A PR guide for SMEs - helping SMEs understand how to use PR and digital marketing to achieve business objectives.

1. AURATALK
ISSUE NO. 1AURA-PR.COM
F O R S M E s T O S T A N D O U T
PHOTOGRAPHED BY LAURA SUTHERLAND - MITCHELL LANE, GLASGOW
One of the biggest challenges for PR and
SEO is assuming either everyone knows
everything or no-one knows anything
Amplify your message by supporting
events with PR. We look at the Hello,
My Name is Paul Smith exhibition
PR has changed and now uses paid, earned,
shared and owned media to form plans and
demonstrate a return of your investment
INTEGRATE PR & SEO
ONE STEP AT A TIME
PR & EVENTS:
HELLO MY NAME
IS PAUL SMITH
WINNING IN
MODERN PR

2. EDITOR'S NOTE
Laura Sutherland
E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F
As a PR firm we're always looking to find new and engaging
ways to create and use content. Content is what audiences
seek, whether news, information, videos, 'how-to's' or tips and
views. We then got around to thinking about our own content
and what our audience will be looking for.
A blog sometimes isn't enough. Yes, we're all over Twitter,
Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, but sometimes simplifying
things is required. We've now turned to a handy magazine.
We want SMEs to smash PR and digital marketing. We want
them to grow and we want to help them achieve success.
Through a series of articles and guides we hope to help.
We would of course be delighted to hear from anyone who
requires a PR consultancy who can create and deliver
awesome results. E: hello@aura-pr.com
W W W . A U R A - P R . C O M

3. YOU CANNOT BORE
PEOPLE INTO
BUYING A PRODUCT;
YOU CAN ONLY
INTEREST THEM IN
BUYING IT.
DAVIDOGILVY:
Source:Quotesgram.com

4. INTEGRATE
PR & SEO
IT NEEDN' T BE A HEADACHE. IT
NEEDS TO BE SCALABLE
PR and SEO can and should exist side by side
One of the biggest challenges for PR and SEO is assuming either
everyone knows everything or no-one knows anything. First tip –
understand what people know and don’t know!
Google’s algorithm updates present an opportunity for PR
practitioners, mainly because we’re constantly generating
content and we’re feeding Google with quality stories and
‘honest’ and relevant links. The updates discount spam and
people trying to cheat to get ranked higher.
Objectives should be the same for PR and SEO – everything
needs to sit centrally, including strategy, reporting and evaluation.
Reporting is about reporting, not targeting. Everything has a
value and whilst we’ve come away from meaningless AVEs and
moved onto Barcelona Principles, simple wording on the value of
the activity could help people understand why it’s important.
Top tips for integrating PR and SEO
N O M A D I C | 2 4
Develop a year plan which allows the online and offline
activity to work together, including social and email marketing
too
Develop a process for news announcements – timing is
everything and it’s also nothing
If possible, break your support material up into a few different
posts e.g. one for news, one for a blog, one for a video, one for
images from ‘the activity’ – Google likes a drip feed of content
Get to know how to construct a great release which is SEO
friendly
Keep your media and influencer lists up-to-date
Build relationships with influencers – define, evaluate and
engage with them

5. PR &
EVENTS
Amplify the message.
Hello, My Name is Paul Smith
The Lighthouse, Glasgow

6. STRATEGIC EVENTSExpert advice for exhibitions and events
September is a busy month for exhibitions in London as it tries to
promote itself as the design capital of the world through the
London Design Festival. 350 events and installations are staged
by hundreds of different studios and individuals from around the
world in many venues across the city.
In particular we remember all the commercial interiors
businesses exhibiting new products and designs at 100% Design
and Decorex. The vibes at these events are fantastic. Years ago
when the recession hit, we thought 100% wouldn’t last many
more years. Exhibitors and visitors were in serious decline. But it
has bounced back and is now even bigger and better, attracting
some of the biggest names in design and interiors globally.
Here’s our top success tips for a great exhibition experience:
Know your visitors
Understand who your visitors are. You should know this before
anything else! The more knowledge you have about the
audience (the people who attend the exhibition), the more
relevant and informed strategic decisions you’ll make.
Prepare your strategic goals and KPIs
Your strategic goals will match your overall business objectives
and comms/PR plan. Don’t just turn up to be seen. Exhibit to gain
something for your business. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
will assist you in figuring out how to measure your goals.
Briefing designers
Successful stands communicate with audiences quickly and
effectively. The key to attracting people onto the stand is to have
interactive things for people to do – screens with video, ipads
with apps etc.
Keep text to a minimum. Make sure your concept is in-line with
your wider PR and comms strategy which will of course be
supporting the business strategy.
Brand and product positioning is important but keep your stand
free-flowing and open. It makes people feel like there is room for
them!
Other things to consider: audio, hashtag, URL, marketing
materials, place to hide staff personal belongings!
Choose your team wisely
Well groomed, approachable, good listening skills,
knowledgeable about the brand and product/service…
Make sure your team are ‘social’ and proactively using the
platforms that your customers use to engage them whilst they are
at the exhibition and from afar. Photos, video and live blogging is
all great!
Make sure you use the official hashtag of the exhibition as well –
this ensures you are visible to all attendees following the hashtag,
not just your immediate audience.
Ensure you capture data
Data capture is the golden nugget since addresses were used for
direct mail. Now, email marketing can be particularly effective for
both current and prospective clients. It’s a way of keeping your
brand front of mind and presenting an opportunity that’s only a
click away.
Make sure you prioritise the leads as you capture the data.
Tell everyone you’ll be there
If you don’t tell them, they might not know!
Make sure you’ve submitted images, video, press releases and
social links to the exhibition organisers for the website and
exhibition programme. This is free promotion and marketing, part
of your exhibitor rate.
If you’re including your own advertising in the lead up, ensure you
tell people your stand number on all your adverts so they can find
you.
Send an email to clients and ensure your social activity follows
the stand build, the exhibition build-up etc keeping everyone up-
to-speed with the exciting developments.
Choose relevant and branded merchandise to giveaway
Don’t just buy a product for the sake of it. Really think about how it
relates to your stand concept and how it will make the person
receiving it feel and use it.

7. On-site press office
Press Offices are great for leaving press packs for press that pick
up a bundle of press packs, but make sure yours stands out!
Journalists can be picking up 50-100 press packs so yours
needs to stand out and it should also be really easy to manage!
It’s a good idea to make all your press appointments in advance
and if possible, on the stand. Make sure you have actual news for
them and it’s not just the company background you’re handing
over. The press also love samples and invitations to one-to-one
appointments in showrooms.
Be sure to invite them to any events you have organised around
the exhibition. For example a launch or wrap drinks party.
Follow up
This is critical and should be personal. It might be in a traditional
letter or a personalised email campaign.
Make sure there is a call to action for the reader too. You can
track opens and clicks and shares with a platform like MailChimp
or your CRM may be capable of this.
This gives you a flavour of the level of detail and attention you
need to pay to have a stand out exhibition stand. Our expert PR
and marketing advice for a successful exhibition will stand you in
good stead. However, there are many other activities we could
go on to discuss, such as integrating digital in exhibitions. We’ll
leave that for another issue!
Lotus Cars
International first drive of the Lotus Evora
West End Festival, Glasgow
The Electric Gardens

8. 8 WAYS TO
DEVELOP YOUR
OWN CONTENT
N E V E R B E S T U C K A G A I N F O R I D E A S
It’s something many bloggers and
PR people find difficult to be
inspired by – a blank content
calendar! Turn it into a positive
and follow these steps. Content,
after all, needs to be relevant to
your audience, so where better to
start?
#5Ask your audience! Create a Twitter poll or ask
your audience directly, what they might want to read
about
#6 Similar to the above, but using someone else’s
content, ask someone to write a guest post for you –
someone who has credibility and can add value to
your site
#7Think of other ways of presenting your blog – for
example, if there is a meaty conversation you had
with someone about a specific topic, invite that
person to do a podcast with you, or perhaps a video
#8 Reading books other blogs and papers can really
liven your thoughts and indeed own opinions about
topics and news. Always keep a pen and notebook
beside you for those ideas
#1 Imagine what your target audience might search for on Google. What key words would they be
typing in? Right them down! These key words will be great for helping your SEO in your content
#2 Listen to your customers, staff and clients – a source of topics from the staff room to your social
channels
#3 What’s the latest in your industry? Is there a topic, such as a scandal, that you can comment on? For
Aura, this blog is useful to clients we work with to help develop content for the online and social
channels
#4 What are your peers talking about? You don’t want to be behind! Subscribe to similar blogs, emails
and set up a Google Alert

9. WINNING
IN
MODERN
PR
Modern public relations no longer focuses on how much press
coverage we can achieve and it also no longer continues to
churn out content that's boring and irrelevant.
If you think about it, public relations has always been about
building relationships with public/audiences and maintaining the
reputation of a business or organisation.
Aura has been working over the last few years to try to educate
clients about the importance of research, planning and having a
strategy which supports business objectives.
It's essential to have goals and to measure the success of any
work.
News, purchasing and information is now all done using
smartphones and tablets. Our bespoke strategies reflect where
your audiences are and what they are talking about.
Our digital marketing and PR services take this into consideration.
Your business objectives are at the heart of any activity whether
it’s raising awareness or generating leads.
We work with clients to understand their business, immersing
ourselves in every aspect. Our PR services start off with people,
understanding, planning and preparation. Strategic goals and
key performance indicators are essential in every strategy,
otherwise, what’s the point?
The way in which PR operates has developed significantly over
the last decade. Our PR services now use the PESO model,
covering paid, earned, shared and owned media. PESO
demonstrates a proven return of investment.
What Aura does know about you – you are looking to build a
relationship with trusted, respected and results-driven people.
We know that MDs and Chief Execs of SMEs are often time-
starved and looking for a partner which can add value to the
business and deliver results in-line with business objectives. This
leaves you to get on with your own job.
You also probably need solutions rather than problems being
thrown at you every day. That’s where we come in!
We get to know you and your business and we come up with
solutions, answering questions about USPs, the market and the
opportunities. We’re proactive (and reactive when we need to
be), and we’re always creating opportunities, whether it’s through
great content for your website, developing email campaigns for
your customers or working on something creative across media,
digital and web.
With SMEs it boils down to money! You want a return on your
investment. We want to demonstrate ROI on every activity we
undertake.
We understand that cash is king! We work in a flexible way,
allowing you to either pay a project fee or a retainer – whichever
way is easiest for you (and us) to manage. It’s a two-way
relationship.
We will have a clear plan as to what we are trying to achieve, who
we are speaking to and how we will do that.
Modern PR isn't rocket science. It's moving with technology and
responding to customer demand.
Aura's office in the west end of Glasgow

10. aura-pr.com
Aura works across the UK with a wide range of clients, large and small. We'd be delighted to hear from you
should you have any enquiries.
T: 0141 337 6712 E: hello@aura-pr.com Tw: @AuraPR