Sarah Hall, managing director of Sarah Hall Consulting Ltd.
Thanks for visiting our blog. If you're here and a growing business, you probably recognise that now is the time to reframe how you look at your PR and marketing.
The world has changed, the media has changed and the way we communicate has changed. However many organisations are not yet exploiting the varied opportunities that the latest technologies have placed at our fingertips.
Today's media is highly fragmented, with social media platforms experiencing explosive growth. If you're wondering what this means for you, it is effectively this: although traditional PR and marketing techniques are still valid, brands should now think of themselves as broadcasters and publishers, reaching customers directly as well as through the media.
There are growing numbers of communications tools allowing organisations to do this and engage with customers. Get it right and the rewards can be huge. We can work with you to make that happen.
At Sarah Hall Consulting we create communication strategies that align with your business objectives so that your profits are built alongside your profile. We upskill your staff so as a business you are empowered to drive your communications forward and so your marketing team can work hand in hand with operations and customer services, making the customer experience the very best it can be. It’s what the most successful businesses are doing already and we can help you do it too.
Occasionally not everything runs as smoothly as it should so the other bit of help we offer is planning for the worst, as well as issues management itself. It's that old adage - if you prepare it will probably never happen. Either way we can make sure your business is able to communicate clearly in good times and bad - critical when you need to manage your reputation.
Marketing a business is a collaborative process which takes effort from both parties. What we promise you is a highly experienced team sharing the latest thinking and marketing techniques to benefit your brand. The proof is in what we are doing for our clients and ourselves (we believe in practising what we preach) – and we can do it for you.
So, if you want help with an overarching PR and marketing strategy, implementing a creative campaign or - the new bit for most brands but not for us - need a hand with becoming a broadcaster and publisher, we’re here for you.
If you'd like a chat, please just give us a call. You can reach me directly on 07702 162 704 or at sarah@sarahhallconsulting.co.uk.
I look forward to hearing about your business and plans for the future - I've no doubt they are as ambitious as ours.
Find out more
Visit Sarah Hall Consulting's website at www.sarahhallconsulting.co.uk
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Should regional press move into PR?
Well, well – I nearly fell off my seat when I read this article in the Press Gazette, http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=446040&c=1.
I’m all for thinking laterally when the pressure’s on but I have to say that any regional press looking to diversify into PR to drive revenue will find it a hard road to take.
Whatever Trinity Mirror’s editorial director of regionals Neil Benson says, the tricky issue of editorial integrity will not be as ‘insoluble’ as he suggests. I can see this being highly controversial if the debate is given any air time or credibility. Evidently long gone are the days when journalists were paid by their employer to search out good stories if they are to be hired by firms to handle media relations.
And there’s the rub – it seems Benson is equating PR to media relations when actually there is much more to the PR sector than people first recognise. PR is about reputation management, which is more than firing out the odd press release in good times or bad – and it’s certainly not all about the number of cuttings achieved. PR includes stakeholder communications, internal communications, social and digital media, issues management, event management, public affairs – the list goes on.
The other thing that makes me smile (even if ironically) is that Benson evidently hasn’t considered the real struggle that journalists have when they move to the ‘dark side’. No longer are they (or the editor) their master – they have to juggle the client’s needs with what the media wants – and it won’t be just one title they’ll be targeting. Will other papers really use something that’s been issued by a competitor? We’re talking a whole different ball game.
One final thought is this – should regional papers branching into PR ever go ahead, what will happen to the thousands of people and organisations without PR support in place? Can anybody answer me that?
About Sarah Hall
Sarah Hall is a public relations consultant. She is a board member of the CIPR and managing director of Sarah Hall Consulting.