Maximising your PR for free

Presentation first given at theWinning Business 2006 Exhibition

Sandown Park13 June 2006

Jonathan SteffenManaging Director

The Corporate Story Ltd.

What does PR mean for you?

• ‘Public relations is about creating understanding through knowledge … [it] is also about effecting change.’Frank Jefkins, Planned Press and Public Relations, Blackie Academic & Professional 1977, reprinted 1986, 1993

• Put more simply, public relations is about connecting with your audiences via your story

Making your story work for you

• Three key premises:– Your business is of value to someone else– You therefore have an interesting story

– The way you tell you story will help people

understand how you can help them

WHAT MADEYOUR COMPANY

WHAT IT IS TODAY?

Who are your audiences?

• Board• Senior Management • Middle management• Employees• Unions and works councils• Key functions

• Consumers• Customers• Suppliers• Business partners• Investors• Analysts• Media• Regulatory authorities• Government• Professional associations• Local communities• NGOs• Competitors• Former/potential employees

External Internal

SELECTKEY

AUDIENCES

Tailoring story to audienceCustomers* Suppliers Investors Government Media

To which audiences does your business really matter?

Why is your business important to these audiences?

What do these audiences need to understand about your business?

What is the best way of reaching them?

ANALYSETOP 5

AUDIENCES

* Example top 5 audiences

Using your story to effect changeCurrent

perceptionDesired

perceptionMechanism Proof point

Customers

Suppliers

Investors

Government

MediaPLAN EACH

SHIFT IN PERCEPTION

The story of your company

BRAINSTORM THE ‘HOUSE’ OF YOUR

COMPANY – WHAT DOES IT

SAY ABOUTYOUR BUSINESS?

Roof:Your over-arching strategy

Driveway:How customers get to you

Windows:Your objectives

Foundations:Your principles

Location:Position in market

Garden:Your appeal

Finding an angle

• Why was your company founded?

• What has been its greatest achievement to date?

• What is a successful day for you?

• If you could start again from scratch with the same company/product, what would you do differently, and why?

• If you wanted people to understand just one thing about your company, what would it be?

THINK OF MORE QUESTIONS THATYOU WOULD LIKE

TO ASK ABOUT YOURCOMPANY IF YOU

WERE A JOURNALIST

PR checklist - Strategic3 key messages

Understanding of audiences

Understanding of channels

Story

Spokesperson

Proof points

Action plan

REVIEW &REVISE

REGULARLY

PR checklist – Operational• Key message document• FAQ• Backgrounder on company• Backgrounders on products and services• Presentation

WORD

• Photos of key personnel• Photos of products/services• Photos of key events• Logo • Brand guidelines

IMAGE

PREPARE & KEEP UPDATED

– USE FOR PRESS RELEASES,

BROCHURES, WEBSITE

ETC.

The 30/3/30 approach

• The medium is no longer the message• Develop a story that will work in all contexts:

– 30-second pitch– 3-minute explanation– 30-minute presentation

DEVELOP FOR THETYPICAL SITUATIONS

IN WHICH YOU ENCOUNTER

YOUR AUDIENCES

Summary

• You have a story• You have audiences that are interested in that story• If you shape your story properly, it will work for you –

across all contexts

Questions …?

About Jonathan Steffen• Jonathan Steffen is Managing Director of The Corporate Story Ltd. He has specialised in corporate

communications for twenty years.

• A graduate of King’s College, Cambridge, Jonathan holds an honours degree in English language and literature. Since graduating, he has combined his interest in writing with his interest in business.

• Before establishing The Corporate Story, Jonathan held directorships at several major PR agencies. He has worked in-house in corporate communications (at Hoechst AG) and also lectured in communication studies (at Heidelberg University).

• Jonathan has advised companies as diverse as Royal DSM NV, Norwich Union Life, Rentokil Initial PLC, Shell European Oil Products, Shell Solar, Johnson & Johnson, Canada Life, Cargill, Inc., Air Products, Inc., Citigroup, Novartis, BASF, GlaxoSmithKline, EUROFORUM GmbH, Energizer, Yahoo!, SAP AG, Henkel Teroson GmbH, Messe Frankfurt GmbH, Carl Freudenberg and Cargolux Airlines S.A.

• Jonathan frequently publishes and speaks on the subject of change in the workplace. His writing has appeared in Business Age, Strategic Communication Management, Journal of Communication Management, Knowledge Management Review and Journal of Change Management, among other titles.

Contact details

The Corporate Story Ltd.Larchmont Office

Wych Hill RiseWoking

Surrey GU22 0ESUnited Kingdom

Tel. +44 (0)1483 751379Fax +44 (0)1483 755176

Email info@corporatestory.co.ukWebsite www.corporatestory.co.uk