Juliet Fay Copy Writer

Why reading ‘The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ will help develop a PR brain for your farm enterprise or rural business

Oct 032011

"It's an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, Man had always assumed that he was the most intelligent species occupying the planet, instead of the *third* most intelligent. The second most intelligent creatures were of course dolphins who, curiously enough, had long known of the impending destruction of the planet earth."

Douglas Adams, 'The Hitch Hikers' Guide to the Galaxy'.

A much loved radio play and book, 'The Hitch Hikers' Guide to the Galaxy' takes an ordinary man, Arthur Dent (in his dressing gown), on an extraordinary journey. Douglas Adams' brilliance is in his ability to look at life side on, find the quirkiness and entertain us by juxtaposing the everyday and the bizarre.

If you want to get regular coverage in the press and media for your farm enterprise or rural business, you need to send stories (or press releases) to newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations. For those stories to have any chance of getting published, you need to find that all important angle that turns your story from dull to daring, everyday to extra-ordinary, boring to brilliant. Juxtaposing the everyday with the unusual, absurd or unexpected is one sure fire way to find an angle.

What's the point of trying to get coverage in the media?
Free publicity, that's what it's all about. For a new or expanding business, stories in the press are a great way to get across your business name, brand and ethos.

What does a PR brain do that's so special?
The PR brain makes connections between the world of your business and the world of your potential customers to create great stories. Why? To amuse, entertain or inform readers. Happy readers make happy editors.

A PR brain has certain key attributes.

highly observant.
people watcher
avid reader.
collector of stories.
endlessly curious
thinks laterally
understands drama
delights in the absurd
excels in detective work

Feeds on video, film, art, music, TV, news and popular culture
(So go ahead spend the afternoon at a gallery or catching a movie….. it's all "research")

Tools the PR brain uses.

Thinking laterally. Place foodie stories in gardening magazines. Less competition
Juxtaposition: photo of tractor and wigwam sent to the farming press by Wigwam holidays , instantly put the idea of a wigwam campsite into farmers' minds.
Curiosity: ask your customers for their stories. Remember the mother who gave birth in a car? Of course she named her daughter "Kia".
Camera: Build your photo library. A picture can be the story. Goat up a tree. Snoozer in a deck chair. Use the image to find a story. 'Napping Britons miss out on release of new time management software'.
Notebook: jot down ideas for stories when you're out and about, listening to the radio, watching TV, reading the papers, on Twitter, Facebook or You Tube.

When a picture makes the story

Pigs in wellies

What editor wouldn't print this little cutie?

Why do you need to develop a PR brain?
Editors get inundated with stories. Interesting, relevant, quirky and newsworthy stories are the ones that avoid the bin.

Applying the tools.
You want examples don't you?

If your customers are avid X Factor fans, launch an X- Factor style competition to find the winning cockerel crow. Get people to send in their videos and photos of their pride and joy doing the early morning performance. Write up the story of the competition and profile the winner, send to a small holder magazine and the winner's local paper, with photo of the proud winning cockerel.

Vintage is everywhere – crockery, clothes, advertising. It's nostalgia, a yearning for a golden age when life was simpler but more authentic. Dress characters up in 50s clothes and getting them to pose around your furniture drinking tea out of vintage cups for a Vintage Day. A good photo with story is bound to get you a piece in the local paper. Link your business with values of authenticity and simplicity.

Rugby fans in your target audience? Produce limited edition six nations products e.g. ear rings or cup cakes. A good photo and short piece will be timely if you get it released in the run up to the tournament.

Go now and buy or borrow Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hikers' Guide to the Galaxy. It won't tell you how to write a press release but it will tune up your sense of the absurd, a great asset for any PR Brain.

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What are the 3 most things you find most difficult in your business writing?

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Free iCreu Guide: Making It Pay by Juliet Fay

Business No Responses »

Apr 192011

Have you ever wondered if you could make a business out of your creative talents? Are you thinking of studying in the creative fields but wonder what work opportunities are available?

Then this new guide is for you.

I was delighted to be commissioned by The University of Wales Trinity Saint David to write this Guide. Filled with case studies and thought provoking ideas about becoming a creative entrepreneur, this guide will either inspire you to start your own business or have you heading off to the job market quick smart!

Why your best customer holds the key to unlocking more sales

copywriting, Marketing No Responses »

Jun 302010

"How do you make Yorkshire Puddings?", asked my husband.

"Look in the The Good Housekeeping Cook Book." I shout back as I exit the kitchen.

We have tons of cook books, but it is The Good Housekeeping Cook Book that's our bible.The one we always consult.

You can tell, because it's the one with dog eared corners, butter stains and scribbles in it from our children's toddler days.

Why? It knows everything we want to know about cooking everyday meals and puddings. It understands our needs, level of knowledge and gives us reliable information time after time.

That Good Housekeeping cook book is like your best customer.

Your best customer knows everything you need to know about your product or service.

She holds vital information about your business. Not -

how you made the product,
what the cost of sales are,
how long it takes to grow,
process or manufacture it

- you know all that.

What this person knows is the really important information that you don't have within your business.

She knows:

what your product or service does for them,
why they are attracted to it,
what difference it makes in their lives
how they feel when they buy it
how they feel when they use or consume it

How does this information unlock more sales?

With this information you can write targeted sales messages on your website, leaflet, brochure or poster.

Instead of trying to appeal to everybody, you can focus on attracting more people like the ones who already love and buy your product.

Instead of listing the features and benefits you can show your potential customers the difference (big or small) that your product or service can make in their lives.

Build your marketing around this information.

Think about it.

This information can help you plan so much about your marketing:

how your website should look
who you are talking to when you write sales messages
what shows or events you might go to
what to write on your leaflets
where to distribute your leaflets
what articles to write for your newsletter
where to advertise

Who is this best customer?

It is the customer who regularly spends their money with you.
It is the customers who spends most money with you over a year,but more than that it is the customer who puts a smile on your face.

The one who is delighted with your products or services.

If you could have one hundred customers like this one, who would you pick?

How do they know so much about your product or service?

This customer has invested time and effort in finding your product or service. They know it, love it, use it and expect your product or service to satisfy and delight them.

And it does.

They stick with your business and maybe buy other products or services from you because dealing with you makes them feel good.

So how do you get this information?

Your customer holds the key. Just ask.

Go now and arrange to have a coffee, a beer or a glass of wine with your very best customer. Ask them to help you. You'll be amazed at customers' willingness to help. They already love your product, and most people love to talk about themselves.

What specifically can you ask?

Stick to one product or service and then get the customer to tell you all about what their life or business was like before they found your product or service.

Find out what they were looking for and why.
Ask how they found you.
Ask what was the first thing that attracted them to the product or service.
What else had they tried?
What did they find?
What did they like most about it?
What is difficult about buying this kind of thing?
What is easy about buying it?
What difference does it make in their lives?
How do they feel when they buy it?
How do they feel when they use or consume it?
Where do they look for this kind of product?
Where do they hang out (online or offline).

Have you made that call yet?

Go now and set up a date to do this. If possible record the conversation (with your client's permission).

You can get voice recording apps for the iPhone and Android phones, or purchase a simple recording device.

Sounds like a lot of bother?

Maybe but if you want to create sales messages that attract people who are going to love your product or service, doing this will set you off on the right course.

Your customer is your most valuable asset for present and future sales.

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Useful Marketing Tool: Testimonials With Testosterone Audio

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Are you writing your e-newsletter for your customers or your Mum?

Email marketing tips 1 Response »

May 272010

Have you ever received a letter meant for someone else and opened it by mistake? As soon as you start reading it, you realise it's not meant for you. The first clue is that it is addressed to someone else. Usually we stop reading at this point, but if we carried on out of curiosity, we'd find references to people, places and things that are meaningless to us. The letter has no useful purpose for us because it wasn't intended for us. The information is irrelevant.

Yet that is exactly what many businesses do with their e-newsletters. They send information out that's not relevant or interesting to their readers.

Why would any business owner do this?

We get excited about our business especially if it has grown out of a passion or hobby. All the minutiae and ins and outs are endlessly fascinating to us. We want to share it with the world. Your Mum will listen avidly. Unfortunately your customers or potential customers may not be so enthusiastic. Finding lots of new customers like your mum is going to be an uphill struggle so you're better off finding out what excites or concerns your existing customers.

What can you put in your e-newsletter?

Coming up with topics for our e-newsletters can be a struggle. The first thing to think about is what will interest, entertain, or surprise your readers. Using our own judgement is risky. We are coming at it from a completely different perspective. If you don't know what your customers care about, you need to ask them.

How can you find out what topics will interest your readers?

As an e-newsletter is often about educating, engaging or establishing long term relationships you can think a little more laterally. For instance if you sell honey, do a quick brainstorm for topics connected with honey. Go as wide as you want. You might come up with a list like this:-

honey recipes
medicinal uses of honey
history of honey making
using honey in cosmetics
how bees make honey
current reports on bee populations
bee keeping societies
bee keeping
where to buy honey
qualities of different honey
your bees
swarming bees
poems about bees
songs about honey/bees
bees in literature
bees around the world
bee images
bee videos

To find out what interests your customers you could do a quick phone survey. Pick one or two good customers and ask them. Don't assume – ask. If they want honey recipes or bee cartoons, go out and find some.

Without understanding who your readers are and what makes them tick, you can waste valuable resources producing e-newsletters that only your Mum will want to read.