Communication Strategy That Works

Using owned content, such as blogging, is a powerful tool for generating awareness about your business. It's also an effective way to build a brand, generate traffic, and position yourself as an industry expert.

In addition, as you think about how you want to build your brand, you should also consider how you want to build your audience, and whilst there are a number of different ways to reach potential customers, one of the best ways is to provide them with content they can't get anywhere else. This helps to build the 'know, like, trust factor.

But I think owned content is underused and undervalued by B2B businesses.

So today's episode explores why owned content is a must for your PR plans and an introduction to something called the PESO model for using content.

Let's dive in.

Links mentioned in this episode:

https://spinsucks.com/communication/peso-model-breakdown/

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If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas, and lots of accountability and up-skilling, then email me at [email protected] to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback on this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

I was surprised and saddened to see prioritisation skills and analytical skills low on the list of what challenges lie ahead for PR pros in 2022 in the CIPRs state of the nation report out this week. Is this because we've nailed it? or is it a lack of education on what the profession can do and is capable of, and people not seeing the link between core skills and specific industry skills?

One of the concerns flagged in the recent state of the PR nation report by the CIPR was the reputation of PR in the future - and well I think reputation and lack of recognised business skills are intrinsically linked. If we cannot prove that we have brains that can craft messages based on research and evidence and not just gut feel, surely that puts our knowledge and ability higher on the agenda?

If we are overworked due to not being able to prioritise (all the way up the management chain) then how will the reputation of the function ever improve?

There is also a surprising lack of skills being cited as a reason for slow recruitment. I wonder if the skills sought are those not being matched—too many writers and not enough project management and analytical skills, perhaps.

The CIPR is the only chartered body for PR Practitioners globally and has been conducting a report on trends and insights for over a decade. We haven't seen many shifts, but key things highlighted in the 2022 report published this week include; an increasing lack of diversity, poor working conditions and mental health, and a lot of movement in jobs, as well as the lack of skills available for those recruiting into roles.

So this episode focuses on skills and my opinions on what's important.

Let's dive in.

Links mentioned in his episode:

CIPR State of the Nation Report

The Productivity Planner

Liked Listening today? What to do next:

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Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or an entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further. You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor [email protected]

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas, and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me at [email protected] to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback on this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

Everyone has a personality, which makes you who you are. It influences your behaviour, your thoughts, and your decisions.

In marketing, personality is used to influence decisions. Use it to build rapport with customers and to create an experience that feels personal and unique.

And it's no different when you're writing for an audience, whether that's your customers or your readers.

One of the most effective ways to do this is to have a tone of voice in your content. This can help you stand out from the crowd and sound more authentic, which in turn helps your audience connect with your message.

Today I take a quick look at why this is important and how you can review or implement yours.

Let's dive in!

Liked Listening today? What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further. You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor [email protected]

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me [email protected] to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

This is a VERY exciting time as the UK Census is published in earnest this week, which means up to date baseline data on the UK's population and habits over the last ten years.

Creating campaigns with insights and data at their heart can really help left-brain thinkers get behind a campaign, so internal sponsors, for example, it also means, more importantly, that your campaign is more likely to hit the mark with your audience. One of my passions is data and insight. And the Census is about as interesting as it gets! It is a treasure trove of information about the nation's population and can be used in many ways. The Census is the most extensive survey globally, in fact, carried out across many countries every ten years. Importantly, this data also helps to better understand the demographics of the population, which is critical for marketing and communication purposes. And, it informs how we can talk to our audience better based on their habits and demographics. Today you will learn; what demographic data is, why it's useful in campaigns and where to start.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode:

The UK Census release schedule

Liked Listening today? What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further. You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor [email protected]

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me [email protected] to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

This week's podcast is inspired by my two days at a vast built environment event in Leeds, UK.

I ran the Beyond Net Zero pavilion for a client of mine UKBCSD (UK Business Council for Sustainable Development)

It was an inspiring two days of 15 talks covering everything from how we create a world for everyone to materials and data in buildings and thinking about building less so we can catch up on our carbon challenges as a sector. Communication was a strong point as well not just in our tent but across the conference and it made me think that we have a job to do to support this epic challenge for businesses and places.

This episode was originally published after COP26 around six months ago last year, where I reflected on the communication challenge and responsibility we have as communicators to help with this topic.

We can't keep having the same conversations; we need action, and communicators have a role to play in enabling businesses to do that.

Links mentioned in this episode:

First published on LinkedIn live event 'It's a B2B comms thing' watch it here: https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6860905845253779456/

https://greenclaims.campaign.gov.uk/

https://www.cpicode.org.uk/news/code-for-construction-product-information-and-guidance-published/

Further listening: Episode 43. 6 steps to manage potential reputation issues

Grab your FREE 6-step guide to reputation issues management (also here: https://bit.ly/6StepGuideIssuesNoTissues)

Liked Listening today? What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further. You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor [email protected]

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me [email protected] to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

Another podcast about a podcast I hear you cry? Latest research carried out by a number of organisations, including Guardian Newspapers, The Literacy Trust and Buzzsprout, indicates that not only does podcast advertising command the highest levels of attention of any media channel, but podcast listens are up, people are more engaged in brands that have podcasts, and young people are also turning to podcasts.

The Guardian study found 65% of listeners paid attention to podcast adverts - more than adverts on TV at 39% and adverts on the radio at 38%.

And by all accounts, if it's worth spending money on, then the medium is worth exploring, whether paid or unpaid?

Aside from this, I am a huge advocate, and I am even imparting this info to you on a podcast as I know you are more likely to engage with the content.

And whilst there is lots of research out there on podcasts, it is a fairly new medium in that it's different to radio, for example, so all research is taken with a little bit of caution.

So, today I run over some of the reasons why it's essential to explore audio as part of your communication mix, as it is growing much-needed, whether that's in-house or external communication.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode

The Guardian research on podcast advertising April 2022

BuzzSprout research May 2022

Statistica forecast UK listeners

Get 5 lessons from a podcast host Audio Book and Downloadable book + my 15 things to think about before starting

Liked Listening today? What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further. You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor [email protected]

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me [email protected] to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

The aim is to get your brand, products, and services in front of as many potential customers as possible, right? The more people you reach, the more chances you have to make a great first impression and turn a one-time buyer into a loyal fan.

But in our digital world, where we are exposed to an almost infinite number of ads and offers, it's getting harder and harder to cut through the noise and get noticed. One of the best ways to get noticed is by using a few key messages repeatedly in your content, so that customers start to associate your brand, product or service with those messages.

This is also why it's important to sell the sizzle and not the sausage, especially in B2B.

So today is a reminder of how important it is to remember who's buying or benefitting and why they should even bother listening, for every campaign you are working on. I cover my insights and tips on how and throw some examples for you too.

Let's dive in!

Liked Listening today? What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further. You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor [email protected]

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me [email protected] to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

You may not think you have stakeholders or that it's for huge corporates of public sector bodies to think about? I think it's overlooked in PR programmes, as running alongside campaign activity it can really underpin a campaign.

I advocate stakeholder planning as part of an overall communication or PR strategy, not just as a business development tool or an add-on.

The main reason is that what motivates people to participate or not is an important part of helping us understand what problems to solve, who will buy your product or service, and, in turn, understand our audience better. This means we can create messages that resonate with them and talk to them in ways they can understand the benefits.

So today I share what stakeholders are, and how to build them into your communication strategy and some of the most important questions to ask yourself when trying to understand your customers' needs as well as how to prioritise who to talk to first.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in tis episode:

How to craft messages that resonate

Kahootz for stakeholder engagement

Tracktivity for stakeholder engagement

Download my free guide to effective stakeholder planning

Liked Listening today? What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further. You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor [email protected]

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? Then email me [email protected] to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

Using the media is a great way to get your message across. Press releases are one of the most common ways to do this.

They're an excellent way to get your news out to journalists quickly and easily. They're also a great way to provide journalists with information about your company, product or service quickly and easily. This makes the

Press releases are, however, just one tool in the media toolkit. Today I share seven ways you can utilise the media as part of your strategy and some of my personal experiences of using them too.

Let's dive in!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Every picture tells a story

Using newsjacking successfully

Liked Listening today? What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further. You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor [email protected]

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me [email protected] to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.

This has been such a popular episode I just had to re-share it with you this week!

You might have already had a bit of PR success.

Perhaps you wrote a post which got a lot of engagement on LinkedIn, or an article on your blog which brought traffic into your website. You might even have got some press coverage. But when the chatter died down, you might have been left wondering what to do next?

One press release will give you that kudos in the moment, but it won't support or grow a business over time.

A programme of activity really is the best way forward if you're starting out. You want this to support a particular business goal otherwise it can be a little bit scattergun and have mixed results. What does success look like for you and how would the activity you are planning support it?

I'm going to walk you through today how to start using public relations in your business, so you create content which makes the right impact.

Let's dive in!

Liked Listening today? What to do next:

Get my FREE roadmap to get more strategic with communication activity in your business

Listen to more episodes, take some training, or download a resource : Find out more here.

Hire my expertise, whether that's support with a one-off comms project or entire strategy for your business drop me a line if you want to explore this further. You can also work with me 1:1 as a trainer and mentor [email protected]

Work with me closely

If you'd like to work with me to develop and implement your communication strategy through 1:1 work with me, podcasts, workbooks, sharing ideas and lots of accountability and up-skilling? then email me [email protected] to register your interest for you or your entire team.

Leave me a voicemail on my Speakpipe page I would love to hear your feedback in this episode and thoughts on any topics I could include in future ones too.