We love a good buzz word down at All Words Towers and the new kid on the block is Social Media. It’s sometimes referred to as social networking and for many companies has become a valuable way to engage directly with their customers.
So what is this new fangled social meeja?
Social media is an all encompassing term to describe activities which happen online – they usually involve an element of technology (often a website), some type of media (music, video, pictures or words) and social interaction. You may be familiar with the more well known social networking sites, such as Bebo and Facebook. You also probably know some of the media based sites such as You Tube and Flickr. You might have a personal or company blog or create podcasts. All these elements fall within social media.
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Journalists like case-studies, in fact, they like them so much, sometimes it’s the only thing they’re interested in!
But what exactly is a case-study, and why do magazines want to use them?
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Is there such a thing? I’ve yet to find a journalist who can tell me – unless it’s the one containing the offer of a six-month, all expenses paid trip around five-star hotels of the world…
But there are certain essentials that every press release should have – and certain rules to follow to make them more appealing to journalists, boosting your chances of media coverage.
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Or how to target journalists…
Effective PR involves more than occasional press releases – it’s about building relationships with the right people. So, when you’re fishing in the vast media ocean, how do you hook a journalist?
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Networking has its place in growing business. It can bring shiny new customers to your door – as long as you get it right. However, there is a problem – the freaks, geeks and gurus that populate the world of networking. It’s a bit like an addiction - take a little sip from the chalice of networking…
Sometimes the chalice is a rather nice shiny gold one which is full of pleasant people that help you. Other times the chalice is poisoned - full of the worst kind of networkers. Full of false promises and over exaggerated claims. Before you know it you are glugging down barrels full of their toxic networking filth. You can’t get enough of it - you start making hilarious claims of million pound turnovers, you randomly launch your elevator pitch on unsuspecting members of the public.
What you need is the 12 step anti networking detox.
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Setting up a new business is tough, with an estimated 50% of businesses failing to survive three years. The reasons businesses fail are varied - from bad planning to spending money on the wrong things (trust me, a pair of Prada shoes/shiny new BMW will not help you win that new contract).
We’ve just passed the three year mark so we thought we’d share our top 8 tips to surviving the early stages of a new business.
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One of the challenges of starting out in business is finding customers. Much as you wish they would come running to your door, battering to get to your business it doesn’t really work like that. If you have just started a business you’re probably looking for cost effective ways to promote your business – so here are a few ideas.
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Ok, you might not want to address your customers in quite this way but it does demonstrate the impact of ‘tone of voice’.
Tone of voice establishes your relationship with clients. It should engage them. It goes beyond just stringing a few words together and looks at the way you communicate with your customers across every medium - from your website to your advertising and even the way you answer the phone.
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First it was websites, then e-newsletters; now blogs are the latest ‘must-have’ e-tool for your business. But what real use are they – and what should you actually say in them?
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Most of the visitors to your website will land on your home page. What will they find? Dull, uninspiring words that make them want to click away or simple, engaging copy that gets them reaching for their wallet? Your home page sets the tone for your whole site and is vital to the success of your online presence. So how do you get it right?
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