And the award goes to....

As I’ve said before I’m a big fan of awards. There’s a whole host of reasons why entering – and even winning – awards is good for business.

And I’ve just read some interesting research, (carried out on behalf of the British Quality Foundation and the European Foundation for Quality Management), in respect of their Excellence Awards:

• Three years after receiving an award, 120 European companies outperformed non-winners by an average of 17% (sales) and 36% (share value). Improved financial performance was already evident 12 months after the win.

• In the US, smaller award winning companies showed a 63% increase in operating income and a 39% growth in sales, compared with non winners.

So, heartfelt congratulations to Chiltern Woodland Burial Park www.woodlandburialparks.co.uk
which was this week named a finalist in the Thames Valley Business Magazine Awards 2010 (Best Company to Work For).

If the last thing you won was a goldfish at the fair then perhaps it’s time get back into the winners’ spotlight!

Why it's important to use your online news pages

When it comes to your website forget the old adage ‘no news is good news’. There’s nothing more saddening than to click on ‘company news’ and to see either no articles at all, or ones that are well out of date.

It’s like going into a flower shop and seeing dead plants.

Apart from anything else, search engines love fresh content – so by regularly updating your news pages you’ll be giving your page rankings a boost, providing of course the content is relevant to your key search terms.

Of course an easy way to update your news pages is to post recent press releases and case studies, which can be easily tweaked (optimised) to maximise their search engine appeal.

Alternatively, try a brief ‘news flash’ approach – short, sharp, snappy and to the point.

If writing really isn’t ‘your thing’ it might be time to consider using the services of a professional. Then, not only will you regularly have great content for your website, you’ll also have material to send to the press, customers etc.

Even if you are comfortable updating your site yourself, it’s essential that you make sure your copy is checked for typos and punctuation (don’t rely on spell check). Personally, I’d never buy from a company that couldn’t spell – and I bet I’m not the only one.

And if you really don’t have anything to say (hard to believe) - or are too busy to say it - then deactivate those news pages!

Why are my competitors always in the news?

Simple. They have a plan – and they probably nominate one person to manage that plan – typically their PR ‘person’.

Unless you’ve a large support team or the energy of a power plant then the chances are you’re too busy to turn your attention to PR on a regular basis.

Above all, it’s important to be proactive – journalists today don’t have the time to sniff out stories. And the more you can help them fill their pages/programmes the more likely they are to get in touch when they need help.

“But we’ve no news to shout about” – is a comment I hear all the time. In actual fact that’s usually far from the truth, it just needs someone with an outside perspective and a nose for news to root it out.

Before you know it you’ll have a list of things to shout about and publicise. Plot them on to a calendar and you’ll have the basis of a press release plan. If you’re outsourcing your PR then you’ll also have an expert to draft copy, consider deadlines, research distribution lists, liaise with the media and generally get the job done.

If the whole ‘PR thing’ is all a bit of a mystery then start with media relations – it’s a low cost way of getting regular exposure in key newspapers, magazines etc etc.

And if you’ve already had a go yourself and it hasn’t worked then perhaps it’s worth revisiting - with a little help from a specialist!

Happy Birthday Apple

It’s just a year since mega brand Apple opened its fabulous, shiny new Norwich store – an event that drew massive crowds to Chapelfield Mall, with the first fans lining up just after 7am.

There were no special offers, no tempting discounts, no celebrities – just a store full of impressive technology – and highly-prized special edition t-shirts for the first 1,000 through the doors.

I was in the fortunate position of handling local media relations for the launch and I have to say from a PR perspective, working with such a mega brand was an extremely interesting experience.

As a rule, big names such as Apple let their products do the work for them - they barely need PR. Build it and they will come.

So, they probably weren’t prepared for laid back Norfolk, where a good chunk of local media seemed distinctly unimpressed with the imminent arrival of a global blockbusting brand. Clearly it would take more than ‘the opening of a new shop’ to rock their boat (to make matters worse, the launch coincided with the end of the Norfolk Food Festival and some journalists seemed to think I was talking about the opening of a new fruit and veg shop)….

Thankfully Norfolk’s core of Apple fans needed no encouragement to get up at the crack of dawn for this momentous occasion – giving the local press some great pictures. The t-shirts were gone in an hour and the store’s been packed ever since.

Well, the morale of this story is that there are no certainties in PR – especially when you’re dealing with the regional media. PR might sometimes look like a doddle, but in common with most trades and professions, there’s usually much more to it than meets the eye…

Another Award Win!

Congratulations to the team at Epping Forest Burial Park, on their latest award win.

At the finals of the Essex Business Excellence Awards last night, the woodland cemetery was named winner in the fiercly competitive Innovation category.

No stranger to award wins, Woodland Burial Parks has amassed quite a collection over the years, all of which showcase their high standards, environmentally friendly ethics and committment to customer service.

www.woodlandburialparks.co.uk

The Humble Apostrophe...

I came across an amusing You Tube video recently, highlighting the widespread plight of the misunderstood – and misused – apostrophe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc2aSz9Ficw

Now, you might be of the opinion that it’s not a big deal if you get into a muddle over punctuation, but trust me there are people out there who do care - and who interpret sloppy copy as an indication of your general approach to business.

For some, poor punctuation is as careless as leaving your fly unzipped – so be warned.

If you’re committing something to print then double and triple check your spelling and punctuation. (And certainly don’t expect a graphic designer or web guru to read/correct your copy – they’re creatives, not proofreaders!)

So what’s this got to do with PR? Well, remember that everything your company does may be seen as a reflection of your values – from how you answer the telephone to how often you wash your delivery vans.

And for at least a few people it really matters if you know your onions from your onion’s.

PS Don’t take the lyrics of the You Tube song as gospel – opinions about the rules are divided!

Story of the Week: Invasion of the Giant Rats

Now it is the silly season, and it was in The Sun – but it’s a great story.

In case you missed it, ‘ratzillas’ have been discovered on an estate in Bradford where residents have described how rats the size of bulldogs terrorise their cats and keep them awake at night, screeching around the rafters like drag racing cars.

As well as speaking to worried neighbours, The Sun also sought expert opinion, talking to the Mammal Society (good PR opportunity) and the Yorkshire Rat Club President (I’m not kidding). The Sun concluded its report with an appeal for anyone who’d seen the MONSTER RAT to get in touch.

And I’ve got to hand it to the press office at Rentokil, who feature in a follow up entitled Gnaws II in today’s Sun. They’ve produced pictures of a two-foot long beast that they recently caught in Lincoln – after reports of a pair ‘stalking’ the grounds at night.

Hundreds of Sun readers have also been in touch, describing their encounters with ‘whopping’ rats – including a lorry driver who’s too afraid to get out of his cab at night.

Regardless of what you make of the story – it can’t be ignored from a PR point of view. Local papers will be demanding to know what their local council is doing about rat control and what measures are in place to cope with an INVASION OF THE GIANT RATS.

Pet shops could come under fire for encouraging rat ownership and hardware stores might need to gear themselves up for a run on traps and poison, no doubt sparking fears for the safety of young children and other pets (a new angle to keep the story running). Before you know it, rat terror will be gripping the country. Just the thing for the silly season.

Of course you never read The Sun, but one day you could find yourself unexpectedly in the spotlight – so be prepared. It’s no good protesting that they make it all up – remember most people believe what they read…

And don’t forget time is of the essence in situations such as this – no doubt Rentokil’s competitors are kicking themselves.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3102460/Invasion-of-the-giant-rats-in-Bradford.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3104027/Gnaws-II-Giant-rat-caught-in-Lincoln.html