How quickly we forget a name, a contact, a business, when they are not visible to us.

Marketing and PR is about visibility and there is no more important time than now to be visible. If you are not visible there is always the thought in some that you might not be trading.

I worked with a very successful digital marketing agency called CTI in Manchester – it is very much growing in staff, clients and reputation today. But the first piece of PR I worked with it on was the Dale Street Fire story (April 2007).

The fire affected two buildings, which housed many marketing and web agencies; some businesses I am sure did not survive.

The PR aimed to make sure that CTI’s clients and the market in general knew that not only had the agency survived, it was still doing well and able to offer its services to the level required. Indeed, the message was that it did not lose a single client even though such calamities usually lead to a curtailment of trading – a testament to CTI and one that I am sure enhanced its reputation.

Well, in these hard economic days a lack of visibility can be seen much the same way as a disaster affecting an enterprise.

Rumours abound in these days of cuts. So not having a clear message that is conveyed to the market effectively could be incredibly harmful to a business, if there is any doubt about the strength of your company.

Two North West organisations that are affected by the government cuts have done just that recently, setting out their positions and how they aim to go forward in key local business press – it is a wise move and one that I am sure will be helpful.

PR is not all about leads. Crisis PR is not all about natural and man-made tribulations such as fires. It can be as much about quashing doubt and fear and hearsay.

If you leave a void in communications, it can be filled with uncontrolled word of mouth messages very quickly. There is something you can do about it though.

Artisan has registered a couple of notable landmarks recently: 4th birthday on March 1st and 500 posts on this very blog on February 19th.

And this month is the 4th anniversary of this blog delivering views, news and interviews.  I said on the 500 posts entry about what I had learnt and how I think I have improved as a writer and communicator (barring my desperate need of a sub-editor at times – no more job inquiries I was joking ( well half-joking!) (I do not need a sub-editor for my client work!)).

Well a few of the really early attempts to create material of interest that reflected my outlook and were possibly of interest to readers are not bad on reflection.

I thought this piece (from way back in April 2006) was worth a look: 10 PR Crimes.  This was based on a piece I got in Entrepreneur NW on 10 Networking Crimes for Mark Greenwood of Simply Networking.

Mark actually called me a month ago or so about another article I had written for him that he said read really well and was still fresh even though it has been written a few years ago.  Such praise is welcome.

Anyway here it is:

Rob Baker of Artisan follows on Mark Greenwood’s Networking Criminals article (that appears in the current issue of Entrepreneur North West) with 10 PR crimes that should be outlawed.

Writing poor English.

Anything that hampers the reader: long sentences; long paragraphs; over use of capital letters; jargon etc.

Disguising a press release as an advert – PR is about news, it is not free advertising. If it reads like an advert then you will not get in the paper, but you might get a call from the sales department inviting you to advertise.

Sending stories to papers that are of importance to you but are of no interest to anyone else.

Not recognising a great story when you have one to tell.

Not recognising all the titles and media channels that would be interested in your story or a contribution from you. It is alright getting in the Obscure Suburban Times
or the Unheard Of Village Enquirer but it is a rather limited outlook that will not yield the best results.

Telling the reader how delighted the managing director is that the company has won a one million pound account –would never have guessed that he or she would be pleased, but you can never tell. Quotes should be interesting and give a further insight into the story.

Dull photos. Use images to really enhance your story –it makes all the difference.

Not engaging with journalists. You should build up your relationship with journalists. Anonymous blankets e-mail shots with your story can have their place if you do not have much time. However, working with journalists, learning about their publications, their foibles and needs will really help you.

Writing poor English –it has to be said again.

This is one of the PR Tips article links on the front page of my blog, so it couldn’t have been so poor.  Check out Getting more out of your agency, Tips to improving your PR and Choosing your PR agency.

This is quite a clever piece of marketing: a campaign to banish cliches from B2B marketing.

IAS, a marketing agency, has set-up a site called 101 cliches that invites readers to submit the worst offenders and vote on those already up.  Connected up through social media channels this could be quite a hit as it asks for participation and is fun.

It is heartfelt for me as I cannot stand stock photography – are so many work forces repulsive enough to buy dull bland images rather than expose them to the public? – I really think it is insulting and poor marketing as you want to see who you are going to be working with: we can all spot stock photography.  I have commented on this before on this site.

(The image is number two of worst offenders at present).

Anyway have fun and thanks to Dr Dave Chaffey – who won’t remember me contacting him in 2000 when he was a marketing lecturer and I worked at Congress, a sales and marketing agency for US Internet businesses looking to get into European markets; I can’t think what my question was about exactly or even inexactly, but Dave was helpful.  Thanks for the tweet.

Graham has been the marketing director for Matchbox Toys (which probably influenced my kindergarten career), and managing director of Dunlop Footwear and Remploy Textiles.

Today Graham uses his vast marketing and management experience to stimulate substantial growth in promising enterprises; his knowledge is also utilised to give business owners exit strategies – selling their businesses with good effect financially.

I started off by asking Graham about the building blocks that get you value, which are essential to growing businesses (especially in relation to marketing).

“Strategic marketing is all important.  But it’s not about creating a brochure or marketing material.  That’s tactical and not really where the battle to grow is won or lost.

The key is segmentation and positioning.

Let me talk about segmentation first.  The market is not homogeneous and to ensure resources and competencies are well targeted it needs to be broken down.

This all seems straightforward, but so many businesses just don’t understand buying behaviour or the routes to market.  It takes time, energy, objectiveness, willingness to embrace change and this is often underpinned by market research.

Yet, all too many businesses are too busy fire fighting or working in cruise control to address these issues.  In a recession you are even more likely to get found wanting, let alone not make the most of your product or service.

Positioning follows on: analysing and choosing the segments you can compete on in relation to quality offered, competition and margin.  Still too many businesses try to be everything to all and end up being of little note to anyone.”

And how does PR fit in to segmentation, positioning and the recession?

“PR can be a very targeted tool that can build up the appropriate reputation in the segment you want to be in.  Social media tools are also fine tools to support any PR campaign.  So PR is not an add on or nice to have, but central to engaging a strategic marketing plan.

Moreover PR can enable a smaller business to compete with bigger players or dominate a niche.”

Are there any sectors where PR agencies should target?

“Any industry that offers longer-term employment prospects is worth developing knowledge and contacts.

I think advanced technology and in particular bio-medical, chemical and environmental will be of crucial importance to the economy, especially in the North West.

I would also say hotel, leisure and tourism although that might surprise some in the current climate.”

Graham can be contacted through his website www.exceptionalbusinessresults.com and is also a coach for the North West’s High Growth Programme

The recent catapulting of Nicola Fisher to stardom and a  rumoured £50,000 fee for selling her “story”after being hit by a policeman at the G20 protests raises some interesting PR angles – ones that have been covered in other stories before but are worth looking at again.

I am not going to comment on the right to protest, whether it was excessive force or Nicola Fisher’s decidedly poor contribution to society (on benefits and never worked at 35 years of age; sorry I did for an instance).

The interesting things from a PR point of view is how the media can magnify certain stories – it is not a level all encompassing balanced view of our world, if you were in any doubt and Max Clifford’s involvement:

Perception moulded in the media

The issue of the right to protest in safety, police reactions to provocation and the myriad of causes represented by G20 protesters were discussed and rightly in the media during and after the G20 protests.

But I have just been reading about Police Officer Gary Toms on the Inspector Gadget blog.  Never heard of him?  Gary died tackling a robbery and barely made the media a week ago.  The author points out the distorted focus of our coverage (link above).

Yes the G20 makes headlines and there was video of the incidence to illustrate the story and there were the issues mentioned above, but so little interest in a policeman dying in the course of duty?

You have to accept the media is simply a lens to look at the world and not always “the true picture,” perhaps never a true picture depending on your point of view.

Max Clifford

On YouTube and on a number of blogs there has been a decidedly hostile view of Max Clifford’s participation.

Whether the cynicism he is accused of is of any interest to him or really damages him is doubtful.  The next person with a hit and tell or shenanigans at the FA will probably not be turned down by Max.

But I can’t help thinking that many people confuse his “ethics” and operating style as synonymous with PR professionals.  Of course they are not but it is once again for all of us to redress that record.

Ed Balls, former economic advisor to Gordon Brown and current secretary of state for children, schools and families, came out with a frankly staggering statement reported today by the BBC.

Addressing a Labour audience he said the financial crisis will be “more extreme and more serious than that of the 1930s.”

Balls didn’t mince words,  “The reality is that this is becoming the most serious global recession for, I’m sure, over 100 years as it will turn out.”

What was he thinking?

Where communications is all important in politics how could he be so irresponsible?  It is not really the most reassuring messaging.  Well it is not messaging, it is just blunt.  Downing Street attempted to play down the comments.

Speaking after Gordon Brown used the word “depression” during prime minister’s questions (later explained away as a slip of the tongue) you would think all government ministers would be watching their words carefully.  The Labour communications team would be ensuring a clear, honest but confidence building message, well as much as is possible.

Now we have a situation where there has been a big balls up, which will make brown the colour of the week.

I get a little sick of businesses claiming that they are “ethical” as their selling point.

It seems to me to imply that all their other competitors are less than upfront and decent or not quite up to their Sir Bob standard.

And more dangerous for them, they have to scrupulously and comprehensively establish and maintain standards that meet their self-imposed Persil white credentials.

One company that seems to have failed the test is the self styled “ethical” fish restaurant chain Loch Fyne.  Allegedly it does not even pay the minimum wage, but makes up for the shortfall through tips.

It is actually legal but ethical, many would say not.

Such corporate self congratulation starts to work against it:

“(Loch Fyne) is an enterprise with respect for animals, people and ecology”.

“In everything we do, be it building a new restaurant, hiring staff or cooking the food we take huge pride in doing it to the best standard possible.”

If you are ethical describe your actions.  If you act ethically you do not need to say it, it  is there to see.

Let’s get “back to basics,” if you say you are morally and professionally superior you had better prove it or be prepared to head for a fall.

Anyway using the term “ethical” strikes me as a bit jaded  if nothing else.

Maybe I am being a bit too harsh.

I was traveling past the Manchester University student Union building and happened to see the mess of campaign banners for the student elections.  What struck me is for all their garish “look at me quality” they said nothing.

Well literally not nothing, they did not say anything that would give me a reason to vote.

One said “Rob Pinfold Mr Incredible” and another said “vote for Vicky its not tricky.”  One sounds like a night club Lothario and the other a silly schoolgirl.

I am sure this is the level I was at when I was at secondary school and I might be generous in that small appraisal.

Where is the messaging?  What do you stand for?  What commands me to spend my time voting for you and not in the pub?

I am not saying that I want them to be at David Ogilvy’s level, but you wonder when it so pathetic….