SAY CHEESE

If your customers come from close by, your reputation within the local community is going to be important to you and the local papers are a great place to start.  I know I have already done a blog post on the best way of generating coverage but I thought I would devote one just on photography as I think it deserves it!

And for me it is topical because having secured a fantastic profile piece in the business pages of the local paper for a retail client of mine, the paper sent round a photographer and my client refused to be in the shot.  She decided that the shot she wanted was just of the shop front.  Naturally the paper had written the piece about her great entrepreneurial spirit and without a shot of her the feature did not make sense.  Needless to say they didn’t run with it.  So it was also a great lesson for me in never leaving a client’s side once the press arrive.

Anyway,  it started me thinking about press shots and having worked as a journalist on local newspapers I have been on the receiving end of many terrible photos submitted with the sure fire expectation that they will be dominating page three or five in next week’s edition.  Sadly the great majority went on the spike but not because the story wasn’t good enough but because the photograph wasn’t.

So to maximise your chances of your story getting in, support it with a great photo and here are some crucial dos and don’ts:

PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE

Papers are about people so make sure there are some in the shot.  But be choosy, readers need to see who the people are so don’t stuff it full so everyone is just a tiny spec.  Two or three is the perfect number but try not to go over six.  And always remember to add the names of the people in the shot.

READY FOR YOUR CLOSE UP

This leads on from the last point about being able to see the people in the photo.  Get nice and tight in to the top half of your subject.  Unless the story is about doing a marathon in huge clown shoes, the most interesting thing about the photograph is the people’s faces so don’t stand way back and get a full length shot.  Head and shoulders is great, but never further than the waist if you can help it.

CONTRIVED IS GOOD

If the story is about raising money, handing over a cheque or includes the subject showing something you will need to get them to hold it as close to their faces as possible.  I once did a shot for a restaurant running a chocolate morning for children.  I chose two children, asked them to kneel down at the table really close to the bowls of chocolate and asked them to pop marshmallows in their mouths.  Although it felt a bit awkward for the kids to be squashed down, the shot looked great and make the front page.

DO SOMETHING

Unless it is handing over a cheque sometimes the photograph might not be obvious and you will need to be creative which isn’t always easy.  Getting the people in the shot to be doing something to illustrate the story will help your chances of it getting picked.  For instance another client of mine runs an activity club for pre-school children and was running a healthy eating week offering fruit to the kids after the session.  Rather than just a couple of kids standing by a fruit bowl I asked one to hold up plums for his eyes and the other to hold up a banana for a smiley mouth.  It was such a cute shot and made the paper.

BE HAPPY

For heaven’s sake smile!  In most instances the story will be a happy one:  a new contract, a new position, a sponsorship, raising money for charity so make sure the people in the photo at least look like they are pleased to be there.

Good luck and don’t forget to let me know how you get on through the blog comments of via email: lindsay@redyellowblue.biz.  Don’t forget to visit our website:  www.redyellowblue.biz.

Lindsay

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Newsletters are the new black - the hot new PR and marketing trend for this business season.  But  just as there is a difference between a Primark handbag and a Gucci handbag, there is a difference between an informative newsletter and Spam.


So how do you make sure your newsletter is designer rather than a knock off?  The key word here is interesting.  As with all successful PR and marketing activities you need to approach with the customer in mind.  A brief email rattling on about how great you are complemented by a list of services you offer is not going to make anyone read on.  Here are some Dos and Don'ts  to make your newsletter a real page turner:


DO
Make it relevant - comment on industry events, the economy, world news to demonstrate that you are a relevant and up to date business with a voice and opinions.  This is the bit that makes your newsletter interesting and unique
Give them some information - insider advice is always welcome so imagine someone has called you with a specific query and you have written down your guidance 
Tell them what's new - do you have new products on the shelves, a limited time deal
Make them an offer - a money off or free service exclusively for newsletter recipients will encourage loyalty and also make them less inclined to click the unsuscribe button
Show them what you have done - go into some detail about how you have helped a customer.  Outline the problems the customer had, the challenges you overcame and the splendid outcome complete with a lovely quote from your satisfied customer.


DON'T
Just list your services - customers can get all that information from the website 
Do just one - plan out the next six issues and if you are struggling for content it would suggest that a newsletter might not be the right vehicle for you
Make it too long - remember that your customers will be reading it from their PCs so the stories need to be succinct.  If you have more to say then include a link back to a longer story on your website


I am in the middle of practising what I preach with a newsletter for a financial services client of ours who wants to maximise revenue from his huge customer database.  I will keep you posted of our success.


In the meantime, let me know how you put together your own newsletters, what works and what doesn't.  Email me at lindsay@redyellowblue.biz or check out the website at www.redyellowblue.biz


Lindsay

WHAT NO CASH?!

I can't believe how much the last couple of weeks have whizzed by.  I went to a business lunch last week and the speaker was Saira Khan who was on the first series of The Apprentice.  She was invited to the lunch to talk about her experiences in launching Maimoo, a range of beautiful skin care products for babies.  As you can imagine she was a very dynamic speaker with lots of straight talking and down to earth advice.  I found myself nodding along vigorously at one point when she said that any small business start up needs to take control of all aspects of the business - do it yourself.  When she mentioned PR and marketing specifically I wanted to leap up from the table and throw my business cards in the air and shout:  "And here I am to help you do it!"  Thankfully I didn't so I was able to stay and listen to the rest.

She makes an important point though.  It is easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer scale of the task when your business is small or just starting up, but then that's just part of the deal.  The trick is to become organised, allocate time for all those jobs which are essential but not mission critical and put a workable action plan together which means it takes up less thinking time when you sit down to get it done.  And the key word there is workable.  With PR and marketing in particular it is very easy to get overexcited.  It is  very creative field and the possibilities seem limitless but in reality they will always be limited by the time and money you have available.  But take heart from the fact that even with only a small amount of time and no money to spend you can achieve a significant amount - think generating coverage in your local media, linking up with another like minded company for a joint promotion, a creative offer to reward existing clients and encourage them to come back.  None of these require envelopes full of tenners to implement successfully but can have really positive effects on generating sales.

So be realistic (and that means recognising that you have to put in some effort), plan activities which are achievable and take control.  Let me know how you get on via the comments or via email: lindsay@redyellowblue.biz and don't forget to check out our website: www.redyellowblue.biz.

Lindsay