Monday, July 07, 2008

Discovering The Secrets of Great PR over breakfast at the Faringdon Business Breakfast Club

Networking is key to the success of many businesses and Morgan PR is among those breakfast warriors who shun the embrace of goosedown for the scent of bacon and a referral.

One of the groups I regularly attend is the Faringdon Business Breakfast Club, which meets on the first Monday of the month at the Faringdon Enterprise Gateway Centre, and this morning I was responsible for the education slot, and offered 'The Secrets of Great Public Relations'

I guess the real secret is that there is no secret ingredient, to borrow from one of the summer's blockbuster movies. The reality is that every business out there is brimming with stories that would capture column inches or airtime. This presentation was about giving hints and tips on how to spot and exploit their opportunities.

Questions, as they often do, focused on blogging. Business owners can grasp PR and marketing, search engine optimisation and so on, but blogging is still on that fringe (albeit a very large fringe indeed) of 'you know you really should, but you're not sure you could'. I know it works! This blog works and the fact you are reading it now is proof it works!

The caption competition almost stumped the group and it was left to guest and Business Link Advisor Rob Banfield to come up with a witty line for the photo below of a clearly gruelling occasion from my Thames Valley Police days. What was it? That would be telling and besides, I use this caption competition quite often when I give this presentation!

He scooped a box of ultra fresh eggs from the Morgan PR chickens, another cracking idea from the foremost public relations company in the Thames Valley!

2 comments:

Graham Jones said...

It's interesting how so many people can't quite grasp blogging. When I talk about blogging I hold up the front page of Business Week which says that blogging is essential. I then reveal the date of the publication (May 2005). I then ask how many people have started their blog which Business Week described as a "pre-requisite" for doing business in the 21st Century three years ago...! And then when I ask about their social network marketing strategy - they're lost completely. Yet waiting to deal with these things is no longer an option. Business now operates in a completely different environment than it did three years ago. Blogs and social networking participation are no longer "side issues" they are the very stuff of business - without them you are not in business, or won't be for much longer....!

Nigel Morgan said...

Once again the wise words of Graham Jones are added to the debate. I actually quoted Graham to the group today and credited him, as I so often do, with inspiring me to start what has become a profitable blog, attracting stone cold leads that have converted into business.
It has also led to invitations to speak and helped populate client seminars we have blogged about.
It is an essential tool in our public relations and marketing arsenal!