I have been designing my new business cards with James Dickinson from Chilli Cactus, and James has done a sterling job with four new designs.

(Funnily James sent through an incredible business card offer and I bumped into him next day networking and so briefed and agreed there and then).

I have a preference (I like the retro 70s feel on reverse three based on a 1974 shirt I have), but opinions welcome.  Reverse two would work if using only the two blocks of colours, but hard to get the logo on the other side – slighlty inspired by Orange, the mobile company.

The Spot UV means that the logo will be Matt and so will be highlighted.

The discount offer on business cards is open until the end of the month, James can give you details on james@chillicactus.co.uk

There is a slight distortion on the images’ proportions to fit them into the space on the blog.

I start to write this from a chilly Internet cafe in Chang Mai, northern Thailand.

If the aircon permits – I will seize up with cold if it isn’t turned down – I will give a small review of 2009, so far.

I came back to work at the start of 2009 with a less than positive view of the PR industry’s prospects, and business in general.  I remember The Times assaulting readers with front page stories that included emotive words such as “doom,” “meltdown” and “gloom.”  And this state of affairs, as I recall lasted from October well into Febraury, with a daily stream of economic misery.

I called my friend Mark Greenwood, who runs Simply Networking, about it and he said, “Get on with you daft idiot,” or words to that effect – and I did.

The recession did not hit me until April or May when I lost a few clients whose clients were downsizing work, stopped work, sometimes for good.

Summer, and I am sure this goes for many Manchester PR agencies, was not brimming.  But October onwards has seen a couple of inquiries a week – good inquiries. Indeed I was writing proposals and handling inquiries until the day before I went away.

So the start of 2010 looks encouraging.  I am not sure how much interest will materialise, but it is a much better state of affairs than summer.

I have been involved in social media, especially blogging, since I started four years ago.  But this year was the year that I think marked a bigger push towards greater emphasis of it in my work.  Of course Twitter has been a main highlight although when I signed on near its launch I was initially dismissive, but now I am a devotee – I might have a new client from it for January.

I feel next year will be the year I kick on much more with social media, going from, perhaps, someone who has a good appreciation who can train clients to a high standard, to a professional of a much greater standing.

A special mention to the marvellous Craig McGinty.  Craig has freely given me his insight into social media for a couple of years or more now.

Craig’s help has been invaluable and his emigration to France has been disappointing from a selfish point of view.  I am hoping to interview him for this blog over the course of 2010.  You can follow Craig’s work popular online magazine on all things French: This French Life

Traditional media still figures strongly and the record of achieving good coverage in trade press continues.

Writing for awards and the Internet continues and there is a big case study workload for January already.

So, all in all it hasn’t been a bad year.  You always feel you can do better – I think this is innate guilt – but I would like 2010 not to echo that thought at all.

A note of thanks: These are a few of the people that have really helped me and I wanted to say thanks. 

Besides my clients and key suppliers they are Simon Wharton (for his help with my blog and tips on social media as well as giving me the encouragement to get started for myself), Jim Symcox (again social media and general advice), Birgit Wilde (arch networker), my friend Pauline Rawstherne, the members of Manchester Business Breakfast Club.  A special to thank you to all those you have recommended me, given me referrals or spoken on my behalf.

Also thanks to all the journalists that helped or worked with me over the year, a non-exhaustive list for NW: Michael Taylor and Insider staff, Kevin Feddy and team, Tony McDonough, Simon Cronin, Helen Brown, Corinne Hill and the team at BBC GMR, Shawn Selby, the How-Do team and Brian Everall and team. 

I am bound to have missed people out, so I hope no-one is offended.

My family of course.

There are still four days to go before new year, so I will have more of a think.

Finished, with amends and corrections (sorry find it hard sometimes to use other peoples’ PCs), on Thai – Lao border

Just to say thanks to all my clients, all those that have given me recommendations, all those that have shown me support and comradeship.

If you like this image please look up 360 Spin.

Neil Buckley of One Call Business Services Ltd on behalf of Spire Manchester Hospital:

As we are all well aware Christmas will be soon upon us. For many of us it’s a time for family and loved ones to come together and enjoy the Christmas festivities in the safety of your own home.  But for are soldiers fighting out in Afghanistan this is something they don’t have the luxury of this Christmas.

The Shoebox Appeal is intended to collect shoebox’s full of gifts for are troops fighting in Afghanistan and Spire Manchester Hospital are supplying goodies and we would like your help.

This is intended to show our support and do our bit for the soldier’s this Christmas helping boost morale, letting them know how much we care and that we are all thinking of them.

We can make a difference.

Gift’s should fit into an unwrapped shoebox and include items such as, but any donation would be gratefully received.

* PLAYING CARD’S

* PUZZLE / JOKE BOOK’S

* SMALL POCKET / TRAVEL GAMES

* BOOKS / MAGAZINES

* DVDS

* WRITING PAPER / ENVOLOPES

* PENS / PENCILS

* TISSUES

* SHAVING FOAM / RAZORS

* WET WIPES

* SHOWER GEL / SOAP

* ROLL ON DEODRANT

* TOOTH PASTE / BRUSH

* LIP BALMS

* FOOT POWDER

* SOCKS / UNDERWEAR

* PACKET SOUPS / NOODLES / PASTA

* BOILED SWEETS

* CHEWING GUM / MINTS

* DRIED FRUITS / NUTS

* TINNED FRUITS / FOODS

* BISCUITS

*A personal touch, and I’m sure very much appreciated would be a Christmas card

*No batteries / glass / electrical equipment / chocolate allowed

*Do not give out personal information, its ok too use your names and where      you’re from, for the Christmas card and any other notes you wish to write.

*If the gift is for a female please pack accordingly

If you can help please contact Neil on 07788 950848 or neilbuckley@onecallbusinessservices.co.uk or send directly to Laura Croft Spire Manchester Hospital:

Russell Road, Whalley Range Mancheter M16 8AJ 0161 232 2275

I am not too precious about my brand – about being a brand guardian.

If someone says Artisan Media Communications I am usually fine with that.

At first I wanted Artisan PR but that had been taken by an Edinburgh PR agency some time ago.

(To be completely accurate I wanted something like Orange PR (I can’t remember the colour, it could have been a purple or blue derivative).  I put this to Simon Wharton who quickly admonished me and informed me this was a crap name and I should think again – and I did).

After choosing Artisan Marketing Communications I thought maybe media communications was more appropriate, better.  Sometimes interested parties would believe that I offered marketing and I would have to correct them and say PR!

But now marketing communications is the more appropriate term in some ways because it is more than using the media.  It is about using contacts, advising on presentation, finding introductions through networking, looking out for opportunities: awards / pointers on who can offer help be it a grant, further contacts and referrals.

It is about, when possible, being another set of eyes and ears for clients.

The media is still at the core of what I do, but a lot of the value add is bringing my knowledge of organisations, people’s businesses and the Manchester / North West business landscape (as much as I know) to the attention and benefit of clients.

It is a never ending, often time-consuming process while I work in PR, but a necessary and productive one.

On Saturday I secured an in-depth interview for Jane Pye from headhunting and executive recruitment practice Ashley Hoyle.

But the perennial PR question that comes up is: “What is the value of such coverage?”

The Guardian boasts:

• A circulation of near 350,000
• A readership of 1.2m
• A very high percentage of ABC1s – not sure what I come under, if indeed I do register as an ABC.  I could be a “q” or “r” if such demarcations exist.

Advertising rates hover around the £50 per square cm, but can go as high as £90.

I would assume that to advertise on a full page is about £20,000 – £25,000, perhaps.

Then as a PR I could argue that editorial is much more valuable than advertising, so times by….

But then again what really counts is how it raises and improves the profile of Ashley Hoyle – very hard to determine.

And then there is the bottom line question: “Did the client get any inquiries or did it make there job easier when approaching a candidate?”

Then, I pitch, show my work and get asked, after a “very impressive” response:  “What was the benefit to the client?”

Thanks to Leo Benedictus for a great article though – intelligent and witty.

This Friday, 22nd May, I will be speaking at Manchester Business Breakfast Club about social media.

The talk with focus on LinkedIn and in particular blogging and Twitter.

I am writing this entry to show how a blog can make a quick impact.  Hopefully it will come up just below MBBC on the search engine rankings by the time of the presentation..

I might also be twittering from the talk so please lend your support and reply to any tweets, but it will be early around 8am.

Thanks to Mick Greer of I Feel Fruity and Graham Heap of Internet Trademark Investigations and Aquacut for the opportunity (let’s see if these come up as well).

I heard a simple allegory about a donkey that has two inviting hay bales to his right and left .  Not knowing which is best he does nothing and goes hungry as he is stuck to his spot.

Not incredibly profound but it somehow describes some of the great information I get from Twitter that I should follow up on here, but never seem to do.

I think one of the biggest strengths of Twitter for me is not a link to my latest post although I don’t mind doing that.  It is those links to interesting posts, far more some days than I can cover at leisure.

A couple of years ago blogging became trendy for a while until many new bloggers realised they had nothing to say and moved on to the next fad.  I find that there is a lot to say and do still, probably more so than when I started.

I have been promising that I would give my support, as humble as it is, to a few local sites.

Perhaps the most patient although not sure he minds is Aidan O’Rourke. I am sure I have mentioned Aidan before but it is still good to highlight his photographic work again.

Aidan concentrates, at the risk of being corrected, on city and landscapes – with Manchester being a focus of his attention.  (The above image is his city panorama that was displayed at Urbis).

Aidan archives his work for sale on his blog, a useful resource for agencies and anyone that needs a good image for business or pleasure.

I have a feeling in many years time his work will be hailed as a “moment in time captured forever” as NW local news media like that angle and I can’t see that changing, even in a hundred years.

The second is Salford Online, which is starting to register around 50,000 readers a month and pushing toward half a million page views.

The site is gaining in confidence as well as numbers but advertising rates are very reasonable so worth contacting the editor Brian for more information: editor@salfordonline.com

Last but not least (not avoiding a tired phrase) is Mark Simpson’s everything you wanted to know about tax but were afraid to ask blog.

Craig McGinty and I worked with Mark and SBN and I think Mark has a rare gift for making complex subjects interesting and clearer to understand.

Mark and his practice are based in Old Trafford, nearer to the cricket ground – they have standards.

They are of course other blogs and websites to mention – apologies to those that I need or should be plugging – but one entry at a time.

So said John McFall of the Parliamentary select committee into the bank debacle to Andy Hornby, disgraced ex-chief of HBOS.

Despite the RBS and HBOS senior execs being advised by their PRs to say “sorry” they did not come out well at all.

“Sorry” was not enough, particularly as they did not mean it.  Well, if you have brought a bank to the bring destruction like Andy Hornby did you would not be accepting £60,000 a month to act as a consultant for them?

PR and marketing only works if the product or service has merit.  Crisis PR can only work if you intend to address the situation and make amends and repair the damage.  All we got from Fred Goodwin, Lord Stevenson, Tom McKillop and Andy Hornby was arrogance, especially after they tried to avoid blame later in proceeding.

Any PR can advise a client to say “sorry,” but the issue goes deeper.  The PRs really needed to ask the bankers to give up any pay-outs, pensions and bonuses recently awarded.  Easier to say “sorry” and keep the money.

Better still not to have had any PRs involved.