< Previous50 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PUBLIC RELATIONS I am writing this ahead of the 2020 East Midlands Bricks Awards taking place at the end of October, for which I am one of the sponsors. It will be a little different this year as I won’t have to be balancing business cards in one hand and canapes in another, let alone politely declining a glass of fizz (probably) until I have introduced the shortlist. That’s because we are of course going ‘virtual’ for the first time. So whilst this may mean there are fewer opportunities for physically meeting, there are actually even MORE opportunities to make the most of the awards. The problem is, whether it is the traditional black-tie shindig, a more informal soiree, or this new virtual venture, I just know that most people never make the most of these opportunities. Around this time last year I was crowned one of the top 5 PR advisers in the UK. “Well bully for you Greg!” I hear you groan. Touché. However, I want to show you what I did with this and what very few others who win awards (or make the finals) do. Then, if you win at the Bricks or in other awards, you can actually leverage them better. You see, when I enter awards (for myself or for my clients), I already have a marketing and PR plan in place for whether I do WIN or I don’t, so either way, I will be making a song and dance about it. The problem is, when I see OTHER people and businesses winning awards or making shortlists, I don’t see them really leveraging the opportunity. So, in the spirit of transparency, here is what I did last year. If you think about it, I’m doing it again right now with this piece. 1. Announce that I have made the Top 50. Blog, social media, and newsletter. I Plan properly for truly award-winning PR results By Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR. 50-51.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:54 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 51 PUBLIC RELATIONS also let some choice media contacts know, including of course this magazine. That wasn’t to jump the gun, rather, it had two motives – to flag it as a POTENTIAL story and get it on the radar should I win and also to flush out any other opportunities they may need for comment in the lead up and aftermath of the event. 2. Planned and wrote a direct mail campaign which dovetails with a lead magnet – basically a FREE download – on how and why you should enter awards using myself and other clients as the case studies. 3. Got ready to share the day and the evening of the awards on social media, joining in the chat to explore potential joint ventures and forge new alliances with like-minded business owners. 4. Ensure I got a photo at the awards, win or not, so that I can leverage the opportunity on getting back to the office. 5. Should I WIN (I made the top 5, not bad across the UK!), release the story to the press and across all social media channels - HERE IT IS. Seek to position myself further as an expert in my field. This is by no means an exhaustive account of my media and marketing machinations but I wanted to show you what can be done at a MINIMUM so that when you are next up for an award, you can make the most of it. So whether you read this straight after the Bricks Awards or a few weeks from the big day, please start to plan properly for truly award-winning PR results. 50-51.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:54 Page 252 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk CORPORATE HOSPITALITY The online © Shutterstock /DisobeyArt wine and dine 52-53.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:57 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 53 CORPORATE HOSPITALITY The coronavirus pandemic and its ‘second wave’ have certainly impacted how businesses entertain customers and prospects and organise events - countless lunches, dinners, sporting events, rounds of golf, conferences, and office visits have been put on hold. Government restrictions, constant tier movements, social distancing, physical safety, and each person’s different comfort levels mean it is not possible to meet physically with clients in most areas and instances in our region, and it is likely we will be well into 2021 by the time a sense of normality is achieved to enable these meetings. This does not mean wining and dining is completely dead, however. Rather the experience that forges bonds and trust has been relocated to the virtual world - a vital move with it clear that businesses cannot simply wait out the storm. Companies are now entertaining and meeting clients remotely. In doing so businesses are taking advantage of video conferencing, Zoom meetings especially, to recreate some of the magic. An option being used entails scheduling a video call at lunchtime, for which all parties involved order a food delivery, to create a virtual lunch without leaving the house (the location where many of us remain as the Government asks us to work from home where possible). When doing something like this, one might consider ordering the same type of food, perhaps from the same restaurant if possible, to better reflect the real-world experience. One should also consider dressing as you would if you were actually out to lunch, both out of respect and to make the experience more familiar. In creating these experiences online, it is important to remember that just like in real life they are about forming relationships outside of business talk, not presenting a formal pitch. In wining and dining virtually one may also follow numerous companies in sending out care packages or gift cards for restaurant deliveries in advance. For client meetings, plan ahead and pick up the bill ahead of time by sending out wine, snacks, coffee - whatever is suitable to the situation - which you can then match yourself. This also leaves a client with a keepsake. One can even add a little more excitement and surprise to the experience by informing a client that a delivery is to be expected, but not revealing what has been sent. If a business often utilises VIP experiences and live events, there are a number of ways to create these experiences online and give clients a break from current stresses. One might organise an online cooking class, or wine tasting, where groceries and wine are delivered to the client’s door. Meanwhile gifts to show appreciation remain on the table, to be delivered as they were before. What experience you choose will of course depend on what you are aiming to achieve - are you seeking face-to-face time, looking to build a rapport, or aiming to make a client feel important and valued. In sending items out to clients however, one should remember the Bribery Act. Though lunches and distributing thank you champagne to clients, both current and prospective, as a gift are not uncommon, offer a personal touch, and can help maintain solid working relationships, businesses should be aware of the rules of the Bribery Act 2010 when wining and dining, just as they needed to be in the pre-COVID world. Businesses must ensure client hospitality is proportionate and reasonable for the type and size of the firm to avoid prosecution. The Bribery Act is of course not in place to prevent legitimate and genuine hospitality, with (in the pre-COVID world) instances such as taking clients out to events like Wimbledon, to dinners, and paying reasonable travel expenses acceptable so long as it is proportionate to one’s business. Businesses should undertake risk assessments for bribery and ensure anti-bribery procedures are in place, as well as be able to demonstrate they have done all that could be reasonably expected to prevent bribery - send out information in emails and talk to employees about the Bribery Act for example. For an offence to be made, prosecution has to show that a client has been offered something with the purpose of bringing about improper performance or to push them to act in a dishonest manner. Though it may have changed the experience significantly, the pandemic has not killed off wining and dining. 52-53.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:57 Page 254 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk MOVEMBER © Shutterstock /SewCream To make a donation, visit www.uk.movember.com/donate 54-57.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:59 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 55 MOVEMBER Movember started life as a challenge between friends in Australia back in 2003. Though this had more to do with trying to revive the humble moustache as a fashion statement, the buzz it generated laid the groundwork for what quickly became the Movember Foundation. The following year, the movement raised funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) and, at the time, this was the single biggest donation it had ever received. The next year, the PCFA were on board as Movember’s first official men’s health partner and, in 2006, Movember was recognised with official charity status in its native Australia, as well as attracting a second official partner and spreading to New Zealand. By the year after, the Movember Board was formally established, and the charity launched in the US, Canada, Spain and the UK with Britain’s own Prostate Cancer Charity. Since then, it has grown and grown, gaining more partners, launching in more countries and, of course, raising more funds for prostate and testicular cancer and suicide prevention. Now it has been ranked forty-fifth out of the top five hundred non-governmental organisations in the world. Where most charities sport a coloured ribbon as their logo, Movember is rightly emblazoned with a moustache. Though anyone is free to make a donation to the charity, or run an event to raise funds, nothing is quite so emblematic of Movember than the sponsored growing of a tash. Movember is the perfect charity outlet for businesses looking to raise funds for a worthy cause, with colleagues, customers and others sponsoring a business leader or partner to grow out their face fuzz. Though some companies, especially in the law and finance sectors, may have a stricter uniform policy than, say, a digital agency, Movember offers the opportunity to let their hair down… literally. Not only can this create a positive atmosphere in-house, it can also inspire conversation with clients, who might themselves be driven to sponsor your spiffing new lip foliage. Men have gained a reputation as being sticklers when it comes to their health. There have been plenty of stories to back up this claim, with the media spotlighting men who have ignored health issues only to find themselves in early graves. Indeed, men are twice as likely as women to ignore health complaints. There’s no easy answer when tackling this issue, with as much of the blame heaped on society and cultural stigmas as men Movember Businesses across our region have a key role to play in helping to raise funds and awareness for men’s health and for human health at large. Movember makes men’s health both fun and accessible, allowing everyone to get involved, right from the sales floor to the boardroom. 56 Á Must be Movember 54-57.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:59 Page 256 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk MOVEMBER © Shutterstock /InnerV isionPRO themselves. In a world which encourages men to shun public emotional displays and maintain a hardened stoicism at all times, it’s hardly surprising that they’d rather ignore health concerns than admit they’re weak or in distress. Society itself needs to evolve to truly overcome this issue, but in the interim, charities like Movember can help ease the stigma and assure men it’s okay to seek help. Prostate cancer is one of the most profound health threats facing men in the UK. According to Cancer Research UK, it is the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK. In 2014 alone, there were around 11,300 prostate cancer deaths, meaning it accounted for thirteen per cent of all cancer deaths in males for the same year. For British men, prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death. That other most pervasive cancer facing men is, of course, testicular. Though it doesn’t claim nearly as many lives, Cancer Research UK reports it still saw sixty deaths in 2014. Worryingly, half of these were aged forty-nine or under. Movember’s mission statement is “to stop men dying too young” and as well as raising critical funds for research and care, that also means raising awareness. But Movember is as much focussed on mental health and physical, with the charity looking at mental health through a male lens and focussing on prevention, early intervention and health promotion. Globally, on average one man dies by suicide every minute of every day and, around the world, six out of ten suicides are men. But by 2030, the charity says it will reduce the rate of male suicides by twenty-five per cent. To get there, Movember is uniting experts, funding bold new approaches and embracing fresh perspectives. Improving overall mental health and helping men establish better social connections can reduce the risk of suicide. But it’s up to all of us to try and make a difference. In the wake of COVID-19, support for prostate and testicular cancer is more important than ever. The Movember ‘super network’ Movember is launching the world’s largest network of prostate cancer patient registries which will have the power to transform treatment and care of the disease by harnessing the ‘real world’ experiences of over 130,000 men. The global ‘super network’ – believed to be the first of its kind – will contain detailed clinical information on the diagnosis, treatment and survivorship of prostate cancer patients from over 15 countries. The project will fast-track efforts to improve the treatment and care for men diagnosed and living with prostate cancer. Movember is aiming to grow the network to include data on 250,000 men within the next five years. The data will enable prostate clinicians throughout the world to measure and benchmark the health of their patients after treatment, providing them with vital information to improve the quality of prostate cancer treatment and care. 54-57.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:59 Page 3#AlwaysHereForYou WE’RE HERE TO help Your choice of appointments: Video, Phone or In-Person Full range of Legal Services: Individuals & Businesses Our dedicated staff all worked safely and securely from home throughout thelockdown. So no matter what happens this winter, you can depend on Hopkins to support and guide you through this difficult time. 01623 782 783 www.hopkins-solicitors.co.uk 54-57.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 13:59 Page 458 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk TAX Covid business buzz words By James Pinchbeck, Marketing Partner at Streets Chartered Accountants. It is now seven months since the start of lockdown and certainly the business world has experienced many changes in terms of responding to, and getting to grips with, the impact of the pandemic. The way we work, where we work, when we work and even the type of work we do has changed for most of us, if not all. As such and as is often the case with such significant changes and circumstances, it is not untypical for new words and phrases to come to the fore as we look to be able to communicate with each other on and around the situation. Over the last few months or so there have been a number of words and phrases banded about, some perhaps new words and some words and phrases that have gained increased use or used in a new context. The following 10 words or phrases are the ones that seem to have had wider use and perhaps some of these provide a little light relief: 1. Unprecedented – How many meetings or discussions are including this word and the use of the word ‘times’ to follow as we try to understand and assess the situation we are in and the conditions we face. 2. New norm – in a world turned seemingly upside down and with our pre-lockdown sense of the norm and routine gone, we are all trying to define and even shape what normal now is and looks like. Most of us want some sense of order, routine, processes and structure so that we can function and have a sense of purpose. 3. You’re on mute – whilst the likes of Zoom, MS Teams and Google hangouts existed pre-lockdown the norm was still to have in person meetings, perhaps with the occasional virtual one. Virtual meetings have given rise to their own language and typical behaviours. It would be interesting to know how many times someone has said “you’re on mute” as someone attempts to re-enact a silent movie without the subtitles. 4. Sorry I am late I had trouble connecting – with our roads less busy, stuck in traffic is unlikely to be something you hear from someone late for a meeting. It now seems either as a genuine or less so excuse we blame our connectivity. 5. Pivot – whilst some businesses may have considered the need to respond to lasting change brought about by the pandemic, others have been more focused on short-term survival. In doing so they have chosen to ‘pivot’ their business looking at business models or practices conducive to survival. According to the Harvard Business Review, pivoting is a lateral move that creates enough value for the customer and the firm to share. 6. Repurpose – whilst sounding like a word you might here in a spoof business comedy as some form of management speak, many business leaders and managers have had to either look for alternative markets for their goods or services or look to different business models and processes. The skills and role of those able to repurpose are likely to be in demand for some time - perhaps with businesses even looking to appoint Repurposing Officers (ROs). 7. Blursday - a new made up word being used to describe the situation when lockdown and working from home has got to the point that you have no real idea what day it is, even that you didn’t realise it is a non-working day. 8. Quranteams - a term being used to describe your virtual work bubble – we do like to have a name for everything. 9. Worklife blend/balance – even before lockdown greater consideration was being given by individuals to their worklife balance. Though for those working and perhaps surprisingly those furloughed, greater consideration and importance is being placed on one’s worklife balance, wellbeing and mental health. 10. Embracing technology - whilst technology, its use and application has accelerated the pace of change it has never been as fast as it has been since lockdown. The term embrace technology has possibly been used to describe the situation where we all, whether in our work, personal or family life, have had to get to grips with and use more technological applications. For some this may have been easier than for others, however it has highlighted issues around skills and proficiency and the need for training, support and investment. No doubt more words and phrases will come to the fore over the coming months. Some will be lasting in terms of vocabulary and some new words may even make the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. 58-59.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 14:14 Page 158-59.qxp_Layout 1 09/11/2020 14:14 Page 2Next >