Content Reigns As King Once Again

by

Over the past year or so there has been a lot of talk about how public relations activities can influence a company’s search engine optimisation, PR SEO for short, but not many people actually know that much about it: PROs and tech geeks included, which is surprising.

SEO is all about where your company and / or your brand appear in the search results when someone searches online. The basic idea behind SEO is that the higher up the search rankings you are; the better it is, as more people will click through to visit your website.

Read on…

To Cut, Or Not To Cut?

by

With the recession still very much upon us, it’s not a surprise that companies are looking for ways to further tighten their financial belts, but should this include cutting PR budgets?

Here at Ridgemount PR we see PR as an investment that companies should make. More often than not the companies who choose to cut back or eradicate PR budgets altogether end up losing their voice in the markets and communities where they want to be heard. Read on…

Exhibiting Your Wares

by

Last week I went along to the Ideal Home Show at Earl’s Court in London to have a look at what’s popular at the moment in the housing industry.

It was fascinating to spend half a day there and a real boost to see that people are still interested in investing in their homes despite the economic gloom!

Exhibitions are a fantastic way of getting out there and meeting your customers. They bring together trade and consumers allowing for face to face B2B and B2C interaction. Read on…

Essential PR Skills

by

Graduating, for me, is not such a distant memory. Whilst an exciting time it can prove equally very scary as the job market is tougher than ever, so what skills do you need to bag a job in PR?

Whilst many people believe PR only involves duties such as attending parties, there are skills other than drinking that need to be mastered to secure a job.

Communications Skills

Writing- It is essential that you have good writing skills as you’ll be required to write press releases, case studies, brochures, e-zines and social media posts. Don’t worry if you haven’t had any journalistic experience you’ll be able to pick up a formula to write in but a basic grasp of writing and grammar is crucial in PR.

Reading- Consuming the media and being aware of what goes on around you is also important. If you are aware of current affairs it means you could potentially pick up on something your client could comment on, thus highlighting their publicity and earning you extra brownie points. Read on…

What To Do In A Crisis

by

Over the past fortnight we’ve seen many examples of PR crisis management in operation. From horsemeat scandals to arrests of world famous sports stars – the ways in which their companies and representatives have reacted is all part of their crisis management.

We all know that crises happen. Whether through human error or natural disaster at some point your company will be challenged. For the unfortunate amongst us those challenges will be played out across the pages of the trade, local or national media.

Expertise in crisis management is an essential part of the PR professionals armour. It’s the reason that companies employ PR agencies – at a moments notice that expertise will be available to them.

Here’s my top three steps to crisis management:

Read on…