Archive for the ‘PR/Marketing’ Category

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  6 creative ways to use social media to engage with customers

  By Althea Taylor-Salmon, posted 2nd January 2015

  Social media is an incredibly powerful way of engaging with your customers. Here are 6 creative ways you can use various social media platforms to do this: 1. Facebook and Twitter cover images When people land on your Facebook page, the first thing they will see is your cover image, so make sure it tells people exactly what you do and what your message is. Take time to ensure it is visually attractive and engaging. The recently updated version of Twitter also means you can include a header image on your page and promote your top tweet, so this
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  Guerilla marketing part 2: risk and reward

  By Althea Taylor-Salmon, posted 2nd January 2015

  In the first part of this article, we saw how ordinary situations can be flipped upside down by guerilla marketers to elicit highly visceral responses from consumers, and how these incidents can be condensed into video format to boost awareness of the brand once they go viral. In this second part, we will see how guerilla marketing can be used to create a massive impact without making a huge investment, and what can happen if the marketing campaigns backfire. The Blair Witch Project In keeping with the grassroots definition of guerilla marketing, a few film school students demonstrated that
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  Guerilla marketing part 1: going viral

  By Althea Taylor-Salmon, posted 2nd January 2015

  In this modern day age of information we are a bombarded with marketing and advertising from all angles on a daily basis. Whether it’s a poster on the side of a bus advertising a new movie or a gambling site attempting to get us to place a bet in the middle of a football match, we’re constantly being encouraged to spend our money in different ways. With so many messages advocating consumerism, if we adhered to all of them we’d be broke within no time! As people have become more and more desensitised to this constant advertising bombardment, it
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  How brands sell us things we want but don’t necessarily need

  By Althea Taylor-Salmon, posted 2nd January 2015

  When we set out to buy something, our decision to make the purchase can be far more influenced by the fact that we want that product or service rather than needing it. This all comes down to the way in which companies or brands sell things to us. It involves far more than simple advertising and there are many complex and clever ways in which brands really get to the heart of what we want as consumers and more importantly, what makes us feel good. Here are four core ways in which brands can achieve this. Tapping into Emotions Apple
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  Top 10 PR Tips

  By Althea Taylor-Salmon, posted 2nd January 2015

  1. Know Your Messages Identify three short, pertinent ‘messages’ about your brand that will inform your public relations and marketing. Everything you then do should be in line with those messages. This will ensure you are both consistent and true to your brand. 2. Live Up to Brand Values Be clear and transparent about your product and make sure that your business practices – not just your marketing – lives and breathes your brand values. 3. Distinguish Yourself ‘Be Yourself – everyone else is already taken’. This Oscar Wilde quote rings true for you and your business. Be unusual –
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  PR on a shoestring

  By Althea Taylor-Salmon, posted 2nd January 2015

  Having a significant budget for PR can open a lot of doors for your company – most crucially it allows you to delegate your PR goals to a reputable agency that understands the ins and outs of the business, ensuring that your message is powerfully communicated to your target audience. However, for start-ups, SMEs or struggling businesses that have a small budget (or none!)  there are still numerous ways to achieve great results with limited resources. Here are some top tips for getting your company known, improving your company’s image and communicating your desired message to your target audience,
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  Ways to build your reputation as an expert

  By Althea Taylor-Salmon, posted 2nd January 2015

  When trying to do anything online – whether it’s building a brand, promoting a product or service or simply trying to gain a following – people interact with people they like and trust. Therefore establishing your authority as a leader or significant contributor is crucial to building a community to interact with, and the key to getting noticed is to be seen as an expert in your field and niche. Here are some tips to help you along the way: Make sure you’re always putting out original content To be seen as an expert in your field, it is
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  5 key elements of a superb email pitch

  By Althea Taylor-Salmon, posted 2nd January 2015

  When devising an effective outreach strategy, the email pitch is one of the most important weapons in your arsenal. So, what steps can be made to ensure that your email pitch is well received and doesn’t fall into the pile of pitches that are deleted on sight? While there is no magic formula to ensure your email pitches are wonderfully successful, there are certain steps you can take to maximise your chances! Compelling subject line The subject line is the primary factor in determining whether your email pitch gets read or gets binned! A good subject line should be
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  Top tips for best practice outreach

  By Althea Taylor-Salmon, posted 2nd January 2015

  Building up and maintaining solid relationships with media contacts and bloggers is an integral part of securing coverage for your product, brand or service. You can have the best story out there but if you don’t communicate it in the right way, it’s very likely that your call or email will be ignored. Here are some top tips to consider when embarking on outreach. Get personal This is across the board but particularly important to those targets who are on your high priority list. The content of your introduction email is very important. Always use the person’s name. If
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  Using video in PR campaigns

  By Althea Taylor-Salmon, posted 2nd January 2015

  We’ve seen the presence of online video significantly increase over the past few years and it’s largely the popularity of social networks that has made it such an important form of media. Integrating video into your PR campaign can be a fantastic way to bring your brand or story to life, add impact and create social engagement. A famous example is the Dollar Shave Club video, which made serious waves back in 2012 and subsequently, went viral. The Dollar Shave Club sell razors to their customers via a subscription based service. The funny video was low budget yet incredibly
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