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Time to review your communication strategy? 

Posted on by Claire Stephenson

Need to relook at your communications strategy? The last few years have been – to put it mildly – an unfamiliar and messy upheaval for life and business as we know it. There have been huge global changes in how and where we work, along with how we interact with each other.  

On a work and business level, this means it’s a great time to reconsider communications strategy and messaging directed towards stakeholders. We’ve previously talked about stakeholder engagement here, and why it’s essential for your business. 

Reviewing existing strategies helps to ensure that stakeholders are kept informed and engaged in the best way possible. Claire Stephenson explores ideas for conducting a review of communications, as well as how to ensure that they remain current. 

Here are three ways you can approach and assess your communication strategy: 

Audit your current communications 

    Auditing your business communication channels is essential to ensure that you are delivering the right message to your target audience. Run through all of your existing communication channels – internal and external. These include earned media, social media, newsletters, print, website blog pages and so on. Check through available analytics for any performance points around engagement. Questions you could consider include: 

    • Which strategies have proved to be effective?  
    • Does the current strategy support your organisation’s goals and needs?  
    • Do your staff and stakeholders receive information and communications as intended?  
    • Regarding social media, are the channels currently in use working for you?  

    With the above in mind, you should be able to map out the current state of play of your communications strategy in a practical sense, and determine if there are any improvements that can be made. 

    By auditing your communications, you can ensure that your messages are consistent across all channels and that they align with the business goals and plans. This will help you maximise the impact of your communication strategy and make sure it reaches its intended audience. 

    Refresh your target audience objectives 

    Redefining your target audience and resetting communication objectives are good steps to take to make sure you’re still on course for the overall business goals.  

    Properly understanding your stakeholders and target audience is key to achieving your communication goals. It’s important to know who they are, what their interests and needs are, and how they consume content in order to create a message that resonates with them.  

    Once you understand who they are, it’s important to set clear communication objectives so that you can measure the success of your campaigns. With well-defined objectives, you can ensure that all of your efforts are being directed towards achieving the right results. 

    Communication channels and platforms  

    Now you’ve audited your communication output and you have a confirmed clearer picture of your stakeholders, you can work on assessing which channels of communication are correct for your business or organisation. Using the right channels, businesses can reach their target audience in a more efficient and cost-effective way. 

    Social media is one of the most often used channels to engage with audiences. Have you considered all communication options for your target audience? For instance, would internal newsletters sent to your employees improve their connection with the organisation? Is your earned media moving you in the right direction? Is your demographic using Twitter or have they changed their behaviour and Facebook is now the platform of choice? It’s worth digging deep and exploring a wider consideration of where your communications are directed.

    By establishing effective communication channels, businesses can create deeper relationships with their customers and build trust with them over time. This is why it’s important for businesses to identify the right channels for their business and use them effectively in order to maximise their success. 

    Work with Limitless? 

    If you’re looking for help with public relations, developing a communications strategy, and how to be known, please drop us a message. Contact Michael Gregory on 0845 625 0820 or use this  contact form here. 

    Limitless wins three-year Preston City Council Town Deal contract

    Posted on by Claire Stephenson

    Limitless Public Relations has been appointed to deliver a three-year strategic communications support contract for Preston’s £20.9 million Town Deal which it secured in March 2021 as part of the government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund, established to help level up towns and cities around the country.  

    The Town Deal has kickstarted The Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme, a £200 million transformational regeneration programme in Preston’s Harris Quarter, the City’s cultural and civic heart, led by Preston City Council and the Preston Partnership.  

    The latest project to start in the programme is Animate, a £45 million leisure and entertainment complex due to be built in the heart of Preston City centre. 

    The tender includes the delivery of strategic communications for six projects and will be designed to increase awareness of the Towns Fund investment programme, communicating key milestones and keeping residents and businesses up-to-date with the benefits and improvements that this extensive regeneration programme will bring to them.  

    The tender will also focus on the City’s strategic 15-year vision and its City Investment Plan.  

    The key projects are: 

    • Harris Quarter Assets renewal, including refurbishment of Amounderness House, into serviced offices and managed workspace accommodation 
    • Animate – new build entertainment and leisure scheme  
    • Illuminate and Integrate – public realm and lighting improvements 
    • Harris Your Place – refurbishment of the Harris Building 
    • Preston Youth Zone – state-of-the-art youth building and services
    • Educate Preston – access to careers and education information services  

    Councillor David Borrow, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulation, said:

    “We are delighted to have Limitless Public Relations on board and looking forward to working together to communicate Preston’s regeneration and investment progress. We were impressed with the overall standard of submissions we received, in particular with Limitless’s extensive experience and understanding of our ambition and vision for the City.”  

    John Chesworth, Chair of the Towns Fund Board, added:

    “Limitless Public Relations has been chosen to support Preston’s Towns Fund investment programme following a thorough tender process against stiff opposition, and we are looking forward to working closely together on all the exciting projects that are starting to come to fruition and that will make a positive impact on Preston and its people.”  

    Limitless Director Michael Gregory concluded:

    “As someone who came to the City to study and is now an adopted Prestonian, I’m incredibly proud that we’ve been given the opportunity to tell Preston’s story, showcase its ambitions and herald its future.  

    “I’ve seen Preston evolve over the 27 years I’ve lived here, and there is so much to shout about. It’s a happening place to live, work and grow, and the proactive approach by the City Council and its partners to create a place that everyone can be proud of is truly commendable.  

    “Our team is looking forward to working with the Council and its partners in delivering an impactful campaign that will attract people, businesses and investors to the City.” 

    Some of the best: PR and ad campaign wins in 2022

    Posted on by Claire Stephenson

    In a world that is often over-saturated on a digital level and crowded with content, it takes strategic, innovative outside-the-box communications to allow campaign messages to reach the right people and influence the required change.

    We’ve done a rundown of a few of our favourite and memorable campaigns spotted this year…

    OutHorse Your Email

    Need a new out-of-office message? You need an Icelandic pony! OutHorseYourEmail.com is a fun campaign from Inspired By Iceland and Horses of Iceland, drawing attention to the fact that on average, 55% of workers check their emails whilst on holiday. The campaign’s aim was to encourage people to disconnect and enjoy their downtime – see it here. 

    Icelandic horses will reply to your email using a pony-sized keyboard to hoof out a reply on your behalf! The horses were taught typing skills by Inspired by Iceland, who built a giant replica keyboard with walkable letter tiles.

    You can choose from three Icelandic horses who will write your email autoreply: Litla Stjarna Frá Hvítarholti, a fast-typing pony, but they might take a nap; Hrímnir Frá Hvammi, a horse who is assertive, efficient and has shiny hair; or Hekla frá Þorkellshóli, a friendly horse, who is trained in corporate buzzwords. Magic.

    Claire Stephenson tested the autoresponder and chose Litla Stjarna Frá Hvítarholti as her typing pony. This was the result…

    A fun and creative campaign. Agency  = SS+K

    Plastic Is Back!

    A campaign for Greenpeace, by Ogilvy Netherlands, highlighting the permanence of plastic waste.

    ‘Plastic is Back’ is part of Greenpeace’s wider campaign work around plastic waste and pollution, particularly microplastics. According to Greenpeace, a truckload of plastic enters the ocean every minute creating a ‘plastic soup’. Supermarkets in the UK produce around 800,000 tonnes of plastic each year. Unearthed – Greenpeace’s investigative journalists – discovered British plastic waste being dumped and burned in Turkey – impacting land and waterways and more crucially, human health.

    The plastic packaging featured in the campaign was all gathered from beaches. Dairy packaging, bleach bottles and crisp packets – some of this plastic packaging waste is estimated to be more than 50-years-old, according to Greenpeace, with visibly vintage packaging designs.

    A visually impactful campaign. Agency = Ogilvy Netherlands.

    Ask for Henry

    A collaboration between Morrisons and Heinz in October 2022, offered customers a free meal of jacket potato and baked beans, to help people during half term who are impacted by the cost of living crisis. A discreet way for people to request help when they “Ask for Henry” at a café counter.

    Jojo De Noronha, the President of Northern Europe at Heinz said:

    “October marks the birthday of a very special member of the Heinz family, our founder Henry J. Heinz. Henry brought comfort and goodness to others, not just through his food but his actions. We want to honour his good heart and kind spirit by doing what he did best, helping feed people in times of need.”

    A social win for both brands.

    Netflix

    Netflix’s Stranger Things Season 4 drop was pretty spectacular. To mark the launch of the new season, Netflix created installations which popped up across the world.

    Bondi Beach in Australia received an installation, as a “gateway” to the Upside Down. People in yellow hazmat suits gathered around the object. Netflix said on their Instagram channel: “Hawkins, do you copy? We could use a little help down here at Bondi…”

    netfixanz on Instagram

    Stranger Things art installations appeared across the world, from New York’s Empire State Building, Mumbai’s Gateway of India, to Los Angeles, London, Germany, Tokyo, Malaysia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Columbia, Stockholm, Milan, and Madrid.

    Stranger Things Instagram/Netflix

    A powerful teaser for global Stranger Things fans.

    Limitless loves…

    We asked some of our associates which campaigns and ads stood out for them this year…

    Mark Sutcliffe, Associate at Limitless PR, said:

    “The one campaign that really smashed it in 2023, wasn’t actually a campaign (or was it?). Whatever; it generated almost universal coverage across the full spectrum of media platforms and dominated the global news agenda for days.

    “I’m talking about Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard handing his £3 billion clothing and accessories company over to a trust focused on funding environmental projects worldwide.

    “The Patagonia Purpose Trust will generate around $100 million annually for projects that protect nature and biodiversity, support thriving communities and fight the environmental crisis.

    “When it comes to walking the walk, this raises the bar to vertiginous new heights, demonstrating how for-profit business can also work for the planet. Or as Chouinard himself put it: ‘The Earth is now our only shareholder’.”

    Photo of Yvon Chouinard by Campbell Brewer.

    Claire Stephenson, Associate Director at Limitless PR, said:

    “I’ve seen some amazing content and communications this year. 

    “One of the most powerful campaigns is from CALM: The Last Photo, and why Suicidal Doesn’t Always Look Suicidal. A collection of images of people whose lives have been lost to suicide is striking and poignant. The communications dispel the myth that if someone is feeling suicidal or having a mental health crisis, we would know about it. The campaign highlights that exterior emotions don’t always reflect what is happening inside a person’s mind.

    “This campaign points towards starting a conversation to save a life. Removing the stigma around talking about suicide and how people can talk about it can save more lives. Hats off to CALM and adam&eveDDB for this change-making campaign.”

    Just who do you think you’re talking to?

    Posted on by Claire Stephenson

    No, it’s not your mother calling! We’re speaking about the audience(s) that your business or organisation communicates with, and why it’s absolutely essential to be really clear on who you are talking to.

    Your audience is made up of people or groups – stakeholders, customers, clients, service users, and consumers. They can be split down into groups through their behaviours and certain demographics (such as age and education).

    So who or what exactly is your audience? 

    Target audience

    A target audience refers to a particular group of people or individuals, that can be categorised by behaviours and demographics. Audiences can range from broad categories to finely-researched and specific demographics. The more defined and specific you can be on who your desired audience is, the better.

    As the father of modern marketing, Philip Kotler puts it:  

    “There is only one winning strategy. It is to carefully define the target market and direct a superior offering to that target market.”

    Working examples

    Greenpeace

    Greenpeace talks about its primary target audience as:

    “…our members and supporters across 40 countries. Other target audiences are those that we seek to exert influence on such as governments, industries, intergovernmental organisations and the media.”

    So we can see they have several audiences (publics) and will tailor their communications and messaging accordingly, likely on strong campaign and fundraising themes.

    Amazon

    Amazon’s target audience is described here:

    “Amazon’s target market is middle and upper-class consumers (evenly split between genders) with home computers or smart devices aged between 18-44 as of 2022. Additionally, 60% of Amazon’s target market are from the United States who prefer shopping online for convenience, fast delivery, and competitive prices.”

    Although Amazon is a behemoth multinational conglomerate, it’s interesting to see how they define their target market down to a neat demographic of consumers within a fairly narrow age range and evenly split gender 

    Stakeholders

    The term stakeholder is used to determine individuals or groups of people who have an impact or can impact a business or organisation. They are particularly important to consider when you’re operating projects, campaigns and launches. It’s important to understand, analyse and strategically reach the people who can support your endeavours, or conversely, negatively impact what you’re trying to achieve. We talk about stakeholder engagement more here.

    How to find your audience(s)

    Finding your audience can be done in several ways – online and offline – allowing you to extract quality information about your existing and ideal customers through research and analysis. 

    Buyer personas

    Buyer personas are research-based profiles – semi-fictional – that illustrates your target customer. You can use existing customer data and market research to help you with your messaging and communications, along with devising campaigns. When you’re researching a persona, you can include details like:

    • Age
    • Location
    • Average income
    • Typical job title or industry
    • Interests
    • Challenges/pain points
    • Hangouts

    By creating a profile of your ideal customer, it helps you to understand your target audience better and improve your messaging and communication efforts towards that audience.

    Other ways of researching and building ideal customer profiles include:

    • Google Analytics – if set up correctly, Google Analytics can provide a deep understanding of your customers and their behaviours
    • Customer research – ask your customer what they think!
    • Social listening – using keywords and hashtags, you may be able to gain key insights into your brand or business on social media 
    • Social media audit – reviewing existing channels and checking analytics for performance
    • Competitor analysis – who are your competitors and what are they currently doing? How do they position their brand? Can you learn anything from their presence?

    Spending the time to research your target audience is worth the effort. Knowing, in as much depth as possible, the audience(s) you’re communicating with, will help you to formulate your messaging well and concisely. It will also inform brand awareness, strong public relations and quality marketing campaigns.

    Work with Limitless?

    If you’re looking for help in finding your target audience, or with campaign planning and management, please drop us a message. Contact Michael Gregory on 0845 625 0820 or use this contact form here.

    Social media and employee advocacy 

    Posted on by Claire Stephenson

    Social media is a great tool for business messaging and sharing content with an audience. This includes employees too, which is often forgotten about. Encouraging positive use of employees using social media to share your organisation’s content and messaging is a powerful form of advocacy, allowing business messaging to be shared in an authentic way. 

    Global research by LinkedIn and Altimeter Group looked at the top 100 of the most socially-engaged companies on LinkedIn with more than 1,000 employees. The results showed that employee social engagement boosts business outcomes.  

    The top-line findings were that socially-engaged companies are: 

    • 40% more likely to be perceived as competitive 
    • 57% more likely to get increased sales leads  
    • 58% more likely to attract top talent 

    Advocacy 

    Employee advocacy is an important part of your marketing toolkit. Your people are the authentic, grassroots of your organisation. They can help with building brand awareness, trust with clients and customers, and importantly, forming stronger connections with all employees in the organisation.  

    According to research by Nielson, 84% of consumers trust in recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising, and 77% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase after hearing about it from someone they know. Facilitating an authentic employee advocacy programme allows you to build strong messaging and sharing opportunities for new audiences. 

    Hootsuite research shows that “employee advocacy also helps to retain and engage employees, especially Millennials who expect a digital connection with their leaders, community, and peers.” 

    Understanding best practice for professional social media use is helpful in determining what your business needs and how to deploy it within your strategic communication plan. 

    Which platforms? 

    With Twitter being on shaky ground with the latest acquisition by Elon Musk, it’s a good time to reassess your social media for business, and audit existing platforms. For example, LinkedIn may be a key platform for your content messaging. It’s like a professional address book – recruitment, job searching and networking are all strong features. If, for instance, Twitter becomes obsolete as is rumoured, would you rely more heavily on LinkedIn, and could your employees benefit from some guidance on sharing business content? 

    Key considerations 

    Here are three key points to consider, to enable positive and successful social media for your business. 

    1. Have a clear and consistent social media policy – ensure your company’s social media guidelines are up-to-date and accessible to all employees. Include guidance on harassment, legal responsibilities of publishing content on public forums, and posting responsibly. Outline the official company social account handles and if staff are identifying themselves as employees of the company, do you need to encourage them to add a disclaimer to their bio, such as “All opinions are my own” for example? 
    1. Ensure staff have regular social media training – social media platforms and algorithms are continually updating and evolving. If you’re actively encouraging staff to engage and share content, providing basic support and information should be a minimum. Training on using social channels successfully will allow everyone to be supported and on the same page, keep cyber safety and security as a priority, and ensure brand messaging remains consistent.  
    1. Encourage social advocacy – consider setting up a specific programme to encourage employees to take part in social networking, content sharing and thought leadership. Could you incentivise employee advocacy through rewards and benefits? This could be anything from monetary or gift rewards, to recognition and company shoutouts. Employee advocacy programmes benefit both brand and employee: “brands enjoy increased awareness and controlled messaging while employees earn rewards and establish themselves as thought leaders in their field”. 

    Hootsuite’s predictions on social media for businesses in 2023 indicate that those who employ a social-first approach towards their brand and customers, will benefit most. Maggie Lower, Hootsuite’s Chief Marketing Officer said: 

    “Social media has never played a more central role to businesses. As businesses continue to look for ways to future-proof operations and connect with today’s tech-savvy customers, social media and digital marketing will inevitably play a part in nearly every business strategy. 

    “In 2023, businesses that take a social-first approach to their brand and customer care strategy will be the ones to reap the benefits. Stronger brand reputation, greater customer interaction, trust and loyalty – now and in the future – depends on it.” 

    Maggie Lower, Hootsuite

    Limitless Extends European Reach

    Posted on by Claire Stephenson

    Limitless Public Relations has extended its reach in Europe with Germany-based PR specialist Christiane Tupac-Yupanqui joining the Blackburn and Preston-based agency as an overseas associate.

    Christiane’s first project for the specialist public relations agency will be to provide PR support for client Northern Industrial, which has recently launched a new site in Germany.

    With 20 years’ PR experience, Christiane specialises in the motion, drives and automation sectors. A trained translator, she provides trade PR and online media relations in Germany and a number of other non-English speaking countries around the world.

    Limitless director Greg Wilson said:

    “We are very pleased to have Christiane working with us in support of Northern Industrial and look forward to working with her on further accounts in the future.

    “One of the actual upsides of the pandemic has been the increased adoption of communication technologies, largely underutilised before, which enable the swift and lean cooperation between team members based on expertise rather than geography, the latter being now largely irrelevant.

    “We intend to keep expanding our active roster further across the UK and overseas to enable us to provide PR expertise at the highest level, whatever the brief, whenever and wherever it’s needed.” 

    PR, communications and productivity: staying focused in the new hybrid world

    Posted on by Claire Stephenson

    As we approach World Productivity Day (Monday 20 June 2022), it’s worth revisiting whether our processes and procedures are effective enough. Public relations and communications professionals must be at top of their game to ensure productivity and smooth communications, especially with the world of work still in flux. 

    It’s far too easy to lose track of quality communications, and we often come across businesses that are so busy, their communications – both internal and external – are negatively impacted by a lack of structure and organisation.

    Changing world

    Covid 19 has changed the landscape of work and communications on a grand scale. A great many businesses and organisations still have not returned to the office on a full-time basis, with some preferring to maintain a hybrid working environment for flexibility and convenience.

    However, with the changing working atmosphere still emerging, we should be prudent over how we’re communicating with each other – particularly internal communications – and ensure that productivity is encouraged by using the optimum tools and techniques so that you and your team flourish, not flounder. Wellbeing will be a key action point for the workplace going forwards.

    Productivity or just busyness?

    A good definition of productivity in the workplace:

    “Workplace productivity relates to the amount of work that your staff can produce over a certain period. In other words, it’s the measure of the total output (goods and services) versus the total input (labour and costs) … Developing a greater understanding of factors that impact workplace performance is essential for company leadership. A productive workplace often leads to more engaged employees and improved performance metric.”

    Being productive shouldn’t be confused with being busy, which is often seen as a status symbol of success. Busywork – defined as “Work that keeps a person busy but has little value in itself,” – can contribute to feelings of disillusion, lack of worth and eventually, burnout.

    We’re probably all guilty of busywork, with people being sucked into it without even realising. But how can we nurture quality work without losing focus?

    Tools to help find the balance

    There are plenty of tools and platforms out there to help you channel your focus on the important stuff, and side-line the less valuable work. 

    And if you believe every tool, app and influencer, their tool is just the ticket for a magical work-life filled with perfect communications, super-duper productivity and sparkling creativity!

    So which platforms are helpful for communicators in particular? A good place to start is to make a list of ‘wants’ or issues that you need help with resolving. 

    Here are three platforms to try if you need to maximise productivity without the overwhelm.

    Trello

    Trello is a great visual project manager that allows you to communicate and collaborate with others, from small tasks to larger projects. It uses a card system to organise and helps keep team members accountable for tasks.

    It’s literally a drag-and-drop to create cards, that can be used as task lists, links, and attachments, with the ability to add specific names to the cards as required.

    Trello also has a Power-Up feature, with integrations for apps like Mailchimp, Twitter, Zoom, Teams and others. 

    If you love visual workspaces that are simple to use, Trello is a great option to try. You can get a free trial if you’re a new user.

    Trello

    Slack

    Slack is a great communication app for teams as a group or one-to-one through DMs (direct messaging). It allows for different channels and easily helps keep track of projects and client work, even when you’re on the move. It saves a lot of faffing around in your email inbox hunting for information, as conversations can be better tracked through the app and its individual channels (threads). It integrates nicely with Google Calendar and you can set reminders for deadlines.

    If you’re looking for better organisation within communications, Slack is a definite one to try. A free trial is available and a free version for smaller teams.

    Slack

    Notion

    Notion is a clean, clever workspace where you can do everything – project manage, collaborate, journal, organise, goal setting, spreadsheets and databases, make and manage lists…endless possibilities to work within and from Notion. You can access templates to use or build your own workspace. It’s mid-level in difficulty to get to grips with and allows for different views and layouts, along with integrating a calendar. You can get a free trial of Notion and it’s free for up to five users, so an absolute bargain for small teams.

    Notion
    Notion

    Need help?

    These are just three tools of many that are great to help organise communications and productivity within your business. As always, we’re here to help. If you’d like to find out how we can work together, please drop us a message. Contact Michael Gregory on 0845 625 0820 or use this contact form here.

    Storytelling: the power behind the PR

    Posted on by Claire Stephenson

    Everyone loves a story. Everyone has a story. Humans have been telling and enjoying stories and tales since the dawn of time, from primitive cave etchings, to fireside whispers of myths and fables right through to high-level campaign and advertising stories.

    When we talk about storytelling for business, we’ve only to look at some of the biggest brands for how they’ve cultivated such cast-iron strategies to connect and market to their customers, showcasing quality public relations. They effectively tap into the emotions of their customers, keeping it human and creating compelling stories and messages that travel the globe, seemingly without effort. 

    Apple, for instance, projects a powerful, minimalist image, with a brand loyalty like no other along with a rack of desirable products. Their co-founder, Steve Jobs, was an advocate of impactful storytelling and said:  

    “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.”

    World-renowned screenwriter and director, Robert McKee, said:

    “Cognitive psychologists describe how the human mind, in its attempt to understand and remember, assembles the bits and pieces of experience into a story, beginning with a personal desire, a life objective, and then portraying the struggle against the forces that block that desire. Stories are how we remember; we tend to forget lists and bullet points.”

    If you’re a business or organisation and want to connect to your customers, effective storytelling with a unique perspective can help you to create trust and relay your brand in an authentic way. Clear, concise and captivating stories will perform better in customer communications than those that lack strategy or direction.

    Here are three questions to ask yourself when looking at storytelling for your business and how it can impact your public relations.

    1. Is your story genuine and authentic? Storytelling contributes to a strong PR and marketing strategy, as long as it is a truthful account that your customer can relate to. People have had enough of cheap gimmicks and blatant sales pitches: they want fresh, honest and clever stories from brands they can trust, and in turn, you could gain a valued customer.
    2. Is it directed towards your niche audience? Remember – you’re not for everyone. And that’s a good thing! If you’ve correctly identified your target audience, your messaging should be precise and appealing to them. Seth Godin talks about the potency of your story, that fits perfectly with your core public: “Great stories are rarely aimed at everyone. Average people are good at ignoring you. Average people have too many different points of view about life and average people are by and large satisfied. If you need to water down your story to appeal to everyone, it will appeal to no one. The most effective stories match the world view of a tiny audience—and then that tiny audience spreads the story.”
    3. Is it relatable? Does your story and messaging relate to your ideal customer? How so? Keeping your messaging aligned with your customer and their connection to you is a key point for any public relations. Helping them to identify with your brand forges trust and authenticity, making them more likely to become a customer. 

    Seth Godin’s quote on how customers make purchases is a good example of the psychology of sales, and making your brand and product relatable: 

    “People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic.”

    Now human attention spans are reported to be at an all-time low – research suggests that the human attention span loses concentration after just eight seconds – there’s never been a better time to review messaging and storytelling for your brand.

    These are just a few ideas you could consider when crafting a brand story or message. As always, we’re here to help. If you’d like to find out how we can work together, please do drop us a message. Contact Michael Gregory on 0845 625 0820 or use this contact form here.

    Ministerial visits and your business

    Posted on by Claire Stephenson

    Building relationships between your business and relevant government departments, or constituency MPs, can be a valuable part of a business or organisation’s communications strategy. A strong public affairs strategy can be a powerful way to showcase your work and have your say on policy matters that impact your business and sector. It’s also a good opportunity to connect with, inform, and engage ministers who are responsible for policy-making.

    Here are a few valuable pointers to consider as part of your communications strategy when planning a ministerial visit to your organisation.

    Aims and objectives of a visit

    Prepare and prepare some more. What do you hope to gain from a visit? Get clear on the key objectives. It could simply be building a positive relationship with a constituency MP, or maybe talking and sharing information about a specific section of your business in relation to a policy. Always bear in mind the hectic schedule that government ministers have, and that any time spent with your organisation should be planned and directed well to maximise the time and benefits, and moreover, make them more likely to accept your invitation.

    Keep time a priority

    Time constraints will always be a factor, so make sure that you work to the time that has been allocated. Liaise closely with the Minister’s office or aides, and ensure everyone has the correct contact and directions to your location. Consider how you will work around any curveballs thrown. For example, the Minister could be delayed in traffic and your visit time might be been cut short if they have a follow-on engagement. What would be the minimum key objectives you could achieve in such an altered time frame?

    How will it look?

    What do you want the visit time to look like? Who will be present for the meet-and-greet? What kind of experience would you like the Minister to have whilst visiting your business space? Will a full briefing be required, or just a simple overview of what the Minister should expect?

    Don’t assume the Minister will have read any briefing prior to arrival either – a quick overview of what they should expect on arrival is always helpful.

    Plan a programme accordingly for the time allocated, and ensure your key objectives can be met in an interesting and creative way – no death-by-Powerpoint presentations, please! Consider an interactive experience for the Minister and make it memorable. 

    Media

    If there’s to be any press follow-up or other communications on the visit (blog, social media etc) include any photography and quote-gathering into the schedule, as this can take time to achieve the right photos and information. Brief the photographer (if external) ahead of the visit. What kind of photos and style are you aiming for? Make sure any relevant staff are present and they also have a briefing.

    These are some of the basics you’ll need to consider if you’re planning on having a Ministerial visit to your business or organisation. Proper research and planning are essential during this process, as is good communication between all parties involved.

    If you’re looking to get expert help and guidance on public affairs and how to build positive relationships between your business and the government, contact us today via our website or call 0845 625 0820.

    Influencer marketing: would it benefit your business?

    Posted on by Claire Stephenson

    What is influencer marketing?

    HubSpot provides a good definition:

    “Influencer marketing employs leading, niche content creators to improve brand awareness, increase traffic, and drive messages to brands’ target audiences. It’s this collaboration between brands and creators that allows businesses to expand their reach across their buyer personas.”

    HubSpot

    The latest figures suggest around 57.6% of the population uses social media, with that number growing all the time.

    Why use influencers?

    Using influencers to help PR your business can be a good way of reaching your target market. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, the influencer marketing industry is estimated to have been around $13.8 billion in 2021 – despite a global pandemic – seeing businesses adapting their marketing direction to the shift in sales to more online

    Demographics matter. Who and where are your audience? Where do they frequent? For an example, The Digital Marketing Institute states that 70% of teenagers trust influencers more than traditional celebrities, so platforms like Instagram and TikTok would be prime channels to utilise with social media influencers. 

    If your demographic is older, however, you might need to have a different plan. Statistics show that the Boomer generation (think ages between late 50s to 70s) are more interested in YouTube (so video-based content), Facebook and written long-form content like blogs.

    Who can be influencers?

    Traditionally, influential people tended to be well-known celebrities and public figures. Nowadays, social media allows just about anyone to influence, depending on the topic and relevance.

    TikTok and Instagram in particular, are platforms where unknown people to the majority, wield power with some having a few million followers. Outside of those platforms, however, they may hold no relevance in everyday life – especially within business and organisational needs of influence. And of course, a high following does not equate to good or quality engagement with those followers.

    Stephen Waddington talks about the shift of influencer marketing transitioning from high worth ‘well-knowns’ (macro) to more niche and smaller audiences (micro):

    “From a PR perspective, Influencer Marketing is the shift in recognising there are new ways to reach your audience or publics. Traditionally that used to be high net worth individuals or journalists and now it can be anyone with their own network or media of their own.”

    Stephen Waddington

    One good example of an influencer campaign that reached out to women everywhere, because they could identify themselves with the brand, was Dove’s #ShowUs campaign. Dove focused on the everyday woman in their drive, using every shape, size and colour of model to celebrate and champion diversity and inclusion.

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    Dove’s #ShowUs campaign

    The body positivity and strong messaging helped to reshape the message of what real beauty is, along with uniting an ocean of women. Financially, Dove sales turned profits from $2.5m to $4m in the first ten years.

    Another example of influencer marketing – but back in the 80s, where TV, movies and pop culture gave boost to brands – was the adoption of Crocodile Dundee, aka Paul Hogan, for a Foster’s campaign, following the movie’s success. Foster’s moved from being an Australian beer to a global sensation, capitalising on the popularity of Hogan’s character and charisma. A big win.

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    Paul Hogan for Foster’s Lager

    Social proof

    At a very basic level, you’re aiming to provide social proof, where people can see that others have experienced your product or service, and by having different types of influence – whether that’s a blog, social media platform or even a well-known public figure – you can help potential customers to see the value in what your organisation is about. 

    So how do you go about getting in with this influencing lark? 

    Research, research, research. 

    Start with knowing your target audience. Who are they? Where do they hang out? What do they like? What are their habits? Defining and refining your consumer persona is key to understanding your customers and what drives them. Demographics are also important – research your social media analytics and refine further. The more information you can garner, the better.

    You’ll also need to identify your goals through influencer marketing. What do you want to achieve and why? The clearer you can get with your why will help you identify the who influencer to look for. 

    Finally, when researching and deciding upon the right kind of influencers, choose wisely. As well as having the power to raise your profile and propel a brand forwards, influencers also have the ability to damage a brand (intentionally or not) and bring the wrong kind of attention your way.

    Inspired?

    Want to find out more about influencer marketing and whether it’s a good fit for your business? Give us a call! We can help you with working out what, who and how of influencer marketing, from the drawing board to inception and management.

    Contact Michael Gregory on 0845 625 0820 or drop us a message via this contact form here.