Finding your calling (Part 2)

5. There's a lot in a name.
Take your time picking out a name and logo. It should be easy to remember but unique. We picked pr-online because that what we do. Efficient PR that can be done over the internet by sending out emails and electronic press releases. We also have the '.com' in the name to remind people where to look for us.

6. If at first you don't succeed...
The nice thing about a business is the ease with which you can change direction, purpose, or speed. So don't hold on to an idea that turns out not to work. Try another. Eventually, one idea will be right for you.

7. Triple-check your work. Mistakes are costly — and leave everyone wondering what else you might have done wrong. Can you be trusted in the future?

8. Always do what you say you'll do, and more.
We always try to respond within the same day, often the same hour. Customers appreciate speedy service. When you have a problem, say, a deadline that can't be met, tell your customers right away. Say you're sorry with a discount — or a free gift. In fact, throw in extras even when you don't screw up.

9. Be accessible
To both existing customers and potential new ones. And remember, it's not just customers who count. Win the respect of suppliers and you'll get faster deliveries, plus valuable referrals. While no one drops everything to answer a letter or speak to every caller, do reply promptly.

10. Value your existing customers
80% of your business should come from 20% of your customers.

And:

Begin small, then grow slowly, and you won't have to put the touch on friends and family — or plead your case to banks or venture capitalists. If you start small enough, the only thing you'll have to fear is success. You won't need to spend a lot of time or money on: advertising, employees, insurance, stationery, business cards, logos, lawyers, bookkeeping, contracts, office space, or phone systems, to name but a few.

Read also Finding your calling - Part 1

8 Keys to success

 

 

1. Know your values
2. Grow yourself as a person
3. Be courageous
4. Surround yourself with good people
5. Embrace innovation and change
6. Be passionate
7. Take a stand for what you believe in no matter if it’s an unpopular position or meets resistance
8. Set personal and business boundaries

Finding your calling

Are you thinking of starting your own business? Here are some essential steps:

1. Start now.

Begin by simply giving the possibility of creating your venture some serious consideration.

2. Find a niche.

Your journey to entrepreneurial glory can’t begin until you have a product or service that people will pay for. Do you already know what your business will be? Great. But don’t rush to place a full-page ad in the newspaper just yet. If inspiration hasn’t struck, there are lots of ways to find it. For example, use the internet, scan the classified ads in newspapers, walk down Main Street — or through a mall. Pay attention to how others are making a living on their own, and tune in whenever you hear, “I wish there were someone I could call to ….” Then, make a list of things you know how to do.

3. Stop to look and listen.

Talk to everyone you know about your idea — but don't take everything you hear to heart. You'll get good advice, helpful insights, and a hefty dose of discouragement. Still, great ideas lurk in strange places, and disclose themselves when least expected.

4. Slow and steady still wins most races.

Set your sights on developing a modest "backup" source of income — not on creating a new corporate empire. Micro-mini businesses expose you to micro-mini risks.

Read more tomorrow in our Part 2.

Are you frustrated yet?

I had a conversation with a local business the other day. They complained about not being mentioned in any of the local magazines or newspapers after hiring a consultant who said they were able to do fill their needs.

What happened:

1. The press release was over a page long with missing key points of what the business is doing, how and  why.
2. The press release was not in the right form
3. A plan with goals and objectives was missing
4. A strategy was missing
5. A personal approach to the media was missing
6. A timeline was missing

Guess what happened? Not much. Only one mention that was not targeted to the audience the company wanted to reach.

You can understand the frustration of this business owner and the hesitation to pay another consultant.

My tip:

Make sure the person you hire is a PR consultant. You can't afford one? You can't afford not getting one if you want to make a positive impact in the media and have people recognize you and your business/service.

Not a graphic designer, web designer, marketing expert or your neighbour who assured they can do it for a small fee. This small fee will buy you frustration, unability to trust any experts and the loss of the money you spent. You will potentially end up doing it yourself (that's where you were before).

Key essentials for your website

What do your site visitors want most of all from your site?

LET ME SEARCH
I want a search box, plain and visible, preferably at the top of every page but definitely at the top of the homepage. If you don’t have a site search, you can get a great free search tool in phpDig.

TALK TO ME
Company contact information belongs on every page, preferably in the footer. The footer area should also tell me a mailing address, a fax number and not merely supply a link to a contact page. Think: single-clicking! One click to get where you most want to go should be a navigation goal.

HELP ME
You can add online help to your site through Live Chat. Of course, you have to make an employee available to respond, even if only a few visitors click the icon. Surely, someone sits at a desk during the day. Think how important they will feel.

FEED ME
I want to know what your company is up to and what new products you have that will benefit me. Send out an RSS feed of new information or products. If you’re not into coding, try one of several free Open Source apps to generate RSS from your Web site.

4 ways to save time

1. Write it down.
Jot down everything from ‘buy dog food’ to ‘build vacation home’ before processing it into a set of lists.

2. Break it out.
Too many to do lists are composed of complex projects that say little about what should eb done next.

3. Do it now.
If a task can be done in two minutes, do it right away.

4. File it away.
A good filing system, both for paper and emails is essential.

Want more business? Join a group.

Working alone or in a small business, it’s easy to feel isolated. Joining organizations helps you become part of a larger business world, whether it’s being part of an industry or part of your local entrepreneurial community.

If you’re looking for the name of an attorney or graphic artist, trying to find a supplier, or just need advice on how to handle a problem or price your services, you’ll find people who can refer you to these sources based on their own experience.

Many groups, especially entrepreneur and industry associations, provide valuable information and training. They can help you stay on top of current trends and sharpen your skills.

Of course, it’s ideal if you get clients or referrals as a result of joining an organization. But if that’s your only goal, you’re likely to drop out fairly quickly.

If you want to get the most out of an organization, don’t just go to one or two meetings; attend regularly, volunteer, serve on a committee. That’s how people will get to know you and how you’ll make the best contacts.

8 ways to cut costs starting your business

1. Get free advice from a successful mentor who’s already been through the first stages of starting a business.
2. Have your business plan drawn up for free by submitting your business to an MBA class.
3. Barter strengths with other business owners.
4. Get low- or no-cost advice from a university-affiliated Small Business Development Center.

5. Hire a virtual secretary.
6. Hire college interns to help with the small tasks.
7. Give the illusion of having more than one location by renting office space on an hourly basis.
8. Enlist the help of your support network.

as seen on Entrepreneur

We are 'green'

We are committed to a clean environment. Our office is almost paperless (hence pr-online) and we have our website hosted with a provider that is powered by 100% renewable energy.

What to do when the Economy is down

A down economy is challenging for every business. Now there is a study out that shows that consumer are paying less attention to new product launches when the money is tight. This is especially hard for emerging businesses, according to a recent survey.

This study showed that out of 1,000 consumers 69 percent could not recall a single product launch this year.
What does that mean for your business?

You need to worker harder to grab your customers attention. How do you do that? You either start putting your dollars into advertising or you start making a communication plan that includes a strategy for building a reputation and trust in your service/products and company.

• Set aside time to set your communication goals.
• Look at your budget.
• Look where your customer are.
• Determine what medium you are going to use.
• Plan how to measure your communication success (what worked, what didn't work).
• Eliminate what didn't work.
• Do more of the things that worked.

Remember:
Contact the media at least once a month for the reasons I described at the beginning.

can you afford to have an ad running every month? A medium ad can cost you $200-$2000 (depending on the magazine or newspaper).

The same amount can get you into six and more magazines when doing PR. It also builds your reputation to have someone else talking about your business other than yourself.

If you decide to need help in getting your word out, don't hesitate to contact us. It's our business.
http://www.pr-online.com/

9 tips for public speaking

1. Know your material.
Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.

2. Practice. Practice. Practice!
Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words; Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.

3. Know the audience.
Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.

4. Know the room.
Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.

5. Relax.
Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. ("One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. Pause. Begin.) Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.

6. Visualize yourself giving your speech.
Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping – it will boost your confidence.

7. Realize that people want you to succeed.
Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for you.

8. Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem.
The audience probably never noticed it.

9. Concentrate on the message – not the medium.
Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and concentrate on your message and your audience.


By toastmasters international.

More tips on pr and communications at http://www.pr-online.com/

Send us your questions

Send us your PR questions and we will answer a selection of them in our next blog. You can stay anonymous if you wish.  info@pr-online.com

9 ways to run your company

Public Relations can do a lot for your business, it can bring you new customers, build trust to current customers, gets the word out and raise your reputation. As PR professional, my team and I stand behind your company as if it is our own. We care and want you to succeed. Here are 9 tips that get you ahead:

1. Make mistakes.
You won't like it but you will learn from it, analyze them and eliminate them.

2. Your business is YOU.
This one addresses start-ups and small business owners. Be true to yourself, like what you do and do what you do well. Treat your customers and the people you work with like you want to be treated.

3. Offer something other people want…
and in many cases need. You don’t just follow your passion unless your passion produces something other people will pay for. PR can help you explain your product or service to the public, with an objective and fresh view.

4. Plan
Have a business plan - even if it's only two pages. Keep adjusting it, changing and adapting - because the market is ever changing as well.

5. Don't spend money you don't have
Unless you know it is a ROI (Return of Investment).

6. Invest in business growth
Sit down and think what would help your business grow. Is it an accountant that could do you bookkeeping more effective and in less time than you? Is it to let others know you exist (hint, hint) or is it a part-time staff to answer phones and do other administrative work that keeps you from running your business?

7. Put growth ahead of profits
Invest in product or service quality, branding and marketing - after you know that the cash flow comes first.

8. Hire wisely
After you start your company, you will likely do most of the work yourself. Once you grow, take your time to find the right people that share your values and combine them with their expertise. Don't just hire to keep them occupied. Make sure they give you back the time you used to spend on these tasks and you can now use to grow your company.

9. One big family
Make sure you have a positive and dynamic atmosphere in your company. We have seen lots of companies where the employees refer to the management as 'they' instead of seeing the company as a team. We have coached business owners in internal communication with the goal to have everyone saying 'us' and 'we'.

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6 FREE pr tools you can't ignore

Building trust by keeping your customers is important for business growth. You might have the time to do your own PR or want to save some money (PR is probably more affordable than you think, not doing PR is costing you more money).

Here are some inexpensive ideas for your DIY pr campaign:

Press Releases
If you or your business has something newsworthy to say, you should submit a press release to all offline news sources. You can also submit press releases online, which can see your business name mentioned in a variety of online news sources. Press Releases are also great for Search Engine Optimisation as they can become ranked in the Search Engines in their own right.

Blogs
Another cheap option to boost your brand, your marketing and your public relations is to use a blog. Blogs are a great way for you to connect directly with your target audiences, as well as provide instantaneous feedback.

Forums
Web Forums are another great way for business owners to network with customers and potential business partners. They are a great way to network and to build your reputation as an expert.

Articles
Submitting articles to online article directories are great for Search Engine Optimisation and for building your expertise. If you provide valuable information, you will get great click through rates, and back links to your main site can help boost the ranking of your main site in the search engines.

Search Engine Optimisation
Build back links through directories, submit articles and have blogs to make sure that your main sites appear high in the Search Engines. Make sure you do proper keyword research to ensure that you are actually appearing for results that people are searching for.

Web 2.0
Social Networking sites such as linkedIn and twitter can be a new and vital way for you to network with potential customers. Web 2.0, and user generated content can be a great way to boost your business.

Guest Blog by Hamish Johnes

check out our website: http://www.pr-online.com/ for more DIY tools or request a free quote if you need some PR help.