Hiring a PR team
A dedicated person, or team, looking after the PR and communications of a small business can be an asset, but not all can afford it. Here’s the panel’s take:
It's important to identify what you're looking to achieve with the PR - is it to attract new customers, new partners, general brand awareness or make a new announcement. This will help determine whether a short term campaign is needed (outside help) or ongoing support (in-house).
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Damage control
What are the first steps you should take to rebuild your reputation if your business receives negative press?
Jade Giltrap, media underwriter for Hiscox UK and Ireland, says:
“If you have insurance, it would be worth contacting your insurance provider or broker once you are aware of any potential issues that may cause a claim. The earlier the better. Some policies even offer cover such as Crisis Containment, which is a PR type cover that will assist in minimising damage to a company’s reputation. This cover can potentially offer the services of a leading PR firm, who are available 24/7 (as you never know when a crisis will hit) and are on hand to provide advice in relation to how to manage the potential reputational fallout. Ask whether this is available in relation to your Professional Indemnity insurance, office cover and cyber cover to name but a few options.”
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What’s in a name?
Reader Janine Coombes asks a question that all business owners have pondered:
How important is the name of the company? I'm working with a small business who is about to rebrand and is stuck choosing a name.
The panel offers the following:
A name is important as it's the first introduction to a business so should reflect what you're trying to achieve. But it can and should also be complimented by the design, colour and messaging the business puts out there. One idea is to get a user-group to help you generate some ideas, ideally in the demographic you're looking to target.. and you can even just ask the question out on social media or run a competition...
The brand is absolutely crucial and our advice would always been to invest the right amount of time, expertise and have a clear understanding of the language your brand speaks. It's so much more than just a logo. A brand name immediately sets expectations in the mind of the customer and you need to deliver on those expectations. A brand in today's customer led world, has never been more important.
Names are perception - you may need to consider how it translates if your ambition is to be global. Be aware of feedback on made up names (eg Ocado) - for a new brand people try to make sense of things and may give you negative feedback based on what they think when they know nothing about the product or service and have not seen the brand identity. My last piece of advice is to see how memorable the name is. Can people easily recall the name, and correctly - this is THE most important thing. I made this mistake with 'Make Your Words Work' as my company name! :/
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Dealing with negative comments
Critical comments on social media (or elsewhere) can have a big influence on a small business’s reputation and success. This reader asks a useful question:
Hi there, I'd be interested to know the panels thoughts on maintaining a good reputation online when you have received negative comments from e.g a customer or competitor. If you are in a small business with limited budget what can you suggest?
Social media expert, Naomi Timperley, says:
as part of maintaining a good reputation online - excellent online customer service is key. You will see most major brands will take the conversation offline as quickly as possible. Making sure that you respond to comments, queries and complaints in a timely manner. What you cannot do is bury you head in the sand and also its not wise to react and cause an online argument.
From a legal perspective, Alex Mizzi, senior associate specialising in employment law at Howard Kennedy LLP, offers this tip:
It's often tempting (particularly if the negative remarks are made by a competitor) to think that firing off a solicitor's letter will solve the problem. While that is appropriate (or even necessary) in some cases, I would say that as a small business with many demands on your cash flow, you need to think very carefully about costs vs benefit and whether escalating a dispute will just give it more oxygen.
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How to win press attention
The first question comes from reader Sonia Trehan:
Thank you all so much for participating in this live chat! It's tremendously helpful to new entrepreneurs like myself trying to forge a path.
I'd like to ask a question regarding press: What's the best way for a young business (without the cashflow to risk pouring money into an agency service) to get the attention of press in our field?
To be more specific: We're a fashion company with a powerful message regarding ethics, sustainability and inclusion. This is a message that resonates strongly whenever we have the opportunity to share it (indeed, the Guardian covered the launch of one of our pieces), but it's proving difficult to continue growing beyond that. It seems many successful fashion entrepreneurs have an existing network, through family or past employment. This is a luxury we sadly do not have.
Any advice as to how we could successfully reach out to the media in this field (or even general advice) would be tremendously appreciated.
Thanks again for so kindly offering your time and invaluable expertise.
Sonia Trehan
CEO of RŪH Collective
Gemma Godfrey, founder of Moola, recommends the following:
The best way to build a brand on a budget is to be targeted. Focus your energy and resources on the publications and platforms that are of interest to your target audience. Then learn what it is they like to publish, what angles they're interested and identify the relevant journalist to contact. Rather than focus on a story you want to push - work out what stories they want to hear...
Emma Sexton, co-founder of Flock Global, says:
For me, the easiest and most effective way of generating press and PR has been about providing value to that audience - whether it's a talk, an article or an event. I always ask myself 'so what?' to really self-critique is what I am saying is me broadcasting or being engaging. So obvious yet it is amazing how many people fo not use this rule.
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How to join in the discussion
Make sure you’re a registered user of the Guardian (if not, it’s quick to register) and join us in the comments section below, which will open on the day of the live chat.
Submit a question
You can post questions in the comments section below during the chat. Or you can send questions in advance, or during the discussion, by emailing smallbusinessnetwork@theguardian.com or by tweeting us at @GdnSmallBiz with your question.
What we'll be discussing
How does a business become popular? If your enterprise is small, you must put it on the map. Providing top-notch customer service and a high-quality product is the first step. This quality should translate to positive customer reviews. And these, in turn, will help to build brand awareness and entice new customers.
However, as your business grows and takes on staff its actions will come under greater scrutiny. For example, a number of small businesses were named and shamed when HMRC recently released details of those that failed to pay staff the minimum wage.
Small enterprises often lack a dedicated team to handle scandals or complaints, so damage control is added to the owner’s hefty to-do list.
But it is a vital task – more than half of UK companies thought they experienced a decline due to online posts about their business in the previous 12 months, according to research by online reputation management firm Igniyte.
Meanwhile, 58% of consumers said they would avoid using a business if it has experienced a cyber-security threat, according to a report by the government’s Cyber Streetwise campaign and KPMG.
Questions we will aim to cover in this webchat include:
- What’s the best way to grow your brand on a budget?
- How can you rebuild your reputation if your business makes a blunder or receives bad press?
- How should you respond to bad online reviews?
- How can you use customer service to build a positive reputation?
- Do you need a PR team to safeguard your business?
- How should you handle complaints on social media?
Our panel
Chris Daly, chief executive, the Chartered Institute of Marketing
Gemma Godfrey, founder and chief executive of Moola
Naomi Timperley, director of Coo Digital and director at Tech North Advocates
Emma Sexton, co-founder of Flock Global and founder and creative director of Make your Words Work
Jade Giltrap, media underwriter for Hiscox UK and Ireland. Specialising in the media and marketing industry, she is experienced in helping businesses to protect their reputation
Danny Denhard, is head of digital marketing at JustGiving
Alex Mizzi, senior associate specialising in employment law at Howard Kennedy LLP
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I have used PR (freelancers) when I have needed to and they don't always have to cost the earth. I have also done a lot of PR myself - by building relationships with journalist and bloggers. I have also built my reputation in my field of experience by being part of panels, speaking at events (that gain their own PR) and collaborating with others. This has led me to opportunities for PR. I am responsible for my online reputation and that of the brands that I am associated with, I am conscious of this and its something that I am always looking at.