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Burton Roofing Group expands board with new Commercial Director

Posted on by Claire Stephenson

York-based Burton Roofing Group has expanded its senior team by appointing Martin Armour as its new commercial director. 

With over 35 years’ experience, Martin joins the Group from Calder Industrial Materials (CIM), where he was commercial director. The company is the UK’s leading supplier of lead sheet and lead engineering products to the roofing, healthcare, aerospace, defence, industrial, marine, oil & gas, security and research markets.

Initially appointed as the commercial director for CIM’s building products division, he was promoted to commercial director for all of CIM’s UK businesses in June 2021, which had a turnover of £32 million and was part of the Calder Group which has an annual turnover of €200 million. 

Before joining CIM, he was regional manager for the Birtley Group, a leading producer of steel products for the construction industry. He also spent ten years with Thermalite, where he was the company’s divisional support manager and held senior roles with Naylor Utilities, MEA UK and Peter Savage Ltd. 

Burton Roofing Group’s managing director, Ian Leigh, commented on Martin’s appointment. He said: “Martin is a fantastic addition to our senior leadership team and brings the skills and abilities to help us achieve our objectives. He has an excellent track record in creating successful commercial strategies and creating high-performing teams that have helped propel businesses forward. It’s great to have him at Burton, and we’re looking forward to seeing the positive impact he’ll have.”

Martin added, “Burton Roofing Merchants is well-known in the industry and has an ambitious but pragmatic growth plan. The business is perfectly poised to be the leader in its field – it has an expert team of people across the company who want to be the best. 

“It’s evident from our colleagues at our branches and the senior management team that we all share the same vision: to provide the best products backed by outstanding customer service.

“Joining the business at a pivotal point in its growth excited me, and I’m looking forward to working with customers, suppliers, and colleagues to deliver our vision.”

Burton Roofing Group, which trades under the Burton Roofing Merchants, Rinus Roofing Supplies and Discount Roofing and Building Supplies, operates 38 branches across the UK and employs 400 people. 

The Group’s annual turnover is approximately £160 million, and it is part of the multinational Cupa Group, which comprises 75 businesses with subsidiaries in nine countries and 25 quarries.

Hit your target: strategic communications done properly

Posted on by Claire Stephenson

From small businesses consisting of just one or two people, to large corporations of hundreds and thousands, there’s still a formula to follow that will ensure your communications have the desired direction and impact, meaning your messages hit the right target. If you’re creating a strategic communications strategy for the coming year, check out our advice here.

We asked four of our seasoned public relations and communications specialists for their top tips for strategic communications and the power of sharing a good story.

Power of Purpose

Greg Wilson - Strategic Communications - Limitless PR

Greg Wilson, on the benefits of authentic brand purpose:

“Having a true purpose is at the heart of any genuine brand story. And when you have an integral purpose, you have a great story to tell.

“Purpose includes an intrinsic set of values, that drives a business beyond increased annual profits or shareholder benefits.

“Let’s be clear about purpose and not let it become just another buzzword.”

Authentic storytelling

Claire Stephenson MCIPR, on genuine content and storytelling:

“Authentic storytelling can greatly impact your public relations efforts. Creating content that has a genuine purpose, but moreover, adds real value to your stakeholders/audience. Aim for this.

“People have had enough of cheap gimmicks and blatant sales pitches: they want fresh, honest and clever stories from brands they can trust.”

Claire Stephenson - Limitless PR - Strategic Communications

Internal communications

Limitless Public Relations - Strategic Communications

Michael Gregory MCIPR FRSA, on internal communications:

“Don’t forget the importance and power of internal communications.

“If you’re embarking on a strategic communications campaign, let your people know first what’s happening in your organisation.

“Don’t let them find out what’s happening in the media.”

Quality of content

Mark Sutcliffe, on the quality of communications content:

“The first step to posting higher quality content is to step off the treadmill and refocus time and resources on creating high-quality content that’s relevant to the target audience to achieve what we, in the trade, call ‘cut-through’.

“Giving greater care and consideration to what you post in terms of its appeal, relevance, usefulness, originality, distinctiveness and creativity is likely to achieve greater ‘cut-through’ than wishing all your followers a ‘fab weekend’ or ‘happy Tuesday’.

“Setting the quality bar higher will inevitably reduce the volume of content an organisation is capable of creating. Social media platforms will continue to reward frequency, but genuinely engaged audiences will appreciate the improved quality of the information you share.”

Limitless Public Relations - Strategic Communications

As always, we are here to help if your business needs a powerful strategy to ensure that your audience(s) are kept informed and engaged in the best way possible, driving your business forward.

Message us here or call 0845 625 0820 to see how we can help your organisation be known.

Burton Roofing invests in larger Irvine branch to boost service and range 

Posted on by Claire Stephenson

Burton Roofing Merchants has relocated and invested in a more extensive Irvine branch to enhance its product range and service offering in Ayrshire and the wider East Scotland.

The new branch, which also carries the latest energy-efficient green technologies to help reduce its carbon footprint, sees over £200,000 invested to more than quadruple capacity from 18,400 sq. ft. to 80,358 sq. ft. compared to the previous branch. 

The additional space means more product lines will be stocked to facilitate increased demand, particularly for solar and flat-roof products, and is the largest branch that the company has opened this year.

The new Burton Roofing Merchants branch on Auchengate Business Park replaces the former Rinus branch, which Burton Roofing Merchants acquired in 2021 and was located at Mackintosh Place. The company aims for the expansion to lead to additional jobs within the year. 

Jon Smith, operations director at Burton Roofing, commented on the investment. He said, ‘As a business, we have a purpose centred around helping customers enhance their businesses. The enlarged branch will help us deliver our promise by giving access to innovative roofing products combined with our Irvine team’s expert and friendly service. 

Branch manager Jim Finnegan added, ‘Customers that have already been to the new branch have been impressed with the product range, and it will help cement our ambition to be a centre of excellence in new roofing technologies and products. 

“The enlarged branch allows us to host training events and workshops to ensure our customers have access to expertise that will also help them in their work. It really is a game-changer for us.” 

Burton Roofing Group, which trades under the Burton Roofing Merchants, Rinus Roofing Supplies and Discount Roofing and Building Supplies, operates 38 branches across the UK and employs 450 people. 

The Group’s annual turnover is approximately £170 million, and it is part of the multinational Cupa Group, which comprises 75 businesses with subsidiaries in nine countries and 25 quarries.

A full spin wash

Posted on by Claire Stephenson

A recent headline on the front page of The Belfast Telegraph’s (June 23) featured the headline: “Anger over council plan to hire a ‘spin doctor’ on £105k salary”. The term spin doctor is derogatory and outdated terminology, which portrays public relations as a manipulative role. This sloppy headline shows a disregard and poor understanding of the strategic role of public relations. 

The PR community was quick to express its disapproval of such a headline, with comms professional, Stephen Waddington, highlighting how far from the truth the headline relates to public relations, particularly in the public sector industry.

In recent times of the Covid pandemic, high-level strategic communication and information campaigns were essential to local government departments, to convey crucial health messaging, safety directives and content, along with emergency signposting for communities during one of the most uncertain times in history. This hardly qualifies as ‘spin’.

Propaganda all wrapped up

But where do the terms spin and spin doctor originate from? 

In the US, the “father of public relations”, Edward Bernays, was heavily linked with spin in the form of propaganda, controlling of the masses and “the engineering of consent.” His association with tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceutical brands is well documented, and his writing on propaganda attracted the Third Reich, with Joseph Goebbels in the 1920s becoming a fan of Bernays (despite Bernays being Jewish). Goebbels’ position of the Third Reich’s minister of propaganda, he used Bernays’ works as the basis for a “Fuhrer cult” to ‘promote’ Adolph Hitler.

The Thick of It

Certainly in the UK, the term spin doctor became synonymous with Alistair Campbell, the then head of communications for former Prime Minister Tony Blair and the New Labour campaign. Political spin was rife in the 1990s, particularly with the advent of 24-hour news coverage and the growing appetite for political access and commentary. This increase was then followed by a marked decline in the quality of British media content. The demand for media and PR consultants within politics grew from this point.

The comedy, The Thick of It, satirises the “sultans of spin”; the inner sanctum of the British government, with the main character – Malcolm Tucker – said to be based on Alistair Campbell. The show’s creator, Armando Iannucci, stated he wrote the comedy to help him process the political spin and turmoil of Blair’s government that allowed the UK to “back a war [in Iraq] with no purpose, no target, no endgame and no rationale”. This resulted in a horrific war and a lasting distrust in British politics. 

One of Campbell’s most notorious examples of spin was the 1997 General Election, called by John Major. Campbell’s efforts persuaded Rupert Murdoch and the editor of The Sun, Stuart Higgins, to publicly declare that the paper offers support for Labour and would be telling its readers to vote their way.

The power of strategic communications

The managing director of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), Renna Markson hit back at the article, stating:

“Salaries in public services are always, and rightly, under scrutiny, but no one is helped by lazy headlines that misrepresent the work of communications teams. 

“Belfast City Council spends £240m each year providing public services. A communications director helps make sure the council gets the best possible return for that money, by ensuring that the council listens to and understands the needs of Belfast residents and that those residents know about and can make full use of council services.

“The focus on tourism will mean extra demand for Belfast’s hospitality industry and a boost for Northern Ireland’s private sector. These measures alone should, if the candidate is successful, mean a return on the council’s investment far and above the reported salary.”

Renna Markson, PRCA

The chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), Alastair McCapra, said: 

“Public relations is more than spin and publicity. Strategically it is about fostering trust and goodwill, and promoting understanding between organisations and their various stakeholders.

“Within the public sector, communication serves a crucial purpose by responsibly delivering information and services, effectively communicating change, and encouraging and ensuring public engagement… This story shows a lack of understanding of PR’s strategic function and fails to recognise the many responsibilities that come with serving the needs of the community and driving positive change.”

Alastair McCapra, CIPR

Whilst spin hasn’t disappeared from politics and the media, it has become less associated with modern-day public relations and the highly-skilled practitioners that abide by the ethical codes of professional bodies like the CIPR and PRCA. 

As PR professionals, we take our role, continual education, and responsibilities most seriously. Operating at the highest standards with full transparency and accountability is essential for public relations professionals, therefore it’s disappointing to see inaccurate headlines from The Belfast Telegraph that belong to a bygone decade.

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. 

    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.

    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.

    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.

    Graphical user interface, application Description automatically generated
    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.

    A person holding a glass of beer Description automatically generated
    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.

    Agile communications for a post-Covid world?

    Posted on by Claire Stephenson

    If you’re part of a communications team that replies on heavy planning and forward planning with messaging and calendars, you may not need to invest so much time in creating content and timing plans that often don’t come to fruition.

    A changing world

    The global pandemic seems to have revved up another notch with the discovery of another mutation – Omicron – a Covid variant that is suspected to be highly transmissible. In turn, this finding has cast a chaotic and unstable future for businesses, travel and planning in general.

    Agile communications could be the approach that makes a constantly changing and uncertain digital world, one to your advantage.

    Rooted in the IT world, Agile has migrated over to public relations and communications in recent years, lending itself well to iteration and adaption as situations – Covid being a great example – happen.

    But what is it?

    The Australian software company, Atlassian, offers this definition:

    Agile is an iterative approach to project management and software development that helps teams deliver value to their customers faster and with fewer headaches. Instead of betting everything on a “big bang” launch, an agile team delivers work in small, but consumable, increments. Requirements, plans, and results are evaluated continuously so teams have a natural mechanism for responding to change quickly.

    Atlassian

    ‘A waste of money and effort’

    Dr Betteke van Ruler discusses agile processes as a continual adjustment, but only to reach the best results possible. Collaboration between the project owner, team members and potentially, stakeholders, work closely together, with a reduced project hierarchy to maximise flow and results.

    Van Ruler states that old-style strategic planning and time-heavy administration aren’t dynamic enough for communications in a fast-paced world, with these traditional methods being “far too linear” to be helpful.

    Scrumptious

    Ever found yourself in a Scrum? This Scrum, whilst still team-based, is off the rugby pitch. A Scrum is just one facet in agile methodology, describing how the project team learns on the go, addresses problems dynamically together, reflects what works/what doesn’t work, and improves their process to ensure a successful project outcome. A Kanban board is often used as part of the Scrum.

    Ken Schwaber, in Agile Project Management with Scrum, says:

    “Most people responsible for managing projects have been taught a deterministic approach to project management that uses detailed plans, Gantt charts and work schedules. Scrum is the exact opposite.” 

    Ken Schwaber

    There are four main project roles within a scrum:

    Scrum master = the facilitator, helping teams to self-motivate and follow the agreed process.

    Project owner = the client representer

    Scrum team = team members

    Stakeholders = people who have an interest in the success of the project

    The benefits of the scrum process are the fast-paced workflow allows for team creativity to be fostered, reduces costs and time while increasing productivity and quality.

    Agile for the win

    If you’re feeling a need to shake up your traditional communications methods, an Agile planning method could be something that benefits your organisation and clients. You can read more about Agile communications via this (surprisingly) good blog from DEFRA and a fuller explanation from Lucidchart, here.

    It’s worth regularly revaluating your communications and messaging, using your metrics and data to assess what’s working and what isn’t working for your organisation.

    Here at Limitless Public Relations, we can help you with your communications strategy.  Whether that’s creating powerful messaging from fresh, or consulting on an existing plan to ensure your words are reaching the right people. We’re your people.

    Contact Michael Gregory for an informal chat on 0845 625 0820 or you can message us here.