Cornwall has been designated an Objective One area. For those of us who live and work here, Objective One status has brought advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, came recognition that the regional economy can struggle to support a wide range of products and services. On the other, a welcome injection of European funding arrived, driving forward new economic regeneration and growth.

Did you know?

1. Cornwall has around 18,400 businesses, 70% of which employ less than five people.
2. Only 0.4% of the county’s businesses employ more than 200 people. More than 99.6% of Cornish companies are SME’s.

The availability of online information and advances in new office technology have changed the way many SME’s do business today. I.T can bring new business within easy reach, but can also propagate good or bad reputations. Now, all news travels fast.

So why do SME’s need Public Relations?

It has never been more important for a company to handle news properly. For firms in the early stages of their life cycles or those with an unproven reputation, it is vital. In an intimate business community, such as the one which exists in the South West, ‘reputation’ or ‘news’ management becomes especially important. Trust, between businesses or organisations and their stakeholders, is central to sustained and developing business growth.

Public Relations is the dialogue through which trust is fostered and reputation managed. This is where Public Relations comes into its own. It keeps you in touch with all the people who matter. It supports your SME business objectives.

In a recent white paper*, it is stated that, ‘PR can be the single most effective marketing activity for a start-up or early stage business.’

Try an SME PR audit:

Here are two starting points. Ask yourself;

1. How

• is our organisation perceived?
• would we like to be seen?
• can we achieve a change in attitude?
• can we measure what we do?

2. To enhance sales, do we need to

• raise visibility?
• communicate a message?
• increase brand awareness?
• build a brand?
• raise our profile?
• change perception?
• change customer or client behaviour?

Many SME’s are answering ‘Yes’. Media Relations recently came top in the list of marketing activities, above events and trade shows, now regarded as important by a poll of Cornish SME’s.

If this is true for you, Public Relations are the key.

Why PR Communications?

PR Communications is a company based in Cornwall; our team understands the unique socio-economic conditions, the advantages and disadvantages, faced by Cornish companies. After all, we are one, too.

Our team understands the need to manage reputation and handle news in a place where reputation travels fast. We have a tried and tested track record of working successfully to support the business objectives of client SME’s based in Cornwall.

PR Communications understand that PR is a dialogue, and a partnership.

If it’s time for you to start a conversation with your stakeholders, get in touch with us.

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Terms:

SME: Small to Medium Sized Enterprise
(European Commission definition of an SME: between 1 - 249 employees)

Rainier PR, (January 2004), PR for Start-ups and Early Stage Companies

Corporate blogging is a powerful potential PR tool in the SME arsenal. Here is my quick CEO digest.

Corporate Blogs

A company weblog, or corporate blog, is a web diary published by a corporate organisation. Created using a combination of fast broadband Internet connection, easy-to-use web publishing tools and a variety of devices, from static PC’s, mobile laptops and mobile phones, corporate blogs are media spaces aimed at a specific community of interest associated with the corporation, from employees and existing clients, to prospective clients. They invite comment from the audience and can be a tool for on-line education, marketing and networking.

Internal Blogs

These provide an on-line noticeboard or networking area for the members of the corporation and its employees on the company Intranet. Internal blogs are open forums, freed from the usual constraints of formal business communication, which can encourage feedback, the sharing of information, active participation in the culture and commercial life of the corporation, and in its decision making process.

External Blogs

Many corporations are now creating high profile public blogs which carry the company branding and marketing message onto the Internet, building bridges between between audiences involved in the work of the corporation and creating dialogue. These are an additional strand to traditional PR, providing stakeholders with the facility to respond to corporate activity and can channel a vibrant conversation between product or service sales personnel, investors, and commentators such journalists.

Advantages

As the trend for corporate blogs continues to grow, there is little doubt that more companies are coming to regard them as an extension of the corporate brand and voice. Corporate blogs are a powerful communication medium and establishing one transmits a message of trust in the employer/employee relationship. They can also be a powerful way of reaching and recruiting from the ‘Digital Native’ generation, i.e. those born after 1980.

Disadvantages

There are risks involved in corporate blogging. The communications filter of the PR or Marketing Department is gone at a keystroke and there is potential for open criticism of the company. Although the audience are unlikely to notice disclaimers and will tend to believe that the views expressed in the corporate blog are endorsed by the company, it is worth remembering that weblogs can be easily monitored and edited. It is also important to establish who owns the content. Typically, blog content belongs to the employer in a similar way to work related email. Web published material can accrue value, but also bring liability.

Cost

Unlike the traditional company Intranet, or corporate web presence, corporate blogs require minimal technical input or set-up investment and are highly cost effective to operate on an ongoing basis. Ease of access and the immediacy of instant publishing ensures that the corporate content published in the blog remains fresh and dynamic without the need to use third party services.

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What do you think? Could business blogging be a new way for your company to build relationships with customers, suppliers and investors?

Interested in finding out how a business blog might run alongside your existing PR planning?

Creating and maintaining a business blog is one of the services I offer.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch.