SPN FEB 2010 COMPLETE EDITION:SPN 2010 21/01/2010 06:26 Page 65
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk IndustryPR FEB 2010 SPN 65
agency or professional is. With the growth of Blogging is another vital cog in the
online news outlets and the internet offering online promotion of a business.
an instant information hit, the traditional �PR Where else can you have a medium
way� has to adapt or lose relevance. that allows instant interaction
The importance of high quality PR has between you and your customers,
never been more critical for the specialist or potential customers?
pool and spa industry, hit by a series of poor Additionally, a blog allows you to
summers and the recession and looking for a offer a more personal side to
lift, a higher national profile and some your �business speak� and can
sustainable good news. help you connect to your key
And while individual PR�s working for audience in a way that would
specialist companies continue to have have been almost impossible
successes, often high profile with national before.
coverage, there�s no sign of sustainable As much as social media offers a
campaigns working. wonderful tool for any PR campaign,
Quality not quantity is one problem. In the they�re only as good as you make
past smaller circulation magazines have them. You need to know what�s being
been an easier PR option which has failed in said so you can act, or react.
the most part to deliver any longer term For example, say you have a new product
business benefits. on the market and, for whatever reason, it
The task of leading SPATA�s campaign into receives some negative reaction. If you�re not
the new decade falls to newly appointed monitoring the situation, then you won�t be
BOTTLE PR. Based near Oxford, and with clients
in London and across the UK, BOTTLE PR was
established in 2004 and is, according to a
report last year, one of the fastest growing PR �But the world has changed. The growth in
agencies outside London. SPATA/BSPF�s
decision to opt for BOTTLE is driven by the online business means there�s no longer
need to embrace the new approach to
technology and its new communication routes barriers between local and international
as much as anything else.
Will Cairns, Managing Director from BOTTLE customers, and PR now needs to come up with
PR said: �We are delighted that BOTTLE PR has
been appointed to support BSPF and look solutions for this new online world�
forward to raising the awareness of the
organisation and its associations � SPATA and
BISHTA. We will be working closely with the able to come out with any answers to the
team at BSPF and its members to promote key negative questions being asked.
TWITTER- TYPICAL
industry events as well as supporting This is where the likes of Google Alerts
members by helping to promote their news come into use. Monitoring any news on
OF THE NEW
and interesting case studies to the trade and product niches will soon let you know of any
CHALLENGES FOR PR
national media.� reaction to it, positive or negative.
The challenge for BOTTLE PR and other PR Twitter has turned at least one business The new social networking medium
individuals working in the trade is to work rule on its head: in conventional advertising provides some new style solutions
within a changing communication its business first, people later. With Twitter which can:
environment. it�s people first, then business. Companies � Drive new business to your website, blog
One of the age-old pre requisites for good starting to investigate the benefits of Twitter or newsletter
PR is still making sure the media picks up the soon recognise those who haven�t �got� this � Learn about your audience
campaign. It doesn�t matter if it�s a single rule as they�re the ones pushing products � Share opinions, resources, tools �
press release or a full-blown PR blitz � having and services; and soon finding out it just demonstrate knowledge / expertise and
strong ties to the media will give an doesn�t work! create advocates
advantage, particularly in this day of blog Brands that dive into Twitter and get it � Assist with recruitment
power. The need to do things the right way � badly wrong risk damage to their reputation, � Find new suppliers
good media contacts, planning well ahead, but there are significant rewards waiting for � Save you money as it�s FREE!
being prepared for bad news as well as good those which invest the time and effort into
news with the release and making the most getting it right. More than any other platform, Twitter is not just used by private
of industry events and good case studies are Twitter helps to create a productive dialogue enterprises or celebrity media types; in
all still good principles for PR success. with consumers, the media and other key fact the Government has recently
But the world has changed. The growth in audiences. produced a document to give civil servants
online business means there�s no longer Journalists too are joining the foray � guidance on how to use �new media� and
barriers between local and international blogging on their publication website, or calls on Government departments to
customers, and PR now needs to come up going it alone with more personal and often Tweet on �issues of relevance or upcoming
with solutions for this new online world. incredibly insightful blogs. What�s more, events�. Newcastle City Council is a case
The web offers a vital opportunity to keep journalist blogs can be highly influential in example and currently top the Local
up-to-date with what�s making the news � some topic areas. Government Twitter League Table and
podcasts from national newspapers via the Will the specialist trade be available to take their Communications Advisor, Alistair
likes of iTunes, blogs from the top people in a advantage of these changes? One specialist Smith is quoted as saying, �Rather than it
market and Google Trends and Google Alerts PR told us: �If we don�t change we�ll become a being a one-way communication, it�s two-
are just some of the ways of putting businesses dinosaur and fall even further behind. It�s OK way. If you are putting a message out
at the head of the information queue. to think that just getting a good, well written there, it�s important to hear what people
Social media giants like Facebook, Digg and release out, following it up and reporting think about it. While it is important to
Youtube are now being heavily used by PR back to the client that it�s going to be used. It maintain a relationship with traditional
agencies for their clients. Viral marketing and might make the client feel OK but the point is media... we need to have a presence where
video campaigns are two ways that businesses it�s missing the bigger opportunity and the our customers are.�
are reaching a wider audience. bigger rewards.� spn
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