In our last blog on public relations for business owners, we explored how PR can power up your marketing strategy. In summary: PR is free (apart from the elbow grease) and it’ll build your authority and credibility more effectively than paid promotional activities. To get you to the start line, we also had you do some research and thinking around: The topics that gain media coverage in your industry Where these topics overlap with your areas of expertise Your brand’s position on key industry issues Which media channels and contacts might be interested in publishing media stories or content around ...

Public relations. It’s a term that conjures up images of stressed-out people shouting into mobile devices, trying to keep some celebrity or politician’s misdemeanours out of the press by distracting the public with a photo-op of them hugging a puppy. Public relations (or PR) is so much more than reputational damage control. In fact, a well-executed PR strategy can (and should) be far more proactive (and less reactive) than is usually depicted on TV. Often regarded as too time-consuming, unnecessary or only meant for big-fish businesses, PR is one of the promotional strategies most overlooked by business owners. My advice ...

Trust sells. It's as simple as that. When prospects are considering which business to buy from, the biggest risk they're weighing up is, "What if I make the wrong decision?" Making a mistake can be costly - whether that cost is actual dollars or time wasted or a missed opportunity with a better option. Prospects are always looking for proof that they'll get what they pay for - they want be assured that the business they choose is trustworthy. And that's exactly what awards do. Imagine this: your computer system has crashed and you might lose everything: all your ...

What’s your plan for dealing with leads who don’t convert immediately – or at least, say, within three months? As a business coach, the answer I often hear from business owners is, “I don’t need one – they’re probably tyre kickers, anyway.” And that may well be true. For a portion of them, anyway. You could certainly be forgiven for believing it is better not to invest too much of your marketing spend on bad leads, preferring to focus more on filling your sales funnel. You might be surprised to learn, however, that the numbers tell a very different story. ...

For marketers, 2019 may retrospectively become known as The Year of the Personal Brand. While it is not a new idea, attaching a brand to a person and making them the face of their business is a branding strategy that has gained some real traction over the past 12 months. As a business coach, I can certainly see the value of business owners embracing this trend; by showing up in your branding, it helps customers connect with your business on a personal level – and, as we know, people buy people. But I do have questions. Does this strategy suit ...