ACPR Blog

Response Source is an affordable service to distribute your press release to thousands of journalists who have subscribed to receive updates. It can’t replace researching your own contacts, as you don’t know who has subscribed, but it can get your news in front of journalists and editors who you might not have thought of approaching. I’ve certainly had a good response when I have used the service, and as it starts from around £40 plus VAT it is an affordable way to make your news reach further. Here are some tips from the people behind Response Source on making the most out of online press release distribution: (more…)

If you make crafts, there are a number of ways to sell them online, even if you don’t have the knowledge to design your own website or a big budget to get someone to do it for you. There are several websites that offer you the chance to have your own virtual shop in a virtual mall. Look at sites like Mumzmall and WAHMall. There are also sites like Etsy or Tuggle or Dawanda where, although sellers have their own page, there is less of the feel of an individual shop. If you’re an artist, I’ve just found Mini Gallery World.

When joining any of these sites, you get the benefit of the fact that they already get visitors, whereas if you start your own website you have to do the work to get people to visit your site. So, when choosing, ask the site owner for visitor statistics, and if you can, ask other sellers on the site how their sales are doing. The sites listed may ask you to pay listing fees, sales commission and/or monthly fees or annual fees. Your fees will go towards the upkeep and promotion of the site. Find out what they are doing to keep the site profile high and attract in new visitors. Also, find out how easy it is to direct people to your items or page or shop as you should do your own promotion and marketing too.

If you want more ideas to help you promote your crafts, download the free PR mini guide, Selling Your Cards and Crafts which I have written. If you want more in depth help, look at A Guide to Promoting Your Business.

Just a quick reminder that you have until 31 March to enter the competition to win a copy of Working Mothers - the perfect guide for anyone who needs a bit of motivation when juggling family and work. Simply email antonia@acpr.co.uk to enter.

You also have until 31 March to buy ‘A Guide to Promoting Your Business’ for £9.99 instead of the usual price of £15.

Since the last newsletter, we have also added a brand new database of contacts at crafts magazines. If you want to get in touch with women who love crafting, this database contains 29 of the UK’s most popular crafting magazines. Use the database to get in touch with craft magazine editors at the click of a mouse, and send press releases to the right people to get them in to print. Just £90 until April 30th - usually £100.

And don’t forget the brand new E-Book, The Beginners Guide to TV Interviews. Not just a guide, this great book by Joanne Mallon will help you get in TV in the first place.

Finally, I’m in need of a Scottish case study, someone who offers a service like freelance gardening, or dog walking, or laundry or ironing. This is for a feature in the Sunday Post. Please email antonia@acpr.co.uk if you can help.

Craft Business magazine this month includes an article on reaching male crafters, with a few tips from ACPR. Read on to find out how you can extend your business to reach more men: (more…)

Do you need to:
attract more customers
maximise marketing opportunities
run a PR campaign on a shoestring
make sales calls with confidence
understand web-based marketing
encourage web-based sales
If the answer is yes then GLE oneLondon can help. On Thursday 20th March, 10.00 - 17.00, GLE oneLondon are running a FREE event in south London aimed at small businesses who have been operating for at least 18 months offering tips and quick wins that you can apply to your business TODAY.

Come and listen to Antonia Chitty, author of “A Guide to Promoting your Business”, provide practical tips on how to generate more business, through cost effective marketing and PR.

AND

Simon Kincaid, web services specialist, will be sharing his own experience of how to set up a website, manage your web content, and interact more effectively witth your customers.

For more information or to book your place, click here

I was feeling uninspired about what to blog, but got a nice boost this afternoon when I picked up a copy of Junior Pregnancy & Baby magazine, which contained an article about starting a craft business. I spoke to the journalist a couple of months ago and she mentioned my book, A Guide to Promoting Your Business, in the article alongside some PR tips which you can read below:

Wise up to PR. Mother of two and PR guru Antonia Chitty advises women with small businesses. Here are her top five tips:

1. Get inspired. Join online business forums, or find a parenting website with a section for work-from-home mothers like www.mumszone.co.uk, www.netmums.co.uk or www.babygreenhouse.co.uk.
2. List all your ideas for promotion on a wall planner so you have activities planned for each week. By planning ahead you’ll see when you need to start promoting an event you are attending, for example.
3. Do one PR task every day. Even when you are very busy, find 15 minutes to make a call or send an email. Attacking promotion in small chunks makes it more manageable
4. Build up good contacts in the media. Call journalists to find out what sort of story they want and send out press releases on a regular basis. It can take several mentions of your business name before people start to buy.
5. Cultivate your customers. Every time someone buys from you, ask if you may add them to your mailing list. Send regular newsletters to clients and potential customers so they know about your sales, events and promotions.

I sent a press release about my PR book to a range of trade magazines, and as a result Accountancy Age asked me to write an article. The article has now appeared on three different websites, here, here and here, which I hope will get a few accountants and IT pros to check out and buy the book.

I went on a short Wordpress course today at the eBiz centre in Hastings. Wordpress seems straightforward, and I could probably have managed without the course, but it was fun to do and I met some good people and made a useful contact. I now have to decide about how to attach it to my site(s). I have three sites running currently, ACPR, PRBasics and Family Friendly Working. ACPR is simply the site for my PR Business, and the other two are the sites for my latest books. I have one further site which is deeply out of date, and I’m too embarassed to link to. I think in reality I need to update that and add the blog to it, and use it as a way of bringing the other three sites together. I could also do with creating a website for my Dad’s Glass Book, and another for a very sector specifc area of PR training which I don’t mention anywhere online yet!

Something to think about over Christmas perhaps! 

This week has been pretty slow going - I have done lots of admin but struggled to make progress with a few big jobs. However, I have had a nice boost with a couple of bits of coverage for A Guide to Promoting your Business, in Craft Business Magazine and In House magazine. The later goes out with every Viking Stationery order, which is a great way to get news out about the book to thousands of small business owners who I would not reach otherwise. If you want to BUY this practical guide to business promotion, read the first chapter for free or download templates for a press release, visit www.prbasics.co.uk

I got both bits of coverage after responding to requests on Response Source. Journalists place requests for information on the site - a very useful place to know about. It is a subscription service, but if you are serious about promotion, an investment of a few hundred pounds a year is worthwhile.