Category Archives: PR

Testimonials – how to get them, what to do with them and how to react to online reviews

7 April, 2015

Feedback is one of the most valuable weapons on your business arsenal. In our digital age, word of mouth isn’t just limited to face-to-face interaction anymore, and a happy customer has the potential to spread the word about your business far and wide. However, for the same reason, receiving feedback can also be a bit of a scary prospect. What if nobody wants to give you a good testimonial? Or what if a disgruntle customer writes something unpleasant about you online? Read on for some valuable advice from Nicola, Director of Propose PR .

There’s a school of thought that, if people are passionate fans of what you do, there will always be vocal critics as well. With success comes mixed opinion, so how do you put your best face forward and take control of your brand image online using client feedback?

How to collect testimonials

Collecting testimonials is an ongoing process. You can never have too many, even if you don’t use them all on your website at one time.

If you’re nervous, start by approaching current and past clients that you know are happy with your work. Ask if they’d be willing to write a short testimonial about your products or services.

Once you have a few to start with, keep an eye out for future happy customers. If somebody sends you great feedback, reply and say how happy you are that they were pleased with your services, and ask them if you can quote them in the testimonials section of your website. Asking to use existing private feedback in public is a lot less intimidating than asking somebody out of the blue.

Finally, make life as easy as possible for people. If you know they’re very pressed for time, make it clear that even a short testimonial is very valuable to you, or that it can be delivered in any way that’s convenient to them, by phone or by email.

If somebody refuses your request for a testimonial, do the daunting thing and ask why. You may hear things you don’t like, but even bad feedback is better than no feedback. Then you can understand how to improve your offering in the future.

How to use testimonials

Personally, I think that there’s no such thing as too many testimonials. It’s easy to be cynical and think that companies only choose the very best feedback to put forward, so putting up higher volumes of shorter snippets is a good way to go.

If you have testimonials from prestigious companies or from press reviews, make those more prominent as they carry a lot of weight. If somebody’s written an article about you, include a quote from the article and then link to the rest of it so that people can read it in context.

Aside from adding testimonials to your website, it’s also nice to post the occasional bit of praise on social media. It may seem counter-intuitive to blow your own horn, but remember this is legitimate feedback from a happy customer, and that shouting about it is just part of a good PR strategy.

You can also use testimonials to win new business or, with permission, as a quote in a press release.

How to react to reviews online (good and bad)

Before you can react, you need to know where to find reviews of your products or services online. If you’re selling a product, this could be through your retailers. If you’re a physical business place, it could be on Yelp, Tripadvisor or social media. The important thing is to be aware of what’s being said about your brand so you can stay on top of the conversation.

On Twitter, check regularly to see if your business name is being mentioned. Set up a Google news alert for your business name and always check websites where you’re listed or likely to be talked about.

When somebody posts a positive review online, it’s nice for them to have a little interaction. Post a thank you note and let the reviewer know that they’re a valued customer.

Now for the tricky part – handling negative reviews online. It’s a horrible feeling when somebody posts something unflattering about your business on the Internet. You might even feel incensed or unfairly targeted, but this is when keeping a cool head can mean the difference between appeasing an angry customer and causing a much bigger PR crisis.

One thing to never, ever do is start a dispute. Unfortunately, in the public’s eyes, even the most unreasonable customer is king and you can’t afford to look petty or like you can’t handle criticism or deal with complaints professionally.

Unless there are outrageously damaging allegations to answer (in which case, I would suggest consulting a lawyer before responding) keep it short and sweet and don’t get drawn into an argument. Start by apologising that the client feels let down. Then let them know if the reason for their disappointment was a one off.

If it’s a more fundamental problem with your product or service, try to take the criticism offline and into a private conversation. Explain that you’re very sorry and that you’d like to resolve the issue. Provide a direct email address for them to contact you and move the conversation to a private context to provide a refund, voucher or some other form of compensation.

The most important thing to take from feedback is to understand what you do best and what you need to improve upon. Don’t be discouraged and use all your reviews, good and bad, as an opportunity for growth.

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Making the most of wedding fairs or events and maximising your coverage

28 May, 2014

If you are organising an open day, showcase or even exhibiting at a wedding fair, you will want to read on for some valuable advice from Nicola, Director of Propose PR . Over to you Nicola.

Top ten tips on making the most of a one-off occasion

Think ahead and build a communication strategy with a budget and timeline. You could start with a series of teaser campaigns, revealing more and more information as the event gets closer, or by giving away tickets as a prize to select media channels. The key to a good communications timeline is consistency, so make sure if you have an initial burst of activity that you keep it up and don’t forget to carry on the promotion.

  • Don’t just use social media to shout about yourself. Engage with couples that are attending the event. Most events will have a Facebook page or hashtag, so be part of the conversation that brides are already having, so that definite attendees know who you are well in advance.
  • Write a list of the communication channels available to you, such as social media, magazines, blogs and newspapers, your customer database and leaflets / direct mail and decide which channels target the right audience for your event.
  • So you have your target audience in mind – now tell them what they want to hear. Aside from the obvious details, such as where, when, who, how much and so on, what makes your event truly unmissable? What are its unique selling points and how can you get them across in an original and exciting way?
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  • If you’re attending an event that’s external to your business, like a wedding fair, don’t miss the chance to promote your presence on your website, blog, email signature, database, e-newsletter, flyers and by word of mouth. Make sure brides can find you by mentioning your stand number and who will be representing you.
  • Don’t just be ordinary. Think about how you can you make your stand or event extra special. You could run a competition, give away discounts for on-the-spot purchases, goodie bags for stand visitors or even arrange something interactive like on-stand entertainment, tastings, the facilities for brides to try on dresses or makeovers. Make sure that you shout about it too – the more you can engage potential customers in advance, the better.
  • Stand-out styling can make all the difference to post-show publicity. Major press in attendance will be looking for the most striking and unique images to feature in their write ups, so be eye catching, original and let your styling say something about you and your business.

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  • Make the most of your money by using the fair or event’s own publicity channels. Most wedding fair organisers will have a marketing plan that all exhibitors can benefit from, for example including a write up of your business on their website, blog, show guide and social media channels. It also helps if other big-name businesses are exhibiting, and you are listed alongside them as it shows potential customers that you are in the same calibre as well-known suppliers.
  • Make a lasting connection by swapping details. Don’t just let brides have a quick look at what’s on offer and pass you by, implement a way to give out your information, such as attaching your business card to free gifts. In turn, get brides to enter their details in a way that benefits them, via a prize draw, for example. This information is gold and should be stored onto your database and used for email marketing.
  • Ask the event organiser if they would like you to do a workshop or take to the stage to do a talk or Q&A session with the brides. This is a great way of not only promoting yourself and your company but it’s also a chance for you to be known as an expert in your field. This gives you the unique opportunity to interact with brides on a whole new level, build trust and show them what you can do.

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Propose PR is the first dedicated wedding specialist PR agency in the UK (and we are delighted that they are the UKAWP PR agency). Working with a range of high-quality and well-loved wedding suppliers, Director of Propose PR, Nicola Russill-Roy knows how to help clients get great results and publicity out of wedding fairs and in-store events.

For further details about Propose PR and their range of PR and Marketing services dedicated to help companies within the wedding industry please visit www.proposepr.com.

Nicola@proposepr.com @ProposePR (Twitter) www.facebook.com/ProposePR.

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UKAWP engages Propose PR

23 April, 2014

We are delighted to announce that Propose PR will be acting as our PR Agent going forward.
Having worked with Nicola Russill-Roy of Propose PR before we feel her knowledge and understanding are superb and will help further to cement the UKAWP’s position in the market place both amongst brides and grooms, and the wedding industry as a whole. This in turn will help promote our wonderful member planners and suppliers.
We very much look forward to working with Nicola and would like to take this opportunity to welcome her on board.
Sandy & Bernadette

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PR and Marketing For People With No Time!

17 October, 2013

We originally uploaded this article last September but as this is the time most planners start working hard on marketing and PR for 2014, we thought a little reminder would be useful.

Here at the UKAWP we love Paula from “Do Your Own PR” for her straight forward advice on PR, she explains how PR can work for the small business without spending thousands on a PR company (but hey if you can afford a consultant then great, go for it!). In fact students of Business Practicalities receive her book to assist them with their PR!

* Do you sometimes find all these things we should be doing to promote our businesses absolutely overwhelming?

* Do you often start doing something to promote your business but months or even weeks later find it has trailed off?

* Do you want to find out what you should be doing in the minimum amount of time you have, and create systems to make sure it gets done?

As a planner and director of the UKAWP I could relate to her opening bullets– the wedding industry has rapidly grown over the last 10 years, whereas once sending a few press releases was enough to get noticed by journalists it now doesn’t even ‘touch the sides’.

Paula says………..

If you listen to everyone (sometimes including me!), you should be Tweeting, networking, writing and sending out press releases, maintaining a Facebook group for your business, sending out product shots or tips and advice, direct marketing through email and post, holding events, pinning on Pinterest…phew…and that’s only the ones that I can think of right this minute.

The truth is you cannot do it all. Not without killing yourself in the process anyway. PR companies don’t even do it all nowadays, as more and more of them are niching into their specific areas of expertise or interest.

The key to successfully promoting your business and not killing yourself, or melting under huge swaths of guilt about not being able to do everything, is to work out what is most likely to work for you and business, stay focused and build in systems to make sure it gets done.

The UKAWP say….

Whenever Paula has presented to the UKAWP at our workshops or seminar she has always reinforced the following message “you can’t be expected to do it all”. Find out what PR method works best for you and concentrate on that, far better to use a few mediums consistently then give a half hearted effort to all of them.

And if you are still struggling then give Paula a call as she has some fantastic programmes to help coach you to PR success.

 

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The Discipline Issue

22 April, 2013

When we received the most recent newsletter from Paul (Do Your Own PR) we felt it rather relevant to the wedding industry where there is such pressure to be active on all social media platforms. When doing the job + running a business, finding the time to tweet or pin or post, can be rather difficult.

This issue I want to talk about discipline, and, no, this isn’t going to be about Fifty Shades of Grey, although I do have a post on my blog here about that! I want to talk about self-discipline and its importance in doing your own PR.

Paula Gardner

I’ve been struggling with self-discipline lately. I don’t think I am busy lazy or unmotivated. I have noticed that recent changes to the way that we work, such as having one eye on social media ready to respond, retweet or reply, are making a difference to my output, and not in a good way. I am a big advocate of social media, but, at the same time, I realise its dangers, for me especially. I find it can be rather addictive, but, more than that, completely distracting.

That’s not to mention the fact that I often have Firefox, Internet Explorer and Chrome running all the same time, all logged into different accounts and doing different things. And I haven’t even got around to Skype, Tweetdeck or Google Chat. Argh! The end result has been working when I should have already finished for the day, catching up on myself. And that’s not good.

I used to think I was good at multi-tasking but now I am wondering whether I have just been kidding myself. Not only have I been flicking from one activity to another, that flicking from activity to activity has become a habit - the norm, and I don’t like it.

So, I’ve taken myself right back to the way I used to work - a short to do list that isn’t too overwhelming, only opening one account at a time, reminding myself that that latest Tweet/Facebook post isn’t really going to add to the bottom line of my business, not in reality.

But getting that article done/replying to my client/sending this newsletter out will.

It struck me that I seem to work best when differentiating between what I would call HARD WORK - getting things out there in front of potential clients and journalists, and SOFT WORK, things that I can be doing (often via social media) to raise presence and just keep up a profile out there. Ok, perhaps hard and soft are not perfect ways to describe them, but the HARD WORK is often just that - hard because it takes self discipline to get down to it, and the other stuff doesn’t (for me that is - you might be completely the opposite in what you find easy and hard to get done).

So, my to do list needs to have the HARD Work items prioritised, and I can’t do the easy distracting (and often fun) stuff until they are done. Sounds a bit simple doesn’t it…but try putting it into practice after a good few years of living a multi tasking life. It is incredibly hard, but already I am noticing a difference. I can stay with a task for longer, have seen solid shifts the amount of revenue raising work I am doing, and actually, I do feel calmer and less distracted.

How can this help you?

You might want to think about those PR activities you keep saying you’ll do (press release, phone up journalists, offer to write articles) and think about whether like me, you are being distracting by a million other things and just not getting them done. It might be a case of you simply don’t have time, but I bet at least half of you out there could easily find the time if you cut down on something else.

 

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