10 Hot Tips for Promoting Your Business | Ellen Gunning | Talks at Google

TL;DR

Learn about the power of PR tools and their role in promoting businesses. Adapting to your target audience is key.

Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING] KAROLINE O'SULLIVAN: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Talks at Google. For our first talk of the year, I'm delighted to introduce our PR guru, Ellen Gunning, with a warm welcome. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] ELLEN GUNNING: Good morning, how are you? My book, as you can see behind me, is called "10 Red Hot Tips to Promotoe Your Business." Ba... Read More

Key Insights

• 😊 PR creates stories and builds relationships, while advertising focuses on selling products.
• 📷 SMEs can effectively use visual tools like photo calls and photo shoots to generate publicity and create a memorable impression.
• 💦 Sponsorship can work well for SMEs if they carefully plan and align their sponsorship strategy with their target audience and values.
• 👃 Exhibitions offer promotional opportunities for SMEs, but it's crucial to plan in advance and take advantage of the tools and resources provided by organizers.
• 😊 Reputation is key in PR, and companies should carefully consider their actions to protect and enhance their reputation.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the difference between PR and advertising?

Advertising focuses on selling products, while PR creates stories and builds relationships with the public. PR is about who you are, what you do, and why people should invest in you.

Q: How can SMEs effectively use visual tools like photo calls and photo shoots?

SMEs can use photo calls to invite media and set up specific pictures to generate publicity. Alternatively, they can create their own photographs and send them to the media. The key is to create visually appealing images that people will remember and associate with your business.

Q: How can sponsorship work well for SMEs?

Sponsorship can work well for SMEs if they carefully plan and think through their sponsorship strategy. It's important to choose sponsorships that align with the values and target audience of the business. Since SMEs have smaller budgets, they need to make sure their sponsorship investment provides a good return by reaching the right audience.

Q: How can SMEs effectively use exhibitions for promotion?

SMEs should book exhibitions in advance and take advantage of the promotional opportunities offered by organizers. It's important to provide information about any special offerings or events at the exhibition to generate free PR. SMEs should also analyze their target audience and choose exhibitions that are relevant to their customer base.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• In this talk, PR guru Ellen Gunning discusses her book "10 Red Hot Tips to Promote Your Business," which focuses on teaching small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) how to effectively use PR tools to promote their businesses.

• Gunning explains the difference between PR and advertising, emphasizing that PR creates stories and builds relationships with the public, while advertising focuses on selling products.

• She showcases the importance of using visual tools like photo calls and photo shoots, as well as the effectiveness of sponsorship for SMEs. In both cases, careful planning and targeting specific audiences are crucial for success.