Tag: Public Relations

#publicrelations #promotion #publicrelationsspecialist #smallbusiness

Here’s Why you should be adding more moms to your teams

The year 2022 was a challenge for many, including me. But, it’s also the year I became a mom! While my life revolved around the daily pooping, eating and sleeping habits of this little one, people around me started treating me as If I did not have a life before her. My brand was being equated to being just a ‘mom’. While that title will remain my pride and joy, I did not want to lose myself completely in it.

After thinking about it, I decided to embrace it. Being a mom from now on, will be an integral part of my life, and so will being a PR professional! Here’s why I think more moms should be added to your team.

They know how to prioritize

We have definitely got our priorities in place. Our baby is number one. By the side, we can sift through everything inconsequential and focus on the tasks that matter. As a mom of an infant I know that I may have 5 things to do but I’ll prioritize the 3 most important ones, keeping her needs in mind. Hence with a mom at the helm, you will get a lot more balance. They understand that to achieve the end goal one can adopt many ways to get there.

They can learn anything

Moms know all the shortcuts and how to use them. With a child and with various household tasks on hand, executing them requires a little help. Hence moms won’t shy away from leveraging technology. They will learn new and efficient means to get the job done quickly. If there is something that makes a job more convenient, they will learn it.

They are masters of multitasking

As a mom, you are not only looking after your child, but the entire household. Whether there are things to be done in the kitchen, older family members or other siblings to care for, there is always different things going on simultaneously. It’s why moms are masters at the art of multitasking. They can transfer this skill to their workplace with ease.

They get stuff done

Moms are great at handling a crisis. When my baby was in the NICU for jaundice, I surprised myself by getting through that phase calmly. For ex: my legs were like tree trunks (that’s normal after a delivery), but I was at the NICU because I wanted to bring my baby home. I have also learnt to delegate where ever I can, especially the inconsequential tasks. And, I have mastered how much time each task takes and my baby’s sleep windows, so I know when I can do my own work.

Moms are everywhere

We must remember that clients are parents too! Why shy away from working with moms? Everyone should respect those who complete their work tasks in time. You don’t have to do overtime just to please your boss anymore.

Have I convinced you to work with me? (Wow, how subtle!) Do share your thoughts on this in the comments below.

For more articles like this read here : https://ideapromoters.net/shift-the-narrative-one-achievement-at-a-time/

March 9, 2023
Shift the narrative, one achievement at a time

Shift the narrative, one achievement at a time

Shift the narrative one achievement at a time

The marketing blitzkrieg around Women’s Day brought many issues to the front. It took me longer to put down these words with all the information that I was being bombarded with.  Lately,   I have been mulling the concept of being ‘late to the party’: doing things on your own schedule and not what society and culture dictates. In terms of phrases, I prefer being ‘late to the party’ ‘ than being a ‘late bloomer’.

Let me give you a personal example, I met my husband at 35 and got married at 37 later than what is considered normal. I am happy that I waited but, at the time, I felt left behind. You see all these images, of how marrying before 30 is an example of success. But, if someone were to do research today, they would find more women marrying after 30.

Today, I want to talk about age and success, and how the two aren’t necessarily linked.

Is being successful young the only success?

Let’s look at careers. The 30 Under 30 lists in media publications highlights achievements of those under that age. Got an international position by 30? Heading a business unit by 30? It means you are successful and  on the path to becoming a CEO. For lesser mortals like us, one assumes we will never reach there. Does that mean I am going to atrophy with age because I’ve reached 40? Truth is, my experience has helped me see things clearly and I can contribute more meaningfully. The struggle to find my footing, both personally and professionally, has made me more resilient and I work harder to do things that give me a sense of fulfilment. I think these are going to be my best years, yet!

If you find yourself struggling because you think you are too ‘old’ for something, this may help.

Be like a creator

This past year I had the privilege to immerse myself in a community of painters, potters, woodworkers, soap makers and chefs whilst in Goa. They do not climb any corporate ladder. They create for the sake of creating and get their dues after years of honing their skills. Be like them: take your time.

Just do it your way

Recently I read an article that listed out women who had achieved success later in life. The list unfortunately, did not include any Indian women, so I thought I would make my own. This is a reminder that society and culture do not dictate your achievement timeline.

–       Bhavna Tokekar won four gold medals at the World Powerlifting Championship at the age of 47.

–       Falguni Nayyar  started her business at 49 and went on to take beauty and lifestyle company Nykaa public. Now at 61, she is the wealthiest self-made woman in India.

   Girija Venkatesan started cycling at age 63 and is now a grandma that runs, cycles and swims long distances.

–       At 81 years Usha Soman turned fitness guru and is an inspiration to people who think there’s a right age to get fit.

–       Saalumarada Thimmakka is an environmental crusader known for planting over 8,000 banyan (Ficus) trees in her lifetime. In 2016, the BBC named the 105 year old in their list of 100 most influential women.

–       Mastanamma from Guntur village in Andhra Pradesh was  the world’s oldest YouTuber at 107 years (she recently expired). At 105, she started her own channel Country Cooking where she showcased local and unusual dishes. According to the WHO (2021), India ranks high in a global list of countries most biased against the elderly. It was shocking to read. The WHO report goes on to say that specific cultures — including Indian— do view older people with deference, but that is merely outward cultural obedience rather than actual respect. Clearly, as a culture and society, we need to introspect about how we view accomplishments in terms of age. We maybe old but that does not mean we are out of date; this applies to both women and men.

Break that age bias

Our society is obsessed with start-up CEO’s under the age of 30. Although they maybe the poster boys of success it should be balanced out by praising older folk who have put in their time. One trajectory does not outweigh the other. If you have the skills, your age should not be a deterrent. Just like we are normalising coming back to work after a baby, or taking days off for your periods, we should also normalise making a pivot or even just achieving milestones when you are older!

What are your thoughts on this? Is age just a number? Share stories of your ‘late’ successes.

February 2, 2023
New to the PR profession? Ace these skills

Ace these skills as a new PR professional

I just finished a masterclass on Public Relations (PR). One of the questions asked was ‘what are some skills you need as a new PR professional?’ As it is the beginning of the year, I thought I would share some advice for all emerging PR professionals. Maybe you’ll could benefit from my experience. Looking back, this piece is more a ‘Things I wish I knew at the beginning of my career’.

Build your network

Learning how to collaborate is an important skill for a new PR professional.

In my early career days, I was told ‘a journalist is never a friend’. This followed in the vein of ‘nothing is off the record’ and how ‘we are on two different sides of the table’. Lately the lines separating PR professionals and journalists are blurring . After working with media for awhile, I feel that you should learn how to approach them, intelligently. Some of them can even become friends. You become their trusted resource and that will prove beneficial to the both of you.

Learn to be a generalist

Learn different things as an opportunity to better your career.

I joined the communications sector from the financial sector. Naturally, I was well-versed in financial services. I remember I was told that most people are scared to do financial PR. They think it is technical and difficult to understand. After that I was made to handle an altogether different sector – entertainment. Initially I resisted this change. In hindsight, I benefitted from this experience. It helped me to tell better stories, use the nuances of one sector successfully in the other, learnt how to approach media covering different sectors and overall by working with different journalists became less intimidated of them. My advice: do not put yourself into a silo. If thrust into an unfamiliar situation, use it as a learning experience.

Use technology and design to your advantage

Take advantage of online tools

Many overlook this aspect. You can harness technology and design to do your job better. For instance the quality of presentations from my first job has changed as compared to today. There are many online tools (Some examples; For design-Canva, project planning- Trello, writing-Grammarly and even media tracking-Muckrack) available for free; help is actually a click away. Choose what will make you stand out.

Don’t be afraid to use your voice

Remember to share your insights because they are valid and can be useful

As a profession that has to find the most appropriate way to say things, we sometimes lose sense of what really matters. Talking from experience, the value you bring to the table does not depend on your age. With how fast media changes and the fact that sometimes junior most members are tracking it, in real time, you will have insights that others may not.

Be compassionate

Don’t be so hard on yourself, or others.

You can’t be good at everything. The way this industry asks one multitask, mistakes are bound to happen. Treat it as a learning process and move on. COVID has had an impact on the media too. Hence when you reach out to them, do it in a compassionate manner. Remember they are human, just like you.

To sum up, I have to say, there isn’t a clear roadmap to anyone’s career. I wanted to create a plan and carry it out to a T. I started in financial services, moved to PR, and did stints in startup and corporate sectors, all of which contributed to advancing my career. There was no linear path. That’s why they say the adventure happens when things don’t work out the way you plan them.

If there are PR experts here who have advice for newbies, I’m sure the newbies and I look forward to reading your views in the comments section! Do share.

This first appeared on my LinkedIn, take a look-https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/want-your-business-make-headlines-tell-story-pr-sales-chriselle-b/

Want to read more on PR? https://ideapromoters.net/promote-small-business-endorsement-content-branding-co-branding/

January 25, 2023
Want your business to make headlines? Tell a story. #PR #sales #brand

Everything you do does not make a story. It’s a hard lesson entrepreneurs need to learn. Over the course of my career, I have counselled many business heads/ owners about this very truth. Despite this caveat, it is possible for you to find various themes and interesting talking points about your business.

What are some of these talking points?

Events that have an impact

A lot happens every day. Every time your company goes on a tree plantation drive, it is not newsworthy. However, if you planted a record number of trees that were going extinct OR if the plants actually made a difference to the livelihoods of the community, that is worth exploring. Especially if there is data that says it supplemented the community’s income by X%. The events your small business conducts or participates in needs to be impactful to make a story.

Human interest stories are engaging stories

People are always interested in learning about other people. Human interest stories always find appeal. Look for these stories within your own business: do you employ women entrepreneurs who were originally housewives? Did your sports academy train a local boy and turn him into a national champion?

This is an approach we managed successfully as part of the team that launched the NBA in India. NBA is a huge brand and it was interesting to see what else we could do. Apart from game stats, what would help the brand connect to the Indian market? We then hit upon an idea where we featured a number of Indians, who played basketball, with unique stories. It became a successful series.

Human interest stories are some of the best and most genuine stories you can tell.

Controversy always makes headlines

While they say all PR is good PR, this should be handled with care. Controversy related to issues like politics, protests and fights make news, but you need to be aware that it can also be harmful for your brand. You should look for good bad PR.

Topicality for the win

Try taking advantage of something that is already in the news. If you were manufacturing unique masks for COVID or if you have a meditation technique to cope with COVID anxiety, it will be newsworthy. Sometimes you can even plan for it by commenting on a new government policy, or upcoming festivals and other important events that maybe relevant for your business.

I recently advised a café to create a story around their artisanal sausages. Currently the market is prefers homemade, in small batch products. Given the preference, this was a bigger story than their generic fare.

Unusual stories

Something that has never been heard before always makes news. Especially if it is groundbreaking like a new technology or a new product never seen before in the market. I once cracked one of the largest private equity deals in healthcare. This was in 2012 and was an investment in one of the largest multispecialty hospital chains in South India. This made front page news. If something is being done for the first time, is the largest of its kind, or is unusual in any way, you have something shareable with the audience.

Your story must answer the question ‘Why should I care?” The ‘You attitude’ we learnt a long time ago is important here as well. Think what the audience would say. It is not just about how important the story is for you alone, but how your audience would react/ respond to it.

With these factors in mind, go forth and tell your stories!

https://ideapromoters.net/promote-small-business-endorsement-content-branding-co-branding/

This first appeared on my LinkedIn, take a look – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/want-your-business-make-headlines-tell-story-pr-sales-chriselle-b/

January 10, 2023
5 FREE ways to promote your small business

The small business space in India is an exciting and creative one. I enjoy spending time checking out what online creators and small businesses have to offer. Some entrepreneurs have approached me to discuss their pain/ problem points. Here, I am sharing some suggestions on how they can promote their small business, for free.

Highlight your key differentiator in your messaging

A basic thing that many people get wrong. Your differentiator or your unique selling proposition (USP) is the attribute that makes you stand out from the crowd.

Why be generic when you have something unique to offer? Recently, I had a small business, a café, approach me for help with their promotion. They kept putting up photos of their food on social media. The bigger story there was that they made their own sausages. Imagine using artisanal sausages with unique spice mixes, in their food but, not talking about it! The world is embracing artisanal products, and these sausages tell a story that is interesting enough to share across channels. However, their social media platforms and their offline collaterals did not mention it at all. It was truly a missed opportunity.

Ask for testimonials

It is known that people are more likely to leave negative feedback than positive. It is good to remind them that positive feedback could do a much good to promote a small business. The value of a credible third-party endorsing you positively cannot be underestimated. Ask your customers to share positive feedback on your social media pages if they liked your products or services. You could consider giving your regular customers discounts to incentivize them to keep purchasing. Positive reviews that show up on Google also go a long way in building your brand.

Make friends and family your first champions (supporters)

If you have influencers in the family, make them the first people you tap to endorse your products or services. Celebrities (even the small ones) have a fan base that can translate to leads for your business. The same café I mentioned earlier had a number of famous customers owing to their location and yet, they didn’t feature them on their social media.

It’s time for your siblings or cousins to pay up for all the trouble they put you through while growing up!

Tweak your content to add value

Only talking about your brand can make for boring content. There is much you can use to showcase your expertise and establish a differentiator and highlight brand values to attract potential customers: articles, infographics, eBooks and even videos.

If you are a small business that creates DIY products, consider doing a video on a simple DIY idea to do at home. If you make soaps at home, talk about the ingredients and why organic ingredients are better for the skin. It’s necessary to give as many angles as possible, so that different people can connect to your brand story. A one-dimensional angle for your product will not engage customers.

Market using a partner

Working with another company that has either a similar or complementary target audience can help you increase reach and sales. A tea brand approached a friend of mine who owns a granola brand to be part of their Christmas hamper. This allowed both parties to access each other’s database and reach out to new customers: a win-win situation. Other than offering complimentary products you can even share email lists, feature them on your blog and vice versa, or even have co-branding programmes.

Sharing ideas is always a good way to increase knowledge. What are some of the cost-effective suggestions you have to offer to help promote small business?

I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions on this topic in the comments below.

Want to know more about me: https://ideapromoters.net/about-me/

January 4, 2023