• A good brand grows your reputation and trust, making your organisation more attractive to not only potential clients, but also some of the best talent in the industry who you might want working for you
• Don’t think that just because you’re an SME, start up or a new division with a limited budget that you can’t afford to (and therefore shouldn’t) raise your profile. Look at some of the smaller things you can do to help build brand awareness instead
• PR can help build a brand by getting your voice out there in the public domain. If you are regularly appearing in the press talking about things you can sensibly be talking about – trends, skill shortages, recruitment and retention challenges for example – you will be seen as an industry thought leader and perhaps even a leading figure in your specialism
• Press coverage is a great tool to use in pitches as it shows your views are sought after. It is also much more impactful and has more credibility than brochures, websites and other marketing collateral
• When you go out to the press, make sure you target the right people by researching the publications in advance, looking at their interests, columns and which journalists write about what topic
• Make sure you have something news worthy to say – latest survey results,  your opinion on current industry news and business announcements for example

But if this all sounds a bit too scary, you could always just give BlueSky PR a bell instead!

Tracey will be back on stage tomorrow at 12:50pm in Theatre 1 – why not pop by to hear the full presentation.

So, over a week ago we started posting out adverts for three graduate recruits to come and join the BlueSky PR team using various graduate jobs boards, expecting a barrage of CV’s and applications. But to our surprise, the response has been lower than we would expect. So where are all the PR grads?

Now it may simply be that graduates no longer use jobs boards to find a graduate scheme, or even that students are too busy with their exams and coursework at the moment to be applying for jobs; or none of the above. All I know is that this is a fantastic opportunity (or three!) for someone who really wants to get stuck into the PR industry and develop their skills so shouldn’t be ignored.

And as the newest member of the BlueSky team I can certainly vouch for this. In the few months I have been here I have had access to some fantastic opportunities to develop my skills and really be part of an amazing team. So if this message in a bottle reaches any of you graduates out there, why not send your CV to vickie@bluesky-pr.net for your chance to become a BlueSky PR team player.

Interested? Check out the full Job Description on our Join Us page.

Media Relations in Action

The company

Twenty Recruitment was formed in January 2009, in the depths of the recession, by Paul Marsden and Adrian Kinnersley who were responsible for the rapid growth and sale of Astbury Marsden. The company specialises in mid to senior level appointments within the professional services, financial services and commerce & industry sectors across technology, finance and IT.

The challenge

While the company had recruited a number of senior consultants who were real experts in their field, in early 2009 Twenty as a brand was still a relatively unknown quantity in the market.  They had excellent client contacts but needed an additional differentiator from the more established brands out there.

The solution

BlueSky embarked upon a campaign of placing thought leadership articles in target heavyweight trade media which Twenty then used as examples of their expertise within their specialist sectors.  One of these pieces was an article written for Twenty covering the brain drain from investment banking into utilities within the energy trading space. When Twenty pitched to a major utilities group for a senior technology specialist within its energy trading division, they used the piece as an example of their expertise.  The client felt that this was a clear demonstration of their industry knowledge.  They won the assignment on an exclusive retained basis ahead of two well established executive search firms, placed the candidate and made a not inconsiderable fee.

What they say

“The team at BlueSky have generated an impressive amount of coverage for Twenty but it doesn’t stop there. They have a refreshing approach when it comes to PR and understand that it covers so much more than just the media. They have been instrumental in developing copy for our website; for our employer branding messages and for our social media channels. Regular visitors to the office are popular with the whole team, BlueSky is more than just a supplier; they are a key strategic advisor.” Adrian Kinnersley, Managing Director of Twenty Recruitment Group 

This edition we speak to David Press, Director at DMJ Recruitment.

Why do we use PR?

We use PR for a variety of reasons but a key motive is that it places us as experts in the market place and gives us a ‘voice’ within a crowded and competitive industry. As a prominent presence in the market place, gaining coverage in broadsheets and targeted press allows us to enhance our brand but also stay at the forefront of our existing and potential clients’ minds, especially during difficult economic times. PR is also a very useful marketing tool when trying to win new business, allowing us to demonstrate our successes and experience. One of the most important parts of our PR activity is our social media strategy. We use Twitter, Linkedin, our blog and our website to demonstrate our wider interest and knowledge in our respective markets and to engage with our candidates and clients.

How do you measure ROI?

It is often difficult to measure ROI as it takes time for the cumulative effect of the PR to filter through. However we monitor traffic through our website via Google analytics and notice an increased flow in traffic after a blog or article has been published. We also measure ROI by how our clients and candidates react to the press coverage or events they have seen and make a note of any direct response on our database.

What advice would you give…

Do not underestimate the impact of PR on your business. It is easy to dismiss it on the basis of an increased cost, but with consistently good coverage it will have an enormous impact on your brand and reputation. In a crowded marketplace you need to stand out as experts and this is actually an extremely cost effective way to do this. The access that PR has to online and print publications means that your business will start gaining recognition outside your sphere of loyal clients and candidates which is critical if you are looking to expand your business. It is also key to ensure that you use the PR to its best effect at client visits and pitches. It is an invaluable tool that will separate you from your competitors.

There’s little doubt that Google+ has had a phenomenal start with over 90 million members and it looks like it’s set to stay. With the launch of Google+ business profile pages, all companies from small start-ups to large corporations will be utilising these profiles to build their online connections. The latest social media contender gives companies a platform to share and connect with  existing and potential customers in more creative ways such as photo and video sharing, blogging as well as status updates.

Circles

Google + provides you with ‘Circles’ to help group together people to share content and engage with based on common interests.  This has a huge benefit for the user as they can divide content between personal and professional interests. From a brand perspective, this is an incredible opportunity — the more specific you tailor your message to a group, the more likely that group will respond and engage with you.

Host a ‘Hangout’ session

Google + allows you to host a ‘hangout’ session in which you can connect with a group via a webcam for feedback or conversations. This interactive option gives you an opportunity to reach your connections on a more personal level.

1+ button

The 1+ button can be added to your websites and blog and is excellent for increasing your ranking in Google search. It is similar to the ‘like’ button in Facebook but with the added benefit that this Google plus one button will help your articles and blogs to rank and come top in the search engine results.

Maximise sharing

Sharing is easier in Google+ so you need to share good quality content in your profile in order to thrive in this social networking site. Share news and information about your company through videos and photos and other engaging formats.

Engaging

Unlike Facebook, Google has prohibited the use of contests or promotions on its business pages resulting in the need for a higher level of engagement. This adds even more value to engagement with your connections, so make sure you interact with your groups.

So what is the industry doing wrong – well according to the survey, end user clients want recruiters to:

• Provide innovative  pricing models
• Be more customer led
• Employ better people
• Provide technical solutions
• Be better communicators

That got me thinking – surely good recruiters would be doing all that anyway?  But this was 173 organisations –  a not insubstantial number.

The meeting then moved onto a client panel – and here’s where I got a real shock. The subject under discussion was:  ’How can recruiters help you attract and retain people with the right values and cultural fit for your business’.  The panel included Greg Allen Head of Recruitment for Nokia who said that when his organisation organised a briefing  session and round table discussion for all PSL agencies  on Nokia’s culture – what good looks like – what sort of  people they are looking for – in fact all the things that would make the recruiters job easier – half the agencies didn’t bother to show.  I was genuinely shocked.

What are you doing to enhance the client experience?

The Costa Concordia cruise ship incident has been plastered all over the news this week and with the ongoing debate of how this disaster happened continuing, I have been eagerly looking at the reaction of the cruise ships owners, Costa Cruises.

So what have I found? Truth be told, the answer is very little. There seems to be few, if any, statements from the company in much of the news coverage. This lack of communication is leading to widespread gossip about the whole incident and with each negative tweet or article the reputation of the organisation is sinking as quickly as the ship.

Have we learnt nothing from the BP oil disaster not too long ago? BP were highly criticised for their lack of communication during the crisis and I had hoped many organisations would take this example on board (no pun intended).

The key rules any organisation should follow when handling a crisis are:

1)      Communicate – don’t disappear off the radar the second disaster strikes. Communicate with the public and the media with constant updates. If an extended period of time has passed between communications, let them know you are still working and have nothing to report

2)      Don’t lie – liars get caught out eventually, and once they do the damage done to their reputation can often be irreversible

3)      Apologise – obviously I’m not suggesting you implicate your organisation or suggest you are fully to blame, but an apology goes a long way. In the cruise ship scenario, sharing your condolences to families who have lost loved ones and sympathy to anyone involved is highly recommended.

4)      Be concise – make sure you are being consistent with messaging. Nothing looks more suspicious than an organisation constantly changing their story

5)      Nominate a spokesperson – for the sake of consistency this should be the same person, preferably a senior member of staff with experience or training when it comes to speaking to the press

Finally, and most importantly, be prepared! Don’t wait until a crisis hits to discuss your crisis communications plan; that simply will not work. If you don’t have an effective plan in place you risk damaging you brands reputation which can have a domino effect on the business itself.

Chances are you will never need to implement the crisis communications plan, but it never hurts to be prepared.

The FA, not to mention UEFA and FIFA, consistently offers cock-up after cock-up when it comes to presenting themselves in a positive light. And Twitter has given the players the perfect platform with which to embarrass themselves on a regular basis. Honestly, the stupidity of some of them never ceases to amaze…

But the biggest football-related PR cock-up in recent memory (of all time?) has to be Liverpool FC’s stance on the Luis Suarez issue.

The fact that they initially stood by him is excusable to a degree (and I do recognise the cultural sensitivities and intricacies of the case). There was, after-all, a decent chance that he would be found innocent. But the stubborn refusal to shift an inch on this stance for days after the guilty verdict was plain ridiculous. And the apology issued by the club and Luis himself (through gritted teeth and anything but unreserved) was pitiful.

If any other company in the world had taken this position, it would be tantamount brand suicide. As it stands, Liverpool’s (previously unblemished) image has been tainted – but Anfield will still be full every weekend.

Football, bloody hell indeed.

I’m on on of my rants again I’m afraid.

OK so the euro zone is in chaos, the economy isn’t great and it looks as though we will have a few tough years before things get better.  But do you know what?  That’s life. In the good times, every person, every company and every country spent too much. Fact. So now we all have to take a bit of a hit and pay it back.

And while we’re about it I have to say that not every market is in the doldrums.  There are pockets of really positive activity out there. Several of our clients are trying to seed some good news into the media  - and do you know what – by and large  they aren’t interested. Why? Because they just want to dish out their daily diet of doom , gloom and more gloom, Well I’m  fed up of it.

And if you take us as an example – we have grown every year since 2007.  It’s not been easy,  In fact it’s been bloody hard work but we are growing, we are making money and we are taking people on.

So please – let’s just get on with it  - and bloody cheer up. Have a Fab Christmas – and a PROSPEROUS New Year