The winter time is often a period for businesses to reflect on the year’s events, and 2009 has no doubt been a significant 12 months for the world of business: one of the worst downturns in the history of the UK’s economy, and unemployment which has nearly topped three million people. Even the media who some may view as fuelling the recession fire, has not been without its own casualties. Two of London’s free newspapers, the London Lite and Londonpaper have disappeared, and the Evening Standard, once selling for 50p, is now handed out for free. The Birmingham Post newspaper, once a daily is now weekly, and editorial staff have been cut from many publications across the UK.
Despite a gloomy few months, the media however remains a powerful tool, and an effective means of promoting what businesses do best. Social networking and blogging are equally on the rise, with many companies turning to these means to interact with potential customers and spark reaction to their products or corporate activities.
Many neglect the PR weapon in their marketing armoury, but if used correctly it can make or break the success of a product or service. With thousands of companies competing for the media’s attention on a daily basis, those choosing to do PR must remember that there needs to be a hook to any story which is issued to the target publication. There must be something that will grab the editor’s interest and stand out from everyone else if there is any chance of coverage being achieved. Equally, any press release must be well written, free of grammatical errors and should include the most important points in the first paragraph. This may be all that is read by an Editor.
For more advice on effective PR for your business, contact V12 PR Ltd at simon@v12pr.com or at 07752 966167.
