Marketing and PR companies which one?

My business is The Display Centre in Fareham and we have been in the same position.

Working with a marketing/PR company can consume large amounts of money very quickly without any tangible results. It is vitally important that you measure any such expenditure in terms of Return On Investment. So it might be great to be featured in this, that and the other but unless it leads to sales then it is not a good use of money.

The place to start is with your existing customers. Are they local or national? Talk to them and collect information - how did they find you, what do they like, what do they dislike, how do they think that you can attract more customers?

Talk to people like Business Link (loads of free advice) and perhaps consider some networking (gives you a chance to pick the brains of others and share you own views).

Do not expect a marketing/PR company to be able to give you answers. The answers will come from you and your business - do you really want to pay someone else to ask the questions?

Once you have some answers and objectives (eg I am going to try an advert in Brides magazine) then is the time to turn to the experts and get their help in a focussed way.

As regards your logo - my own view is that our logo (per se) is largely irrelevant. You have already established a brand and that brand is all about the way in which you present your business. The logo is simply something that people will associate with you brand - so we see the M at the side of the road and we know exactly what we are going to get. A small business cannot expect to be recognised in this way - it would cost millions and for why?

Indeed, in my view the biggest mistake made by small companies is that they pick a name which says nothing about them and then abbreviate it into a logo which says even less. Compare: Hi I am Chris from Bloggs Brides with Hi, I am Chris from Beautiful & Elegant Tiaras or Hi, I am Chris from BET.

Just my thoughts.

Chris

Hi Sally,
I have dropped you an email as I think I could help you.
Best, Louise

You need a business consultant that can give you directions, documentation, plan your finances, analyze market conditions and provide proper marketing techniques. :redface::redface:

Why not outsource this project to professionals on a freelance site and see what happens. You will get more than 20 bids within an hour and you only choose the best.

Try and post your project on ivoireconsultancy.org and just sit back and let people fight for your project. You will receive quotes that could easily fit your budget. And it's free-

Outsourcing will be an excellent idea

Hi Sally,

If your budget is limited, I'd suggest trying viral marketing first - largely because it's free! Sign up to wedding forums, post on wedding blogs, maybe upload a video of you making a tiara to YouTube, ask everyone you know whether they know anybody who's getting married ... these are just some of the ways you can publicise your business without spending money.

Hello Sally
I'm a marketing consultant and I agree with a few of the comments in the thread. When you started the business, did you put together a business plan, marketing plan? Do you know who your competitors are? What do they do? How do they get in front of their target audience? Have you researched not just offline mags but also online media? I think the YouTube video is a great idea. Look at the traditional media and ask yourself, will you stand out in a crowd in an ad in a brides magazine? Are there other tiara makers there? Can you get find someone famous who is getting married and try and offer to make their tiara - some great PR? Get on Twitter - and put out the offer, the amount of celebs on there is growing by the day - and so with a bit of research who knows? Check out wedding photographers they have galleries online - most brides look for photographers - and view their galleries, can you run an advertisement? I have a Marketing Plan Template in FREE STUFF on my blog (http://www.carvillonmarketing.com) you'll also find a Top 20 Marketing Tips there too, but that may not be as relevant just yet! The Marketing Plan template has practical exercises through it - and will help you to think about your target audience, where they are, what competitors are doing, what your usp is, SWOT analysis etc - so that you can do some thinking and create a plan of action. Unfortunately, as wonderful people we marketing consultants are - we too are running businesses - and therefore, whilst I'm very happy to provide advice and share my experience - can't do your planning for you - particularly with no budget. But with a bit of perseverance, why not plan the route yourself - and then bring in experts to help you with targeted implementation - if you consider you need it. In the meantime, good luck

Hi Sally

I design and make jewellery. I am a new business and financially, I am in a similar position to you. I do not have the funds or indeed a budget to instruct someone to do my marketing and PR. So, I contacted Business Link in London (I think they have other centres) and joined on several of their free courses. This was very useful and it also brought me into contact with other small business owners with other skills to my own.

In regard to PR I joined up to a newsletter www.doyourownpr.com and there are really positive stories from people who do their own PR and it works. It seems to me that with PR you have to be consistent...do it regularly each week in order to see results and develop a thick skin for times when journalists just are not interested! Needless to say, this is the bit I have not tackled as yet!

Good luck

Alison