What's the difference between advertising and PR?

Many people are confused about the difference between PR and advertising, so here is a little story to help you understand the difference:

Fred wanted to go out with a particular girl, so he walked into the
bar where she went with her friends. However, no-one noticed him due to a lack of publicity and he left without speaking to anyone.

The next time he walked into the bar he paid the barman to shout out, "Hey, look everyone, Fred's here!" The advert caused the girl of his dreams to turn and see how attractive he was, but she carried on talking to her friends.

He decided to go away and work on his reputation. He met lots of new people and worked at being perfect boyfriend material.

A while later Fred went into the bar again. Lots of people noticed and started nudging each other. They began talking about how fantastic he was. Their comments included, "He's a lovely young man, always kind and helpful"; "Fred's got a great sense of humour - he always makes me laugh"; "It's nice to see a man who's got a personality as well as good looks"...

The girl he'd been wanting to talk came over to him and said, "I've heard
really good things about you. How about we go on a date so I can find
out for myself?"

And the rest is history - a match made in PR heaven!

When deciding between Advertising and PR, there are some major differences to take into account:

Advertising

• It is paid-for information about your company.


• It is controlled - i.e. you have complete control over what is shown and said.


• Adverts run as often as you are willing to pay for them to be shown.


• Advertising creates visibility.


• Potential customers know you are paying to promote your business.

Public Relations (PR)

• PR is free placement of information about your business.


• It is journalist-led i.e. they can say whatever they like, however you present the information to them.


• There’s no guarantee that your story will be used by the journalist.


• The editorial created from PR gives a 3rd party endorsement of your business.


• Potential customers view the articles as independent reviews.


• People buy from people who have been recommended.

So, advertising guarantees the placement of your company. Clients know you are paying for it to be there, but it gives an awareness of who you are and what you do.

PR on the other hand generates independent endorsements of your business. These can be product reviews, features or just small mentions of your products and services. Whilst there is no guarantee that your story will be used, potential customers use recommendations within their buying decision process and will rate highly what is said by a third party.

Hannah Sookias

Founder - The Write Solution

Got a question? Please do add a post or email me at info@copywritingandpr.com

Twittering Top Tips

I've been using Twitter for a while now (http://twitter.com/writesolution) and have been collating my list of top tips.

An internet search will pull up a raft of what to do (and what not to do). I've just listed 15 which I believe are important when using Twitter as part of an on-line media strategy. I've grouped them into sections - Your Profile, Your Strategy and Your Posts.

Feel free to add more - I look forward to hearing from you!

Hannah Sookias
The Write Solution
Tel: 01283 808460
Twitter: http://twitter.com/HannahSookias

PS Want to learn more about using Social Media such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to promote your business? "Making the Most of Branding and Blogging" is a practical workshop (in the UK) to help you set them up and start your on-line strategy. Find out more and book on-line at http://www.businesstipsandadvice.co.uk/.

Your Profile

1. Personalise your Twitter page so it continues to promote your company's branding. Branding is more than a logo; it is your organisation's image on-line and off-line, so make sure every communication method follows it through.
2. Add a photo or logo so people know who they are following. Ones of you partying with your mates or taken with a camera phone don't look professional though!
3. Include a concise, description of your business or what your job role is... it's crucial people know what you do so they can decide whether to follow you.
4. Include your website - it will help improve your SEO ranking by adding an incoming link and help people to find out more when they like reading your tweets and want to know more.
5. Link your Twitter account so it automatically tweets your Facebook status.

Your Strategy

1. Decide how you are going to use Twitter... For example, it can be used for:

• Brand awareness - get your name out there by being seen by others. The easiest way to target potential clients is to follow those you are most interested in (about 30-50) of them. Many will automatically follow you in return, meaning your posts will be seen by them to reinforce your brand.
• Marketing - showcase your portfolio by posting tweets that mention what you are working on, promotions, new product developments or services introduced.
• Competitor analysis - follow your competitors and see what they are doing (and remember they will probably be watching you too!)
• Real-time research - ask questions such as 'does anyone know...' or 'what do you...'
• Direct sales - promote offers and links to products and service e-commerce sites
  

2. Add Twitter to your marketing mix. Remember to add posts about the things you promote in other ways!

3. Write a list of things you want to add posts about. As mentioned below, it is better to tweet regularly and often than 10 in one go, so keep a note of ideas you can refer to.

4, Make a plan of how often you will add a post, I appreciate this isn't always practical to follow, but if you aim to tweet once a day, do it and people will start to look out for your posts.

5. If you keep forgetting to add a Twitter post, add a regular appointment in calendar or on-line diary to help you remember to tweet!

Your Posts

1. If you are using Twitter as a business tool, keep at least 80% of your posts about business issues. Yes, it's OK to mention some personal stuff so people get to know you, and your likes/dislikes, but it's not a good idea to mention lurid details of parties, drunkenness and the like if you want to be known as a serious professional! Likewise, keep your language clean (i.e don't swear).
2. Post regularly and often so your following get to know and expect to see items from you. It just isn't effective to post 100 things one day and then not touch Twitter for 6 months...
3. Try not to abbreviate. You will lose followers if you use them too often and people outside your company/industry don't know what they mean.
4. Add links to things you mention and ALWAYS check links (to make sure they work and to check they are not spam) before forwarding posts
5. When re-posting, give credit to the person who tweeted it first.

What is copywriting and why should you use a copywriter?

Copywriting - whether it is the text for a website, brochure, sales letter or press release - is a moment of opportunity to bring an important message to your potential clients and existing customers.

What you say needs to have impact. It needs to be interesting so people read it. But often what we want to say is different to what people want to read about.

Professional copywriters can unscramble your thoughts and put them in a way that will wow your customers. They take your messages and put them into words that will attract attention, spark their interest, ignite desire and prompt them to take action (the AIDA effect). Copywriters will your message in the right words so you achieve successful promotions.

The best wordsmiths understand how communication works. They take into account that different people have different learning preferences and ensure that their copywriting takes this into account. They will weave into their writing visual, auditory and kinaesthetic phrases to avoid missing a large proportion of your target market.

Often, updating the words in your brochure, on your website or in your sales letters gets pushed aside by the day-to-day tasks that often overrun the marketing manager or owner of a business. Using a copywriter means that you will have your new words ready when you need them - on time and within budget.

It takes just one call or email to start communicating with your customers on a new level by using the right words to promote your messages...

Want to know more or see some examples? Visit http://www.copywritingandpr.com/ or call Hannah Sookias on 01283 808460.

How to choose a web designer

I recently answered a question on LinkedIn about what I look for on a web-agency's website. I speak to several people each week who how to choose a web designer, so thought it would be worth me giving some pointers.

HOW TO CHOOSE A WEB DESIGNER

1. Look at their website. Do you like it? Does it convey the image you are trying to create or aspire to?
2. Does the home page tell you the benefits of using them over someone else?
3. Is it easy to find out what they actually do... and are there clear links to their 'What we do/about us' sections
4. Does their site use clear, simple language? The best sites use language that is suitable for a reading age of about 13. This is because it is quicker to scan 'simple' text encouraging visitors to read more than a site full of detailed technical writing.
5. Does their 'What we do' section should have brief summaries of all their services with 'read more' links to more technical pages explaining them in greater detail? This is because it is often a a non-technical person who initially searches for a web agency. However, the more detailed, nitty-gritty techincal stuff should be there in case you want your IT person to check they know what they are talking about).
6. Are there examples for you to check out? Do they work for many organisations? Do they have experience of companies like yours?

If they tick all the boxes, meet with them. Don't be pressurised into using their in-house designers - if you want to use your own graphics designer to ensure your brand identity, they should accept this and be happy to work with them.

Also, think about the text for your website. I strongly believe that the hardest job is to write about your own company. Using a specialist copywriting company, like The Write Solution will help you create the right tone for your site and produce the text in a fraction of the time it will take you. Experienced writers will be used to liaising with you (the client) as well as a graphics designer and website designer - at The Write Solution, we often project manage the website development process because we are in this central role.

I hope this helps! Do feel free to contact me if you'd like to know more.

Hannah Sookias
Tel: 01283 808460 hannah@copywritingandpr.com

Can a charity's advert be 'too shocking' for TV?

The MND Association's new advert has been banned from TV as it is 'too shocking'.

My mum died several years ago from Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Sadly, 5 people still die from the disease every day in the UK and at any one time there are around 5,000 people living with disease across the country.

It is the MND Association's 30th anniversary this year and it is working hard to both raise awareness and find a cure. I think it is great that they have a billboard awareness campaign on the London Underground and at mainline stations across the UK from Monday 15 June.

Their advert has been screened free in selected cinemas and yes it IS shocking. But so is the disease. You can judge for yourself by watching Sarah's story at http://www.sarahsstory.org.uk/.

The advert was created with the help and support of people currently living with MND. It has no cure and as the disease kills the motor neurones (the message carriers from the brain to our muscles) so the person loses mobility, speech and most things we take for granted.

Please help me to raise awareness for the MND Association by watching the advert and then telling 5 of your friends and asking them to tell 5 of theirs -either by email, Facebook, a blog or Twitter.

Thank you so much for spreading the word and helping us to free the world of MND.

Hannah
Tel: 01283 808460
info@copywritingandpr.com

PS Do contact me if you have any questions after watching this or ring 'MND Connect' on 08457 626262.

Did Swine Flu give a bigger boost to the UK economy than monetary easing?

For weeks, the news was all about the recession. Then, just as the downward spiral seemed never ending, Swine Flu appeared!



Suddenly, we had something else to talk about. This was followed by the MPs expenses scandal and the 'R' word was pushed to a smaller news item on TV, on-line and in newspapers.



We stopped thinking about the economy in a negative way. We started to have conversations that weren't focused on financial doom and gloom and we began to look to the future.



I know we are not out of the woods yet. And perhaps monetary easing has had a positive effect. However, let's keep boosting the economy by keeping our positive outlook and help our businesses grow.



Hannah Sookias

The Write Solution

Tel: 01283 808460

http://www.copywritingandpr.com/

Promoting your business – 3 things you can do TODAY

1. Make better use of testimonials
   - Ask happy customers for a quick sentence on why they use your company.
   - Confirm they are happy for you to use it in promotional materials.
   - Use it! Add it to your website, leaflets and adverts.
2. Cross-sell to your existing customers
   - Tell your customers what else you do (by phone, letter or email).
   - Give them a ‘valued-customer’ incentive to try something new
   - Thank them for their customer and give them a sample to try of a product or service they are not currently buying from you.
3. Tell your stories
   - Talk to your customers: how are your products helping them?
   - Speak with your employees: what’s happening? Can your company help them in a fundraising endeavour?
   - Add stories to your website as examples or news. Make friends with your local reporters and let them know what’s happening too.

Want some help or advice? Give me a call.

Hannah Sookias - 01283 808460

www.copywritingandpr.com