I often get asked by other consultants and small business operators what I find to be the most difficult hurdles in my business.  There are many, just as there are in the corporate world. They are just different and need to be managed efficiently and with mindfulness.
 
Here are some that I encounter regularly:
 
Apportioning the right time for each client 
 
This is a hard one and obviously has a lot to do with the amount of investment by the individual client. Being rigid with days and hours just doesn’t seem to work in PR and communications, as you get interruptions all the time and a “sorry, it’s not my day for that client” response somehow doesn’t cut it.  I tend to keep a rough idea of the hours I work on each client per day and go from there. Have an agenda for the day to concentrate mainly on one or two clients.
 
The key is to manage client expectations realistically. If they are only paying for essentially one day a week, they need to understand what results they may hope for. Your clients will appreciate you far more if you are honest with them.
 
Outsourcing Services
 
When engaging with suppliers such as media monitoring, media databases etc you need to be very specific about your requirements. Often you will find there’s a special rate for consultants, and you do not require the magnitude of service they provide. Often you can register for a trial period and then work out if it is going to be of use. Monitoring and access to media lists can be very costly and is unnecessary if you have a solid contact base. LinkedIn is a fabulous source for creating contact lists, as are the social media platforms.
 
Keeping up with trends
 
Many larger clients have a need to be with a large or international agency as they feel this might provide them with deeper insights into this profession. However, there are many clients who are unable to afford those rates of larger agencies and look to their PR consultant to keep them up to date on news and media.  Since the world of communications changes constantly, you will need to be reading as much as you can fit in. Subscribe to MUmBRELLA, social media and marketing experts (millions on the www) and regularly check for staff changes. 
 
Don’t forget to monitor the client competition as much as possible too, as this will often steer you into new creative territory.
 
Being always ‘on’
 
A big problem amongst consultants, as we never stop working. I have read the blogs, listened to the podcasts and am an avid admirer of Arianna Huffington - a strong advocate of healthy work-life balance. But in my opinion, this is one of the greatest challenges. A regular routine is recommended, around some healthy daily habits such as walking first thing (get a dog!) or a daily exercise class. Also, switching off at night and participating in something totally unrelated to work is another good habit to adopt.
 
Cash flow
 
As with all small business, the ups and downs in revenue flow are endemic to consultancy work. You will need to be resilient, be able to take the knocks and always maintain a deep sense of self belief for the tough times. Change is inevitable, and the wheels will turn. It’s a good idea to keep an emergency account to draw upon, if you can.
 
How do you stay motivated?
 
So - you’ve been pitching for hours with little or no response. It’s monotonous and unrewarding, and trying to retain a fresh focus can present a challenge.  Try switching gear. Go write a content piece or a blog. Do some constructive research, talk a walk or make a cup of coffee. 
 
If you find your creative juices are drying up, go out into the world and look around you; something will spark off a new idea. I guarantee it!  I have dreamt up some of my most creative pitches while chatting to my local barista. Customer service (both good and bad) is a great source of inspiration for PR!

Have you noticed that whenever you turn your TV on there’s an Aussie athlete there? Anyone would think Australia is the number 1 nation dominating the entire event, thanks to the highly skewed coverage we are being delivered from Chanel 7.
 
There’s nothing wrong with this of course, since here we are in Australia and very proud of our country - and especially keen to cheer our fabulous athletes and teams on.
 
What this teaches us though in communications-land, is that we are 100% lead and influenced by the media that is fed to us. Sure we have choices, but if there’s one major source, as we have here with the Olympics, we are invariably at the mercy of their offerings.
 
Understanding your audience or the people you are trying to win over becomes key to any marketing efforts. Sadly, there are way too many brands out there with amazing products destined to a mystery user because the owner or manager hasn’t really researched his consumer.
 
Facebook has incredible tools that allow you to drill down on your target market right to where it matters. You can direct ads to people in a particular suburb, who eat a certain food and share the same religion if necessary. And that’s just Facebook.
 
Finding the core market of any campaign is where the results will eventuate, either via digital conversions or customers asking for your product in store.  Gone are the days where companies had to place ads randomly and hope they resonated with someone who shared the same tastes and value system.
 
So there’s no excuse. PR activity, marketing materials, content marketing and so on, can be more effective than ever before.  The talent lies in realising it’s a wasted effort, unless it reaches precisely the people it’s intended for. This is how and where a campaign succeeds.
 
Back to Rio and would you believe it - I’m watching the Beach Volleyball :) 

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3
 
We all know that the world of public relations and marketing changes by the day with the substance of influence, almost just as fickle.
 
Here’s what I’ve found most recently to get results, if you are looking to gain some media attention.

1. Slip into their shoes.  Try imaging you’re trading places (remember that movie?) with that editor and get a feel for what might make their workload lighter. Is it fresh content they want? Is it an exciting headline, or maybe a reference tool? It will of course depend on the publication and the product or service you are selling, but there is absolutely no point in doling out worthless information that does not relate to their audience. It might seem obvious, but still happens every day!
   
   
2. A word on press releases.  They still do have a place and are more than ever, a crucial introduction to your piece. Ensure that you tell your story in the first paragraph. People no longer read. No one has the time to sift through passages of beautifully written text. Just give it to them up-font. This is sometime a hurdle with the client, as they often like to keep their ‘promise’ secret. That strategy is very last century!
   
   
3. Quality over quantity. Avoid the scattergun approach with a generalised cover email and forwarding the release to anyone covering your chosen beat. Copy + paste relevant information and personalise your message, paying attention to the format and font. I cannot emphasise this enough. How many times have you been sent a pitch of some sort that has been pasted together from different sources?  How did that make you feel?

 
Follow these guidelines and you’re well on the way to cutting through a busy inbox. Just copy and paste onto a sticky and keep on your desktop:
 
STAY RELEVANT - SHORT + FOCUSED - TAKE AIM ON CHOSEN TARGET
 
 
 
If you need any assistance I’m here ready to help.






If you are struggling with the frustrations this crazy, challenging weather has been throwing up at us lately, consider the following. A lot can be accomplished without the need to rush around from meeting to meeting, not to mention getting drenched in the process. How lucky are we to have access to the world in the comfort of our homes or offices? Power permitting, of course!





DO

1. Rethink your target end user. Who really is buying or wants to buy your product? So often we filter this knowledge with our own value system, so maybe it’s a good time to look at your customer with fresh, objective eyes.
2. Follow up all leads and outstanding messages. Let no prospect remain unanswered. 
3.  Clear the inbox, get rid of flagged items, file important messages and empty the trash. You will feel so much better after a good clean out.
4.  Promote from your desk. Get inspired! Send out a newsletter, blog, post, tweet – whatever your customer gets turned on by. Just do it!
5. A few sets of push ups to keep warm and get the blood pumping.
   

 
DON’T

1. Keep visiting the fridge.
   
2. Divert to a sneaky episode of Game of Thrones or funny YouTube you have been meaning to watch (unless it’s lunchtime and you deserve a break).
3. Get stuck on social media, spending unnecessary hours, liking pictures of people’s dogs.
4. Hanker for a better day. Carpe Diem! Now is the time, use it wisely and enjoy the luxury of more time to do, what really needs doing.
   
5. Take a nap.
   

I just was listening to a webinar during my lunch break, given by Jeff Goins, blogger extraordinaire, who effectively deciphered the art of the written word, as relevant to marketing platforms today.

I’m defined to be an Enneagram type 7, so the act of listening actually presents a bit of a challenge to me, and I find it hard to stay focused.

However, one little gem that did resonate with me was his descriptive phrase “Cut the Fluff”. To add some context in the PR world, and simply put – we would all benefit from making every word count.

Story pitching, press release writing and PR content have a particular writing style and only too often do I meet with clients and are handed read press releases that have been ‘lifted’ from overseas press kits or marketing manuals. It might seem like a great way to save time and money, but if no one reads these vital documents or the message is confused, certainly the end results will invariably, be compromised.

These days, it’s more important than ever to cut through with a clear message, given the over-cluttered content explosion we are bombarded with on a daily basis. Yes, pictures speak volumes but words just seem to stick.  It is the words that journalists need, the words relay the message and if the words are irrelevant, the editor either becomes confused or loses interest.

So, it remains true to say, the humble press release continues to reign high in the communication stakes. Seemingly simple, a good press release can open or slam doors. You just need the right words. 

Can creating a new brand possibly be that easy? Well, recently we proved that from a nameless product, we launched a full-fledged brand with identity, website, endorsement and a market for it!

1. Naming a new product is crucial to branding. Check all the abbreviations, connotations and associations, before registering a name.

2. The importance of graphics cannot be stressed enough and are key to good branding. Nobody wants to buy a product that doesn’t visually appeal to them; let alone a beauty or health item. Graphics need to be consistent and reflect your product’s image on every piece of material.

3. Create a website. This will be the heart for your brand, a go-to place for anyone needing information, pricing, availability and shipping details. The style of website will be consistent with the brand’s identity and graphics.

4. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook need to feed back to the website and again must reflect the identity of your brand. The content posted needs to be relevant, informative and interesting to your market.

5. If you can find a personality to endorse the brand or if you can align with a cause or organisation, your brand will receive greater integrity and kudos. If this is not possible, try to find a specific marketplace where you can promote your product. This could be via an event, through sponsorship, or at an expo or trade fair.

I recently went to a Soul Sessions afternoon that got me thinking about how to apply the newly referenced 2014 business paradigm, to PR.  Entitled Planet, People, Profit, we looked at how smart business models were evolving and how they became successful in the first place. And with the help of business guru Simon Sinek light bulbs flicked on among an enlightened, converted audience.

One resounding message the group took from the Session, was that success comes from the heart and not from the bottom line. It is not about dealing with a headcount that matters, but rather the heart-count. In other words, we must make our businesses and workplace a place of support, a family or community where we nurture and trust each other; not a battle-field where staff feel constantly threatened and insecure. Think back to the ‘50’s and ‘60’s when working for one company for more than 25 years was the norm, where a retirement speech and carriage clock presentation was de rigour! Enviable! Somewhere in between, it would seem we have lost these basic values that great companies were built on – trust, loyalty and passion.

PR is of course, built on trust. Without it, there is no goodwill, no belief, no loyalty. Trust has to exist between the Client and the PR, with the PR and their Media contacts and with the PR and the End customer. Without this circle of trust (sorry for the cliché, wasn’t that in a movie?) we cannot build a brand – never mind promote it!

Lead with the heart, not with the analytics and the results will flow.

When I first got a taste for beauty PR back in the nineties, launches were lavish, beauty editors were treated like spoilt princesses and client budgets extended to the last minute detail.  Well. Times have changed… to an extent.

Now let me introduce you to “The beauty editors” a private club, a separate breed to other mainstream media. Usually the most envied position on the editorial team, a beauty editor is coveted for “swanning off to launches”, or being wined and dined and for receiving anything between 10 to 20 product releases every day, each more creatively packaged than the last, in an attempt to take prime place in their toppling in-trays.

They are a talented crew, always finding a new spin on how to improve our looks, and preserving youthful complexions. They have an enormous appreciation for all things beautiful and aesthetic, with a sharp eye on the finer details, noticing an imaginative place setting or an unusual flower that depicts a product’s unique ingredient.

Treatment of the beauty media requires kid gloves. They are of a sensitive nature (many being Pisceans!) and like to be treated accordingly. They need to be able to trust you, they need you to talk their talk, enjoy their tastes – think lite food, champagne and pampering gifts – and be there efficiently whenever they need you. These basic needs being met, they will reward you with loyalty, friendship and a vast knowledge on the best lip gloss available. It takes many years to develop these relationships, as they have to be nurtured, loved and genuinely enjoyed to afford lasting benefit.

Worth noting is that “the beauty editors” are all really “nice” and they all “get on”. The bitchiness and back-stabbing thatis so often associated with the fashion industry is frowned upon, as it is the preservation of keeping life beautiful in every sense of the word that must prevail.

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to indulge in a 9 hour lunch! Yes, I said 9 hours -  not a typo!

This was greatly assisted due to the fact that my friend who had been to a recent PR launch, had been exposed to a wonderful new strain of Moet – the White Moet which, of course, she had to introduce me to.

Needless to say one bottle became 2 and then even 3! Each lunching lady at that table is now a total convert to those bubbles, and all because Moet decided to sponsor that targeted PR event. Brilliant!

Word-Of-Mouth is undoubtedly the jewel in PR, and continues to be the most influential and valuable form of marketing, carrying with it that coveted authenticity. The beauty of this encounter however, lay in the immaculate execution and delivery. Perfect.

Finding and retaining a suitable ambassador for your brand can also be invaluable. Recently we have been working with Sara Leonardi-McGrath, the gorgeous new wife of cricket legend Glenn. She is a very accomplished and talented person in her own right and after discovering Suigo hair care, was delighted to be associated with us. This partnership can work on a number of levels, from in-store events, to interviews and endorsements.  Here’s a picture of Sara after experiencing the Suigo Natural Hair Spa. Glowing!
When you consider partnering with another, remember to think of outcomes first. Where do you want your brand featured? With what demographic and how can you create synergy?  It’s a bit like a marriage really – pick out the commonality, work out the value –

Here’s the formula:
1 + 1 = much more than 2!