visit to the city is needed, it’s easy to see why so many people are investing in the surrounding area and looking for suppliers and partners that have established a base there. There’s no reason, therefore, why the same theory cannot be applied to the appointment of a PR agency.

It’s no big secret that as soon as you move into the city everything, in terms of cost, can go up – even if you don’t realise it. With the economy still not fully recovered, and businesses doing all that they can to reduce their expenditure, it makes sense to partner with an agency that not only understands those concerns but can work with you to establish a budget that not only gains the approval of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) but also meets the needs of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in gaining maximum press coverage and impact. Working to achieve pre-agreed targets instead of focussing on the time sheet is a sure-fire way to receive a return on your investment and be confident that your company is seeing immediate results.

It’s also important to think about others areas for your PR, not just the B2B and technology press, but also the somewhat neglected regional and local publications. It’s really important to build your brand awareness amongst the businesses within the area and region. This is not necessarily something that an agency based elsewhere can do. They won’t know what business issues are affecting the region, and therefore this runs the risk of you missing out on an opportunity to build on your reputation.

The ‘out-of-town’ agencies are stereotypically categorised as being small agencies, and this can often be misinterpreted as inexperienced – yet nothing could be further from the truth. These PR agencies have a wealth of experience, with many having done the big London agency experience, and have decided that moving out of the city is really where the business and expertise is. You can also be guaranteed a dedicated team to work on the account, so you know who your day to day contacts are and do not get shunted around the organisation. Being outside of the city, also gives agencies the opportunity to be less restricted by geographical constraints with more and more agencies now adopting International Public Relations strategies for their global customers. When it comes to a PR agency – bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better!

Appointing an agency to partner with for your media outreach can be a tricky choice, but selecting the right agency can prove to be a real return on investment. It can be easy to be tempted by the promise of the gold-paved streets of the city – but it’s important not to forget to look further afield and expand your horizons and reach your business’ true media potential.

Nikki Woolf, Account Executive

Press releases are written for a variety of different purposes, in a variety of different styles (some good, some very bad), however all have one thing in common – they all offer news about an event, business, product, service.

It is a wonderment how PR’s distributed releases prior to the wonderful invention of the email and, more recently, via the social media domain. The PR “game” has been going for just over 100 years, so how did PR’s in those days get the news out? It seems that newspapers received releases via snail mail which, given the name, was probably not the speediest of delivery methods. I was reading about the first ever press release, sent around a century ago via snail mail. The idea came about in the US, when a locomotive crashed and the rail company decided that it needed to help control public relations damage, due to rumours spreading about the severity of the accident. Ivy Lee, considered by many as the founder of modern PR, convinced the rail company to offer transport reporters the opportunity to travel to the site of the crash for free, in order to determine the severity of the case themselves. This open and honest approach was praised and the New York Times was so impressed that it printed the story; this sparked off a new, dynamic industry in the form of modern public relations.

It is almost unimaginable to think that PR’s today would use any method other than the blogs, twitter, email and newswires, which promise instant receipt at the other end via the click of a button. Of course, this discounts the odd occasion when an email gets lost in cyber space, which is always a great mystery – emails should never get lost! Going a step further, thanks to wonderful email tools such as the notification of receipt and the delivery failure notice, we now have a way of knowing whether a journalist has or has not received the news, which is of course very useful knowledge for the modern PR to have!

It is amazing how far we have come in 100 years – as if journalists these days have the time to wait for snail mail! Everything now is so instantaneous, from demand to delivery – from sending a release via email, to the even more instant method of posting it on the internet via newswires, the expectation is that ‘the news doesn’t wait’. We even now have methods such as twitter, which can effectively document news as soon as it materialises in a person’s brain; not that this isn’t without its dangers, of course – spontaneous, off-the-cuff postings can surely be a celebrity publicist’s worst nightmare. David Cameron’s slip-up during a radio interview summed this up perfectly: “The trouble with Twitter, the instantness of it – too many twits might make a twat.” Nevertheless, as a result of these quick smart methods and the increasing demand for instant news, PR’s and journalists must be fast and efficient down to the second – the embargo will be lifted at 12.03 EST time and the release must be circulated on the dot.

As a final thought, I wonder what happened all those years ago when PR’s and journalists could not work to immediacy and the news had to wait. I have heard bosses from various industries saying that they would consider turning off email in the office for a few hours a day, so that their staff could get on the phone and talk to people, rather than this incessant reliance on communication via email. I wonder how the PR industry would suffer if this became a standardised rule? There is one thing for certain – technology will forever change and in years to come we will find ourselves circulating news in new and exciting ways that will make twitter look as ancient as the telegram!

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?