Strawberry Communications: Writing & PR

PR Tips from Seven Years of Newsletters

October 26, 2016 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

As I wrote last month, I’ve been working for myself for 10 years and seven years ago I started appearing in your inbox every month.

I thought it fitting to review the 360 posts on the Strawberry Communications blog to share some of the key articles I’ve written in that time (plus two bonus posts pre newsletter that I thought you’d like). Here you’ll find tips on small business PR, making the most of your business story and some analysis on where PR fits in the marketing mix.

PR Myths Exposed

I am an Australian Anthill newsletter subscriber and a recent edition featured a great article by Jules Brooke from Handle Communications on the Five Myths of PR.

I come across many business owners who aren’t sure of the benefits of public relations to their business. I have no problem with that, because it’s my job to tell them how PR can work to promote their business, but there are some basic assumptions that Jules covered in her article that really resonated with me.

Read on for the myths.

Guest post: 5 Tools That Will Boost Your Social Media Marketing

October 14, 2016 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Photo credit: unsplash.com

This is a guest post by Lisa Michaels.

Social media management for businesses requires more effort than it might at first seem. In order to keep your audience engaged, you always need to have new content and activities available. Generating new ideas and publishing content, however, requires almost endless creativity and diligence.

Online tools for social media management can help you speed up content creation and improve the quality of your work. By using them you can accomplish more with less time than you ever thought possible. Here are five tools that will help you manage a successful social media presence.

Buffer

Marketers often face time management and accuracy challenges. Part of the problem stems from logging into every social platform to upload content. During the flurry of daily activity, you can become confused and make mistakes such as posting content to the wrong platform or forgetting to publish posts on time.

Guest post: 5 Email Campaign Ideas To Help Increase Conversion Rates

August 24, 2016 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Image credit: unsplash.com

By Rachael Everly

Reaching out to your potential customers via the right marketing and sales channel is the first step in an effective digital marketing strategy.

Not everyone you are targeting may necessarily be in the right frame of mind to buy your product, but that certainly does not mean you cannot convert that lead into a sales opportunity. The most important thing is to establish an effective communication channel – and the least expensive channel, as well as the one that requires minimum effort, is email funnels.

Your target market may be an amalgamation of different consumers, hence you should be careful when implementing your email campaign to narrow down your emails to personalised messages, not one email sent to all.

Storytelling Tools for Your Business

July 27, 2016 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Image credit: unsplash.com

Human beings are social creatures. We love connecting with others and one of the simplest ways to facilitate this connection is through storytelling. Business owners can use that instinctive attraction to stories in marketing, by inviting customers to connect through a form of communication we’re all comfortable with.

I’ve written about the power of storytelling through data, creative writing and advertising already, but in this post I want to share some of my favourite storytelling tools with you.

Social media

Social media has enabled businesses to tell stories in more fun, simple and effective ways than ever before, building on those innate connections I mentioned above. Whether you want to live blog an event you’re hosting via Twitter, share your fundraising efforts for a local charity through boosted posts on Facebook or showcase your online store’s unique style through Instagram or Pinterest, social media is the place to do it. Almost everyone has – and uses – their phones to stay connected all day, every day. We all access various social media platforms multiple times throughout the day, meaning you can be connecting with customers via storytelling on their favourite platform at any time.

6 Things Every Media-Savvy Small Business Owner Should Do

May 3, 2016 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Photo: unsplash.com

This post is not about the skills you should have to run a business; it’s about what you need to do if you want media attention.

Unless your business revolves around something we absolutely must have, like water or you’re an expert in a medical specialism, you will need some level of publicity to survive. Often that publicity comes in the form of media interest – both from traditional outlets like a newspaper, or newer platforms, like social media.

If you want to get media attention then you need to be media savvy. Here are some tools and tricks to help you along the way:

Be photogenic

Whether a journalist has called asking for your opinion on a big story or you’ve been invited to speak at an event, you will need a good quality, high-resolution photo available. Get it done now, and then when they ask for it you’ll have one ready to send immediately. For more on photos for business PR, read my post A Pictures Tells a Thousand Words.

Crafting the Best Media Release

February 29, 2016 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/wajusTqz_FI

I’ve written and spoken about how to write media releases many times (I even give away a report to new subscribers to my newsletter). I thought it was about time to revisit the topic because it’s even harder to get noticed by the media now than ever before.

Journalists receive hundreds of emailed media releases every day so there must be something that makes yours climb to the top of this heap. I’ll share some ways to ensure this happens with you here.

Make is newsworthy

The opening of your store or book launch is newsworthy to you, but not necessarily to a journalist. The local media will most likely be interested in this story because their audience likes knowing what is happening in their area, but to appeal to national and industry media you’ll need to do some more work. Think about why you are opening the store in that location – are you responding to demand for a physical store in that suburb because people can’t find what they need online? Or is your book answering burning questions or providing information no other book does? Drill right down to what makes your news interesting to each segment of the media (Hint: each media outlet will have a slightly different idea of what newsworthy is.)

Case Study: Building A Not-for-Profit Profile Using Facebook

February 29, 2016 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Facebook can be a great tool for spreading the word when it comes to not-for-profit organisations, but there is a technique to posting content your audience wants to see.

I started volunteering as Food Plant Solutions’ social media coordinator in August 2015 and have been actively posting on the FPS Facebook page since September 2015. Food Plants Solutions helps people in developing countries to grow the best local foods to match their nutritional needs. I post 3-4 times per week with a mix of Food Plant Solutions news, inspirational quotes and fun updates.

I’ve put together some comparisons to show the extent of the relationships FPS has built online in the first five months of my involvement.

Guest Post: Social Media for Small Businesses – Hone Your Self-Promotion Tactics

October 1, 2015 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

Business management consultant, author, and educator Peter Drucker said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it”.

As a small business owner or self-employed writer, you know the importance of creating your own future, and of using social networking platforms to do it. To an independent employer, social media is a necessity in the modern business world.

Luckily, the most prominent social networking entities understand their role in advertising and developed new applications and tools for those in the business of growing a business.

Johanna interviewed for The Mumpreneur Show

September 3, 2015 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

I was recently interviewed by Petra Jones for her Mumpreneur Show podcast about generating PR for small businesses, writing Business & Baby on Board and running a business with a family in tow.

Listen to the full podcast by clicking through below.

Filed Under: Business PR Tagged With: business, Business & Baby on Board, Business PR, Johanna Baker-Dowdell, Petra Jones, PR, small business pr, Strawberry Communications, The Mumpreneur Show, writing

Spring Clean Your PR Activity

August 27, 2015 By Johanna Baker-Dowdell Leave a Comment

The days are starting to lengthen, the temperature is rising and gardens are full of pretty blooms. Spring is definitely on its way and the change of season is the ideal time to revisit the way you communicate with your audience.

Throw off the sluggish wintery mood (or is that just me who feels like hibernating when it’s cold?) and think about the renewed messages you’d like to get across and how. I’ve put together a list to help you along.

Publicity: We’re well and truly into the second half of the year now, so consider any publicity you’d like to generate during the remainder of 2015. Are you planning to roll out a new product or service before year end? Do you have seasonal promotions in the calendar? Can you put together something in the lead up to Christmas? Make use of that spring on your step and generate some publicity that will carry you through until the New Year.

Communication: How have your messages been received during the year? Could your newsletter do with some sprucing up, are you utilising your social media regularly or is your website/blog looking a little tired? The words and platforms you use to promote your business and your own personal brand affects how prospects view you. If you have been trying to communicate with your audience using too many methods or in an array of places, it is time to trim what isn’t working and wow everyone with what has the biggest impact.

Networking: It’s easy to get into the habit of staying in when it’s dark and cold outside, but spring means that is no longer the case. It’s time to shake off that stale winter fug and meet some new people. Find some small business networking events to attend, enrol in a course or attend some business workshops to extend your skills. This goes for offline and online activity – it’s great to meet new people and reinvigorate your network in real life and via social media.

Are you excited to get out there and pep up your PR activity? I’m feeling pretty enthusiastic just writing about it.

I’d love you to let me know which aspect of your PR needs a spring clean – and what you did about it. Leave a comment below or share with me on Twitter or Facebook.

Filed Under: Business PR Tagged With: Networking, publicity, small business communication, small business networking, small business pr, small business publicity, social media, spring clean, spring clean your PR activity

PR Tips from Seven Years of Newsletters

PR Myths Exposed

Guest post: 5 Email Campaign Ideas To Help Increase Conversion Rates

Crafting the Best Media Release

Case Study: Building A Not-for-Profit Profile Using Facebook

Johanna interviewed for The Mumpreneur Show

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