Big Results Blog - comms, content and copywriting

5 Simple Steps to make your Copywriting and Content SIZZLE!

copywriting at a computer

A simple step-by-step guide to copywriting and content creation

All websites and literature (leaflets, brochures, features, flyers, postcards, blogs, etc) need content. And whether the content itself ends up being videos or scripts, flowcharts, images… or good old articles and thought pieces.   Whatever is needed, words and thought are where it all starts. Copywriting is an essential part.   

Copywriting Guide” – where do you start when you don’t know where to start?

It’s difficult to consider any other way to make a connection with our target audience these days.  But where do you start, when you don’t know where to start?

Our simple step by step copywriting guide will take you through the points you need to know.

Step 1 – start with a broad brief.

  • Where is this content going to be published?  This is the big-picture stuff – do you want to populate a website? Or write an article?  Or create a newsletter?
  • What do you want it to do?  Sell something, engage with an audience, build a pipeline, provide information, do a product recall? What is the point of creating it?
  • Who is it for?  (We’re looking at the big picture right now – we’ll get down to the nitty gritty in a moment, but all you need to do now is get a really rough idea). Is it for existing customers? New clients? Where are they – which country/city?
  • What sort of feel do you need for it?  Is it educational or entertaining? Serious and hard-hitting?  Techinical or scientific?  What other purposes may it be required for?
  • What kind of message do you want to get across?  (eg: authoritative, legal, fun, engaging, etc)
  • What space do you need to fill?  (Get a word count if possible)
  • Essentials – eg: does anyone need to be quoted? 
  • Who will need to approve this piece?  And what is their agenda?
  • Images – are there images provided? What are they?  Or do you have free reign to find your favourite images.
  • Designer – will you be working with a designer, or fitting in with an existing design? Are you even expected to create the design yourself?
  • Dates and deadlines – for approvals and finished work


Step 2: Build a persona of your target reader

First of all – even if this is a website and your broad brief from step 1 above, is: “get me traffic!” DO NOT, under any circumstances, write for the bots.  Yes, in the ‘90’s it was all about black-hat SEO and wizardry, but that is so last…. Millenia!  Nowadays it’s really important to write for people, so let’s start there:

The first suggestion that we give to a client is to build a persona of their ideal target. Here’s a link https://www.bigresults.co.uk/how-to-build-a-target-persona/ – just work through the steps and come back here afterwards.  

Got your persona sorted?  Are they named, and photographed?  Do you know exactly who they are and where to find them?   Good work!

Once you know who you are writing to – you know more about what to write!  Also it just gets to be so much easier.

Give your persona a name,  and find a picture of someone who could perfectly represent your target persona, get to feel like you could actually know this person – find out as much as possible about them.  Because when you know where your target audience is… You can make certain that you are there too. 

*TIP to get to know them better – read their tweets, check out their social media, notice what they are commenting on, liking, following. 

  • Follow and watch the influencers that they like. 
  • Read/watch the media that they also enjoy.

So, now you’ve established that your target persona is most definitely NOT the general public, you’ll need to find ways to connect meaningfully and authentically with the people you actually do want to target, and start doing that by providing them with the quality information they are looking for – on to step 3

Step 3 – Find out what they want to know – so you can respond.

How to find out what information they are hungry for?

  • ASK THE PUBLIC
  • Quora
  • What questions are they asking on social media?
  • What questions are they putting into google?  (start off a google search and let it self-populate)

Create yourself a spreadsheet of potential questions – all these can be great starting points of your actual content/copy.

Step 4 – Welcome to the “WHATs of writing”

Writing copy isn’t just about creating a bunch of words.  There are numerous formats to consider, and it’s worth mixing these up to get your audience interested.

If you are in a position to offer them expert information/advice or perspective – go for it!

  • Q&A’s
  • Expert How-To articles
  • Case studies
  • Research
  • Hints and tips
  • “Hacks”
  • Diagrams
  • Photos
  • Features
  • Short stories/testimonials
  • Showcase stories
  • Memes
  • Cartoons
  • Videos (live or scripted)
  • Podcasts
  • Invited celeb/expert guests
  • Invited audience guests
  • Social media “lives”

Step 5 – fingers to the keyboard!

Here we are.  Finally – the finishing post. 

Except it isn’t quite.  Because the idea of writing a piece of copy or content can instill terror into some people.  If that’s you – either check out our article on Breaking the Block, or subcontract someone else to do the work for you.

Hint: It’s much easier to write about other people’s businesses or causes, so perhaps even trade the work with another content provider. Share this Copywriting Guide with them.

FINAL NOTE: on Refreshment (no, not that kind!)

Refresh everything regularly. Nothing stays the same.  Your personas, the questions they ask, the formats of the responses, and the media sources you’re looking at.  So continually hit the “refresh” button, and do a double-check on all the beliefs you hold about your work.  If nothing has changed since you last looked – then you aren’t looking hard enough!

How to build a target persona

Before you can SELL to a customer, you have to engage with them… And that means you have to know who they are. The very first rule of marketing is – there is no such thing as the “general public“.

If you want to appeal to “everyone” – you will fail.  No one thing appeals to everyone (perhaps apart from oxygen but to be honest, I even know people who aren’t so keen on the above and would prefer to smoke than breathe clean air!)

 You don’t even want to sell to every single person! You could never keep up with the demand!

So many people – each with their own concerns, ideas, goals…. these are not all your targets

So, whether you are working in an agency or at a company, once you accept that there simply is no such thing at “the general public” – life gets easier. Honestly! Trust me with this one.

And when we treat every member of a crowd, as an individual. Acknowledging and embracing that we all have very different values, beliefs and needs, we can get every single £ of our marketing budget to perform so much better. Here’s how:

To market to a target market, the easiest route is to create a “persona”

Yes – I hear you. “But we don’t just sell to one sort of person”. It’s OK – most brands or organisations have several different personas, but each one will be well identified and even have a name attached to them. So the key point is to start off with one, and flesh them out. Then move onto the next.

Start off by asking yourself these questions about your target persona – are they:

  • Male/Female/non-binary – how do they identify?
  • Ethnicity – which culture(s) do they identify with as their culture/origins/roots.
  • How old are they?
  • What job do they do?
  • How much do they earn?
  • How much disposable income? 
  • What do they spend it on?
  • Married/single/engaged/divorced?
  • Where (which city/town/village) do they live
  • Where do they go on holiday? 
  • Where would they prefer to go on holiday if money was no object?
  • Leisure activities – what do they do on a day off?
  • What car do they drive? (and how did they pay for it?)
  • Are they a home-owner, do they rent, live with parents?
  • What sort of education did they get?
  • What fashion brands do they care about? And why?
  • What do they drink? Wine/lager/Acohol-free Gin (which brand)
  • Coffee/tea, decaff/caff, fruit infusion?

Now DIG DEEPER

  • What do they really care about?
  • What keeps them awake at night?
  • What are their values?
  • What do they dream about?
  • Who do they vote for, and why?
  • Who are their heroes?
  • Who are their influencers?
  • What do they hate/love?

WHERE DO THEY HANG OUT?

  • What’s their favourite social venue?
  • Are they members of a community club? A sports club?
  • What is their journey to work like? Do they get public transport – what ads will they be seeing?
  • Which magazine/newspapers do they read?
  • What radio station do they tune into on their way to work/gym/friends?
  • Where do they source their information?
  • What social media do they use?

  How frequently… 

  • Are they on:  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest?
  • What exactly are they doing there? (Keep up with friends/spying on kids? )
  • What else do you imagine is going on in their world?

CHECK OUT THEIR MEDIA – GET TO KNOW THEM EVEN MORE

Treat yourself to a magazine or newspaper if they read a hard copy. Or get a subscription to their favourite media, so you will be able to…

  • Identify the best media to target
  • Know what to say to gain their attention
  • Identify which social media streams to use

Now – Make your persona, well… personal!

Give your persona a name,  and find a picture of someone who could perfectly represent your target persona, really get to feel like you could know this persona* and discover where they would  hang out offline and online. Because when you know where your target audience is… You can make certain that you are there too. 

Many organisations even have a poster of their target customer with descriptors on the walls – so everyone remembers exactly who the important person is.

*TIP to get to know the Persona even better – make this a long term project.

Here are a few ideas to really get to know your target audience:

  • Read their tweets, check out their social media, notice what they are commenting on, liking, following. 
  • Follow and watch the influencers that they like. 
  • Read/watch the media that they also enjoy.  Subscribe to their favourite channels
  • Run competitions with surveys and feedback from them
  • Take opportunities to talk to them.  If you ever meet one in “real life” ask them some questions to find out more
  • Watch what other relevant organisations may be doing (eg: you’re an upmarket shoe brand with a target persona of male lawyers, aged 35-45,  in a large city – what coffee shops and bars do they frequent? What suits do they buy? Where do they network? What cars do they drive?  Understanding so much about your target persona may give you new ideas about where to run promotions too.)

Refresh your personas regularly

Trends and styles move on.  The people you were originally communicating with might have changed.  The persona you targeted 3 years ago is unlikely to be the same as those you want today.  You only need to look at Facebook user profiles to see how things can change.  So aim to refresh your personal regularly – as much as every 6 months, but certainly every 2-3 years at the very outside.

Once you’ve designed one persona – book them in with a refresh appointment in your calendar.

Build new additional personas when appropriate

Continue building personas for your brand.  And be aware of new products that you bring onstream, if they are likely to appeal to different personas.

Larger brands can target multiple personas, depending on ad/marketing budgets.  For everyone else, it pays to be central to your core message and tribe.

And remember “Influencer-Personas

Consider the influencers of your direct persona, and create influencer-personas for them too.  (They may be actual influencers, or they could be parents, friends, experts, etc.  – consider how many people a bride-to-be might ask about her wedding venue or honeymoon.  Imagine how many people express opinions when someone announces they are going to buy new tech?  

New business? Need PR?

Here’s a handy PR checklist

We have designed this PR checklist because often brand new companies will come to an agency with an idea that they “need some PR”…

However, very few people who have just set up a new company are 100% clear about what it is they are seeking.  This PR Checklist sets out to clarify their objectives.  Feel free to use it as a tool to support what you are looking for from PR and marketing.

  1. What do you understand by PR/Marketing? Why do you think you need PR?
  2. What do you understand about the difference between marketing and sales?
  3. Before you set up your business, who wrote your business plan? What are their ideas?
  4. As part of your business plan, you will have created a marketing plan… has that changed? If so, why?
  5. Who will be doing your sales?
  6. What would success in Sales/PR/Marketing look like to you?
  Sales PR Marketing
In terms of new customers?      
Increased customer spend?      
Geographical reach?      
Your brand awareness?      
Brand sustainability?      
Any other factors?      

 

  1. Where are your existing customers? How did you get them?
  2. Where will you find new customers? Where do they hang out?
  3. What will make them want to buy from you? What pain are you solving for them?
  4. What are your PR/marketing/advertising budgets?
PR – monthly fee + Photography costs Advertising – design costs, media booking, time, Marketing – collateral, design, production, time Totals – x 12 for a year+ 10% contingency
       
  1. How much new business will you need to gain in order to make this budget realistic?
  2. How are you going to measure your success?

 

 Was this PR checklist helpful?  Shall we talk?    

www.bigresults.co.uk   07772 333001

Big Results – Established in 1997, the business says: “…

Hey everyone, thank you so much for congratulating my business, on its 20+years.
I’ve managed to track the business down and get a quote:
“It’s been a blast! I’m well into my 3rd decade, but feel much younger. Every year has brought its own challenges. For my first 6 months, things were quite easy. I resided in the spare bedroom, was tended quite well, for a part-time business, and together me and the boss got every Friday off so she could spend more time with her two-year-old daughter. We had a couple of lovely, fun clients. One of which was a lingerie manufacturer, who furnished the boss with plenty of free knickers! We also got a client who made sun-tan lotions and anti-cellulite creams. You can picture the fun that was had.

“At the tender age of 12 months, I was moved into the garage. It was cold in winter, but we snuggled up to an electric heater. In the spring, the boss and I looked out over the garden, watching the rabbits hop amongst the strawberries, whilst on the phone to top newspapers and magazines. Quite blissful. Then the “big new client” loomed on the horizon and the boss took on her first employee. Linda. We liked Linda, who became instantly pregnant, and took great pains to cover the baby-bump with a huuuugge cardigan, when we went out to see clients.

“I have to say the boss was quite fun-focused, spending her time, meeting the media, networking and schmoozing, but clients loved the results she and Linda got, and soon, armed with clients like Central Trains, Cosmopolitan Licensed Products and the Lingerie company (free knickers for Linda too now!) it became time to move yet again!

“My next couple of years were still quite cold. Alongside the canal in Worcestershire, the boss hired a workshop with marble floors and towering ceilings. Impossible to get warm except by doing vigorous activity, and putting electric heaters under our desks. The lovely Katherine joined Linda and the Boss, and soon she too was pregnant! (What is it about working for this company!?)

“Well I grew and grew, at the age of five, I had two offices, and by six I’d consolidated again into one large office over two floors. And this time we had proper heating!!! Oh, and a toilet – indoors. For the first time. I didn’t mention that did I? See, PR isn’t always glamorous!

“At seven, we joined company with another PR agency, and called ourselves Haswell Holden, and at 11, we unjoined, and I went to being just Big Results.

“And now, a veteran. I’ve settled down with Big Results as my grown up name. I’m expanding still – now we are offering training programmes in NLP, Stress Management, and of course PR & Marketing.  And we’re focusing much more on copy and content writing these days.

“I’m still super-choosy too – I will only work for clients that I like and that enjoy great results. I’ve been fortunate to work with a brilliant group of people and exciting organisations.

“The boss is writing a novel now. Her first book, PR Superstar is still selling well. New adventures loom over the horizon, and I think, with 18 years of experience under my belt, I’m ready to tackle the world. In fact I’ve always been ready to tackle the world, it’s just that the world wasn’t ready for me.”

By: Big Results, estd 1997.

This is why I LOVE my job

I’ve just received this testimonial from a client, and I thought I’d share it with you.  Not only because it’s really lovely and it makes me all wobbly-headed, but also because I thought it’s quite good to explain how I worked with Jason.

You can see why I love my clients!!!

 

Sue Haswell and the Big Results PR & Marketing company was recommended to me by a close friend; she had worked with Sue to develop her own business. My friend  knew I had a lot of ideas but was struggling to find the right start point and needed a coach and mentor to help lift the fog and bring clarity to my business direction.

 

Sue and I live geographically quite a distance from each other but this makes absolutely no difference in working together or the results that have been achieved to date. In the first two Skype sessions she has helped establish the start point for my business, my brand and the first product that I should start on; which was no mean feat as at the time I had around 30 pages of ideas!

 

In the four months since those sessions I have written the book, worked out and am implementing the marketing plan and identified the next product to develop, it’s not only quite simply an amazing journey but my new business is unfolding quickly in front of my eyes!

 

She is excellent at tailoring a plan in and around your business needs and constantly acts as the ‘voice of reason’ to challenge, check progress and make sure everything is on track. But it doesn’t end there as the support continues throughout the whole process whether developing the product, implementing or marketing it she is always on hand to give that extra piece of advice that makes the difference; not only in business but also personal matters too!

 

Her vivacious nature and ‘Big Personality’ is infectious and you cannot fail to like Sue as a coach but also a very warm and caring person. These attributes help to drive her creativity and ability to pick out and shape ideas quickly as she gets to know who you are and how you tick.

 

Sue has been quite simply the best recommendation I have ever received to help me develop my own business. I look forward to not only continuing but also building on the relationship I have with her and developing many more successful ventures.

 

Jason Scott Oakes

The Make It Happen Coach and Author of ‘Putting ‘The Boot’ On the Other Foot: Successfully Project Managing Yourself Out of Redundancy’  

 

Just saying…

Welcome to the Devon Public Relations blog. Views and musings from Sue Haswell, founder of the Devon based Public Relations and Marketing company, Big Results PR.

If you’d like to used any of these comments for articles please feel free to contact Sue Haswell for permission. Likewise if there’s a burning issue you’d particularly like to see covered from a PR & Marketing angle, please let us know.

You can contact Sue Haswell through GooglePlus

Creativity and Mindfulness

One of my areas of work is in Laughter Yoga, which I often use to support creative thinking and training.  Just recently I’ve been doing some training using laughter to support organisations with their stress-management, and I’ve been consistently impressed at the benefits that laughter offers.

Smiling laughing and creative womanOne of the biggest issues with stress is that the logical left brain thinking that accompanies the feelings of overwhelm, tends to focus purely on  analytical processes.   This leads to circular thinking, with the problem and issue just going round and round.  The issue can then remain unresolved, because it needs some creative input – but logical thought processes simply won’t allow for the creative juices to flow.

One of the great benefits of laughter, is it offers a release from this analytical thinking/dwelling, and allows us to access that creative right side of our brain – the very place we need to allow creative solutions to appear

You can evidence this yourself – after all how often do you just dwell on a problem and get nowhere, but as soon as you stop thinking about it, the solution appears?

Creative Laughter and Laughter Yoga are fabulous tools in life, and of course in marketing.  For more information, please visit our other site: www.creativelaughter.co.uk

Article by Sue Haswell, you can contact Sue Haswell through GooglePlus

“Your Easy-Peasy (and mainly free) Devon Public Relations & Marketing Checklist”

The basic premise of all advertising, marketing is to sell more and gain awareness. After all nobody is going to use a business they have never heard of.

And whilst there are plenty of marketing tools, there is always room for something that’s FREE! The reason PR is so popular is that four-lettered word, lovely isn’t it?
So here’s a no-nonsense PR checklist. Most items on it are free, and if there is a cost, it’s usually very little.

When you have your head down, working harder than ever, it’s easy to overlook the amazing – and free! – tool that is PR. Unlike advertising, the newspapers aren’t going to phone you to remind you of your deadline for a press release. In fact, nobody is going to nag you for your PR. So it’s important to set some time aside and be pro-active about it.

Now that’s all fine, if you know exactly what you’re being pro-active about. If you have a strategy and a schedule, and you know what releases are going out, and where to upload your latest article… but let’s face it, most small business owner are not strategic about their advertising, PR or networking. “It’s just stuff we do and ultimately it works”. Even larger companies freely admit that they know that some of their marketing works, but they don’t know which bit!
But the basic premise of all advertising, marketing and PR is to sell more and gain awareness. After all nobody is going to use a business they have never heard of.

Of course, I utterly recommend a strategy when it comes all marketing. Identifying key audiences, key messages, best timing, etc… these are all vital steps. But before all that there needs to be a loose idea of what can be achieved and what needs to go into the strategy.

So, here’s my list of “easy-peasy” PR tips.

Chances are, you’ve already achieved quite a number of them, but if you’re starting at the beginning, or just want a complete refresher on fabulous free ideas you can max up, then here you go…

– Be the best NOW – look after your own customers before you look for any more.

– Be nosy – find out what your clients think about you, and act if they have any issues. Take an interest in your customers and…

… Be a luvvy. Make sure you pay attention to the niceties – make every client or customer feel like a million dollars and they won’t want to go elsewhere.

– Be positive – when customers pick up the phone, they don’t want to be reminded that it’s been a tough week at work. So stay positive, upbeat, lively and focused on them. When you are talking to customers take every opportunity to be positive about your business, but remember to listen first.

– Be the first. Make sure that your business is the first one they think of. Look at the various ways of promoting your business. Leaflets, letters, emails, website, word of mouth, etc. If people think of you first, then you’re more likely to get the order. Of course, if they don’t think of you at all, then you’ve no chance.

– Be different. Consider things that you’ve not done before, especially if they don’t cost too much to promote your business. Eshot campaigns, surveys, etc.

– Be loud. If you’ve won a new client, achieved something (10, 20 years in business, an award etc) invented something or just done something that you think is worthy of the media’s attention, then write that press release and get it out to the local papers. There are plenty of guidelines on the web about what to write and how. If you really can’t bear to write, then pick up the phone and talk to the press.

– Be beautiful online. Have a gorgeous website and make sure it works to promote your business. Ask customers what they think and listen to them.

– Be savvy. Embrace social media, online forums, networking, etc. Of course make sure they are relevant – and never, never say anything in print that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face.

– Be a friend – Friends know about each others’ businesses and needs. They know when times are tough, and they spot opportunities for each other. So if appropriate, be a friend to your customers and contact them when you see an opportunity that would be good for them. Recommend them wherever possible.

– Be talked about. Do something different to set your business aside and promote it. What can you do that will differentiate you? Think back to your research and talking to customers – what are they saying?

– Be available. Make sure your details are readily accessible. Make sure your website has your telephone number loud and clear. Check the online and offline directories you are with – have they got the right details?

– Be realistic. Ask for an appointment at your local Business Link. Get involved with your Chamber of Commerce, and look up the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) Often these organisations are in the know when it comes to grants, funding, loans, etc. They are set up to help you with your business, so when things look a bit rocky, get in touch with them and make the most of their expertise.

– Be Brilliant. Go the extra mile, make sure your business is brilliant, because if it’s great now, imagine what it will be like when times get better!

Article by Sue Haswell, you can contact Sue Haswell through GooglePlus

“Social Media for Social Businesses and Tourism in Devon”

Devon is a tourism hotspot – and if you’re in the tourism or hospitality industry –  (Devon or elsewhere!) you know that word-of-mouth recommendations and public relations are vital for business success.

Cogs in the wheels, Devon Public Relations is part of the wider pictureOnce upon a time… people used to phone each other, or even meet up to discuss things, with a friend or two.  Of course the conversation may have been overheard by a few more people, and it might have been passed on as hearsay, but in the “Olde Worlde” (pre-2002 AD) you could be certain that people’s conversations were mainly limited to their friends and friends-of-friends.

Now fast-forward to the present day … no longer are people just talking to each other – they are communicating directly with the outside world with their Androids, Blackberries and iPhones.

Suddenly cosy conversations are being heard by hundreds if not THOUSANDS of their contacts, immediately, via Social Media.

And whether you like it or not – they are telling their contacts EXACTLY what they think of YOUR establishment, bar or venue!

“Great food, beautiful scenery”

“Slack service, don’t bother coming here”

“Fab new barman, great coffee plus wifi. New fave place in town.”

Wow! Imagine having the power to get your message out to people who want to know. Imagine all that “word of mouth” activity, being influenced.

·    How many more people can you attract into your venue?

·    How much more profit can you make?

·    How much can you slash your advertising costs by?

And there’s more….

All this “instant” social media, the iphones, etc, this is only what people are saying in REAL time. They are also talking about you HISTORICALLY!Pasting up information on facebook, openly arranging meetings at YOUR place – or at your competitors???

Master the power of social media

Work with Big Results the Devon Public Relations company to  take control of your social media

Review stage 1 (telephone or face to face)

·    Appraisal of your business and what social media can do for you

·    Review your competition – what are they doing?

·    Review your clients – where are they to be found in the social media world?

Action stage 2

·    Setting up your key social media tools – we’ll do it all for you, based on the review, so it’s all ready to roll.

·    Training on how to use the tools on a one-to-one basis, helping you to get the most out of them.

Costs: The cost will depend on what tools we choose and what you already have in place. There may be a need for photography, extra copy, logo’s etc.

Why charities are missing out on Public Relations

No matter how financially secure your business or charity is, chances are the current economy is biting – and hard!

Whether you’re a charity losing out on grants, or whether your donors have tightened their belts… perhaps your funds are stretched to breaking point – with more and more people calling on your services.

Maybe you’re finding it more difficult to gain the funding you normally would be offered – more competition, greater demands on your time, more onerous bidding processes, and far more good causes competing in a smaller arena.

Whatever the situation, you’re in a tougher place than you were a few years ago – so what on earth can you do about it?

I believe that Public Relations could be the perfect tool to put your charity or tourism business in the lead when it comes to funding!

As a charity, you’ll probably be helping people every day, so your organisation is likely to be swarming with great news stories, things that the media would simply love to hear. Unfortunately, very few of these stories tend to see the light of day, simply because the charity is too busy, or people within just don’t have the training to realise they are sitting on a potential gold mine.n excellent way to ensure potential funders hear about you, it’s also a fantastic way for charities to get their point across.

The other great opportunity provided by Public Relations is to work closely with your funders.  Public Relations can be the perfect vehicle to promote your charity’s work and, at the same time, showing your funders you are actively appreciative of their support.  This can help to create a long term partnership approach, with a win-win scenario, and even access to further funding.”

And finally, let’s not forget that Public Relations is free of charge when it comes to media cost.  Unlike advertising, which comes with a price tag, the “cost” of Public Relations, is in the time to write and issue it to the media.

As funders are demanding more and more of their charity pound, I urge all charities to become more media-savvy and to make the most of PR.  Unlike many businesses, the good-news stories are available in abundance and the long-term impacts can be tremendous.

Article by Sue Haswell, you can contact Sue Haswell through GooglePlus

What is the price of fame?

Public Relations in Devon and costs.

Public Relations is such an amazing tool – it can generate interest and awareness of your company with no media cost.*

Added to that, the perceived endorsement can provide exceptional results. Some brands have soared from obscurity into sell-out successes, based on just one media mention.

Amazingly, given the fact that many Public Relations campaigns can cost less than just one advertisement, there are still some costs associated with it – costs for PR materials, products to give away/test, consultancy fees, etc, people are still concerned about the cost of it.

That’s why Big Results, the Devon Public Relations agency, has launched a “Fixed Price” Press Release deal, to help make your business BIG news – but keep control of the purse-strings.
• Have you got a great product or service?
• Want to spread the news?
– then hand the job to professionals who specialise in catching attention.
Once we know a little more about your business, we can provide you with a *fixed price PR solution*. For example, in our fixed price press release package, you’ll get:
• Consultation with an experienced, trained PR professional
• A press release written for your comments and approval
• The opportunity to change and discuss the release
• A final press release written and sent out to the best publications for your story (we do all the research)
• Telephone follow up to the top 10 media titles in the media list.
………AND you look forward to the phone ringing more often.
All this for just a pre-agreed FIXED PRICE – keeping YOU in control of the budget.
Call us on 01626 864458, or email us for more information
* No cost for advertising, or taking media space.

Article by Sue Haswell, you can contact Sue Haswell through GooglePlus

Social Media for Social Businesses and Tourism in Devon

Devon is a tourism hotspot – and if you’re in the tourism or hospitality industry – (Devon or elsewhere!) you know that word-of-mouth recommendations and public relations are vital for business success.

Once upon a time… people used to phone each other, or even meet up to discuss things, with a friend or two. Of course the conversation may have been overheard by a few more people, and it might have been passed on as hearsay, but in the “Olde Worlde” (pre-2002 AD) you could be certain that people’s conversations were mainly limited to their friends and friends-of-friends.

Now fast-forward to the present day … no longer are people just talking to each other – they are communicating directly with the outside world with their Androids, Blackberries and iPhones.

Suddenly cosy conversations are being heard by hundreds if not THOUSANDS of their contacts, immediately, via Social Media.

And whether you like it or not – they are telling their contacts EXACTLY what they think of YOUR establishment, bar or venue!
“Great food, beautiful scenery”
“Slack service, don’t bother coming here”
“Fab new barman, great coffee plus wifi. New fave place in town.”

Wow! Imagine having the power to get your message out to people who want to know. Imagine all that “word of mouth” activity, being influenced.
· How many more people can you attract into your venue?
· How much more profit can you make?
· How much can you slash your advertising costs by?

And there’s more….
All this “instant” social media, the iphones, etc, this is only what people are saying in REAL time. They are also talking about you HISTORICALLY!Pasting up information on facebook, openly arranging meetings at YOUR place – or at your competitors???

Master the power of social media

Work with Big Results the Devon Public Relations company to take control of your social media
Review stage 1 (telephone or face to face)
· Appraisal of your business and what social media can do for you
· Review your competition – what are they doing?
· Review your clients – where are they to be found in the social media world?
Action stage 2
· Setting up your key social media tools – we’ll do it all for you, based on the review, so it’s all ready to roll.
· Training on how to use the tools on a one-to-one basis, helping you to get the most out of them.
Costs: The cost will depend on what tools we choose and what you already have in place. There may be a need for photography, extra copy, logo’s etc.
Article by Sue Haswell, you can contact Sue Haswell through GooglePlus


What is the price of fame?

PR is such an amazing tool – it can generate interest and awareness of your company with no media cost.*

Added to that, the perceived endorsement can provide exceptional results. Some brands have soared from obscurity into sell-out successes, based on just one media mention.

Amazingly, given the fact that many Public Relations campaigns can cost less than just one advertisement, people are still concerned about the cost of it. Granted there are still some costs associated with it – costs for materials, building press packs, events, products to give away/test, consultancy fees, etc, but pound for publicity point, Public Relations is one of the most cost-effective routes to your business promotion.

Transparency and fees

One thing that’s frequently a concern when it comes to marketing is the fees.  We believe in total transparency, so that’s why Big Future has launched a “Fixed Price” Press Release deal, to help make your business BIG news – but keep control of the purse-strings.

• Have you got a great product or service?

• Want to spread the news?

– then hand the job to professionals who specialise in catching attention.

Once we know a little more about your business, we can provide you with a *fixed price PR solution*. For example, in our fixed price press release package, you’ll get:

• Consultation with an experienced, trained marketing and public relations professional

• A press release written for your comments and approval

• The opportunity to change and discuss the release

• A final press release written and sent out to the best publications for your story (we do all the research)

• Telephone follow up to the top 10 media titles in the media list.

………AND you look forward to the phone ringing more often.

All this for just a pre-agreed FIXED PRICE – keeping YOU in control of the budget.

Call us on 01626 864458, or email results@bigresults.co.uk for more information

* No cost for advertising, or taking media space.
Article by Sue Haswell, Google+

Sue Haswell founder of Devon Public Relations Compan, Big Results PR & MarketingYou can contact Sue Haswell through GooglePlus