In PR, we are well-used to putting our clients in front of the camera and we offer media training to prepare them. Yet when it comes to standing in front of the camera myself, I have to say, I really do not enjoy it. Perhaps it is my English upbringing which makes me shy away from the spotlight and any suggestion of self-promotion or maybe it’s just years of putting my clients first – who knows but I have to say it’s not my favourite thing to do.
A few years ago, I was interviewed by Ch9 for their annual broadcast of the Sydney Children’s Hospital Gold Telethon. My younger daughter had received the precious gift of a kidney at the age of 3 and I was happy to help tell her story. Funnily enough, I sailed through the interview without shedding a tear or needing a re-take.
But in promoting your own business, it feels different. It feels a bit like you’re bunging it on. I often look at the many different video posts on LinkedIn for example and it can leave me feeling somewhat uncomfortable. It’s a bit like watching sellers pitch their wares in a street market!
From my experience, where video comes into its own is sharing valuable communication-worthy ideas so you move from selling apples and pears the same as everyone else to top notch rare fruit that everybody wants to try!
There is a lot to be said too for creativity. You don’t necessarily need to be in front of the camera yourself, you can create fantastic videos that capture the essence of your business that don’t cost a fortune.
In the spirt of my ’15 Marketing Tactics on a Shoestring’ series, I am using video for this last post to say thank you to everyone who has followed this series and supported me in my marketing experiment.
As a re-cap, this marketing experiment was my way of actually doing some marketing for my PR Consultancy, Bay PR, to mark its 15-year anniversary. It was also a way of actually forcing me out of my comfort zone to DSM ‘Do Some Marketing’! As with many small business owners, I had been so ‘heads down’ in the detail I hadn’t looked up at the bigger picture. I wanted to explore all the different avenues available to me. These are my key findings:
1. Networking – without doubt, going along to the local and NSW chamber of commerce events and other events linked to my business interests has been the most enjoyable and the most rewarding out of my 15 marketing tactics. I have made some fabulous connections and I have been lucky enough to have received referrals out of it. I have also enjoyed helping out other small businesses by offering advice and tips on marketing and PR – it feels really great to give something back to the small business community, many of whom can’t afford to spend up big on outsourcing their marketing. Out of this, I then launched my small business package – a value package of PR services which has been very successful.
2. Online networking/LinkedIn – I have really enjoyed sharing and connecting with other business owners on LinkedIn. Many of the lines between on/offline have also become blurred when I have met people at events then connected online and vice versa. When you’re running a small biz, it helps to have these connections to share ideas and support each other. Especially during the coronavirus lockdown, it was great to help each other stay buoyant and come up with strategies to help manage our ways through it and out the other side.
3. Content – blogging, posting, commenting and having a voice for yourself and your business is so crucial. When I started my experiment, I had been very hit and miss with this aspect of marketing particularly as I do this day in and day out for my clients but the benefit has been that it has helped me gain a share of voice. I had an article published in a couple of trade magazines, a few guest blogs and a podcast interview which was great to see happening for my business, not just for the businesses I do PR for.
4. SEO – as part of my marketing experiment, I engaged the services of an SEO specialist to run a ‘health check’ on my site and fix up my key words. This really helped. I didn’t keep them on because of the ongoing cost, however the guy called me a few months later and he said my google ranking had increased which was great! (It probably put my on page 99 rather than 100 but I guess it was a step in the right direction!) Interestingly, I actually did pick up a new client who had googled PR agencies and Bay PR popped up. I think it may have been via Google Maps as his business is based near mine but I did think, “How good is that?” Actually very exciting as usually business comes in via referral/word of mouth rather than ‘cold’ so it was a positive indication that fresh regular content and good key words can get you business.
5. Cold Calling – worth mentioning as before I started my marketing experiment, this is the only activity I had tried. And tried. And tried again. Really hard actually but it just hadn’t worked. The times they have a-changed and there are so many other authentic ‘less pushy’ ways to bring in new clients. Having said that, there may be other ways to work on this approach by bringing in other tactics in a creative way. Watch this space and as always feel free to share!
So, as I wrap up my ’15 Marketing Tactics on a Shoestring’ series, I would like to say a huge thank you to all of my friends who have shared this journey with me. It has been challenging at times to stretch myself out of my comfort zone and try out new things and I know that I probably appeared somewhat naïve on occasion given the fact that I work in marketing services and was trying things out for my own business for the first time.
The comfort I find is that I am not alone and I feel immensely proud that, even though I may not have the time and resources I would like to put into marketing my business, I have at least made a step in the right direction and I must have done something right, as Bay PR is now entering its 16th year! We survived the GFC and now the coronavirus so let’s raise a glass to PR, marketing and the small business community!