Sue Currie Blog

I recently shared my personal branding message at a conference for a veterinary group. In preparing my presentation I wanted to make it as relevant to them as possible and talked about an event I had worked on which was Scruffs – a Big Day out for Dogs, for the NSW Animal Welfare League. Apart from the animal connection I used this example to highlight the importance of public relations and publicity to build your personal brand.

Word of mouth is a very powerful public relations tool and an ideal way to build your personal brand. One of the best ways of generating it is through publicity. Publicity is getting free editorial coverage in newspapers or magazines or being talked about on radio or television.

The terms public relations and publicity are often integrated. Publicity is only one function of public relations. It is media coverage – news stories, feature articles, radio talk show interviews, television appearances, editorials and reviews.

Public relations, includes a variety of tactics that strengthen your credibility, enhance your image or influence public opinion. These tactics such as speeches, special events, networking, promotional activities, product launches and product give-aways; sponsorship, newsletters, annual reports, plus publicity articles and media releases are targeted to an audience.

PR is communicating who you are, what you do, why you do it, and how you make a difference.

PR and positive media coverage can:

• Attract customers
• Increase demand for your products or services
• Gain an edge over your competitors
• Enhance your credibility, prestige and personal brand
• Get your message across without the expense of advertising
• Create goodwill in your community

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I recently attended the National Speakers Association of Australia (NSAA) convention and annual awards. www.nationalspeakers.com.au.  It was fabulous as always and lots of learning. I’m also on the national board as public relations manager and my role after convention was to send out a media release about our award-winning speakers. Take a look at the release.

It got me thinking, I should really be doing more of this for my business. After all this is my professional background before I opted to become a full-time speaker and trainer. And guess what?  It was one of the key learnings from the conference.  Marketing, PR, publicity and branding are all very essential if you want to build a successful business and of course memorable personal brand.

Here’s what a few of the speakers said about PR.

Rachel Birmingham successful co-author of 4 Ingredients contributed the success of the book completely to PR. She sent out a media release and received a major order for the book prior to it even being available.

David Avrin the Visibility Coach – well the name says it all. His presentation was all about standing out and making a name for yourself through creating a memorable brand.

Jim Cathcart CSP spends a lot of time every day using social media to build his on-line identity.

Allan Pease CSP said he’s able to charge a premium for his services because he became famous. He did that through communication, writing books and being an expert in his chosen field – all PR techniques.

What have been some of your PR successes?

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A good friend of mine recently was in touch regarding his new career – that of a magician.
We used to work together a number of years ago in the public relations industry. Long story short, he decided that PR wasn’t the right role for him and pursued other creative avenues until he found what he truly loves doing. I too used to work in PR but now am following my passion of professional speaking.

Neither of us reinvented overnight. It was a process and although not easy certainly one I’d recommend to anyone who feels they need to do something different or are really not happy doing what they do now.  It can be painstaking to realise your ambitions and develop your true persona. But doing what you love is key to developing a strong personal brand.  

So much of who you are is aligned with your work. Find your passion at work. How to do that? Do a self-audit, look at your background, what you’ve enjoyed doing in the past, what you’re good at, what you’d really love to do if circumstances were different. There are heaps of books on career management. One I would recommend is Career Distinction. Or check out your local library.

Click here to know more about Bruce Glen magician. 

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Let’s now continue our B R A N D   P L A N

Ledger – the budget – how much is it going to cost?

Public relations is a great way to launch your product , service or YOU. You don’t always have to advertise. PR is certainly cheaper than advertising but not necessarily free. You do need to allocate some funds toward a communication campaign.

How much will new brochures cost? What about a post card mail out to your database?  Will you hire someone part time to help you? Maybe it’s new photos or a new wardrobe you need to raise your personal image.

You need to look at the resources you have to put towards this project. If its $5,000, how can you effectively use that money? It might be that you spend $2,500 on brochures and $2,500 on publicity –  perhaps getting someone to send out a media release. Then measure it. See what gets the most effective return on your investment by asking people how they found out about you.  

P is for Your PR and the tools to use to reach your target. This is the ‘how to do it’ part. Here you detail exactly how you are going to reach your target public with your message to achieve that desired outcome you’ve already set – those smart goals. So what tools are you going to use?

There are hundreds of ways of communicating with your target public. Publicity and sending out a media release is one. Also sponsorships, having open days, or special events; community meetings, shopping centre displays, launches, letter box drops with brochures, networking or volunteering at your company, to name a few. As an example if it is an open day at your factory to achieve 50 new customers, what tools would we use? Perhaps an invitation hand delivered with some sort of gimmick, perhaps some publicity in the local paper, setting up a creative media photo opportunity or sending out a newsletter to current customers. For your desired outcome, list 4 or 5 communication tools or strategies to help reach your objective.

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