James Cracknell, owner and manager of Tutor Doctor, explains why the business should win the marketing and PR category of the Guardian Small Business Showcase competition.
In 2013 we ran a creative writing competition that got us on the radio; in 2014 we went one better - a journalism competition sponsored by our local newspaper and in partnership with a local PR company.
In 2015 we continue to look to inspire local children aged between 11-16 years old by promoting the value of journalism as well as rewarding the creativity of our youth. We are committed to building local partnerships and now work with The Gazette and Dream FM radio and share the competition with a fellow small business owner Write Wai PR.
To promote the competition we have run extensive social media coverage between all partners and peppered our output with positive stories and engaging comments. The reward for those who enter is the opportunity to win a Kindle Fire and have a great day in the press room of The Gazette or the studios of Dream FM.
Some schools use the competition as part of their year eight curriculum while business statistics show a 37% increase in traffic to our websites, a growth in social media following both of Facebook and Twitter and positive PR and news stories for all our respective businesses. These outputs are expected to be even greater as the competition comes to a close.
No matter whether traffic grows or brand awareness continues – the students who enter gain a real sense of purpose, an understanding of what it takes to be a journalist and something which looks great on their CVs.
All entries which meet the competition criteria are published and our judging panel select a shortlist of the top three for each category. Winners are announced at an awards ceremony in summer 2016.
