public relations | Strawberry Communications: Writing & PR

Reflecting on 2015

December 23, 2015 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Reflection for me is something I don’t spend a huge amount of time doing, however at this time of the year I do like to look back over what has happened in the previous 12 months before planning for the New Year.

So, in the spirit of welcoming a year anew next week, here is my 2015 reflective post. I hope you’ll join me and share the highlights of your own year too via a comment here or on social media.

I set “focus” as my word for the year. While I’ve been very focused in some areas (training and trekking in Peru), I’ve let a few other aspects slide more than they should (I wanted to write more for pleasure and my PhD supervisor is nodding about now). So I’ve got some work to do to catch up in the next year, but here’s a run down of what did happen in 2015.

5 PR Hacks To Get Better Publicity for Your Business

April 30, 2015 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell 1 Comment

Image credit: Unsplash.com

Marketing your business can be hard work. When you’re not working in your business, you should be working on it, which means doing all things needed to make it tick along nicely and earn you a sustainable profit.

So in the interests of helping out fellow business owners who put their PR activity to the bottom of a very long to do list, I thought I might share some of my favourite PR hacks with you. These are a combination of tools websites and services I use to market client businesses, as well as my own, and I hope you pick up something that makes your life easier.

1. Social media – I’ve written extensively about using social media to promote your business here, here and here, to pick a few posts, because social media should always be part of your PR strategy. You don’t need to be across all platforms, in fact I actively dissuade clients from that approach, but picking two where your customers are and where you feel happy to share updates on a regular basis is enough.

8 Steps to Excellent Exhibitions

February 26, 2015 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Award winning stand for Switzerland Tourism. Image credit: http://www.traveldailynews.com/news/article/63147/wtm-honours-exhibitors-in-best

Exhibitions are a major marketing commitment – sometimes even the biggest – for a small business so it pays to make your investment work some magic.

The work begins long before you await prospective customers in your shiny newly built exhibition space, but done correctly it can pay big dividends. Any exhibition related marketing activity should encourage prospects to visit you at the show so they can look at your product and meet your staff.

Here are some steps to ensure that marketing hits the right spot:

1. Target the right people

Go through your database and choose the clients and prospects you want to concentrate on. All your exhibition marketing must be tailored for these people.

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words

December 5, 2012 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell 7 Comments

Sally James

Last week marked the halfway point for the online group PR program Make Me a Star Strawberry Communications is running, and one of the popular topics discussed was using photos in media pitches.

There is something incredibly powerful about a fantastic image (as you can see from the shot of chef and author Sally James to the left), which is why you should always consider sending a photo when pitching a story to the media. It can make the difference between the story running on the front page or, sometimes, not at all.

Here are five tips on sending photos to the media:

Too Busy for Promotion?

September 15, 2008 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

I recently presented at The Brew‘s Central Coast and Newcastle business exhibitions on using public relations to promote business. I met several people at both events who were so busy working on their businesses that they had no time left to do any promotion.

Whether this is a time management issue or the case of small business owners trying to do everything themselves, it doesn’t help the business if there are no new customers coming through the door or logging on to the website. The key to getting these new customers is letting them know you are there through promotion. Wouldn’t it be better for your business to employ an extra person to cope with demand from new customers, than slogging away with same orders month after month? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business PR Tagged With: business directory, business forum, networking event, newsletter, press release, promotion, public relations, small business, The Brew

Making PR Work for Your Business

July 18, 2008 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell 1 Comment

Public relations is just that – managing the way the public views your business.

The best way to do this is through the media – print, TV and radio – because it reaches many people and is not viewed as advertising. But to get the media interested you must have a hook – or a story. This could be something as simple as a new product launch or new employee or something much bigger like a new business or branding. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business PR Tagged With: media, PR consultant, PR for business, public relations, public relations for business

Attractive Qualities

June 5, 2008 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

This poem, by Audrey Hepburn, is beautiful and reminds us of the good things in life.For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. [Read more…]

Filed Under: My Stuff Tagged With: audrey hepburn, central coast, Johanna Baker-Dowdell, public relations, writing

Inspiring Quote

June 4, 2008 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

I read a great quote while at the hairdresser this morning. I’m not sure who to attribute it to, but it really stuck with me:

“It’s not how many breaths you take in your life that matters, but how many moments take your breath away!”I feel truly inspired by this.

Filed Under: My Stuff Tagged With: central coast, inspiring quote, Johanna Baker-Dowdell, public relations, wamberal, writing

Making Mailing Lists Work for Non-Profit Associations

May 7, 2008 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Promoting a non-profit organisation demands a carefully executed marketing plan to ensure you are getting maximum results for minimum expense.

It is important to start by researching what other similar organisations are doing, defining the target market and developing a marketing campaign focusing on the organisation’s benefits, services, values and donation opportunities. Other marketing methods may include building a website, public relations and building alliances with the media, government agencies and complementary businesses. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business PR Tagged With: mailing list, marketing, Non-profit organisation, public relations

10 Tips for Marketing Your Business Online

April 30, 2008 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

With so many businesses jumping onto the online bandwagon, you need some savvy marketing to make yourself stand out from your competitors. Here are some tips to get you noticed online.

1. Encourage Web Browsers to Stay
Ensure your website is eye-catching and easy to navigate, giving browsers – or potential customers – every reason to stay and have a good look around. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business Tips Tagged With: banner advertising, blogging, call to action, email marketing, follow up, internet fraud, online business marketing, online competitions, Online marketing, public relations, search engine marketing, SEO, testimonials, web browsing, web chameleon, website links

Reflecting on 2015

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words

Making PR Work for Your Business

Attractive Qualities

Inspiring Quote

Making Mailing Lists Work for Non-Profit Associations

10 Tips for Marketing Your Business Online

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