Country music star helps Autism sufferers

Mark Leland to support autism charities with proceeds from "Missing Pieces"

Have you heard the recent release from Mallory Records (http://www.malloryrecords.com/) of Nashville Recording Artist Mark Leland’s first single, “Missing Pieces”, the title track single from his debut CD, Missing Pieces?

If you haven’t, why not visit Mark’s web site (http://www.markleland.net/) to hear a snippet of “Missing Pieces” as well as other songs on the new CD.

Heart-warmingly, a portion of the proceeds directly from the sale of this CD will be given back to help those suffering from the life afflicting diagnosis, Autism. This heartfelt song and its charitable emphasis is a sweet welcome to the children and family of the Autism community.

“Missing Pieces” was a collaboration between Mark and his long time friend and manager, Tim Calhoun, whose son, Nathaniel is autistic. The song focuses on the struggles that families deal with when their once healthy, young child becomes diagnosed with autism. “When Tim and I wrote this song, we knew that it must be written in a manner to reach the entire world, and make them aware of autism”, Leland said. “We know that there are steps being taken and treatments to relieve some of the difficulties, but there is so much more that needs to be done.”

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder generally appearing before the age of three that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. Autism impacts the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction, communication skills, and cognitive function. Individuals with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. Today, 1 in 166 children are diagnosed with autism, making it more common than paediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.

I have a couple of albums available to any UK radio stations that would like to add a copy to their play list. Just drop me an e-mail at Headline Promotions, Press & PR (john@headlinepromotions.co.uk)

How to promote your nightclub, bar, restaurant or other venue

Effective marketing and business promotion for venues is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.




By John Hicks, Managing Director of Headline Promotions, Press & PR

I am often asked what I can do to help venues such as nightclubs, bars, restaurants, bowling centres and snooker halls to generate more customers, increased sales and a raised profile.

The key is to have a co-ordinated and integrated marketing, promotions and public relations (PR) plan written down, agreed by the management with the full team and regularly monitored and reviewed.

I recommend that it is in the form of an action plan with target dates, designated people responsible for specific actions, budgets, actual costs and actual dates tasks were achieved.

The bottom line for venues is that, whilst the plan should include the "fluffy" PR bits - such as allowing charities to hold events in the venue, inviting the emergency services in for free tea & coffee when on duty or donating prizes to local school summer fetes - the focus must be on additional revenue. As my old boss, the inimitable and award-winning promotions guru Graham Peel, often says, "Peely isn't singing til the tills are ringing!”

But, if cash is king, data is gold. Acquiring data, not just names and addresses, of customers, possible customers, business networks and potential corporate clients is essential. Be creative. Think how you can persuade people to part with this information. Buying in lists will cost you money and is a good start if you have the budget. It costs very little to offer customers in your venue a free drink or exclusive VIP membership in return for filling out a data information form (preferably disguised as an application form for something special).

Competition analysis will not be part of your plan but will influence it. What prices are they charging for admission, food and drinks? What times are they open? How successful are their various trading sessions? What flyers are they putting out? When do they have promotions teams out on the street?

Now compare your current trading performance with previous years. Have some trading sessions increased or decreased? Have you an explanation for any variations or are their discernable trends? How is this reflected in the success or otherwise of your competitors trading sessions?

Now look at your suppliers. What support can they give you - e.g. Point of Sales (POS) such as branded refrigerators, bar equipment, staff uniforms, and balloons whatever! What promotional help can they give you? Bargain with them for special offers on supplies and free stock in return for exclusive offers in the venue for a given period. Ask them to supply or pay for printed flyers, radio advertising, newspaper coupons and table talkers etc. Offer them special offers on these printed items and their branding.

Websites are of limited value in my experience. They are useful to enable customers to check out your forthcoming events, directions to your location and find out your contact details. I have not generated much business on-line. For example, for one venue I established a special Christmas offering website which was great but did not attract any enquiries. My mail shot followed by a telephone call follow-up generated a huge number of bookings.

Incidentally, my newspaper and advertising campaigns helped raise the venue's profile and supported the mail shot and telesales operation so was important - it did not, by themselves, encourage that many people to pick up the telephone and call us!

So, what sort of ideas will the plan incorporate? Here are a few (in no particular order):

Inviting the media and corporate customers to launch nights, new menu launches, and promotions night
Contrived Awards nights
Attracting record launches for local bands and vocalists
Joint promotion nights with local radio
Singles nights with local newspapers
Charity nights (scour your local newspaper for current activity)
Launch parties for businesses new to the area (yes, scour your local newspaper again!)
Theme party nights – 70’s nights, Elvis nights
Personal Appearances by celebrities
Live music events
Street flyering
Street stunts
Press release for appointment of new manager or chef
Posters in shops and local colleges
Hosting recruitment fair for local businesses (promote your vacancies, network with local businesses & sell them parties, raise your profile by getting people to come into see your venue in daylight)
Mail shots to people inviting them to the venue on their birthday (using your own data or buying a list in)
Hosting wedding fair with local shops (you promote your hen nights and stag nights
Joint promotions with local businesses

The list is endless. I always get the team together and brainstorm ideas. Your chances of putting an effective plan together are greatly increased where you tap into local knowledge and team spirit! That’s a powerful combination.

Perhaps, though, I should develop just a couple of these ideas for you:

Firstly, one of my most successful new menu launches was when a venue launched a low calorie option for people on a diet. I contacted all the local slimming clubs and invited them along for a free buffet, which featured the low calorie options. I toyed with the idea of paying for a celebrity chef to come along but decided that the expense was unlikely to generate that many more punters into the venue as I was already having such a good response to my telephone contact with the slimming clubs. Over 300 slimmers turned up and enjoyed the free buffet. They not only spent a good sum over the bar but many became regular customers. Local journalists also attended in force- they generally like a free meal - and we were interviewed on several local radio stations. I sent t off the photographs from the evening to several slimming g magazines and we received some national coverage in this way. A good result!

The contrived awards nights also need explanation. They are the brainchild of the aforementioned Graham Peel. Quite simply, you survey your customers to find which hairdresser they would recommend. You then arrange a party night and invite all hairdressers in the area to bring their staff; tell them their business has been nominated for an award as "Hairdresser of the Year" which attracts £100 cash, a plaque and media attention. Invite the press and offer them free refreshments. Print off VIP tickets for the staff of the hairdressers which gives them free admission, first drink free (maybe sponsored by a supplier) and free VIP buffet - these tickets make it special for them and encourages people to attend. Make sure you call in to see every hairdresser personally to offer them extra tickets for staff and their partners. Make sure your manager and DJ wear suits and bow ties and present the winner with a bottle of champagne on stage when receiving their prize so you make it special for them (and they stay til late spending money with you) and you have a good photo-opportunity for the press. Send out a press release the next day and write to all hairdressers thanking them for their support but wishing them better luck next year. I have had good trading nights from these awards nights, good press coverage and found new regular customers! And, repeat it with estate agents, car dealers and supermarkets!

Finally, joint promotions with local businesses are always a win-win. For example, I once teamed up with a car dealership. Everyone who took a test drive of a new model was given two free VIP tickets to a launch party for that car. They put up posters in their cars and promoted it in their newspaper and radio advertising. The VIP ticket entitled them to free admission, their first drink free, a free raffle ticket and access to a VIP buffet. The raffle was to win a car free for a month plus some other giveaways like t-shirts and hats. The dealership bought a bundle of drinks vouchers so their staff could have some free drinks to celebrate the launch and for sales people to be able to entertain selected customers without having to find money all the time. This turned a usually quiet Thursday evening into one of the busiest nights of the year! To set it up took a few telephone calls and a couple of meetings with the car dealership. Where did I get the inspiration – by scouring the local newspaper for news and spotting an advertisement for a forthcoming new model.

Effective marketing and business promotion for venues is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. It happens because you get away from your desk and out on the streets!

12 tips to promote your website address for free

Here in the UK, it is very common to see posters on lamp posts and at road junctions or roundabouts promoting “get rich quick” or “earn vast sums of money for part-time work” asking interested people to contact a website.


For some reason, when you see people putting these posters up they are driving 10 year old cars held together with binder cord or chicken wire – hardly the image for someone trying to persuade others that there is a fortune out there to be made for part-time work!

But it did get me thinking about how a business or organisation with a limited budget could promote their website address at low cost.

Here are some suggestions based on my experience:

1. Have a vinyl bumper sticker printed up with your web site address and other business information. Place it on the bumper of your car. People will see it when you're driving. This is permanent but when you sell the car it cam be easily removed without affecting the value of your vehicle. Alternatively, have a magnetic sign made with your web site address and other business information. Place it on your car door or roof when you are travelling but remove it when not.

2. Hugely popular are t-shirts - have some made with your web site address and other business information. Your family or friends could wear them almost anywhere. Get a friendly DJ at the local nightclub to give some out in the venue as competition prizes.

3. Have some ball caps made with your web site address and other business information. Wear them to keep the sun out of your eyes and promote your business at the same time.

4. Have some business cards printed up with your web site address and other business information. Pass them out to people you meet or that might be interested in your business.

5. Have some balloons printed with your website address on it - maybe include a funny cartoon character. They are not too expensive but are hugely popular - just walk through town on a Saturday morning giving them out. All day, you will see people walking around carrying your advertising for free! I usually hire a helium gas bottle from the local gift card shop - helium balloons are very popular and are great advertising when tied to kids pushchairs or being carried along by groups of happy, friendly, youths!

6. Have some flyers printed out with your web site address and other business information. Keep a few with you to post on notice boards you see. I usually ask local shops to display them, they charge very little to leave them in their window for a month. Your frindly fast food take away will often let you leave some on the counter for a week.

7. Have some jackets printed with your web site address and other business information. These will be relatively expensive but give a few away to family and friends. When it's too cold for t-shirts, they can wear jackets. These are always popular and in great demand.

8. Have some bags made with your web site address and other business information. Give them to family and friends as gifts or use them when you travel. Let your kids have them as PE kit bags or lunch bags at school so mums and dads see them.

9. Have some pens imprinted with your web site address and other business information. If they are expensive versions, use them to good effect by enclosing them with your mailshots or by handing them out at exhibitions or events. If you go for cheaper throwaways, you can afford to leave them around – such as on the Bank counter when you sign paying-in slips.

10. Have some mugs imprinted with your web site address and other business information. Use them when you have company or give them away to friends and family as gifts. Use them at events and exhibitions.

11. Register your website address on free local business directories. Research the internet and find free directories, web rings, free classified advertising and free search engine submission services. This takes time but that is the only cost!

12. Badges are cheap – in fact, you can buy kits to make them yourself. Wear them around town and you will find people will ask you about them.

Tim Franklin writes on Continuous Improvement, Lean, Six Sigma and TQM

Leading UK-based Business Improvement guru, Tim Franklin (pictured), recently published his latest book which offers an introduction to Continuous Improvement (CI) at beginner level, encompassing Lean, TQM, Six Sigma and the other related methodologies of CI.

He was developing an analogy of a geographic expedition to describe Continuous Improvement.

As you start out on an expedition, you can see the horizon clearly as being the final destination, but as you walk towards it, it recedes and eludes you, like a moving target. CI is like this in practise.

In the beginning you think that you know the maximum benefit that you can lever from a particular process, but if you continue to revisit the same process time and time again, it’s amazing how your comprehension alters through experience – learning by doing.

Sadly, many organisations don’t develop this advanced comprehension, because they don’t embrace the ideology behind CI, they see TQM or Lean as a set of tools and techniques, rather than a different way of working.

By simply imposing CI as an additional set of craft skills, employees can become suspicious, wondering just what the hidden agenda may be. Just look up the word Lean in the dictionary – devoid of fat, sparse – no wonder that many employees think that it is another term for downsizing.

In Tim's view, to get the best from CI, you need to have an organisational culture that supports the ideology – empowerment, no blame for trying and failing, good leadership with modest egos.

Given the choice of

a) imposing CI;

b) modifying CI to suit the prevailing culture; or

c) changing the culture to suit CI guess which one most organisations adopt?

Organisational culture can act as an invisible force to repel CI introduction. Being invisible, management can misinterpret the lack of progress wrongly, and ‘throw’ more money or management time, or both at the implementation to try and establish a CI momentum, without succeeding.

If I can close with analogy once more – if CI is an expedition, surely you need to understand your point of embarkation as well as your destination; you need to understand the organisation culture that you are dealing with before you embark upon your CI journey.

Further resources:

1. Tim's website can be found at http://www.ambianceconsulting.co.uk if you wish to find further information about creating and sustaining change

2. Tim has also starting his own web blog (an unusual step for top Business Improvement gurus but an interesting development) which can be found at http://timfranklin.blogspot.com - which I think this has the potential to become a useful tool for business leaders to reflect upon how they can lead and manage change in their organisation.


This article was first published in the Los Angeles Chronicle - May 2006.

Climate warming gets personal in the UK as drought takes hold

The effects of global warming has reached the Hicks household as the UK Government warns millions of us that we face queuing for water at standpipes within months following the worst drought in a century.

The UK Government’s Environment Agency warns: “After a second dry winter we will start the summer with low groundwater levels across south-east England. We are concerned for public water supplies in Kent and Sussex and London. We are likely to see widespread environmental problems across southern, central and eastern England. This could have large impacts on wildlife, fish and navigation.”

The Agency recommends actions needed by water companies and people to minimise the impact of drought on water supplies and the environment this summer.

Thames Water, which supplies eight million people in and around London, was told by the agency to apply for a drought order immediately. Southern Water and Mid Kent Water, which between them serve 1.24 million customers, have already applied for drought orders and are expected to get them within a fortnight.

Anyone flouting drought orders can face a fine of up to £5,000 in magistrates’ courts or an unlimited fine in the Crown Court. Seven water companies, all in the South East where shortages are most acute, already have hosepipe bans. An eighth, Essex and Suffolk, was told to impose one by the end of the month.

The drought order ban applies to filling swimming and paddling pools and watering all public parks and spaces, golf courses, cricket pitches and other sports grounds.

Householders may continue for now to use a watering can on their gardens but this will be reviewed if the drought continues and water is not saved.

Rainfall across Britain has been below average for the past six months while London and much of southern England have experienced the driest 18 months in the past 74 years.

Reservoirs are mostly full after recent rainfall but groundwater stocks, which form the bulk of household supplies, are even lower in some parts of the South East than they were before the 1976 drought.

The first drought order banning non-essential use of water was authorised by the Government yesterday for the 270,000 homes and businesses served by the Sutton and East Surrey water company, which supplies about 650,000 people. The order takes effect on May 27, just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend.

As I run a fleet of promotions vehicles, keeping them clean is always an issue. Car washing with a bucket and cloth and any other method that is not linked to mains supply continues to be allowed. Commercial car wash firms that recycle water and save 23 litres per vehicle cleaned can apply for an exemption. So, for the time being my fleet will continue to go out in pristine condition – that may have to be sacrificed over the coming months though!

The exteriors of buses, trains, aircraft and boats may also be cleaned in the same ways.

Commercial car wash firms that recycle water and save 23 litres per vehicle cleaned can apply for an exemption.

Window cleaners have also been given a special exemption provided that they use buckets or a system not attached to the mains supply.

The cleaning of the outsides of offices, factories and public buildings may also continue though this will also be banned if the drought persists.

Similar emergency controls are also expected soon for a million customers of Southern Water and 240,000 customers in Mid-Kent.

A spokesman for the Sutton and East Surrey Company said that it was doing everything possible to find extra supplies for golf clubs and other sports grounds. One option is to clean up some contaminated water going into the River Eden.

A Thames Water spokesman said that it was urgently assessing the need for emergency conservation measures. But, from a public relations point of view, it has a weak hand. It loses 200 million gallons of water every day because of leaks! The public are increasingly complaining about this waste during such a critical time.

So, global warming is getting personal! Many campaigners have been banging on about this for years but their claims have largely fallen on deaf ears! Maybe now we will take the issue seriously!


This is an article published in the US by The Palm Springs Chronicle May 2006

Copyright John Hicks, Headline Promotions, Press & PR
Photo courtesy of http://www.freefoto.com

Your opportunity to save the gray whales!

IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

Your opportunity to save the gray whales!




Join the protest in London, Monday May 22nd, 10.30am-2.30pm

On May 22nd, members of the public have been invited to join a peaceful protest outside of the European Bank's Annual General Meeting in London.

The critically endangered western Pacific gray whales face extinction if the Bank backs oil giant Shell's plans to drill for oil and gas in their feeding grounds off Sakhalin Island.Shell’s Sakhalin II project in Russia's far east is the largest oil and gas extraction project in the world and they are seeking up to $300 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).Despite the warnings of scientists that this project could drive the whales to extinction, the European Bank looks set to back the project with public funds.

Liz Sandeman of London based dolphin and whale conservation charity, The Marine Connection, and a leading expert on the marine environment says: “If we are to save the western gray whale it is absolutely vital that we persuade the EBRD not to finance the Sakhalin 11 project.”

“We also need to convince Shell that the world will never forgive them if they put their profits before the future of the western gray whales” adds Liz.

The Marine Connection is one of the organisations involved in supporting this protest. Further details can be found at http://www.marineconnection.org/ - everyone is invited to show they care by joining the campaigners for any time they can spare on Monday 22 May, between 10.30am - 2.30pm.

The location is the Hilton Metropole Hotel at the junction of Edgware Road (by the flyover)and Praed Street, W2. The nearest tube station is the Edgware Road.

As Liz says: “The whales need you!”


ENDS

Media enquiries to:John Hicks
Headline Promotions, Press & PR
Mobile: 07771 575 654
Fax: 0707 520 9717
john@headlinepromotions.co.uk
http://www.headlinepromotions.blogspot.com/


Further information and images available
Liz SandemanDirector of OperationsThe Marine ConnectionPO Box 2404, London, W2 3WGTel: 020 7499 9196 fax: 020 7409 2133
liz@marineconnection.org
www.marineconnection.org


Notes for Editors

The Marine Connection (registered UK charity 1062222) is a London-based charity, established in 1997. Over the last few years, the charity has progressed from a small voluntary organisation to one of the UK’s established international conservation charities. One of the charity’s main aims is to ensure as many people as possible realise and understand the importance of protecting dolphins, whales and porpoises and their natural habitat. One way they achieve this is through a mix of campaigning, education and research.

Through the charity’s informative website and quarterly magazine, Seventh Wave, the charity encourages supporters worldwide to participate in helping to protect dolphins and whales and support various projects.

In the UK, the Marine Connection carries out vital educational project work in the Moray Firth area of Scotland, which is home to the most northerly population of bottlenose dolphins in the world. Through the charity’s Adopt A Dolphin project, people learn more about how to help conserve these marine mammals and their fragile eco-system.

This press releases was subsequently published by The American Chronicle series of newspapers(http://www.americanchronicle.com) in May 2006:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=9548
Copyright Headline Promotions, Press & PR

UK Manufacturing leads the way – in the lean office

Create the office systems your business deserves!!!
By John Hicks M.IDM
Managing Director of Headline Promotions, Press & PR





UK manufacturing may be on the ropes but it is not down and out!

They certainly lead the way in developing new techniques and technology, and adapting Japanese methodology, to make their businesses efficient and effective.

For many years, though, improvement activities have been a focus for manufacturing and engineering businesses. However, most of this focus has been around the improvements available on the factory floor and how the product is actually put together.

Although these improvement initiatives have offered significant improvements to organisations, there is an unfortunate fact that, behind the scenes, lies a mass of non-value adding activity.

Walk into most offices from all areas of the business world and you will see desks piled high with paper, people moving around and a heightened level of activity. Whether or not these areas of the organisation are meeting their objectives is hard to gauge and, unfortunately, we tend to find out when it is too late.

With customers demanding more from organisations, the pressure on to find more and more time and cost savings within the business.

It is in the area of the office where some interesting work is being undertaken in the UK, led by the manufacturers’ membership organisation, the Engineering Employers’ Federation’s southern regional team (EEF South) (http://www.eefsouth.org).

Working in association with SEEDA, the South East’s regional development agency, and the European Social Fund, EEF South are running a programme entitled Lean Office. Senior consultant David Fletcher leads the project.

“The objective of the programme is to share our expertise with organisations and to provide hands on training staff in the office and support functions of businesses. This will help them create processes that integrate into their business to ensure a smooth flow of information and product from sale or enquiry through to delivery to customer both internally and externally.” says Fletcher.

“Typical tangible lean improvements have been a lead time reduction of up to 50%, reduction of order entry time of up to 50%, reduced finished goods and raw material stock levels reduced expediting time, reduced rework levels increased available operational time, improved communication and improved customer satisfaction” he added.

So these are the typical tangible improvements but what about some intangibles? Fletcher suggests that implementation of the lean office usually leads to stronger linkages between departments, improved internal communication between departments, empowering employees to drive improvements and releasing talent within employees.

On their website, EEF South cites a number of interesting case studies. For example, Metaltech Precision Engineers Ltd, based in East Sussex, is a sub-contracting company, acknowledged as a strategic supplier of precision machined components and sub assemblies for a variety of customers with a variety of needs.

With a multitude of customers and prospective customers each sending a myriad of component and sub-assembly enquiries to Metaltech each year, the company has had to manage a very complex front-office document storage and retrieval system.

Recognising that they could improve their competitive advantage by shortening the lead-time from enquiry through to delivery, the directors at Metaltech viewed the ESF funded Lean Office Programme, delivered by EEF South by consultant Tim Franklin, as an excellent programme to facilitate such a strategic improvement.

As well as benefiting the customer with a quicker turnaround time, the management team could also redirect time saved to other strategic business improvements.

Ken Elphick, Managing Director, Metaltech Precision Engineers Ltd. reports that “the lean office programme equipped Metaltech staff with an understanding of just what office-based improvements are possible, and has provided a platform that allows us to conduct regular continuous improvement activities”.

Smaller businesses get free or subsidised in-depth advice and training from some of the UK’s leading business improvement consultants so have little or nothing to lose!

So, where next? Fletcher says “There is still much to do in the manufacturing sector here in the UK to bring them the benefits of the lean office approach. However, the tools and techniques apply to any office or support function in any organisation but retail and the professions such as lawyers or estate agents.”


This article was published by The American Chronicle series in May 2006.


Copyright Headline Promotions, Press & PR

Nigerian 419 scheme scams: There’s one fool born every minute

Nigerian 419 scheme scams: There’s one fool born every minute

By John Hicks M.IDM, Managing Director of Headline Promotions, Press & PR

Every week I receive two or three scam e-mails from Nigeria, known as 419’ers in the trade, offering me huge rewards for helping some Nigerian politician, banker, pastor, ambassador or whatever – or their wife or widow – to get some money out of the Country. In return for helping them, I would receive a massive sum of money.

Of course, the scam is that I would have to pay some fees and expenses up front to help make this happen and/or supply my full bank details so they can pay some money into my account.

I mark these as “spam” for my ISP but I wish I could have a “fraud” button to hit because these are illegal scams. They are generically known as a “419 scheme”, after the anti-fraud section of the criminal code in Nigeria, where it flourishes. (Last year, a Nigerian comic released a song that taunted Westerners with the lyrics “I go chop your dollar. I go take your money and disappear. Four-one-nine is just a game. You are the loser and I am the winner.”)

But, I needn’t get too worked up about it because no one is going to fall for this are they?

Yes! They surely do!

The New Yorker (http://www.newyorker.com/) reported one such case in detail (http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060515fa_fact) where a responsible citizen got so involved that greed overtook common sense. He borrowed money and sent it to various crooks in Nigeria with the prospect of gaining huge rewards. Of course, it was just a con.

This is not just a US phenomenon because people all over the world have been caught out.

I have spent years refining direct mail, newspaper & radio advertising and e-mail campaigns to persuade consumers or businesses to spend money with my clients. Yet, all I ever had to do was to use a Nigerian name, ask people to pay money into my bank account with the promise of huge illegal sums of money.!

Thanks New Yorker. It’s good to be reminded that there really is one fool born every minute! But, I think I will stick to traditional, tried and tested – and legal – marketing techniques!

PR Crisis Management: How to ensure corporate survival

PR Crisis Management and Communications Contingency Planning: How To Ensure Corporate Survival

By John Hicks M.IDM, Managing Director of Headline Promotions, Press & PR



My previous article on PR Crisis Management attracted a number of responses from people in small to medium sized businesses and organisations. Generally, they were interested in how my advice fitted into an overall strategy.

I have replied to all enquiries but here are some general pointers to develop my article further.

There are many resources on-line about devising a Crisis Management Plan (CMP). A key component of every contingency plan is the extent to which an organisation is willing and ready to communicate effectively and clearly with each constituency (stakeholder) group within its sphere of influence and operations, including internal messages to employees, their families, other relatives and input from various support groups that may be deemed necessary to help people cope with the crisis at hand.

The following are some suggested areas for consideration within your Plan. It will not contain all of the components, contingencies or options required by each unique type of organisation for its survival planning process and procedures.

1. Firstly, does your organisation have a written CMP?

This is the building block upon which your PR CMP will be developed.

Equally important, is this plan current and is it updated regularly, or as conditions change? I did some work for a trade association and found that their CMP was so out of date that it related to their previous headquarters building!

Is there a crisis management group, committee or task force?

Are managers and employees aware of the plan and trained in its use?

Does your firm conduct frequent drills and disaster exercises to test the plan and those who would implement it?

Is every group, division, work unit and location required to provide input to the plan and feedback on its effectiveness in actual practice?

Are suppliers, vendors, channel partners and other third parties essential to the survival and success of the company aware of the plan and their roles?

Does the organisation have a single point of contact, a designated "Crisis Manager" responsible for overall crisis management and communications?

2. Are emergency contact and notification procedures an integral part of the plan?

Is there a multi-network notification system, and alternatives, for managers and employees to use if standard systems are down, too busy or inoperative?

Is there a separate, formal notification plan for employees' immediate families and close relatives in the event of loss of life, missing personnel, etc.?

Does the company have a discrete notification system for caregivers, day care operators and others upon whom employees may depend for family member support?

Is there an employee "hot line" company personnel can call in the event of emergencies (or an intranet or website, fax broadcast service, wireless notification procedure, etc.)?

Does the organisation have a plan of action, or chart that specifies whom should be contacted, at what locations, and listing multiple (current) phone/cellular/pager numbers, based on the severity of potential emergency scenarios?

Are these notification lists kept current and do they include key groups such as:
- Shareholders- Customers- Key media and market analysts- Local government officials- Regulatory agencies- Law enforcement personnel- Union officials- Engineering, operations and facilities personnel- Architects and drawings/plans/blue prints of all company buildings- Insurance contacts and policies- Major suppliers and vendors- Consultants: Lawyers, industrial hygienists, health safety & environmental consultants that can be called in to cope with adversarial questions and deal with matters within their areas of expertise.

3. Does the organisation have an updated CMP that can address a wide range of potential issues and concerns?

Does this plan include what should be discussed, in how much detail and to whom information should be released following a crisis?

One of the suggestions that came forward from my previous article is that organisations should have a "silent" website that can be activated on short notice, to provide information during an emergency to everyone in the community? I like this idea very much!

Is the organisation prepared to respond immediately to the media (with sample news release drafts covering common contingencies and/or fill-in-the-blanks press templates, so authorised personnel can use these tools to quickly "plug-in-and-play" factual information as required.)?

Are written guidelines in place instructing those dealing with an issue on how to gather information about a crisis, or potential crisis?

Have selected senior managers, or other designated spokespersons, been media trained?

Is there a readily available and easily accessible database of information about the company in case of emergencies (updated company background information on a website or in hard copy form)?

Is the organisation prepared to address product or facility safety issues forthrightly and in a timely and factual manner?

Does the company have an updated health, environmental & safety record for review and dissemination?

If public health is in jeopardy, based on a product, action or mistake of the organisation and/or its affiliates, or due to contamination issues, is the organisation ready to alert the appropriate audiences (maybe including public authorities and the local community) and take corrective steps?

If a service provision company is involved, does the firm have a messaging plan focusing on the need to inform customers or the public concerning service availability and continuity?

If the crisis is related to the financial health of the company, does the organisation have a plan to inform all key stakeholders (i.e., employees, customers, investors, the banking and investment community, financial analysts and the public) with pertinent details they will need to make informed decisions - whether or not the firm is public or private (a classic example for publicly-held companies is whether or not a costly crisis qualifies as a "material event" that must be publicised.)?

I hope this illuminates the discussion still further. Either way, I welcome your further thoughts and questions to me at john@headlinepromotions.co.uk

How to avoid some basic mistakes in choosing a website

By John Hicks M.IDM
Managing Director of Headline Promotions, Press & PR



There is plenty of advice on the Internet about website design and promotion. I would like to share with you a few thoughts on common mistakes I have seen businesses make when choosing a website:

1. Let "Fred" from the video shop do your website because he has a computer. Websites have become a science over the years and the days of them being just a pretty picture are long gone. A website is a tool that when initialised properly can be your company’s most important “silent salesperson"

2. Buying an "Off the shelf" build your own website program. They often simply do not work! Granted, simple HTML pages are very easy to make (with some experience), however, unless an experienced developer codes them, they have absolutely no value to your business whatsoever.

3. Buying a so called "Package Deal" from a hosting company. Along the years I have been forced to help clients with these so called wizz packages and I cringe every time it happens.Ever wondered why successful companies pay experienced people to build and manage their websites, when they could just buy an "all-in-one" package? They are rubbish and nothing more than a way to separate you from your money.

4. Buying a completely Flash generated website. Flash looks cool, but probably only if you are a high school student! However if you are a serious business, your cool flash website that goes "swoosh" could be causing more damage than good. As a company you want your website to be as accessible as possible. Would you be willing to miss 5-10% (maybe more) of your potential market because they don't have the latest Flash player or the time and patience to wait for it to load? No didn't think so! Flash is also ignored by many of the major search engine robots. Don't get me wrong, I like Flash and work with it in many of my multimedia projects, but in a website it needs to be used in the correct way.

5. Not marketing your website. Many people try a website for their company, and after months of receiving absolutely no leads, they walk away disappointed. The Internet is an instant source of clientele for you, but without the correct approach, you become just another web page amongst millions. What's the use of "telling" your clients about your website? They are already your clients; of course, you need to do this but you surely want to reach new candidates that you can turn into a new client. This is where the importance of marketing your site in the right areas is vital. Done the right way, you can reach completely niche crevices and turn your business into a winner within days. A good starting point is to explore http://www.engineseeker.com/ but there are many resources on-line if you have the time. If not, then use the services of a marketing & pr consultant.

All in all, my advice is to find someone who can recommend a website designer - personal recommendations count for so much! I always recommend Alex at AFH Website Designs (http://www.afhwebsitedesign.co.uk/) who have given me sterling service at very fair prices. I recently recommended them to CMRPlus Radio (http://www.cmrplusradio.com/) who were delighted with their work.

Always arrange for an informal discussion – make sure it is free and without obligation!

If you like them and their ideas – and they quote a fair price – then give them a chance. Remember – if they are good then recommend them to others.

If you have any thoughts on this article please e-mail them to me at john@headlinepromotions.co.uk

PR Crisis Management

PR Crisis Management -
"Tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth"

By John Hicks M.IDM
Managing Director of Headline Promotions, Press & PR

I turned on the television news this morning to learn that one of our top football teams may have lost an important match because of illness, the story being brought to us by a reporter stationed outside the hotel where the players enjoyed lunch prior to the game.



In the car, this was the lead story on the radio news with the story read by a reporter, again said to be outside the hotel. He confirmed that the Police had collected samples from the restaurant to pass onto the health authorities.

Guess what? The story was also the lead in the tabloid newspapers sat on my desk when I reached the office. Photographs of the hotel in question usually supported the story.

As a public relations professional, I reflected on what the hotel’s PR people are going through this morning. This is a prestigious hotel group with a well-crafted brand image of quality at the premium end of the market. Here they are, in the spotlight for all the wrong sort of reasons!

They will surely have a documented Crisis Management Plan or, in softer terms, a PR Communications Plan. But it is not only global companies who need to devise a plan in advance. Being in business, or even running a not-for-profit organisation, exposes everyone to the risk of a PR crisis.

No organisation is very far from crises and their resulting media attention. Their reputation can be washed away or seriously damaged in an instant. A crisis is any situation that threatens the integrity or reputation of your company, usually brought on by adverse or negative media attention.

These situations can be any kind of legal dispute, theft, accident, fire, flood or manmade disaster that could be attributed to your company. It can also be a situation where in the eyes of the media or general public your company did not react to one of the above situations in the appropriate manner. This definition is not all encompassing but rather is designed to give you an idea for the types of situations where you may need to follow this plan.

Crisis management is a complex subject, but here are five tips to get you started. And, start, you must.

1. Don't wait. Many organisations only get their crisis plans underway once a disaster has struck. Instead, brainstorm possible scenarios or types of disasters that could happen, and start planning for them. In fact, I have found this to be a positive process as bringing together key executives to share ideas and examine scenarios often brings out a range of issues that they can take forward.
2. Realise that crises take a wide range of shapes. As I say, this can be anything from the hotel’s crisis to a legal dispute getting out of hand to customer dissatisfaction aired on the Internet. I even recall a weekend phone call from a Scout leader whose campsite had been washed away in storms with some children being injured; the media were on the telephone badgering her for the story! They will all require slightly different responses. Brainstorm and prepare for as many as you can imagine.

3. Develop a PR communications plan. A barrage of media attention may swamp you within minutes of the news breaking. Also, think about how you will get information out to staff, supporters & investors, and customers – yes, remember to get your side of the story out to customers as soon as you can. Internal communication is as important as communication to the general public.

A physical plan has to do with getting everyone out of the building in case of an earthquake. A communications plan involves identifying a spokesperson, developing press releases, setting up a media hotline, and finding a place where you can have a press conference.

4. Be prepared to speak to the media and to your constituents. Even if you can't say much because your lawyer is concerned about liability, plan to say what you can as soon as you can. Be concerned, show concern, speak concern, and always tell the truth. That doesn't mean you have to tell everything all at once, but never, never lie.

5. Provide media training for senior management. Do this before a disaster strikes. Make it a regular part of board and senior employee training. Media training needn't cost a lot if you have someone on your board working in public relations or someone who is a member of the media. The key is to do it regularly so that new people are always trained and others don't grow stale.

Don't delay your crisis planning. Don't ruin your hard-won reputation by handling difficult situations badly!

The directors and PR team of that hotel this morning went to bed last evening little knowing the blast of unwelcome publicity that was facing them this morning. Hopefully, their PR Communications Plan will be a trusted aide today!


Suggested reading
1. "Crisis in Organizations: Managing and Communicating in the Heat of Crisis," by Laurence Barton.

2. "You'd Better Have a Hose if You Want to Put Out the Fire: The Complete Guide to Crisis and Risk Communications," by Rene A. Henry.


This article was published by The American Chronicle series in May 2006:

It was subsequently published in www.ezinearticles.com June 2006

Copyright Headline Promotions, Press & PR

Effective promotion at exhibitions & events

By John Hicks M.IDM of Headline Promotions, Press & PR

Exhibitions and trade shows are all about promotion. You are strategically planning to present your goods and services to a specially targeted audience, in order to meet clearly defined goals and objectives.

To maximise your success and your investment in these events, however, it is imperative to make promotional efforts above and beyond merely showing up at the next event. Begin these pre-show efforts six to eight months before your next event.

1. Decide on a pre-show promotional strategy. How are you going to let your target audience what shows you will be attending and what you will be presenting? Options include:
Personal Invitations
Advertising in trade publications and local media
Direct mail
Telemarketing
Public Relations
Web Site (yours and the event organiser’s site)
Sponsorship

Whatever the event, look at what speaking opportunities it creates. Can you put forward someone to speak at the event seminars? If not, can you run one of your own within the venue or at a local hotel?

2. Plan on-site promotional activities. This will include any efforts you make to promote your presence at or around the show. Options include:
Airport Advertising
Billboards & Advertising Van Billboards
Hotel TV Advertising
Bus and Train Station Advertising
Show Daily Advertising
Hotel Room Promotions
Show Directory/Catalogue Advertising
Sponsorship e.g. sponsorship of the VIP Area
Parking branded vehicles in the car parks
Promotional Literature in event Goodie Bags

But above all, consider the look of the stand and the staff on it. Make sure the image created is the one you wish to give! Above is a photograph I took at Southern Manufacturing 2006, which attracted great interest!

3. Reach out to the media. Editorial coverage is worth its weight in gold. To entice media outlets to cover your company's promotional efforts, you have to provide a newsworthy angle. Give the reporters something to write or talk about. Make this 'hook' the focus of your press packs (see my separate blog on this topic).

Press kits can be mailed before the show, be available at the show or mailed out after the show to ensure maximum coverage. The event organiser should give you a list of the media contacts to add to your own media list.

Two main ways to reach out to the press are:
Press Releases
Press Conferences

Remember to only use press conferences when you have new information to share with your target market. You will make the media very unhappy if you share old stuff. My advice is that you should only use press conferences when you have engaged the services of a PR consultant to manage it for you – at worst you might otherwise have no journalists turn up, at worst you could end up gaining some negative coverage!

4. Data collection. ”Data is gold” – we pay a fortune to buy in data lists but, often, we miss out on opportunities to collect it for low cost. So, at your next exhibition why not run a competition.

People are wildly competitive. Throw in a chance to win a prize and you'll have crowds flocking to your stand but remember that visitor competitions require some careful planning.

Everything that happens at your exhibit must reflect your marketing goals and objectives. Competitions should be consistent with the corporate image you want to portray.

For example, a game show style trivia contest may be far more appropriate than a karaoke stage. Prizes should tie in to your products and services in an effort to attract more qualified leads. Items to consider include:
Type of competition
Prizes to be offered
Compliance with local rules and regulations
Compliance with show regulations
Staffing for the competition
Duration of the competition
How data is to be collected – even if just inviting business cards
What data is required without putting people off
Quality of the promotion material on the stand

Remember to ask if the event organisers will include reference to your competition in their literature and pre-event press releases.

And do yourself a favour. I have been to some stands where the exhibitor has a scrappy piece of paper announcing the competition - or an equally scrappy clipboard which people are asked to use to sign up – it reflects badly on that exhibitor so make sure yours looks credible.

5. Decide on Giveaway Items. Giveaway items or 'freebies' with your logo on them such as fluffy bugs will attract interest – especially the amateur brochure hunters – and are useful to promote your brand. But, they are not of primary significance in your marketing plan.

For serious enquirers or invited prospects, then consider something more expensive which will enhance your corporate image, will be used regularly by your target audience and keep your company logo in regular view.

Avoid items that will be passed along to children, such as cuddly toys, or are so insignificant that they are likely to be tossed. Four things to remember about giveaway items:
Giveaway items should reinforce your marketing message
Make your giveaway business oriented
Don't be trendy! It is better to be unique and cutting edge.
Toys and gimmicky gizmos are always, always, always passed along to children.

Unless your primary buyers are still in preschool, avoid them.

6. Plan Hospitality. As more and more companies begin to do business on a global scale, marketing strategies change. Buyers from the US, across Europe and Asia expect a certain amount of hospitality at trade shows. In fact, these features are an integral part of the international business scene.

Many relationships that begin in 'social' environments flower into profitable business. Consider if any of the following will work for you:
Hospitality Suite
Meal Style Events
Sponsorship

If you have cultivated any special relationships with journalists, then remember to arrange for senior executive(s) to enjoy some hospitality with them as well.

7. "The devil is in the detail!" More often than not, it is the little things that can stymie the most well-intentioned promotional efforts. Attendees will easily get frustrated and walk away if what they perceive as a minor need cannot be met - and they won't be walking away with a good impression. For that reason, make sure the following matters are attended to:
The stand number must be clearly printed on all promotional material. People cannot visit you if they cannot find you.
Extra supplies of literature, catalogues, and sales material should be available.
Clear, concise, and correct information must be listed in the show guide.
Adequate supplies of visitor tickets, free passes to hospitality suites or events, and similar items should be on hand.
That your staff are fully briefed!


I hope you have found this article useful. If you have any comments or suggestions for areas I could usefully cover here, please e-mail me at john@headlinepromotions.co.uk.

Headline Promotions, Press & PR run workshops on maximising the effectiveness of investment in exhibitions and trade shows, please e-mail John if you would like further details.

How to improve your High Impact Press Releases

By John Hicks of Headline Promotions, Press & PR


No matter what business or organisation you are with, you can benefit from well-written press releases. Whether you are announcing a new product, up-coming event, a customer win or a recent award, there are lots of reasons to get the word out.


Properly written press releases can result in press coverage and can drive targeted traffic to your web site – even if there’s no press coverage.

In my early days in the PR business and working for local newspapers, press releases were written for and distributed solely to newspaper and broadcast reporters. Today’s press releases have certainly changed. While they are still being distributed via news wires (BusinessWire, PRNewswire, PRWeb etc.), they now have a much larger footprint.

News wire web sites are constantly being indexed by the major search engines, and bloggers and other sites use RSS to receive automatic news feeds on their selected topics. Sites such as Google News and Yahoo News automatically gather and present press releases in response to user queries.

The net result: your press release now has at least two audiences: reporters and end user prospects who can see your complete press release through one of multiple channels:
• Direct communication from you: email blasts, newsletters, RSS feeds.
• Search Engines: you know that your prospects search for what you offer! Properly written press releases can rank highly in the search engine results pages and drive new prospects directly to your site. The backlinks to your web site remain published forever.
• Blogs: Many bloggers post interesting press releases in their entirety on their blog sites. Once again, search engines index these sites and give your press release yet another chance to be seen by your audiences.

So, what is the impact of all these changes? As always, your press release should answer the usual 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When & Why in less than 500 words. Online, short is good! When your reader sees the press release, you have around 10 seconds to make them stay. Short sentences and clear, easily understood subheadings help tremendously. So, nothing new there then!

Where I think the main practical change is in writing the headline of your press release (and any articles you write). Search Engine Optimization suggests that you should use the top keyword in your headline, and use subheads to break the release into logical sections. The subheads also give you another chance for keyword placement.

I often use “how to” within the headline. This attracts search engines attention straight away. So, this article is headlined: “How to improve your High Impact Press Releases”. This gives me the power words “how to” plus the keywords “press releases” and “high impact press releases”. Anyone searching for these phrases on-line should be redirected here. Similarly, if this were a press release and the media used the headline in their on-line presence, then again the search engines will pick that up.

My sub-heading again uses keywords that I wish to place.

There are a couple of resources that might help you explore this concept in greater depth:
https://adwords.google.com/select/
http://www.searchingworks.com/
http://www.keywordintelligence.com
http://www.searchengines.com/

If you have found this article useful, or wish to suggest areas I could cover here, you are welcome to drop me an e-mail at: john@headlinepromotions.co.uk

Exhibitions & Events PR - How to compile Media Kits

Exhibitions and Events – how a Press Pack or Media Kit can improve your chances of gaining positive media coverage

By John Hicks M.IDM of Headline Promotions, Press & PR



Whenever you attend exhibitions, seminars, conferences or other event – or a senior executive is a speaker at one of these – I always recommend clients to assemble a Press Pack (also known as a Media Kit to reflect the fact that “the press” includes a wide range of media).

Press Packs are essential tools for any business that wants to gain exposure in print, on television and radio, or even through Internet sources.

In addition to providing important in-formation, the kits help establish a company's credibility. After all, reporters want to know that the sources they cite are reliable and will be around for a while after their stories are published or aired. And, best of all, press packs are relatively inexpensive.

So exactly what is a press pack? It is an informational package that reflects the personality of the company while providing important facts in simple, non-technical terms. I usually include:

· A one, or maybe two, page fact sheet. Fact sheets provide quick overviews of companies in an easy-to-read format, and typically include information such as a description of products or services, company history, key personnel, the number of employees, the number of offices and locations, statistical information (number of products produced, sales, number of clients), any other notable company facts, and information for reaching a contact person. Always include phone numbers where your contact person can be reached out-of-hours.

· Biographies of key individuals. If possible, keep them to one page and focus on information that's directly relevant to the company.

· A list of products and services. When applicable, include retail prices and outlets, or other information on how consumers can acquire the company's goods and/or services.

· Photograph(s). Depending on your specific business, you might want to include professional photos of your product(s), your services (or somehow depict the service being delivered), your facility and/or your key people. I have found that these substantially increase my chances of being included in newspaper and magazine articles.

· A news release. Ideally, the release should be concerning the event itself but I usually include some recent, general, ones by way of background interest to the reporter. Include quotes from senior executives about why you are at the event and how this will help your customers.

· Press Cuttings. I often include photocopies of recent press cuttings showing the client is proactive. Even if it is news of a charity event the client has been involved in, this makes interesting reading and shows them in a positive light.

· Case Studies. This is not essential but I do find potential customers like to read a story about a successful case study. The best formats are on an on-line version but print some off for your Media Kit and you will see people reading them over coffee in the rest area of exhibitions! Use high quality paper or light card, the feel of the paper is important.

Now that you have taken the trouble to assemble this pack, use it for other key business purposes too. Give them to key sales prospects, again as a way of making them feel that they know you and that you are credible as an organisation. You can also use it as a recruiting device for senior staff or graduate recruits, to support finance applications to bankers or on any other occasion when you want to showcase your company in a positive way.

Because of their importance and adaptability for a variety of purposes, I tend to have glossy folder covers made so that I can pop relevant sheets into them. As items to go in the pack are updated, I simply throw away outdated ones and add in newer versions.

The truth is: if you help the media you make it easier for them to help you!