You Are Unique!

You are unique, but does everybody know?

INTRODUCTION

Raising business profiles from boring to interesting is a tough proposition for lawyers and accountants but it is a task that is essential if they are to keep ahead of their competitors. In a rapidly developing marketplace, it is essential to keep one step ahead of the game and in order to do this, knowledge of how to run an effectively integrated communications strategy is key. In this article I will look specifically at the area of professional services firms and the key steps they should follow in order to get the right message across to their potential clients.

MAIN TEXT

Traditionally lawyers and accountants are seen by today’s high profile media as “grey men”, but this is far from the reality and it is crucial that this is clear in their marketing and communication material. The main step to take when producing and distributing literature, whether it be sales focused or information giving, is to ensure that it is at the right level for the audience. Whereas the law and accountancy may well be a wealth of rules and regulations that are difficult at times to understand, the message to clients should not be the same.

The place to start when it comes to putting together an effective communications  plan, is to ensure that the PR agency or marketing company you are dealing with understands the marketplace in which you operate. Robert Grant, of Fusion-PRo, Britain’s leading PR agency specialising in Law and Accountancy practices ageees,

‘So many times we see professional services firms taking advice from general purpose PR agencies that really don’t understand the area in which the client is operating. Law and Accountancy are specialist fields, with strict regulations and requirements when it comes to how information is communicated. It is essential that a PR firm that really understands this marketplace is used. Fusion-PRo are specialists in this area. www.Fusion-PRo.co.uk (1)’

This advice is absolutely correct  and one of the main reasons why a specialist public relations firm is needed when it comes to getting the right message across. It is also essential to remember that behind every Accountancy practice or Law firm, there is a wealth of stories to tell that are of interest to the public and the media. Everyone knows that an accountant is good at filing company accounts or a lawyer can understand the law intricately. This is therefore not the information that needs to be communicated. Be creative, get the personality of your firm or pratice across in the marketing or communications material that is produced. This way, it is going to really tell the public that you can relate to their business needs. This is the most important thing.

You are, hopefully, too busy dealing with clients to worry about image. Do you know if you even have one? Only a specialist company has the skill and methodology to dig beneath the surface of your business and find facets which will attract attention from national, regional and local media. You can then carry on with your clients while your PR team works on building that image and uniqueness which might just mean that you double your portfolio of clients. Sound interesting?

CONCLUSION

In today’s market place it is quite easy to disappear from the front line and become an also ran. With the help of a highly specialised public relations, media training and corporate communications agency, your company could uncover its unique qualities and thrive. It is an ongoing process and, unlike many unspecialised PR companies, FusionPro’s approach is built on expertise in your field.

It is an ongoing process. Why not take a no commitment initial audit from FusionPro and see how your company could become as unique as them? If you go it alone in the media driven business world of today you will still be unique. The only difference will be that only you know it!

You can contact Matthew Francis at matthew@fusion-pro.co.uk or by telephone on 0800 014 8650.

1. www.fusion-pro.co.uk

2010
09/11
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Accountants Are Not Boring, but do your clients know that?

5 WAYS THAT PR CAN ADD COLOUR TO AN ACCOUNTANCY PRACTICE

Accountants are not grey, but do your clients know this? More importantly, do your potential clients know this? Many see their accountant as someone who can simply file their end of year accounts and that is it. This is incorrect, but how can you let the world know you are not there just for the ‘boring stuff’? These 5 actions will let the world know you are not boring and mean business:

Action 1 – Add colour to your website -  First impressions last and a dull and boring homepage is not going to be communicating the right message. Make sure that there is colour and images on the pages of your website. Photos are a good start.

Action 2 – Revise your marketing material – Often, Accountancy practices produce marketing material that is just telling potential clients about the service they can provide. Clients know that you can file their accounts. What they need to know is about the other services that can be provided. The added value services need to be communicated.

Action 3 – Form a relationship with clients – Don’t just contact your clients once every 6 months or even a year. Keep in regular contact by sending them a newsletter or information about exciting developments in your practice. Perhaps illustrations of charity work or ‘high energy’ projects you are involved with.

Action 4 – Don’t be afraid of Social Media – Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, when effectively used are powerful tools for getting the message across to your market. Set up the accounts and let the world know about you.

Action 5 – Become a local celebrity – Through effective use of well placed articles and press releases with local journalists, you can position yourself as the expert in your local community. Not only is this good for your practice, it is great fun and you’ll love the results!

Matthew Francis is Britain’s leading expert on PR for Accountants. He has 15 years of experience in the Legal and Accountancy sectors, 8 of which have included delivering PR and Communications strategies into some of the world’s largest professional advisory firms. During his PR career, he set up his practice in Moscow, Russia, where he learned just how PR can make what many see as a boring sector lively and exciting. To interview him, call Matthew on 07885 561052.

2010
08/31
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Tip from Fusion Pro – Getting media coverage

Advertising and marketing is most of the time ineffective. So many promises are made by direct marketing companies that are then unable to deliver. The most effective way to generate great publicity for your brand is to get media coverage in the form of an article, as opposed to an expensive advert. Getting media coverage is actually not as hard as you might think. There is a real demand for a great story. So think about getting yours into the media, and saving yourself a small fortune in the process.

2010
08/10
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Learn about the media outlet before you contact them

One of the main annoyances for journalists is to be bombarded with irrelevant press releases that have nothing to do with their area of expertise. Having defined your target audience it is essential that you understand the publications that they regularly read. Armed with this knowledge, it is then possible to structure your communications in the right way.

Sending out material to the Ten O Clock News should be written differently to that sent to Top Gear. Make sure you research the outlet you are approaching before the approach is made.

2010
08/09
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Personal Blog: Lets give youngsters a chance..

2010
08/07
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Public Relations Tip from FusionPro – Know your market

Reaching the right audience with your PR is essential. Knowing and understand the motivating factors that influence your buyers can enable you to customise the message accordingly. Failure to understand both your audience and the publications that they read, will inevitably mean that your campaign is ineffective.

As an extreme example, it would not be particularly useful writing a press release about changes in the law affecting auditors and then sending it to The Racing Post Magazine. This is unless the auditing of stables is a hot topic of course!

2010
08/05
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Your message should be clear and concise

Clarity is the most important consideration when it comes to getting your communications out to your market. So many times, conflicting and unclear messages are published, with dire consequences for the companies involved. There should be a central message running through each campaign and it is important that this message is uniform throughout this campaign. Simplicity is the key here. Editors are not interested in reading complicated and unclear information about your products or services

2010
08/05
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What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate

In the words of Axel Rose in the Guns & Roses song Civil War, ‘What we have here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can’t reach.’ On that occasion, the ultimate price was paid for this lack of communication. Recently, I read an article in The Sunday Times, that professionals who have taken an MBA have a problem. This problem, like in the song, is a failure to communicate. In this article I will be looking at the key skills that should be taught on MBA programmes. The article will then identify the benefits to both the individual students of MBA programmes and their subsequent employers if my recommendations are applied.

Inherent Failures

Let me start off by saying, there are a lot of good things to say about high quality MBA programmes. Provided a top course provider is selected in the first place, the skills learned over the duration of the course can reap benefits throughout the learners career. Whether you intend to start your own business after the course or continue in employment, the MBA is a valuable part of the corporate toolkit to have to hand.

There are however, a number of limitations. Even at business schools as prestigious as London Business School and Cass Business School, there are key components of the professional skills mix that are sadly lacking. These are Sales and Communication Skills.

In my mind, as a PR professional, I think that both sales and communications are intrinsically related. Certainly in one direction this is the case. It is impossible to sell anything unless you are an effective communicator. It is of course not essential that you need to be able to sell effectively in order to be classified as an effective communicator. But again, I would say they go hand in hand.

Looking at the skill of being an effective communicator on it’s own then, some claim that Communication is a skill that cannot be taught but it is something you can either do or you can’t. This is incorrect. I am currently working with teenagers in the town where I live, helping them develop their communications skills. The progress they are making is phenomenal and they are now in a far better position to impress, either at interview or socially.

I know a lot of great communicators who are not naturals in this area. They have to try hard at first, but over the course of time, these skills can be nurtured and developed. The important starting point however, is that these skills need to be taught in the first place. It doesn’t require a PhD in Behaviourism to work out that unless the skills are taught, for many, effective communication is an unachievable aim.

What is needed then, is for Business Schools to accept that there is a problem. Sir Peter Levy has said that school leavers are I’ll equipped with the skills needed in order to function effectively in the workplace. The same can actually be said about MBAs to an extent. So what is the solution. Well a good start would be to incorporate a module into MBA programmes that focuses on Communications Skills.

How Would It Work?

Well first of all, it needs to be decided which topics the course should be comprised of. Social Networking is the place to start. We have seen so many corporate disasters that were caused by executives themselves using Twitter or Facebook, seemingly not realising that what they posted on these forums goes GLOBAL immediately. Secondly, how about a session on body language, how to communicate in a social working environment. Now I’m not being patronising here. These are skills that it is simply assumed every MBA has. Yet in reality, some leave a lot to be desired in this area. Then let’s not ignore marketing communications itself. How to get the right message across to customers. Cross cultural communications and how getting this wrong cans destroy a business. Wow! There are just so many areas that need to be covered.

So there we have it. Quite simply, there is a need. The need is for MBAs to be adequately equipped with the knowledge of how to communicate effectively. The solution? A good start would be to work with a specialist in Communication Skills that has an intricate knowledge of the Business School environment and also the content of an MBA course. Top this off with on average, over 20 years of experience in the area of Corporate Communications and the conclusion is…..Business schools need to be working with Fusion-PRo.

2010
08/02
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Sports Merchandising. It’s not all about the game!

The world has gone Premier League crazy! It’s official. Long gone are the days when football was just about the game. Since the arrival of commercial magnates like Roman Abramovich and the Glaziers, the idea that football is all about the game has become a distant memory. Marketing the global brand of Chelsea, Liverpool or any other premiership team is far more important than simply playing the beautiful game, or so it would seem.

What Happened to The Beautiful Game?

Part of me misses the good old days when football was played by players who were on the field simply because they loved being there. I’m a Tottenham fan, so when I was a boy, back in the 80′s, we had a great team, with players who were a joy to watch and truly had passion for football. Whereas recently we have been making a bit of a comeback, with much thanks being owed to the genius that is Harry, attracting decent players comes at a price. The or ice being in the region of around £100,000 per week. PER WEEK! What really has become of football as The Beautiful Game? No, it’s all changed.

Where Does This Leave Us?

Well, at first I was rather depressed when I thought about what has happened to football. However, the more I thought about it, the happier I became. You see, as a Marketing Communications expert, I’m regularly giving advice to clients who are directly or indirectly involved with a range of sports. One of these companies is Memento Exclusives. This is a company that provides signed sports merchandise to consumers and businesses alike.

The Managing Director of Memento Exclusives, Barry Gough, spent over 20 years working in what is now one of the most commercialised sports on the planet, Formula 1. The more I speak to Barry, the more I realise that although he is in business to make a profit, his real passion still lies in sport itself. The fact that he can make a living from something he loves is just an added benefit for him.

Companies come back year after year to Barry because he has something they want. This something is high quality merchandise that is personally signed by the world’s leading sportsmen and women. The result, his customers are happy and he is overjoyed as he is doing something he loves.

Conclusion

In the same way as a businessman is in business to make a profit, I do realise that sportsmen need to make a living. £100,000 a week is obscene I agree, but maybe, just maybe I am wrong. Perhaps the passion is not actually gone for the sport. Just shared between the sport itself and the remuneration derived from it. Speaking to someone like Barry makes me realise that commercialism and sport can run hand in hand. So sorry Mr Terry, Mr Cole and Mr Crouch, all is forgiven! Let’s just make sure of one thing though. That however we are involved with sport, whether it be on the field, racetrack or in the boardroom, we don’t lose sight of one thing. This being that the real reason d’être of sport at this high level is to entertain the supporters, without whomever the sport would be nothing.  

You can find out more about some of the great signed mementos that Memento Exclusives  can offer by going to their website, www.mementoexclusices.co.uk Take a look, I’m you will find something you will like!

Written by Matthew Francis of Fusion-pro (www.fusion-pro.co.uk)

2010
07/28
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The 10 stages of strategy planning

Introduction

Getting the right messages across to the right publics is fundamental to business success. In order to do this, it is necessary to put in place a clear and comprehensive planning strategy that will bring about the desired result. For this reason, Cutlip, S.M, Center, A.H  and Broom, G.N (2002) stated in their book Effective Public Relations that planning is a 4 stage process. The process involves 1. Defining the Public Relations Problem, 2. Planning and Programming, 3. Taking Action and Communicating and 4. Evaluating the Progeramme. In reality, planning a Communications Campaign is a lot more detailed than this. This article will look at the 10 stages of planning, which if followed, will maximise your campaign’s chances of success.

The 10 Stages of Planning

Set Objectives. The first thing to do is sit down and agree what the objectives of the campaign are. These might be Macro, such as ‘We want to introduce a new product into the market-place’ or Micro, ‘Our latest product, the Platco Widget, needs to be marketed to the 14-19 year old market in the Manchester area.’  Irrespective of the extent of detail entered into, the objectives need to be set. At the beginning of the day, it is important to know, or at least have some idea, where you are going.

Perform Analysis: There is no point in launching a campaign to a market that you have not even researched. After-all, selling the latest singing, dancing touch-screen phone might seem like a good idea. It might not be however, after you release it and discover that Apple (1) has the iPhone that not only sings and jumps but it dances as well!

Determine Who You Public Are. Well, this one speaks for itself really. Make sure you know in your mind who your customer is. Mercedes (2) for instance would not launch a campaign aimed at everyone from 18-75. The Telly Tubbies would not have attracted such a large audience if aimed at middle-aged bankers, well probably not anyway!

Get The Messages Right. Decide what the message or messages are that are you want to communicate and make sure that different communications are not in conflict. A Social Media Campaign using Twitter (3) is no use if it is saying something completely different to the message going out in you Direct Marketing campaign.

Adopt a Strategy. The implementation of the campaign needs to follow a predetermined strategy. This is not to say that new ideas cannot be tried out from time to time and certainly the strategy needs to be able to accommodate these. However, looking at the overall campaign from above, there needs to be some kind of predetermined approach that lays out when and how things will be done.

Determine the Tactics. Once an overall strategy has been determined, it is important to then look at how exactly this is going to be carried out. What different forms of public relations are appropriate and who should they be directed towards? The main idea should be to contact members of the public and then convince them through the power of communications messages. The ability to be able to achieve this will obviously determine the success of the campaign.

Set the Timescale. Some campaigns might involve a ‘Short, sharp shock,’ in that the whole purpose is to get the message across quickly and effectively. This is very much the case with a Crisis Management situation. However, others will involve building a relationship with the public over a longer period of time. For this reason it is important to determine the timescale of the campaign or the individual parts of it.

Resources. The three cost considerations when running a campaign are Human Resources, Operating Costs and Equipment. Without going into too much detail here, it is essential that the campaign is effectively managed and for this, a good PR professional will not be cheap. Obviously there are specialist areas of PR such as government lobbying or such like, that will command a premium price. There should also be an awareness of ongoing operating costs of the project and what equipment is needed in order to communicate the message of the campaign.

Perform an Evaluation. Once the campaign has been carried out, it is essential that a thorough evaluation of the project takes place. This will enable you to determine whether it has actually met the aims and objectives set before it started. It is always important to look at any problems that arose during the project and how these were dealt with.

Review the project. Based on the evaluation, a review of the project can take place. This enables you to determine whether it has been a success. Based on the review and the evaluation, future projects can then be planned.

Conclusion

Any communications project needs to be effectively planned. This planning will then enable the implementation to be conducted under the guidance of a framework. Whereas during the course of the project, there may be changes that need to be made to elements of the strategy, it is important to have this plan in place so that the delivery team and your stakeholders are clear as to where the project is headed. This way, not only is the message being communicated to the target audience, but you are well aware of where the project is headed.

Something Different

  1. www.apple.com
  2. www.mercedes.com
  3. www.twitter.com
2010
07/20
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